United States, free speech only for Trump?

This 21 July 2020 video says about itself:

Trump Sends Thugs To Arrest Portland Protesters, Threatens Chicago And New York May Be Next

President Trump is doubling down on his strategy of using unidentified government operatives to intimidate, assault and violate the civil rights of peaceful protesters, warning from the Oval Office on Monday that Chicago and New York may be targeted next.

Trump Has Unleashed Authoritarian Violence In Portland. What City Is Next? The moms shuffled into position on Sunday night, arms linked, backs to the fence in front of Portland’s federal courthouse. The sky had darkened. Behind the fence, anonymous federal agents in fatigues leveled their weapons at the women’s backs. The human shield was in place, a barrier against the secret police. The “Wall of Moms”: here.

‘CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS’ BREWING IN PORTLAND Federal law enforcement officers’ actions against protests in Oregon’s largest city, done without local or state consent, are raising the prospect of a constitutional crisis — one that could escalate as weeks of demonstrations find renewed focus in clashes with camouflaged, unidentified agents outside Portland’s U.S. courthouse. State Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum filed a lawsuit saying that masked federal officers have arrested people off the street, far from the courthouse, with no probable cause — and whisked them away in unmarked cars. [AP]

From Senator Bernie Sanders in the USA today:

We are in a very dangerous moment in American history.

Last month, as you’ll recall, Trump had peaceful protestors outside of the White House in Washington, D.C. viciously attacked by federal agents who wore no identification.

As we speak, in Portland, Oregon, federal agents in combat gear and unmarked vehicles are pulling protesters off the streets and jailing them without charges, despite opposition from local and state officials.

What Trump and his allies are now doing is “normalizing” the use of federal troops to patrol and make arrests of American citizens in communities throughout the country. Today it is Portland, Oregon. Tomorrow, Trump is suggesting it could be New York City, Chicago or Philadelphia. Next, your hometown.

This is what a police state is all about.

Make no mistake about it: Donald Trump does not believe in democracy, our Constitution or the rule of law.

He is working aggressively to suppress the vote and, in the midst of this terrible pandemic, is vigorously opposing the right of citizens to vote by mail. He has ignored decisions of Congress, which is why he was impeached. He has contempt for a free press and has called the media “an enemy of the people“. He has used his office for blatant personal and political gain, running the most corrupt administration in modern American history. He has ruptured our relationships with long-time democratic allies around the world while he embraces right-wing authoritarian leaders in Russia, Hungary, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, the Philippines and elsewhere.

Yes. We must all come together to defeat Trump in November, but we must also act right NOW to stop the movement toward authoritarianism and a police state.

That is why I am introducing legislation with Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon which would greatly curtail the activities of federal military forces in our communities. This bill would limit their ability to conduct crowd control to properties immediately surrounding federal buildings without the invitation of the Governor and Mayor, require federal agents to wear visible IDs, and ban them from making arrests or detentions in unmarked vehicles.

Now we need you to make your voice heard — to send a message to Congress that you are paying attention to this issue and will do everything possible to defend our Constitution, the separation of powers and the right of Americans to peacefully demonstrate.

Please add your name as a citizen co-sponsor of legislation that would force federal agents to wear visible IDs, ban them from making arrests and detentions from unmarked vehicles, and limit their ability to conduct crowd control without invitation from the Governor or Mayor.

Too many Americans fought and died to defend American democracy to let President Trump move us even further in an authoritarian direction.

And that is why I am asking you to join Senator Jeff Merkley and me in making your voice heard.

Trump’s strategy of hateful rhetoric and using a crisis to seize more power is nothing new. It has been used by authoritarian leaders throughout history.

Our job NOW is to stand together, fight back, and stop the movement toward authoritarianism and a police state.

In solidarity,

Bernie Sanders

DEMOCRATIC MAYORS URGE CONGRESS TO STOP FEDERAL AGENTS’ USE OF FORCE IN PROTESTS Six Democratic mayors urged Congress to stop federal agents from interfering with protests in cities and called on the lawmakers to investigate the Trump administration’s deployment of them. In a letter to congressional Democratic and Republican leaders, the mayors of Seattle, Atlanta, Chicago, Kansas City, Washington and Portland, Oregon, called the deployment of armed federal agents at protests “unprecedented” and in violation of constitutional rights. President Donald Trump is threatening to deploy the militarized agents to other cities, all led by Democratic mayors, as his reelection campaign struggles. [HuffPost]

TRUMP PREPPING TO DISPATCH FEDERAL SQUADS TO MORE DEM CITIES The Trump administration is preparing to roll out a plan this week to send controversial military-style federal squads already in Portland, Oregon, into other cities, warned White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, who only named locations that have Democratic mayors. Attorney General William Barr is “weighing in on that” with acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf, Meadows said Sunday on Fox News. “You’ll see something rolled out this week, as we start to go in and make sure that the communities — whether it’s Chicago or Portland or Milwaukee,” he added. All three cities named are run by Democrats. [HuffPost]

GUN-WIELDING ST. LOUIS COUPLE HIT WITH FELONY CHARGE St. Louis’ top prosecutor is charging a white husband and wife with felony unlawful use of a weapon for displaying guns during a racial injustice protest outside their mansion. Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner announced the charges against Mark and Patricia McCloskey, who are both personal injury attorneys in their 60s. They also face a misdemeanor charge of fourth-degree assault. Gardner said that the McCloskeys’ actions risked creating a violent situation during an otherwise nonviolent protest. [AP]

When Trump Feels Threatened, White Supremacy Is His Only Weapon. When his future looks bleak, Trump has one ace up his sleeve that he’s always used: his whiteness. He’s never been afraid to weaponize his status as a white man, and for his fervent supporters, the ploy works. Studies suggest that it was racial resentment, fostered by his mostly white supporters, that fueled Trump’s victory in 2016: here.