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NCDHHS still silent on lockdown at Durham County Jail

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By Monica Chen

The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services released its new inspection report on Durham County Jail on Thursday. The report is three months late, and still does not mention the ongoing COVID lockdown in place at the jail.

Instead, it scolds the Durham County Sheriff’s Office for minor problems — such as graffiti.

“All cells throughout the facility had graffiti on
the walls and ceilings,” the new report stated.

“This inspection found deficiencies whereby corrections are required,” Charles Brown, the DHHS inspector, wrote to Sheriff Clarence Birkhead, and required a plan to correct the problems to be submitted to DHHS by June 7.

That’s a change from NCDHHS’ last report on the jail in September, when it found “no deficiencies.”

The agency conducts inspections of all county jails in the state on a semi-annual basis.

Activists in Durham have been sounding the alarm since December on the lockdown at the jail, which has resulted in inmates being held in conditions equal to solitary confinement for the past three years.

Marcia Owen and Andrea “Muffin” Hudson have gathered more than 450 signatures on an open letter sent to various Durham officials, calling for the urgent need to improve conditions at the jail.

Mike Sistrom, leader of the jail ministry at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, has said there is both solitary confinement used for punishment and “de facto solitary confinement” at the jail.

“It’s hardly a perk that detainees get ‘private cells’ and ‘don’t have to share.’ This isn’t a hotel!” he said in March.

According to the activists, Birkhead has told them in meetings that the lockdown at the jail is in fact because of staffing problems, not COVID – the opposite of what the Sheriff’s Office has said to reporters.

Birkhead said to The Independent Weekly in January, “Our entire facility is currently under quarantine protocol, and we have re-opened a pod specifically for COVID-isolation purposes.”

Staffing shortage problems at the jail have been well-documented in news reports.

WRAL recently reported that Durham County Jail is missing about half its staff. Of the 228 total positions at the jail, 103 were open.

That’s up from the 90-employee vacancy reported by The News & Observer last July.

The Spring Magazine asked NCDHHS this week why in its new report, it once again left out major problems at the jail and focused on minor issues.

NCDHHS released the report after numerous requests by The Spring Magazine during the past month. The documents show the inspection was conducted in March, and the report was finally done in May.

In response, spokeswoman Bailey Pennington said, “Surveys take time to complete as they include on-site visits, reviewing of records and information, and communicating with county administrators.”

Pennington also repeated the DHHS position that it has no say in lockdowns at county jails, signaling that any public or private agency can reinstate COVID lockdowns on their own without DHHS action.

Gov. Roy Cooper ended the COVID statewide emergency last August. Durham City and County lifted their mask mandate in March 2022.

“There are no current statewide mandates for COVID-19. From 2020-2022, state mandates for COVID-19 did prescribe specific processes for congregate living settings, including jails. Without those mandates in place, local officials are free to guide operations at detention facilities. This is the extent of NCDHHS’s involvement in this matter,” Pennington said in an e-mail on Friday.

That is verbatim what another DHHS spokeswoman said in April.

“There are no current statewide mandates for COVID-19. From 2020-2022, state mandates for COVID-19 did prescribe specific processes for congregate living settings, including jails. Without those mandates in place, local officials are free to guide operations at detention facilities. This is the extent of NCDHHS’s involvement in this matter,” Kelly Haight also said in an e-mail.

Brown, the DHHS inspector on the report, did not respond to a request for comment.

Blog post: WaPo “breaks” the news about Mandy Cohen

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By Monica Chen

The Washington Post “broke” the news about Mandy Cohen being picked to become the next CDC director on Thursday.

The story was fascinating for three reasons: The first is that it had three anonymous sources and the WaPo reporters referred to them as “the people,” which is hilarious.

The second is how much it goes out of the way to ignore the most obvious thing about Cohen’s career: How despised she is in North Carolina.

Cohen is by every measure a failed public servant.

But WaPo cannot or refuses to look at the facts, or heck, read the room. It insists on writing about Cohen as if she’s a shining beacon of accomplishment and competence. The result is a very goofy, out of touch news article — at best. It is honestly hilarious at the same time it’s completely despicable.

The third reason why this article is fascinating is its timing. More on that later.

First, two excerpts from the article here. One on the three anonymous sources:

President Biden plans to select former North Carolina health secretary Mandy Cohen to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to three people with direct knowledge of the pending announcement.

Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra spoke with Cohen this week to congratulate her on her selection, the people said. Biden’s formal announcement is expected later this month, after White House officials finalize Cohen’s paperwork, the people said.

Second excerpt, on Cohen’s performance as director of NCDHHS:

Cohen also steered the state’s covid response in 2020 and 2021, arguing that North Carolina adopted tactics — such as a daily focus on transparency — that could be adopted by other agencies to build public confidence in health care.

“Trust was not built at the national level, but I know trust was built in North Carolina,” Cohen said in a speech last month, touting how the use of data dashboards and regular news conferences helped boost confidence in the state’s covid response.

That was not transparency to N.C. residents. That was a daily onslaught of a propaganda campaign of fear and gaslighting. It was very well-practiced, blithely executed, unblinking authoritarianism.

What trust was Cohen talking about? For whom?

The third reason this WaPo article is fascinating is the timing. As the reporters themselves point out, the announcement was expected later this month. So why “break” it suddenly on Thursday?

Three anonymous sources is needed for a story on the CDC’s corruption, not for an expected announcement of a new director.

Biden took the most embarrassing fall so far of his presidency on Thursday. That happened around 3 p.m. About half an hour later, this article was put online and picked up by news outlets around the country.

In North Carolina, the Raleigh-based News & Observer didn’t mention Biden’s fall, or the news that actually broke on Thursday of UNC Hospitals doing away with DEI.

But the N&O ran this news on Cohen for the rest of the day.

Can’t have the public actually not be in fear, can we?

Blog post: The media’s cruelty toward the Covenant School

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By Monica Chen

A judge ruled in favor of 100 families at the Covenant School, as well as the school and the church last Wednesday, to give them a say in whether or not shooter Audrey Hale’s manifesto should be released.

Although on the national stage, the release of the manifesto seems like a good idea — sunshine being the disinfectant — it has become clear that in Nashville, it would be the opposite.

Here are the jaw-dropping arguments that those pushing for the release have been making against the school and families. They are alarmingly, completely inhumane and lacking any sympathy for the school, the kids and the families. Here’s what’s been reported in Nashville news outlets, in The New York Times and The Associated Press:

  • Their fears of future copycat shootings are just “emotions.”
  • Their wanting to withhold the manifesto until the investigation is completed would “impose a chilling effect upon the exercise of fundamental First Amendment rights.” (For a comparison, a Columbine shooter’s diary was withheld until 2006, well after the investigation was over.)
  • The Covenant School cannot claim exemptions for school safety under the public records law because it’s a private school. If you’re a private school in Tennessee, you can’t argue anything on the basis of school safety?
  • And the worst, most inhumane, gaslighting and cruel argument: The school and the surviving students and families are not victims.

Robb Harvey, the lawyer representing The Tennessean, actually said that:

“I submit, Your Honor, that the parents, even the parents of the children who were killed, I say that with respect because I don’t mean to diminish their grief, but they’re not victims of a crime. Their child, who was killed, was certainly the victim of a crime, but the parents were not. The parents who had other children in the school are not victims of a crime and the children who were unharmed and the police got safely out of there, they’re not victims of a crime,” he said, as reported by WKRN News 2.

The New York Times with this headline: “Nashville Parents Ask: ‘Must a Mass Shooter’s Writings Be Made Public?”

Well, are they wrong? How dare they want to keep a mass shooter’s deranged writings under wraps during an ongoing investigation?

And the most common concern after a mass shooting, that there might be copycat shooters, why is the media ignoring that?

Carmindy is back!

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By Monica Chen

Carmindy Bowyer is back with a new makeup line and it’s full of the tried and true that she’s known for.

The makeup artist known for her stunning transformations on “What Not To Wear” launched her new line in November.

The first items available? Her popular “I Got You” waterproof mascara, gel eyeliners, eyebrow pencils and eyeshadows.

Bowyer launched the line with fun promos on Instagram. Check them out:

Bowyer also gives regular “Beauty Tip of the Day” on her Instagram, and sometimes, she’s joined by Stacy London, the fashionista co-host of “What Not to Wear,” for a surprise treat for fans of the show.

The makeup line launched on Scent Beauty, home to celebrity fragrances from Cher, Kylie Minogue, Dolly Parton, and Bowyer herself.

Remember Bowyer’s amazing work over the years? Here’s a refresher of her game-changing bronzer technique on “What Not to Wear,” her foolproof smoky eye, and her makeup line you’re probably very sorry you missed out on in the late Aughts.

We can’t wait to see what Bowyer does next!

What Russia has uncovered about the biolabs in Ukraine — so far

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By Monica Chen

Since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine War, Russia has been outspoken about the presence of biolabs in Ukraine that are funded by the U.S. government. Here’s what they’ve said so far:

Shortly after the Russia military went into Ukraine in February 2022, the Russian Mission to the United Nations was raising alarms about the presence of biological laboratories in the country — that they were being used to conduct experiments on Ukrainian citizens with the approval of the Ukrainian government. This was in violation of the 1972 Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention.

The presence of these biolabs was also confirmed by the Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland to Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., in March 2022:

In April 2022, Russia announced it had uncovered horrifying acts by the U.S. government in Ukraine, including experiments on psychiatric patients in the Kharkov region:

Throughout the spring of 2022, Russia announced new findings on the biological laboratories in Ukraine and pushed for meetings at the U.N. on these labs.

Russia in particular highlighted the role of the U.S. in their proliferation.

In May 2022, the Russian government announced several bombshell findings, including that the biolabs in Ukraine were being used to funnel money to the U.S. Democratic Party. This slide was part of a presentation shared by the Russian Ministry of Defense:

Thus, through the US executive branch, a legislative framework for funding military biomedical research directly from the federal budget was formed. Funds were raised under state guarantees from NGOs controlled by the Democratic Party leadership, including the investment funds of the Clintons, Rockefellers, Soros and Biden.

– Russian Ministry of Defense

Russia also said in May 2022 that other countries have followed the U.S. and opened their own biolabs in Ukraine, such as Germany:

The German government has decided to launch a national biosafety programme independent of Washington, D.C., starting in 2013. Twelve countries, including Ukraine, are involved in the Programme. …

New documents reveal that between 2016 and 2019 alone, three and a half thousand blood serum samples of citizens living in 25 regions of Ukraine were taken by military epidemiologists from the Bundeswehr Microbiology Institute.

And Poland:

The participation of the Polish Institute of Veterinary Medicine in research aimed at assessing the epidemiological threats and spread of the rabies virus in Ukraine has been confirmed. Characteristically, the research in question was carried out jointly with the US-based Battelle Institute, a key contractor for the Pentagon.

On Germany’s biolobs in Ukraine, Russia pointedly asked this at the U.N.:

Indeed, in June, the U.S. Department of State said it in fact had 46 biolabs in Ukraine. That was part of this press release:

Has censorship stopped at Twitter? This tweet by the Russian Mission to the U.N. in July was grayed out for “sharing false or misleading information”:

In October, Russia drafted a resolution for the U.N. Security Council to set up a commission to investigate the U.S. and Ukraine’s development of biological weapons.

Two days later, the U.N. put out this announcement:

It was apparently a very fast “investigation.” The article said:

The UN’s High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Izumu Nakamitsu, had previously informed ambassadors – first in March, and then again in May – that the UN had seen no evidence of biological weapons use in Ukraine. 

“This remains the case today,” her Deputy, Adedeji Ebo, told the Council. 

In November, the Security Council voted down Russia’s resolution. China voted with Russia. The U.S., United Kingdom and France voted against the resolution. And 10 countries abstained.

In April of this year, the Russian government said the U.S. had resumed biolabs in Ukraine last October:

Why has Biden still not visited the Covenant School?!

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By Monica Chen

It’s been nearly two months since a deranged shooter killed three children and three adults at the Covenant School in Nashville, but President Joe Biden still has not visited the school and the victims.

Why? How can that be?

To date, only First Lady Jill Biden has met with the victims, when she visited a memorial vigil at the school that Wednesday. When Vice President Kamala Harris went to Tennessee in April, it was to support the “Tennessee Three.”

This has been another painful reminder of how the Biden administration often treats the victims of tragedies as nuisances that are getting in the way of their schedules, or worse, outright spits in the face of their grieving families.

Late March was a storm of two disasters. One was the tornadoes that ripped through a part of Mississippi on Friday, March 24. The Covenant School shootings then immediately followed and took place on Monday, March 27. Three children, all 9 years old, and three adults — the headmaster, a substitute teacher and a custodian — were killed by a deranged “trans” shooter.

The next day, Biden came to Durham to tout his “Investing in America” economic plan at Wolfspeed Inc. That was on Tuesday, March 28.

On Wednesday, March 29, Jill Biden went to Nashville. On Friday, March 31, President Biden didn’t go to Nashville but to Rolling Fork, Miss., a town destroyed by the tornadoes. He stood in front of that devastation and said, “Folks, I know there’s a lot of pain. And this community is going to be rebuilt, and built back better than it was before.” He added, “We’re not just here for today. I’m determined that we’re going to leave nothing behind. We’re going to get it done for you.”

By contrast, Biden has not made a single trip to Nashville. No speech for building back that school. No promise for the authorities to stay and help the community figure out what happened and how to prevent that violence from happening again in the future.

Biden should have cancelled the event at Wolfspeed that Tuesday and immediately gone to Nashville instead.

Why have the Covenant School and their traumatized and grieving students and families been left out in the cold by this president? And why has the media not called attention to this?

Biden was first disrespectful toward the situation when he opened his remarks on it at a women’s business luncheon that Monday by talking about ice cream. Then, he launched immediately into the political push for gun control first, before giving any sympathy to the victims and before even knowing what the reason for the shootings was.

In fact, the White House hasn’t even tweeted about the Covenant School or Nashville. It has ignored the tragedy completely.

This administration has no empathy and the media refuses to hold them accountable.

Here is the first vigil for the Covenant School shooting victims that took place that Tuesday evening. The president of this country should’ve been there.

Blog post: FEMA, Biden and Rolling Fork

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By Monica Chen

There have already been several major disasters in the country this year. One of them were the tornadoes that tore through a part of Mississippi, primarily Rolling Fork, in March. Looking back at that disaster, a couple things caught my attention.

First, did FEMA really tweet about counseling before food, water and shelter? For a disaster that leveled a town and left at least 25 dead?

Second, President Joe Biden visited Rolling Fork a few days later.

In that speech, he said:

“Folks, I know there’s a lot of pain. It’s hard to believe that in a moment like this, this community is going to be rebuilt, and built back better than it was before.”

“We’re not just here for today. I’m determined that we’re going to leave nothing behind. We’re going to get it done for you.”

He outlined federal disaster assistance for Mississippi. As of late April, FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration already had granted $17.5 million to survivors, according to news reports.

Blog post: NCDHHS late with new report on Durham jail. Why?

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By Monica Chen

The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services conducts semi-annual inspections of all county jails in North Carolina.

That means the newest inspection report for Durham County Jail, which was last inspected in September, was due in March. It’s now May. Where is it?

In April, Sara Maleski, a paralegal at DHHS, sent me the September report. On the newest inspection, she wrote: “An inspection was just conducted but is not yet complete.”

OK. That was almost a month ago. How long does it take to finish a report?

“The semiannual surveys are unannounced,” said spokeswoman Summer Tonizzo last week when I checked back.

You don’t say. But, wasn’t the inspection already conducted and we’re just waiting on the report? What’s the hold up?

To give readers an idea of how simple these reports are, this was all the substance the September report had: “This inspection found no deficiencies, no corrective action is necessary, and no further action on your part is required.”

The Durham County Jail has been in COVID lockdown, continuously, since March 2020. That means all of its inmates have been in solitary confinement for three years. Serious questions have been raised about the jail’s staffing problems. There was a 90-person vacancy there last summer. And Durham activists have said Sheriff Clarence Birkhead has admitted to them there is a staffing problem, not COVID like Birkhead has told the media.

So it should be a simple thing for DHHS to acknowledge that there is an illegal and inhumane COVID lockdown at the Durham jail.

Why isn’t the DHHS doing its job?

Blog post: The N.C. Justice Center and Legal Aid are both officially useless

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By Monica Chen

Oh boy, I did not know how much the N.C. Justice Center and Legal Aid NC have changed, and not in good ways at all.

The N.C. Justice Center used to be a better-equipped version of Legal Aid. The kind of organization that could help with legal matters beyond the local level. At least that was my impression.

Not so much anymore. Same goes for Legal Aid, which is supposed to help poor and vulnerable residents. Both organizations seem to have changed their missions. The former, to serving illegal immigrants only, and the latter to helping with very, very stereotypical problems.

Neither seems to be interested in helping Triangle residents with real problems that we do have.

I contacted both organizations this week seeking help with harassment from Durham city government. I know that other people are having problems with the same department.

At the N.C. Justice Center, there’s a Housing department. Oh wait, it’s not to help with municipal government and utility abuses of residents like everyone is experiencing. It’s this:

“The Consumer, Housing & Energy Project is dedicated to improving housing conditions for people with low incomes and to protecting North Carolinians from harmful and abusive business practices.”

Is this the ’90s? Where is the acknowledgement of what 2023 consumers need help with? And then if you call, you quickly find out from the recorded message that the legal assistance they provide is mostly on immigration law, and related civil litigation and DACA recipients. That’s it?

Then I called the Legal Aid in Durham. The music that’s played on hold is jazz that sounds like it’s from the ’60s. (It was very nice. I want to find out what song it was.) But it felt retro and not like it’s part of society right now.

And then, when you call, that’s when you figure out they have no interest in helping you if you don’t fit into their very stereotypical view of the world.

Mecklenburg County veterans? Apparently call Legal Aid in Durham for help. So do Wilmington residents who are settling a dispute. And IRS tax disputes. And again, illegal immigrants and “DREAMERS,” step right up.

The woman who took my call listened as I recounted harassment from the Durham Police. But she lost interest very fast when I clarified that right now, the problem I have is with a city department.

Still, she listened to my recount of what had happened and said she’d have to call me back. She’d have to check with her supervisor. And she asked if I was a homeowner or if I was renting. I’m a homeowner.

A few minutes later, she called back. She said her supervisor had turned it down. The only thing they help homeowners with is foreclosure.

Hear that? If you’re a responsible homeowner and you have your property but you’re sick of the way you’re being treated by the city, there’s no legal help for you to address these problems. It doesn’t matter that these problems are widespread and so there’s a lot of people seeking legal aid.

Legal Aid only wants to help you if you are experiencing loss, if you’re losing your home. Then you get a pat on the head and help with the paperwork. They won’t help you hold on to anything or assert your rights though. Your tears are wanted, not your rights.

Sometimes, you step outside the reporter’s lens when you need help as a resident and that’s when your view of the world is clarified. I learned this week that my view of both organizations was very out of date. Both the N.C. Justice Center and Legal Aid have become useless.

Biden’s re-election ad: “Let’s finish the job!” … of destroying this country

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By Monica Chen

Give the Biden administration – let’s say “credit” — for being this slick and confident about all the lies they spew. This is peak Fascism, Fascism at its most mature.

Three main observations about President Joe Biden’s first campaign ad for re-election:

1. Biden has co-opted Trump’s message to a certain extent. Has he done that successfully though? Probably not.

2. The crucial part of this ad is Jan. 6. Without it, everything else falls apart.

3. “Obama’s VP Joe Biden” for 2020 has turned into “working class hero Joe Biden” for 2024. Yes, both in quotation marks.

 

Here’s my analysis. A humorous take (with some emojis):

The ad opens with images of Jan. 6. Chaos! Violence! Danger! Blue, stark, cold colors.

Then images of the American flag quickly flash. Suddenly, Joe Biden’s face pops into view and says, “Freedom.”

“Personal freedom is fundamental to who we are as Americans.”

Yes, it is! But Biden has been trying to destroy that. Right off the bat, Biden co-opts your perspective and uses it as his own. Interesting.

This is a country on the brink of economic depression and societal collapse caused by, oh wait, the Biden administration.

“That’s been the work of my first term.”

🥴

Fact check and reminder: Joe Biden’s cruel vaccine mandate in 2021.

“To fight for our democracy. To protect our rights. To make sure that everyone in this country is treated equally. And that everyone is given a fair shot at making it.”

What? L-O-L.

Fact check: Cancelling the Keystone Pipeline on his first day. “Equity” ensuring that merit is destroyed so there is no “fair shot.”

“But you know around the country, MAGA extremists are lining up to take on those bedrock freedoms.”

“MAGA extremists!” 😆

Oh no, more danger! Marjorie Taylor Greene in her white fur-collar coat! Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis!

Alright, now we’re getting to the issues:

“Cutting Social Security that you’ve paid for your entire life while cutting taxes for the very wealthy.”

Fact check: False

“Dictating what health choices women can make”

Fact check: Like COVID lockdowns and mandates?

“Banning books!”

Fact check: That are pornographic and pedophilic

“Telling people who they can love.”

Fact check: False

“All while making it more difficult for you to vote.”

Fact check: Absolutely false

Then, quick cut to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris walking at the White House. Yellow, warm hues for the ad now. Ah, leadership. Safety.

They hug people. This is nicely done. The music gets more uplifting.

“When I ran for president four years ago, I said we’re in a battle for the soul of America.”

You are in a battle for the soul of America? That’s the other side, bub.

“And we still are.”

“The question we face is whether in the years ahead, we have more freedom or less freedom. More rights or fewer.”

“I know what I want the answer to be and I think you do too.”

OK, he’s really trying to sell you.

“This is not a time to be complacent.”

The music swells and several different – weird similar photos of Biden at a podium in front of the White House flash.

And that’s when Biden says, “That’s why I’m running for re-election.”

Nice timing. Excellent execution.

The music goes lower. There’s a house with worn siding. Ooh, we’re about to see images of people fallen on hard times.

Is Biden going to start talking about Scranton? Because Scranton hates him.

No, they just hint but stay away from that.

“I know America.”

“I know we’re good and decent people.”

Blue collar workers and black people on the screen now.

Are we sure this is not an ad for, um, Trump?

“I know we’re still a country that still believes in honesty and respect. And treating each other with dignity.”

Quick flashback of Biden walking with Obama at the White House. Yes, this is how the public used to think of Biden.

“That we’re a nation where we give hate no safe harbor. We believe that everyone is equal, that everyone should be given a fair shot to succeed in this country.”

And now the video cuts to Ketanji Brown Jackson. Interesting. The first black woman on the Supreme Court, who doesn’t know what a woman is, who got there not on her merit but because of her race.

“Every generation of Americans have gotten to the moment where they have to defend democracy.”

Again, this is not an ad for Trump? Are we sure?

“Stand up for our personal freedom. Stand up for our right to vote and our civil rights.”

Biden marching with civil rights leaders. Now, fireworks. That’s a nice touch. Music picks up the beat, a guitar. It’s rock ‘n roll time.

“We, the people, will not be silenced.”

🥴

Biden interacting with voters. A lot of black and brown people. Hugging a black kid. Ok, some white people pop into view.

“So if you’re with me, go to JoeBiden.com and sign up.”

“Let’s finish this job, I know we can. Because this is the United States of America. And there is nothing, simply nothing we cannot do if we do it together.”

And it ends with “Let’s finish the job” written on screen.

Let’s finish the job… of gaslighting! And lying!  

This is a lot of lying packed into three minutes.

“Let’s finish the job.” This ad is so slick that Biden says that phrase like he used to work in the auto factories in Pennsylvania and Delaware. When the truth is that for most of his life, “Let’s finish the job” for Biden meant passing bills and making speeches in D.C., buying a lot of nice houses and cars, enriching his extended family, and most importantly, getting re-elected.

So how does that phrase work?

This is an ad that’s based in Biden’s Scranton to Delaware roots, filled with a mid-Atlantic to Northeast sense of place. And this ad would only make sense if Biden was in fact standing for a working class who was oppressed by powerful forces, dealing with constant chaos and danger, and have found safety in the Biden administration’s policies.

But he’s not. The actually oppressed working class, the people who lost jobs when he cancelled Keystone, whose workplaces have become unbearable because of “equity” and endless racial politics, whose families are in danger because of illegal immigrants — are powerless.

This ad is simultaneously plucked from the imagination of the working class and talks over them, silencing them. They and Biden both know Biden caused these problems, and both also know they can’t do anything about it.

Fascism at its most mature.

The crucial part of this ad that allows it to make that overarching lie is Jan. 6, a source of embarrassment, endless legal troubles, and pain for not only MAGA and Republicans, but for this entire country. That’s why the Jan. 6 images were on screen so early, because that violence did happen, whether it was provoked or not.

That kernel of truth that what happened on Jan. 6 was bad, whatever the facts are, allows all the other lies to fall into place.

And that’s how Biden has co-opted Trump’s message with his first campaign ad for 2024.

Now imagine Trump saying these words instead:

“Freedom. That’s been the work of my first term. To fight for our democracy. To protect our rights. To make sure that everyone in this country is treated equally. And that everyone is given a fair shot at making it. But you know around the country, [liberal] extremists are lining up to take on those bedrock freedoms.”

“When I [was] president four years ago, I said we’re in a battle for the soul of America. And we still are. The question we face is whether in the years ahead, we have more freedom or less freedom. More rights or fewer. I know what I want the answer to be and I think you do too. This is not a time to be complacent.”

“That’s why I’m running for re-election. I know America. I know we’re good and decent people. I know we’re still a country that still believes in honesty and respect. And treating each other with dignity. That we’re a nation where we give hate no safe harbor. We believe that everyone is equal, that everyone should be given a fair shot to succeed in this country.”

“Every generation of Americans have gotten to the moment where they have to defend democracy. Stand up for our personal freedom. Stand up for our right to vote and our civil rights.”

“We, the people, will not be silenced.”

“So if you’re with me, go to [DonaldTrump.com] and sign up.”

“Let’s finish this job. I know we can. Because this is the United States of America. And there is nothing, simply nothing we cannot do if we do it together.”

Sounds a lot more truthful, doesn’t it?