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Tag: Politics of the United States

  • Trump picks Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, a once-fierce critic turned loyal ally, as his GOP running mate

    Trump picks Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, a once-fierce critic turned loyal ally, as his GOP running mate

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    MILWAUKEE — Donald Trump has selected Sen. JD Vance of Ohio as his Republican running mate.

    Vance swept to national prominence with his bestselling memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy.” He was a vocal opponent of Trump during the 2016 presidential election, but changed his position, arguing he was proved wrong by Trump’s performance in office.

    Vance was rewarded for his turnaround during his bid for an open Senate seat in 2022, during which he landed Trump’s coveted endorsement. Vance is now a Trump loyalist who challenges the legitimacy of criminal prosecutions and civil verdicts against him and questions the results of the 2020 election.

    “After lengthy deliberation and thought, and considering the tremendous talents of many others, I have decided that the person best suited to assume the position of vice president of the United States is Senator J.D. Vance of the Great State of Ohio,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social network.

    The 39-year-old Vance rose to national fame with the 2016 publication of his memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy.” He was elected to the Senate in 2022 and has become one of the staunchest champions of the former president’s “Make America Great Again” agenda, particularly on trade, foreign policy and immigration.

    But he is largely untested in national politics and is joining the Trump ticket at an extraordinary moment. An attempted assassination of Trump at a rally Saturday has shaken the campaign, bringing new attention to the nation’s coarse political rhetoric and reinforcing the importance of those who are one heartbeat away from the presidency.

    Vance himself faced criticism in the wake of the shooting for a post on X that suggested President Joe Biden was to blame for the violence.

    “The central premise of the Biden campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs,” Vance wrote. “That rhetoric led directly to President Trump’s attempted assassination.”

    Law enforcement has not yet specified a motivation for the shooting. Still, the pick is sure to energize Trump’s loyal base. Vance has become a fixture on the conservative media circuit and frequently spars with reporters on Capitol Hill, helping establish him as the kind of leader who could carry Trump’s mantle into the future, beginning with the next presidential election in 2028.

    But the pick also means that two white men will now lead the Republican ticket at a time when Trump has sought to make inroads with Black and Latino voters.

    In “Hillbilly Elegy,” Vance detailed life in Appalachian communities that drifted from a Democratic Party many residents found disconnected from their daily travails. While the book was a bestseller, it was also criticized for sometimes oversimplifying rural life and ignoring the role of racism in modern politics.

    Vance’s fame grew in tandem with Trump’s unlikely rise from a reality television star to Republican presidential nominee and eventually president. During the early stages of Trump’s political career, Vance cast him as “a total fraud,” “a moral disaster” and “America’s Hitler.”

    But like many Republicans who sought relevance in the Trump era, Vance eventually shifted his tone. He said he was proved wrong by Trump’s performance in office and evolved into one of his most steadfast defenders.

    “I didn’t think he was going to be a good president,” Vance recently told Fox News Channel. “He was a great president. And it’s one of the reasons why I’m working so hard to make sure he gets a second term.”

    Vance was rewarded for his turnaround during his bid for an open Senate seat in 2022, during which he landed Trump’s coveted endorsement and rode it to victory in a crowded Republican primary and a general election hard fought by Democrats. He is close to Trump’s son Donald Jr.

    Vance is now a Trump loyalist who has challenged the legitimacy of criminal prosecutions and civil verdicts against him and questions the results of the 2020 election.

    He told ABC News in February that, if he had been vice president on Jan. 6, 2021, he would have told states where Trump disputed Biden wins “that we needed to have multiple slates of electors, and I think the U.S. Congress should have fought over it from there.”

    “That is the legitimate way to deal with an election that a lot of folks, including me, think had a lot of problems in 2020,” he said.

    Many states adopted emergency measures four years ago to allow people to vote safely during the COVID-19 pandemic. But judges, election officials in both parties and Trump’s own attorney general have concluded there was no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election.

    The relationship between Vance and Trump has been symbiotic.

    Vance’s book — subtitled “A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis” — was embraced for its insights into Trump’s appeal in middle America, where manufacturing job losses and the opioid crisis had driven many families like his into poverty, abuse and addiction.

    The tale of Vance’s hardscrabble childhood in Middletown, Ohio, where he was born, and his familial eastern Kentucky hills region also captivated Hollywood. Ron Howard made it into a 2020 movie starring Amy Adams as Vance’s mother and Glenn Close as his beloved “Mamaw.”

    With his grandmother’s encouragement, Vance went on to serve in the Marine Corps, including in Iraq, and to graduate from Ohio State University and Yale Law School. From there, he joined a Silicon Valley investment firm before returning to Ohio to launch a nonprofit that he said would aim to develop opioid addiction treatments that might be “scaled nationally.”

    Ultimately, Our Ohio Renewal failed at that mission and was shuttered. During the 2022 campaign, then-U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, his Democratic rival, charged that the charity was little more than a front for Vance’s political ambitions. Ryan pointed to reports that the organization made payments to a Vance political adviser and conducted public opinion polling, even as its actual efforts to address addiction largely floundered. Vance denied the characterization.

    As a senator, Vance has shown some willingness to work across the aisle. He and Ohio’s senior senator, Democrat Sherrod Brown, have teamed up on a number of issues important to the state, including fighting for funding for a $20 billion chip facility Intel is building in central Ohio and introducing rail safety legislation in response to the fiery derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

    Associated Press writers Mary Clare Jalonick, Michelle L. Price and Will Weissert contributed to this report.

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    By Jill Colvin, Julie Carr Smyth, Steve Peoples and Zeke Miller | Associated Press

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  • Healey team to dissuade migrants at border

    Healey team to dissuade migrants at border

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    BOSTON — Gov. Maura Healey is dispatching members of her administration to the U.S.-Mexico border in an effort to dissuade asylum seekers from coming to the state amid an ongoing surge of immigration.

    The Healey administration announced Tuesday that a state delegation is headed to the southern border to meet with officials from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Joint Task Force-North, relocation agencies and families “to educate them about the lack of shelter availability.”

    Retired Gen. Scott Rice, the state’s emergency assistance director, said the purpose of the trip is “to meet with families arriving in the U.S. and the organizations that work with them at the border to make sure they have accurate information about the lack of shelter space in Massachusetts.”

    “It is essential that we get the word out that our shelters are full so that families can plan accordingly to make sure they have a safe place to go,” he said in a statement.

    The delegation, which includes state emergency management officials and representatives from refugee organizations, is expected to visit several Texas communities along the border this week, including San Antonio, Hidalgo, McAllen and Brownsville, according to the Healey administration.

    Those border communities have been identified as the primary waypoints for migrants heading to Massachusetts after entering the country.

    The move comes as the state continues to see an influx of migrants that has pushed its emergency shelter system to the brink of collapse.

    Healey declared a state of emergency last August and deployed the National Guard to help deal with the influx. Her administration also set a 7,500-family cap on the number of people eligible for emergency housing in October. Hundreds of families are currently on a waiting list for housing.

    The governor signed a bill limiting migrants to nine months in emergency shelter, with up to two 90-day extensions for veterans, pregnant women and those in work training programs. The first round of eviction notices, covering 150 families, are set to go out in the next week, officials said.

    The bill also pumped an additional $251 million into the shelter system to cover housing, food and other costs. The state expects to spend about $1 billion this year on migrants. Pleas from state leaders for additional federal funds from the Biden administration have gone largely unanswered.

    Republicans and conservative groups have long argued that the state’s right-to-shelter law — which requires it to offer temporary housing regardless of immigration status — is drawing migrants here. They have pressed Healey to suspend the law, set residency requirements or significantly scale back its provisions.

    Amy Carnevale, chairwoman of the state Republican Party, called Healey’s move to dispatch officials to the southern border a “publicity stunt” that won’t reduce the influx of migrants. Carnevale said there’s a “disconnect” between Healey’s words and actions, and because of “political pride and partisanship” she refuses to take the “necessary steps” to solve the roots of the migrant crisis.

    “They can engage in rhetoric and publicity stunts all they want, but without concrete steps to limit access to emergency housing, nothing will change,” Carnevale said in a statement. “To stop incentivizing migrants from coming to the commonwealth, the right to shelter law must be amended to restrict program access based on the duration of residency in the commonwealth.”

    Paul Craney, a spokesman for the conservative Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance, said Healey’s decision to send a delegation of “midlevel bureaucrats on a field trip instead of going herself will not solve the problem.”

    “If the governor wants to send a message, the best way to do that is simply by removing the state’s very generous right to shelter law and welfare benefits to nonresidents,” Craney said.

    The Healey administration contends that workforce development and rehousing programs have resulted in a “steady increase” in families leaving the shelter system. About 3,700 individuals in shelters have qualified for federal work authorization, the administration said, with 1,114 placed in jobs.

    But the decision to dispatch a delegation to the border to dissuade migrants from heading to Massachusetts shows the influx of new arrivals is continuing to stress the state’s emergency shelter system.

    The tactic is similar to one used by New York City Mayor Eric Adams, whose administration distributed flyers at the U.S.-Mexico border last July telling newly arrived migrants to “consider another city” because there is “no guarantee we will be able to provide shelter and services to new arrivals.”

    New York is required to provide shelter for those without homes, regardless of their immigration status, under a decades-old consent decree stemming from a class-action lawsuit. The city has seen an influx of more than 180,000 migrants over the past year, with about 65,000 under its care.

    Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhinews.com.

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    By Christian M. Wade | Statehouse Reporter

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  • North Shore to host Juneteenth celebrations

    North Shore to host Juneteenth celebrations

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    North Shore communities will commemorate Juneteenth next week with flag raisings and celebrations.

    Swampscott, Marblehead, Peabody, Beverly, Lynn, Hamilton and Wenham kicked off the holiday this week with flag raisings at their city and town halls.

    Held each June 19, the federal holiday commemorates the official end to slavery in the United States, when on June 19, 1865, Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to inform more than 250,000 enslaved people of their freedom — two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

    The red, white and blue Juneteenth flag will be raised June 17 in Danvers. Starting at 2 p.m. outside Town Hall, Danvers is scheduled to host its fourth annual Juneteenth celebration featuring singing, poetry and an address by Northshore Juneteenth Association founder Nicole McClain. The event will be followed by a dialogue and viewing of a documentary about Race Amity Day at the Gordon room of the Peabody Institute Library.

    The flag will be raised in Salem’s Riley Plaza at noon June 18 during the city’s Juneteenth Jam that runs from noon-5 p.m. that day.

    Community members can take part in a public reading of Frederick Douglass’s speech, “The Meaning Of The Fourth Of July For The Negro,” led by McClain.

    Games, activities, crafts, face painting, music and food from Ray Adea’s will be available following the flag raising. Salem Historical Tours will give a free Black history walking tour of Salem starting at 2 p.m. from Riley Plaza.

    The tour is expected to last 90 minutes. Participants can sign up on a first-come, first-serve basis the day of the event.

    At 8:30 p.m., the Salem Common Neighborhood Association will host a free screening of Disney’s 2018 hit “Black Panther” at the Common.

    Salem received a grant from Mass Humanities to expand its annual Juneteenth flag raising into this year’s event, in collaboration with the North Shore Juneteenth Association, the city said in a statement.

    “Thanks to the work from members of the mayor’s office staff along with the consultation of North Shore Juneteenth, this year’s ceremony will be thoughtful, fun, and allow our community to come together to celebrate,” Salem Mayor Dominick Pangallo said in the prepared statement.

    In Beverly, The Cabot Theatre will host a free screening of Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Ava DuVernay’s new film, “Origin,” at 7 p.m. on June 18. A community conversation about the film will be hosted at The Cabot the next day at 7 p.m.

    The event is sponsored by the First Baptist Church of Beverly. Visit https://tinyurl.com/cabotorigin to register.

    Then, on Friday, June 21, Doreen Wade of Salem United Inc. and McClain will launch their inaugural racial communication forum, “Our Shared Future: Reckoning with Modern Day Feelings of Racism and Inequity.” The public discussion will start at 6:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the National Parks Service, Salem Armory Visitor Center, 2 New Liberty St. in Salem.

    Contact Caroline Enos at CEnos@northofboston.com

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    By Caroline Enos | Staff Writer

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  • Healey pushes for federal contraception protections

    Healey pushes for federal contraception protections

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    BOSTON — Gov. Maura Healey is leading a group of Democratic chief executives in urging Congress to approve a bill that would protect access to contraception.

    The Right to Contraception Act, which is co-sponsored by Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., would guarantee the legal right for individuals to get and use contraception and for health care providers to provide contraception, information, referrals and services related to contraception.

    Democrats are leaning into efforts to protect access to birth control as part of their election year push on reproductive rights, warning that Republicans in Congress and former President Donald Trump will seek to set new nationwide restrictions on contraception, if Trump is elected in November.

    On Monday, Healey joined Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker in calling on lawmakers to approve the plan, and blasting Republicans for opposing the proposed changes.

    “This legislation would safeguard the fundamental right to contraception,” Healey said in remarks during a live streamed briefing on Monday, sponsored by groups pushing for the bill’s passage.

    “It’s so important, especially at this time where reproductive rights as we’ve seen are under assault across this country,” she said.

    Healey cited comments by Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential candidate, suggesting that he is in favor of national restrictions on contraception.

    “I think all we have to do is look at his track record as president to know what he will do if he’s elected again,” Healey said.

    Trump said in a recent TV interview that he would leave contraception policy to the states but supports efforts to limit access. He later quickly backtracked on social media, saying he has “never and never will advocate imposing restrictions on birth control or other contraceptives.”

    But Democrats see the issue of birth control and abortion access as a wedge that could help incumbent President Joe Biden win his reelection bid in November and possibly help them take over control of the U.S. House of Representatives.

    Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced over the weekend that the Democratic-controlled chamber will be taking up the bill during Wednesday’s session.

    “There’s no question in the American people’s minds that Republicans have brought our country to this point,” Schumer said in a statement.

    “And as Donald Trump reminded us recently, he is ‘proudly the person responsible’ for the annihilation of Roe v. Wade and the grotesque reversal of women’s personal freedoms,” said Schumer.

    Republicans and even many anti-abortion groups say they are neutral on birth control and argue there’s no access problem. GOP lawmakers have accused Democrats of using the issue for political gain.

    The proposal set to be taken up by the Senate would prohibit the federal government and any state from administering or enforcing any law, rule or regulation to prohibit or restrict the sale or use of contraception.

    It would also allow the U.S. Department of Justice, health care providers and individuals harmed by restrictions on contraception to go to court to enforce those rights.

    While the measure could pass with Democrats holding a slim majority in the Senate, it faces an uncertain path in the GOP controlled House of Representatives.

    Polls have consistently shown that there is broad bipartisan support for birth control. A 2023 Gallup poll looking at the values and beliefs of Americans found that 88% of them believed birth control was morally acceptable.

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    By Christian M. Wade | Statehouse Reporter

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  • Housing forum with Tarr, Ferrante slated for June 4

    Housing forum with Tarr, Ferrante slated for June 4

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    ROCKPORT — Advocates for affordable housing on Cape Ann and statewide are sending out a clarion call to lawmakers, urging them to back the state’s Affordable Homes Act, a $4 billion effort that seeks to support a wide array of housing projects across the state.

    Seen as the centerpiece of Gov. Maura Healey’s effort to tackle rising housing prices in the state, the Affordable Homes Act, filed in 2023, includes $4 billion in capital spending authorizations and 28 “substantive” policy changes, three executive orders and two targeted tax credits.

    The measure is the largest of its kind in state history, according to Rabbi Allen Lipson, organizer and development coordinator for the Essex County Community Organization (ECCO).

    “But the real estate lobby is pushing hard against the key funding mechanism and state reps are wavering,” he said. “The bill will be voted on in the next couple of weeks. So, we are organizing to save it before it’s too late.”

    ECCO has organized a meeting with regional lawmakers to try and convince them to back the bill which seeks to increase the amount of money available for affordable housing, reduce barriers to the production and preservation of housing, and give communities the tools to develop more housing where they need it, according to the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities.

    “We have an urgent opportunity to save funding for hundreds of millions of dollars in housing across the state,” Lipson said.

    The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday from 6:30-8 p.m. at the Rockport Public Library, 17 School St. in Rockport.

    Event organizers said Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, R-Gloucester, and Rep. Ann-Margaret Ferrante, D-Gloucester, will attend.

    “We’ll be asking for their support for key provisions of the bill currently under attack,” Lipson said.

    “Non-Cape Ann residents are also welcome since this issue impacts everyone in the state.”

    Those interested in more information or attending may contact Lipson at allen@eccoaction.org.

    Stephen Hagan can be reached at 978-675-2708 or at shagan@northofboston.com.

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    By Times Staff

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  • GOP Finally Decides To Rally Behind Herman Cain

    GOP Finally Decides To Rally Behind Herman Cain

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    WASHINGTON—Having long sought to place a viable alternative to Donald Trump at the head of the party’s ticket, top GOP power brokers finally decided Thursday to rally behind the late Herman Cain for president in 2024. “After much discussion with my fellow Republicans, I have decided to back Herman Cain as our party’s presidential nominee,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said in an announcement that followed similar statements from candidates Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Mike Pence, and Chris Christie, all of whom dropped out of the race to endorse the Covid-19 victim and former Godfather’s Pizza CEO. “Though some may raise concerns about his lack of prior electoral success and his current status as a deceased person, those are all merely distractions. A lot of people forget Mr. Cain was our party’s frontrunner in the 2012 race until he was sidelined by accusations of sexual misconduct, something that is no longer an impediment to a Republican seeking public office. And polls show swing voters and independents are more likely to see him as a sympathetic figure since his tragic death three years ago.” A Quinnipiac University Poll released earlier this week found that nine in 10 registered voters described Cain as only “slightly less alive” than President Joe Biden.

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  • Trump Identified As Suspect In Police Lineup Of Former Presidents

    Trump Identified As Suspect In Police Lineup Of Former Presidents

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    Read more…

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  • Donald Trump Arrested, Pleads Not Guilty In Classified Documents Case

    Donald Trump Arrested, Pleads Not Guilty In Classified Documents Case

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    Former President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty after he was arrested and booked at a federal courthouse in Florida for allegedly refusing to return classified documents to federal authorities after he left the White House. What do you think?

    “I’m going to ignore the facts before I jump to any conclusions.”

    Faye McNeely, Cat Wrangler

    Trump Takes Out Full-Page Newspaper Ad Calling For Death Penalty For Himself

    “I can’t believe the government doesn’t have better things to do than prosecute a former president for mishandling and hiding classified documents.”

    Ivan Nichols, Unemployed

    “I don’t see why we have to make stealing state secrets so political.”

    Ramon Salogar, Pit Remover

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  • ‘You Better Not Talk,’ Trump Warns Classified Document

    ‘You Better Not Talk,’ Trump Warns Classified Document

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    PALM BEACH, FL—Gritting his teeth as he spoke, former President Donald Trump reportedly said “You better not talk” Friday in a stern warning to one of the classified documents at the center of his recent federal indictment. “I mean it—if you utter so much as one word to the authorities, that’s it for you,” said Trump, menacingly shaking his finger in front of a defense-related document at the center of a Justice Department investigation into classified records missing from the National Archives. “Remember who takes care of you. That’s all I’m going to say. Who took you home and looked after you for all these years, huh? That’s right, and I have shit on you, too, by the way: all those late nights sitting in a box among underage girls. So you came here of your own accord, got it? If you turn on me, I swear to God, I will shred you so fast. I know plenty of people with scissors.” At press time, sources reported Trump proved he was serious by tearing off a corner of the document.

    Trump Takes Out Full-Page Newspaper Ad Calling For Death Penalty For Himself

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  • Mike Pence Officially Enters 2024 Republican Presidential Race

    Mike Pence Officially Enters 2024 Republican Presidential Race

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    Former Vice President Mike Pence announced he’s running for president, setting up a battle for the Republican nomination with his former boss, Donald Trump. What do you think?

    “He’s definitely got a broad coalition of people who hate him.”

    Tariq Bringelson, Unemployed

    “God’s going to have a tough time picking a side.”

    Francesca Wilkes, Evidence Collector

    “Wait, that’s Mike Pence? Who did I hang then?”

    Glen Darmian, Body Double

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  • Indictment Finally Closes Chapter On Media Coverage Of Donald Trump

    Indictment Finally Closes Chapter On Media Coverage Of Donald Trump

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    NEW YORK—Explaining that the matter could at long last be put to rest, the nation’s major news outlets announced Thursday that this week’s indictment of the former president would finally close the chapter on media coverage of Donald Trump. “Now that he’s been indicted, Mr. Trump can’t possibly have any future in American public life, so we’ve decided to wrap things up,” said CNN CEO Chris Licht, noting that Trump would soon be arraigned in a Manhattan court on more than 30 charges of fraud, a development that seemed to represent the final nail in the coffin for entire news cycles centered around a man who has been out of office more than two years. “We followed the thread as long as we could, from the free publicity we provided him with during his first run for president to the shock we feigned when he attempted to overthrow an election. But after eight years of nonstop coverage, we feel it would be irresponsible of us as journalists to continue our exhaustive reporting on a story that has clearly reached an end.” Licht added that CNN would now pivot to issues of greater news value, like the cheating scandal on Vanderpump Rules.

    Ron DeSantis Introduces New Son Barron Trump

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  • Supreme Court Allows House Democrats To Obtain Trump’s Tax Returns

    Supreme Court Allows House Democrats To Obtain Trump’s Tax Returns

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    The Supreme Court rejected an emergency appeal from former President Donald Trump seeking to shield his tax returns from House Democrats, capping a three-year legal battle and paving the way for the release of his tax returns. What do you think?

    “Just in time for it to make a difference.”

    Benny Aiello, Shed Architect

    “Luckily he doesn’t have a history of shady financial behavior.”

    Ron McElhaney, Unemployed

    “What kind of respectable billionaire files their taxes?”

    Carol Middleton, Candy Maker

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  • Things A Republican-Held Congress Plans To Do Immediately

    Things A Republican-Held Congress Plans To Do Immediately

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    The GOP has rightly taken issue with the Biden administration killing foreign civilians in airstrikes and causing mass starvation in Afghanistan by freezing its government assets, not to mention the brutal sanctions on—wait, no, it will be over some Marjorie Taylor Greene bullshit.

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  • Steve Bannon Sentenced To 4 Months For Contempt Of Congress

    Steve Bannon Sentenced To 4 Months For Contempt Of Congress

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    Steve Bannon, a one-time adviser to former President Donald Trump, has been sentenced to four months in prison for refusing to cooperate with lawmakers investigating last year’s U.S. Capitol attack. What do you think?

    “I just hope prison doesn’t radicalize him.”

    Juan Mejia, Event Security

    “Will they grant his request for a special live-kitten diet?

    Rex Smalls, Barista Recruiter

    “I think he should take these four months to reflect on better ways to overthrow the government.”

    Jasmine Carlini, Symbologist

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  • Americans Predict The Outcome Of The January 6 Hearings

    Americans Predict The Outcome Of The January 6 Hearings

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    The House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot concluded its ninth and potentially final hearing last week with a subpoena of former President Donald Trump. The Onion polled all 330 million Americans for their predictions on what will be the most significant outcome of the Jan. 6 hearings.

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  • What To Know About The Oath Keepers, On Trial For Role In January 6 Riots

    What To Know About The Oath Keepers, On Trial For Role In January 6 Riots

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    Five members of the Oath Keepers, including founder Stewart Rhodes, are being tried in federal court for their role in the riots of Jan. 6, 2021. The Onion tells you everything you need to know about the Oath Keepers and their trial.

    Q: Who are the Oath Keepers? 
    A: A group of patriotic citizens dedicated to defending the racist parts of the Constitution.

    Q: What are the five members on trial for? 
    A: Seditious conspiracy to overthrow the government of the United States and littering.

    Q: What were they doing at the Jan. 6 riot?
    A: Peacefully attempting to hang Mike Pence.

    Q: What do the Oath Keepers look for in a member?
    A: Previous experience as a law enforcement officer who served lots of time on administrative leave.

    Q: Who is their founder?
    A: Stewart Rhodes, who believes citizens must stop government tyranny with citizen tyranny.

    Q: Wait, that guy really went to Yale?
    A: Point to Harvard.

    Q: What are membership dues? 
    A: Five to 10 years in federal prison.

    Q: Why are so many members former law enforcement?
    A: Once you get used to carrying guns and scaring people, it’s hard to stop.

    Q: How are they connected to the 2014 Bundy ranch standoff?
    A: Many of Bundy’s cattle were early members of the Oath Keepers.

    Q: What are the expected consequences for the group?
    A: Winning a dozen or so seats in Congress in 2024.

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