From the beginning of the Iran war, the Pentagon has lied about damage to U.S. bases, how effective it’s been against Iran and the number of American casualties. Now new reporting reveals they’ve covered up the number of dead servicemembers in the war. It’s not shocking, but it’s another example of the lack of concern for those serving and the brazenness with which the administration believes it can withhold the truth.
In Turkey there is a brutal crackdown on LGBTQ activists, some of whom have been detained in their homes, as well as on people who took to the streets to protest. It’s all being carried out by the authoritarian president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, under the guise of cracking down on “obscenity” in an operation called “My Family is Safe.” But it’s really about harassing and arresting political opponents of Erdogan, who are numerous among LGBTQ activists. There’s of course been no pushback from Donald Trump, who reveres Erdogan and sure would love to do the same thing in this country regarding his political opponents.
Amid what have been successful campaigns by Democrats in taking on the GOP, there have been disappointments: Some Democrats unnecessarily have latched onto ugly anti-trans rhetoric, from James Talarico in Texas to Rep. Marcy Kaptur in Ohio. The trans issue is just not working for the GOP in this election—and it actually doesn’t appear to have ever truly been effective, as I’ll explain—and there’s no reason for Democrats to fear it. Other Democrats have been defending trans rights, even in places some might think anti-trans rhetoric would hurt them, and it’s not been an issue as they show they stand up for what they believe in.