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Republican Party politicians are so far "silent" about the lie, said MSNBC anchor Chris Hayes, "even though every last one knows how dangerous all this is."
With more than a year to go until the 2024 presidential election, top advisers to former U.S. President Donald Trump's campaign on Monday night claimed without evidence that the Democratic Party is trying to "steal" the election, echoing the lies spread before the 2020 election that fueled the violent January 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
Trump campaign officials called on the Republican National Committee (RNC) to "immediately cancel" the third GOP debate, which is scheduled to take place in Miami on November 8 and which Trump has indicated he will not attend, just as he skipped the first two primary debates.
Senior advisers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita called on the RNC to essentially terminate the primary election and "end all future debates in order to refocus its manpower and money on preventing Democrats' efforts to steal the 2024 election."
Long before voters went to the polls in the 2020 election, Trump repeatedly claimed that the Democratic Party was trying to "steal" or "rig" the vote by expanding mail-in voting—which the former Republican president himself had long utilized and which was expanded to help people vote safely amid the coronavirus pandemic—and made false claims about "fake polls" and absentee ballots.
Few in the Republican Party spoke out against Trump's pre-election lies in 2020, and MSNBC anchor Chris Hayes said Monday that the party is again signaling that it will "stay silent" about the former president's baseless accusations—"even though every last one knows how dangerous all this is."
Wiles and LaCivita claimed the RNC's continuation of primary debates amounted to "an admission to the grassroots that their concerns about voter integrity are not taken seriously" and that Republicans will not work to ensure "a safe and secure election."
Liberal commentator Ryan Shead said the latest ramp-up of election disinformation from Trump is a consequence of the former president's acquittal by Republicans in the U.S. Congress when he was impeached for inciting the January 6 insurrection.
As Vanity Fair correspondent Molly Jong-Fast wrote in May, Trump's lies about "stolen" elections are a central part of his 2024 strategy.
"Trump's supporters, by ignoring the 'fake news' and simply taking his word—or that of his propagandists—are left in post-truth reality," wrote Jong-Fast. "Even Trump seems to acknowledge how essential the subject of 2020 'fraud' is in the 2024 primary, telling The Messenger this week how if he didn't talk about it, 'I would actually be rebuked by a large portion of the Republican Party.'"
Trump is currently polling far ahead of his opponents in the Republican primary race, beating Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis by 48 points in the latest Morning Consult poll. The national survey showed Trump is currently tied with Biden.
Corporate media outlets are mostly ignoring a Republican ploy to use the debt ceiling fight to gut Social Security and Medicare if the GOP regains control of Congress--a plot that one leading watchdog on Friday called "perhaps the single most consequential story" of the midterm elections.
"Social Security and Medicare are on the ballot next month," said Media Matters for America senior fellow Matt Gertz. "If the American public doesn't know that, it's in part because the press isn't telling them."
Common Dreams reported earlier this week that Social Security and Medicare defenders are warning that the popular programs--which each serve tens of millions of older Americans--face "grave danger" in the event Republicans retake control of Congress in January.
\u201cHave you heard about the GOP's plan to threaten to cause an economic catastrophe if they don't get massive cuts to Social Security and Medicare? https://t.co/a8lbJU6n3J\u201d— Matthew Gertz (@Matthew Gertz) 1665758238
The warning came after four House Republicans hoping to chair the lower chamber's budget committee told Bloomberg Government that "Social Security and Medicare eligibility changes, spending caps, and safety-net work requirements are among the top priorities" if the GOP is back in charge.
The Republican lawmakers indicated in the article that "next year's deadline to raise or suspend the debt ceiling is a point of leverage" to force Democrats to allow policies including raising the retirement age and slashing Social Security and veterans' benefits, in keeping with the GOP's recently adopted policy agenda.
Despite congressional Democrats sounding the alarm on what Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) said would be an "economically catastrophic" policy, "there's been virtually no coverage from major TV news shows, newspapers, and other mainstream outlets," Gertz noted.
"There has been shockingly little coverage of this development given its significance," Gertz continued. "It earned a scattering of mentions in publications including New York magazine. And Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and MSNBC's Chris Hayes detailed the stakes on his show Wednesday night."
\u201c.@chrislhayes: "I feel confident in predicting that if Republicans win control of one or both houses of Congress, they will do everything in their power to sabotage the economy to best set them up to retake the White House in 2024."\u201d— All In with Chris Hayes (@All In with Chris Hayes) 1665621689
"But the story hasn't been referenced elsewhere this week on MSNBC, or on CNN, or on Fox News," he added. "The nationally broadcast morning and evening news shows on ABC, CBS, and NBC haven't discussed it. It hasn't been mentioned in the pages of major newspapers, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, and USA Today."
As current and former employees, media colleagues, and labor rights advocates on Thursday celebrated an announcement that MSNBC's workers have decided to form a union, the cable news channel's president made clear that leadership won't voluntarily recognize the effort.
"At a time when journalists and journalism itself are under siege, we want to join our peers who have paved the road before us in standing up for our rights."
--MSNBC bargaining unit
MSNBC is owned by a division of NBCUniversal, which is a subsidiary of Comcast. In a series of tweets, the editorial staff of MSNBC and The Choice--a news channel on the streaming service Peacock--said that over 200 workers have signed a union petition to join the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE).
"We are organizing to advocate for equal pay for equal work; diversity at every level of production; clear job descriptions and access to career development; a say in the post-Covid-19 workplace; and fair compensation for the hours we all spend to deliver the news," organizers said.
"We are standing up for each other and our work--because this is who we are," organizers added. "After 10 months of organizing, we are asking for voluntary recognition of our union and look forward to constructive negotiations with MSNBC and Comcast for a fair contract. #ThisIsWhoWeAre."
The tweets echoed a lengthy statement from the MSNBC bargaining unit shared by WGAE, which said in part that "at a time when journalists and journalism itself are under siege, we want to join our peers who have paved the road before us in standing up for our rights."
\u201cWe want to support one another and make this an even better place to build a career. That\u2019s why we are organizing to be a part of the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE). We are organizing because it\u2019s the best way to ensure a fair, equitable, and safe workplace. (2/4)\u201d— MSNBC Union (@MSNBC Union) 1623947558
"We are proud that the hard-working newsroom employees at MSNBC decided to unionize with the WGAE," said Lowell Peterson, the union's executive director. "They join thousands of their colleagues in the news and entertainment industries who recognize that collective bargaining is the most effective way to win a voice at work and to build sustainable careers."
WGAE represents about 7,000 workers, including newsrooms at ABC News, Bustle, CBS News, Fast Company, HuffPost, The Intercept, Salon, Slate, VICE, and Vox as well as Gizmodo Media Group and Hearst Magazines.
"We hope and expect MSNBC to remain true to its commitment to progressive values by respecting its employees' decision and recognizing our union promptly."
Rashida Jones, president of MSNBC, said Thursday in a statement to the New York Times that "we're looking forward to continuing the type of direct, open, and honest communication that has already resulted in meaningful change at the network."
In a message to employees that circulated on social media, Jones said that the network will not recognize the union without a secret ballot election supervised by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB.)
"I respect our employees' right to decide whether they want to be represented by a union, and I believe our employees should be able to make such an important decision through a standard election process," she said.
"An election supervised by the government allows all affected employees the chance to express their view on unionizing through a secret ballot," Jones added. "It is important to give everyone who would be included the chance to understand what this would mean before making their choice."
The Hill noted that "unions have long criticized requests for NLRB secret ballot elections as being designed to give management opportunities to dissuade employees from joining the union."
MSNBC show hosts Chris Hayes and Joy-Ann Reid expressed support for the union effort on Twitter:
\u201cAll right then! Proud of my peeps \u270a\ud83c\udfff\ud83d\udc4d\ud83c\udfff\u201d— Joy-Ann (Pro-Democracy) Reid \ud83d\ude37 (@Joy-Ann (Pro-Democracy) Reid \ud83d\ude37) 1623947646
Others in the media industry, including former MSNBC employees, highlighted pay concerns among off-camera workers and called the union effort "overdue."
The American Federation of Teachers--the nation's second-largest education union--and the Labor Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives also expressed support for the organizing at MSNBC:
\u201cWe stand with the newsroom staff at @MSNBCunion who have organized with the @WGAEast to collectively bargain for a better future.\u201d— AFT (@AFT) 1623961059
\u201cThank you to the House @Labor_Caucus for standing with the @MSNBCunion as they call for voluntary recognition from @MSNBC.\u201d— Writers Guild of America, East (@Writers Guild of America, East) 1623959821
Andrew Joyce, a segment producer at "The Rachel Maddow Show" who helped lead the MSNBC union effort, told the Times that "we as journalists believe that democracy works, as a nation, state, country, city or in a workplace; things work better when policies are made with input from the people."
The developments came as The New Yorker, Pitchfork, and Ars Technica unions announced that after more than two years of negotiations between the NewsGuild of New York and Conde Nast, they averted a strike and reached an agreement in principle on first contracts.
Congratulating the unions on "accomplishing a groundbreaking agreement that sets new standards for fair compensation, equity, and job security in our industry," president Susan DeCarava said that the NewsGuild of New York "is immensely proud of all that our members have achieved due to their unflinching solidarity and resolve in addressing long-standing inequities at Conde Nast."