https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-cpac-conference-golden-statue-b1807965.html

A golden statue of Donald Trump, wearing shorts in the print of the US flag and carrying a wand, has caused a stir on Twitter since a video of it being wheeled into the CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) conference surfaced on the social networking site.

https://www.newsweek.com/qanon-march-4-theory-donald-trump-lawmakers-lies-democrats-1572331?piano_t=1

emocrats have warned that the continuing spread of misinformation, including by lawmakers, is helping fuel the far-right amid concerns of further attacks on Congress.

Some QAnon supporters believe Donald Trump will return as president on March 4, based on arcane reasoning and huge distortion of facts, and there are fears that there could be a repeat next week of the violence seen at the Capitol on January 6.

The head of Capitol Police, Yogananda Pittman, made the case for heightened security on the Hill this week, warning that militia groups involved in the riot want to "blow up the Capitol and kill as many members as possible."

Police have told Newsweek that they are aware of the significance on March 4 for QAnon and are monitoring any potential threats.

California congressman Adam Schiff told Newsweek that law enforcement would be "better prepared for the possibility of any violence," but warned that "viral misinformation" spread by "unscrupulous leaders" was increasing possible risks.

"The same lies and conspiracy theories that gave rise to the violent insurrection on the Capitol have continued to metastasize, and some Americans now absurdly believe that Donald Trump could somehow return to office on March 4," Schiff said.

"I am confident that we will be better prepared for the possibility of any violence on that day, but the sad truth is that the threat of domestic violent extremism will continue to grow so long as misinformation spreads virally on social media and is encouraged by unscrupulous leaders."

Raising hell works, as Maxine would say "get in their face"

https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/local-news/effort-to-recall-4-douglas-county-school-board-members-moves-forward-for-now

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. — On Thursday, the Douglas County School District announced a plan to return middle and high school students to full in-person learning on March 22.

Hours before the district's announcement Thursday, Denver7 spoke to Nate Ormond, a Castle Rock parent who is leading an effort to recall four school board members.

"I’d have to reevaluate if we thought they would flip-flop on that again and as a group, we would decide if we believe this is motivated by good intentions or just the result of us putting the pressure on them with the recall," Ormond said.

He added that internal polling by the Road to Recall group found that 62% of Douglas County residents polled felt the school board has done "irreparable damage" to students, socially, mentally, and academically.

The school district estimates the cost of the recall to be $360,000. Board member Elizabeth Hanson, one of the four targeted in the recall, posted on Facebook that $360,000 is the equivalent of four teacher salaries, and would take money away from students.

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/540660-cruz-pranked-over-cancun-trip-at-senate-gym-report

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (R) was reportedly pranked at the Senate gym for his trip to Cancun during the Texas winter storm that shut off power in much of his state.

NBC News reported that according to two people familiar with the situation, the lockers in the Senate gym Wednesday morning were lined with taped showing Cruz returning to the Houston airport from Mexico, wearing a short-sleeve gray polo shirt, jeans and Texas-flag mask.

The memes Wednesday reportedly said, “Bienvenido de Nuevo, Ted!” meaning, “Welcome Back, Ted!”

NBC reported that the photo of Cruz in the meme was manipulated to make it look like he was dragging his suitcase through snow while holding a tropical cocktail in the other hand.

The meme also reportedly showed Cruz walking toward Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) as he appeared in the viral pose with his arms and legs crossed at President Biden’s inauguration.

Our way or the highway !

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/feb/26/ilhan-omar-minimum-wage-democrats-senate-official

The progressive Democrat Ilhan Omar has called for the firing of the government official who effectively blocked the party’s plans to raise the minimum wage.

Democratic plans to include a gradual raise to $15 in Joe Biden’s $1.9tn coronavirus stimulus bill were effectively ended on Thursday when the Senate parliamentarian ruled it should not be part of the package.

The decision by Elizabeth MacDonough, who has held the nonpartisan position since 2012, dashed hopes of including the raise in the bill – the first increase in over a decade.

“Abolish the filibuster. Replace the parliamentarian,” Omar said in a tweet. “What’s a Democratic majority if we can’t pass our priority bills? This is unacceptable.”

“The Senate parliamentarian issues an advisory opinion,” congresswoman Pramila Jayapal said in a tweet. “The VP can overrule them – as has been done before. We should do EVERYTHING we can to keep our promise, deliver a $15 minimum wage, and give 27 million workers a raise.”

Sanders, one of the most ardent supporters of a minimum-wage increase, has proposed an alternative plan – imposing penalties and incentives to push companies toward higher wages.

https://amgreatness.com/2021/02/26/president-trump-planning-to-launch-a-new-super-pac/

President Donald Trump, at a meeting with senior political advisers in Mar-a-Lago on Thursday, announced some of the details of his plans for a new super PAC going forward, as reported by Politico.

The 45th president revealed that he plans for the PAC to be run by Corey Lewandowski, his original campaign manager from the 2016 election. The meeting where he explained these details lasted for several hours, and included such key figures as former 2020 campaign managers Bill Stepien and Brad Parscale, former White House social media director and Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications Dan Scavino, and senior adviser Jason Miller.

Miller, who has frequently spoken to the press on behalf of the 45th president, said that “MAGA supporters and candidates supporting President Trump’s America First agenda are going to be impressed with the political operation being built out here.” He added that they “expect formal announcements of the full team in the coming weeks, which will include some very talented operatives not yet named.”

Quiet Trump scares the hell out of Dems

https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/trump-twitter-ban-cpac-free-speech-b1807987.html

Donald Trump is one of the most potent threats to democracy anywhere in the world. He has appalling views and prejudices, not least towards people of colour and women. Soon he may formally launch his own personal political movement, with a speech at the CPAC conference.

He is a very dangerous man. That is why he should be back on Twitter.

Why do I want him on my Twitter feed? Precisely because Trump is dangerous and because he still matters. He is important, though he does not deserve to be. I want – need – to hear what he has to say, even if it is offensive. Especially if it is offensive.

We need to know about this menace to society, and directly. Uncomfortable as it is, he is still adored by millions of Americans. They believe the election was stolen. They’d vote him in again tomorrow or in 2024