Marcy Wheeler is an independent journalist writing about national security and civil liberties. She writes as emptywheel at her eponymous blog, publishes at outlets including Vice, Motherboard, the Nation, the Atlantic, Al Jazeera, and appears frequently on television and radio. She is the author of Anatomy of Deceit, a primer on the CIA leak investigation, and liveblogged the Scooter Libby trial.
Marcy has a PhD from the University of Michigan, where she researched the “feuilleton,” a short conversational newspaper form that has proven important in times of heightened censorship. Before and after her time in academics, Marcy provided documentation consulting for corporations in the auto, tech, and energy industries. She lives with her spouse in Grand Rapids, MI.
Several outlets have reported that Jack Smith is not going to ask for mini-trial on Trump’s January 6 charges before the election. That may mean he has decided to supersede the existing indictment. But we likely wouldn’t see that until after the election.
Contrary to a common interpretation of the DNC, Kamala Harris is not eschewing the incumbency she has Vice President. She is running on a continuation and expansion of Joe Biden’s successful policies. And she is running, just as Joe Biden did and was doing, on defeating both Trump’s electoral bid but also the threat he poses to democracy itself.
Hear what Nicole and I had to say about the Democratic National Convention.
We got Leon Panetta last night instead of Beyoncé because Kamala Harris had to check off that Commander in Chief box in the job description to be America’s President. But at this moment, we’re overdue for a reconsideration of what it means to be the Leader of the Free(dom) World.
As happened with Obama (and in response to the Iraq War), Kamala’s race has the power to convince ordinary Americans that they can be a different kind of citizen, and that kind of citizenship can improve people’s lives. There’s a lot of Democrats celebrating other Democrats at the convention. But there’s also a real effort to offer something for those low-turnout voters who could decide the race.
In the month since Joe Biden endorsed Kamala Harris to be the nominee to replace him, the concerns that America is not ready to elect a Black woman President have largely been silenced. And then Michelle Obama declared the Presidency “a Black job.”
Trump has spent years demonizing the Deep State. At Trump’s behest, Jordan and Comer have spent two years attacking the Bureau. But on both Iran’s assassination attempt and this hacking attempt, the Deep State saved his ass.
There are several loose strands in the George Santos case that may never be explained after he pleads guilty today.
Kamala Harris is in good shape as she heads into the Democratic Convention. But there are a lot of distinctly possible developments that could upend the race.
Trump’s press conferences have discredited the notion of press questions. Meanwhile, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are running the kind of selfie campaign that may resonate better with younger voters thirsting for authenticity in politics.