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Former President Donald Trumps political operation continues to steer money to a firm run by Jan. 6 rally organizers, while other organizers of the rally before the deadly Capitol attack are sponsoring this years annual Conservative Political Action Conference, widely known as CPAC.

Trump is slated to speak at the CPAC convening organized by the American Conservative Union on Saturday.

A newly-filed campaign finance disclosure shows Save America, Trumps leadership PAC, paid Event Strategies Inc. more than $837,000 in January this year.

Trumps political operation has paid more than $5.1 million to Event Strategies since the start of the 2020 election, the firm named in a permit for the rally that also employed two individuals involved in the demonstration. Some of those payments came in the weeks leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021 rally.

While some political committees continue to pay Event Strategies, the firm and its partners are becoming controversial even among conservative circles. The Elizabeth Dole Foundation terminated Event Strategy partner Tim Unes from his role in helping plan former Sen. Bob Doles funeral after learning of his ties to the Jan. 6 rally.

The U.S. House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol subpoenaed Unes, one of the Jan. organizers paid by Trumps campaign.

In total, Trumps political operation reported paying more than $6.8 million to people and firms that organized the Jan. 6 rally since the start of the 2020 election.

Jan. 6 rally organizers sponsoring CPAC 2022

The three groups behind the March to Save America rally on Jan. 6 before the Capitol attack now sponsoring CPAC are Moms for America, Turning Point and Tea Party Patriots.

This is the first year Moms for America, one of the 11 groups partnering on the March to Save America rally, has sponsored CPAC.

Moms for America is listed as a presenting sponsor, a sponsorship level second only to the top sponsor slot held by Fox Nation.

The 2022 sponsorship prospectus does not specify the cost of being a presenting sponsor, noting instead that This unique and customizable opportunity is CPACs top level sponsorship. The next tier down costs $75,000. Last year, the presenting sponsorship package had a starting cost of $100,000.

Moms for Americas entire 2020 fundraising haul was about $408,000, according to its tax returns, up slightly from the prior year when it raised around $300,000.

Tea Party Patriots Action, another group that helped organize the Jan. 6 rally, is a $35,000 supporting sponsor of this years CPAC.

Tea Party Patriots Action was not listed as a sponsor of last years CPAC, which was held weeks after the Capitol attack. But a panel on protecting elections featured Tea Party Patriots co-founder Jenny Beth Martin. This year, Tea Party Patriots returned as a sponsor and its cofounder gave a talk titled Patriots Unite.

The 501(c)(4) Tea Party Patriots Action was the second biggest 2020 election donor to its super PAC, Tea Party Patriots Citizens Fund. The super PAC spent about $1 million supporting Trumps re-election and the 501(c)(4) that helped fund it does not disclose its donors.

Turning Point, a nonprofit conservative student group that flourished under the Trump administration, is a $15,000 contributing sponsor of this years CPAC after being a $20,000 supporting sponsor last year. Turning Points 501(c)(4) nonprofit arm, Turning Point Action, is one of the 11 core groups that helped organize the Jan. 6 protests.

None of the groups that helped organize the Jan. 6 rally and are now sponsoring CPAC have disclosed their donors.

Groups at the helm of efforts pushing unfounded and disproven claims of voter fraud around the 2020 election are all listed as sponsors of this years CPAC, including the Public Interest Legal Foundation, the Heritage Foundation and Judicial Watch. The three nonprofits share a small circle of wealthy conservative donors with a revolving door of staff and consultants, according to an investigation by the Guardian using OpenSecrets data.

Another sponsor of this years CPAC is Lindell-TV, MyPillow CEO Mike Lindells online TV show.

A group called Voter Safe House is also listed among CPACs sponsors.

Our dedication to offering an extra layer of accountability, especially in the case of a discrepancy with the official count, means that we strive to offer a real-time vote polling system while ensuring that every vote is counted and that no voice is silenced during a time of election, Voter Safe Houses site reads, claiming you can maintain your individual votes and watch in real-time as others throughout the nation log their votes.

Voter Safe House lists one partner on its site: Our Freedom Media Group, part of an alternative social media network that sponsored CPAC last year. Its services include a Facebook alternative called Our Freedom Book and a YouTube alternative called Our Freedom Tube.

Other alternative social media platforms sponsoring CPAC include video platform Rumble and microblogging platform Gettr, which was founded by former Trump aide Jason Miller.

In addition to Fox Nation being the sole featuring sponsor, other conservative news organizations sponsoring this years CPAC include Right Side Broadcasting Network and Americas Voice Network, which also goes by Real America News, two outlets that often broadcast Trumps rallies.

Another media sponsor of this years CPAC is the Epoch Times, a news outlet that has ties to members of the Falun Gong, a Chinese spiritual movement banned by Chinas ruling Communist Party. The Epoch Times publisher, Epoch Media Group, has been criticized for favorable coverage of Trump and backed Stop the Steal protests in Taiwan that drew a reported 8,000 people supporting Trump after his loss in the 2020 election.

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Anna is OpenSecrets' Editorial and Investigations Manager. She is also responsible for OpenSecrets' dark money research and researches foreign influence as a part of Foreign Lobby Watch. Anna holds degrees in political science and psychology from North Carolina State University and a J.D. from the University of the District of Columbia School of Law.

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CPAC bankrolled by Jan. 6 rally organizers and groups spreading 2020 election fraud claims OpenSecrets - Center for Responsive Politics

Call it making up for lost time, but as a recent invitee to the great tea party, I have been on an almost manic consumption spree of any and everything related to tea - the worlds number one drink after water. From resolutely having resisted the beverage all my life, to suddenly stocking my pantry with artisanal and rare teas from around India and the worldand making sure I visit at least one new tea producing region every yearmy reverence...nay, obsession with it is a new and ever-evolving one.

No big surprise then, that, as an equally voracious reader, my reading list features all kinds of books related to tea. Be they historical accounts laced with assorted tales of espionage of how tea was first smuggled out of China to make its perilous westbound journey. Or simply guides on how to brew the perfect cup of tea. I have been enjoying my newest dalliance to the hilt.

And so, it was with unbridled fascination that I recently chanced upon and subsequently gourmandised my way through this book. One that proved to be the perfect companion to my many quotidian cups of tea. Black. Never with milk. Always with lemon and honey.

Bringing together her culinary expertise as a trained chef and tea sommelier, along with her wide-ranging travel, Pallavi Nigam Sahay imbues her latest book A Sip In Timewith oodles of passion and reverence for tea. She does this by deftly juxtaposing her personal experiences of drinking various kinds of Indian teas with their individual nuances and qualities that make them coveted worldwide. All this, while giving our indigenous tea varieties, both a historical context, and updated currency.

The author talks of discovering Indias first brew, aka.phalap, as she journeys into the densely forested areas of Upper Assam. Handcrafted by the Singphos, a local tribe, this ancient variety of black tea that is first smoked and then brewed is as different as it can get from what most of us know as just plain old tea. Sahay also talks of the curative properties of tea as kadhasmedicinalconcoctions believed to cure a number of ailmentsmade using tea as a base along with an apothecary cabinet full of herbs and spices.

Nostalgia is another main ingredient of this book as we are given glimpses into great affinities like tea and the rains. Or tea and train journeys for that matter. Speaking of which, the reader is shown the great socio-cultural diversity amidst unity of India through the prism of tea. Be it with Mumbais notorious cutting chai, Haryanas khadi chammach waali chai, Hamachal Pradeshs Kinnauri chai or even with relatively unknown iterations (to me, at least!) like Punes amrutulya chai or Rajasthans nagori chai.

From the very propah English custom of enjoying evening high teawith a variety of savoury snacks, pastries and the ubiquitous scones with jam and clotted creamalong with our very desipropensity for afternoon chai sessions over hot pakoras, crispy matris and aloo bondas served with a variety of chutneys, snacks and tea time are a marriage made in culinary heaven. Keeping this as the main thrust of the book, the author comes well-equipped with an arsenal of easy-to-follow recipes.Over 60 tea time snacks and savouries to be specific.

Recipes and cooking techniques that she has collected from a plethora of sources like friends, colleagues and most importantly family members. This means, we get anecdotal takes on typical Indian tea snack recipes like that for the fennel and cardamom-infused Bihari thekua (pg.19) and Gujarati methi thepla (pg.75) among others that dot the book. Each comforting in their familiarity and rustic appeal.

Tips like using oil instead of butter in a cake to keep it moist, while adding buttermilk to it enhances its crumbliness (pg.129), among scores of others are invaluable nuggets of information. Ones that seem as though coming from a kindly friend who wants to help you do better in the kitchen.

Further into the book, we are introduced to more exotic treats like the semolina and orange syrup-infused basbousa cake (pg.109) from the Middle East thats teamed with Assam orthodox tea. Even a hipster-chic rendition of the very au courant avocado toast (pg.157) manages to find a place in the book. This one, the author chooses to pair with the bergamot orange-infused, floral tasting earl grey tea.

But speaking of tea and more so for a book that pivots around this all-important axis, its a little disappointing to find not a single recipe for renditions of the beverage. I would have loved a few recipes for versions of tea like the mint-imbued Parsichoi (yes, not chai, but choi!) that we taste so much in places like Bombays iconic Irani cafs. Or even for a fragrant Kashmiri kahwa, for that matter.

And while the author does speak in fleeting words of dishes like lahpet thoke, the Burmese fermented tea leaf salad, there are also no recipes provided in the book using tea leaves or even tea water as an ingredient! Not even for a Punjabi chhole that gets its colour from the addition of black tea water to the boiling chickpeas.

Also in terms of layout and design, not only are the photographs of the corresponding recipe dishes not evocative enough in their colour scale, but the choice of printed paper is way too dull for a book on such a vibrant subject.

I also found the idea of breaking up the recipes (especially the ingredients list) over two pages in numerous instances quite disconcerting and odd given the otherwise generous dimensions of the almost coffee table sized book.

But these are just minor, observational critiques. Ultimately it all boils down (do pardon the pun) to the act of enjoying a fine book that ensnares the reader,keeping one hooked onto its refreshing goodness.

Quite like the very beverage that it helps celebrate and champion down to the T!

(A wearer of many hats in the food and travel space, Mumbai-based Raul Dias is a food-travel writer, a restaurant reviewer, and a food consultant)

Check out the book on Amazon

About the Book

A Sip In Time - Indias finest teas and tea time treats

Pallavi Nigam Sahay

Hachette India

256 pages; 799

Published onMarch 04, 2022

Read more:
A Sip In Time Indias finest teas and tea time treats - BusinessLine

Get Weekend Reads from IdeasA weekly newsletter from the Boston Globe Ideas section, forged at the intersection of 'what if' and 'why not.'

Her private correspondence and her published work highlighted this. Warren was subversive in her messaging, using tools like satire to make rebellious points when so much of America remained divided over the concept of a revolution and complete divorce from Britain. She was among the most notable early masters of using pop culture to make political arguments on behalf of the revolutionary cause.

Warren was born in Barnstable in 1728, the third of 13 children. Girls werent afforded educational opportunities at the time, but she circumvented that by remaining present at her brothers lessons. When she was 17, Mercys father, James, was elected to the Massachusetts Legislature, perhaps igniting her interest in politics. Mercys brother James Otis Jr. is famous for his turn of phrase Taxation without representation is tyranny, which became a rallying cry for Revolutionaries throughout the colonies. In 1754, Mercy married James Warren, who would go on to serve as a general in the Continental Army.

It was through these connections that Mercy Warren would meet her two most notable friends: John and Abigail Adams. The Adamses served as confidantes, and Warren, who was reluctant to share work under her own name, sent drafts of her poetry and plays to the original American power couple.

In a letter to Abigail Adams in February 1774, Mercy enclosed a poem about the Boston Tea Party, which had taken place two months earlier. In fact, John Adams had requested that she write one.

Warrens poem was all in favor of the Tea Party revelers. In an introductory note, she lauded them for sacrificing several cargos of tea to the public welfare, and in the poem itself, she assailed British greed, noting that luxury creates such mighty feuds. Even though Warren herself, as well as all colonists, had much to lose financially and otherwise in a potential failed revolution, she committed to the cause and tried to bring others along with her. The poem was largely metaphorical and used imagery from Greek and Roman mythology in lieu of Redcoats and colonists, but the message was clear: The Tea Party was glorious.

It was a compelling piece of writing, but Warren was apprehensive about releasing it into the world. In her letter to Abigail Adams accompanying her poem, Warren asked that the Adamses keep the piece private, at least at first. Warren also wanted to be sure Abigail showed it to John for his critique:

I will not trust the partiallity of my own sex so much as to rely on Mrs. Adams judgment though I know her to be a lady of taste and Discernment. If Mr. Adams thinks it deserving of any further notice and he will point out the faults, which doubtless are many, they may perhaps be corrected, when it shall be at his service.

Why would Warren, with her progressive way of thinking, seek out John Adamss approval for her writing instead of Abigails? Within the social structure of the time, a female poets chances of finding success were low, and John was well connected as an attorney and delegate. His endorsement would have meant more to Warren. Indeed, John loved the poem and had it published (anonymously) on the front page of the Boston Gazette on March 24, 1774.

Warren and Abigail Adamss correspondence picked up in mid-1775 following the Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19. On May 15, she wrote to Abigail celebrating the uprising. She expressed pride in being so closely connected with many people (including her husband) who were willing to act so noble a part as to rise up against the British.

Mercy and Abigail were more radical in their loathing of the British than most members of the Continental Congress. The Congress started meeting in an official capacity on May 10, 1775 a few weeks after Lexington and Concord but it made a concerted effort to keep the relationship with Britain intact. In fact, on July 5, 1775, the Congress sent King George III the Olive Branch Petition, which suggested reconciliation between the colonies and the motherland.

John Adams believed war was inevitable, and he privately opposed the document a stance that Mercy Warren encouraged. On the same day the Olive Branch Petition was completed, she wrote to him with a scathing report on how the British were treating Bostonians in the aftermath of Lexington and Concord. She claimed that Britain now lacked the generosity and humanity which has long been the boast of all civilized nations. And while the plagues of famine, pestilence and tyranny reign within the walls, the sword is lifted without and the artillery of war continually [thunders] in our Ears. Mercy lauded the rebels who lost their lives at Lexington and Concord, claiming they had a sense of honor, freedom, and valor.

King George III refused to read the Olive Branch Petition and wouldnt address its grievances. Perhaps that was because of a letter that John Adams wrote to James Warren in which he advocated that every British official be taken prisoner. The letter was intercepted and shared with Parliament. Before long, the Continental Congress was resigned to the idea that war was inevitable, and it formed a committee to write what would become the Declaration of Independence.

Meanwhile, Mercy Warren continued her furious pace of correspondence with such people as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. She also stirred up support for the Revolution in writing designed for public consumption.

In 1776 she wrote a play called The Blockheads. Even though the British were laying siege to Boston, Warren imagined a satirical world in which the Redcoats were trapped and the local Bostonians were terrorizing them and their Loyalist supporters. It was the sort of humor that would have made for a very entertaining show at the time. The opening lines, delivered by a British general named Puff, describe the British as being in a sorry state. They had thought theyd easily ransack Boston, but we are shamefully confined within the bounds of three miles, wrangling and starving among ourselves.

Warren also wrote a character, a bumbling Loyalist named Surly, to lampoon the numerous colonists who still supported the British. Trapped in a saloon with the British, Surly laments that my tenants and my oxen would have been much more agreeable companions than these herd of stalking poltroons.

That would have stung. Poltroons means gutless cowards, and it was not an insult thrown around lightly in the 1770s. In fact, this was such an inflammatory play that Warren released the work anonymously. Nonetheless, it emboldened the Revolutionary experiment.

Nowadays, although many historians remember Warren for her contributions, she lacks the mainstream exposure of her famous correspondents or even her brother James. But her legacy is no less important. She was a woman who understood the power of her pen and was able to carve out a niche from which her views could be widely shared. She was a crucial communicator to Congress about the goings-on in Massachusetts during the most desperate days of the Revolution. She even wrote a complete history of the American Revolution in 1805 the first by a woman.

Considering all that, its unsurprising that John Adams heaped praise on her in 1774, when he wrote to James Warren and asked him to encourage Mercy to produce a poem on the Boston Tea Party. But for want of this same poetical genius [as Mercy] I can do nothing. I wish to see a late glorious event, celebrated, by a certain poetical pen, which has no equal that I know of in this country.

Jon Mael is a freelance writer in Sharon who focuses on history. Follow him on Twitter @jmael2010.

Excerpt from:
The woman whose subversive writing spurred the American Revolution - The Boston Globe

Kate McKinnon says Greta Gerwigs Barbie movie script is one of the greatest things shes ever read

The SNL star cant believe that is lucky enough to be involved with the film - which is a live-action tale centring around the Mattel doll starring Margot Robbie as the titular character - after they roomed together at NYU.

While appearing on The Late Show With Jimmy Fallon, the 38-year-old actress told host Jimmy Fallon: A Greta Gerwig Barbie movie I cant believe my good fortune! I went to college with Greta, we lived in the same disgusting dorm suite. The script is one of the greatest things Ive ever read, its going to be (makes chefs kiss sign), just you wait.

The movie - which also stars Simu Liu, America Ferrera and Ryan Gosling as Ken - is co-written by the Lady Bird directors boyfriend Noah Bambuch, who wrote and directed Netflixs Marriage Story.

Greta - who has collaborated with Noah previously on Frances Ha and Mistress America - shared about how she once formed a hilarious improv group after failing to get into the main one that Kate was in.

In 2015.

She said: It was called the Tea Party before the Tea Party. The most illustrious member of this group was Kate McKinnon. We were in the same class and did theatre and stuff together, and we got rejected from the main improv group. So then we started our own improv group and would hold our shows at the exact same time so that people would have to choose who they wanted to be friends with more. It was hilarious. I love improv. I would love doing it again.

More here:
Kate McKinnon thinks Greta Gerwig's Barbie script is 'one of the greatest things' she's ever read - Crow River Media

Progressives running for Congress had a good night on Tuesday. To discuss the results, the Signal spoke with Aaron Chappell, the political director for Our Revolution, a grassroots member-driven movement that emerged following Sen. Bernie Sanders 2016 run.

The group endorsed and organized on behalf of former Austin City Councilman Greg Casar, who won his contest in Austins TX-35 by a landslide, as well as state Rep. Jasmine Crockett (TX-30) and immigrant rights attorney Jessica Cisneros (TX-28), who each secured a runoff in their races.

The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.

On a federal level yall endorsed Greg Casar, Jasmine Crockett and Jessica Cisneros. What are your thoughts on this weeks primary in Texas?

Were thrilled about the results in Gregs race and about the margin in Jasmines race as well. Overall, this is about where we hoped to be.

It would have been amazing obviously to avoid a runoff in Jasmine Crocketts race, but she dominated in that race so its just another hoop to jump through. But it doesnt seem like a threat to her viability to have a runoff in that race, there were a lot of candidates in that race, its reasonable to not hit 50 percent with 9-10 candidates in the race.

Cisneros as well, we knew that was a challenging race and she appears to be making a runoff. Thats a victory in itself, an 18-year incumbent with millions of dollars backed by the fossil fuel industry.

Do you think that says anything that Cisneros race was so close? I know Cuellar said he was going to be in full campaign mode, that it would be a blowout. What does the tightness of that race mean to yall?

The fact that a real progressive like Jessica Cisneros can poll even with an 18-year incumbent that has the backing of Texas iconic oil industry, its amazing. Its a tougher district than the other two were talking about.

And so props to Jessica Cisneros and to groups like ours that have been pounding the phones and pavement to turn out voters there. Cuellar is one of the worst Democrats in the House. He is blocking the most popular parts of the Democratic agenda with his fight over the Build Back Better Act. We were particularly incensed by his call to support continued subsidies for the fossil fuel industry, which is a critical piece of mitigating climate impacts and of paying for the important measures in that bill. Hes the only Democrat in the House that voted against the Protect the Right to Organize Act that would help level the playing field and get workers the ability to exercise their right to join a union and create better jobs. Thats the kind of thing that hurts the Democratic Party as a whole.

We see in South Texas, trends going I dont want to overstate the trends but theres been a lot of reporting about trends toward the Republican Party among Latino voters in South Texas. And why not if Henry Cuellar is what they think Democrats represent?

What has Our Revolutions involvement been in these races so far and what are the plans for the future in the state?

Were a huge network of people that came out of the Bernie movement. So were very focused on turning out our own base and own contacts. Weve just been emailing, texting, calling in each of those races. We made about 40,000 dials with 50 to 100 volunteers plus sending lots of emails and texts to reach those folks that are part of Our Revolution.

I think thats a bit unique, were not coming in before a race with an ad war. Were running a ground game and were there for the long haul. We have our folks in Texas, were not just coming in every two years. We were very involved in local elections last year and then we stay around and work with candidates when they become elected officials.

What is Our Revolutions overall strategy? It sounds like a lot of ground game. Has it changed at all since 2016?

Its always been about small donors, were grassroots funded, were not getting grants or foundation money. Were getting support from our members. Several of these candidates are our members. Greg Casar is a member, Jasmine Crockett is a member. We have members running on the local level as well.

That focus hasnt changed. We believe in turning out the base and organizing. We believe that progressive issues are popular winning issues for the Democratic Party. And I think Greg is a great example of the success of that vision.

Weve seen increasing strength of the progressive movement, increasing viability of progressive candidates. We see people that were inspired by the Bernie movement coming out to run. And again, our own members running for office.

Greg is someone Ive known personally from the beginning from his days as a labor organizer to city councilman. Weve had the opportunity to build a deeper bench of candidates, Greg is a perfect example. We supported him at the city council, hes proven himself as a leader and effective elected on the city council.

Same with Jasmine Crockett, we supported her for statehouse and saw her do a tremendous job, especially last year summer in the voting rights fight. We know shed be a great member of Congress and a real outspoken progressive.

Theres been time for our movement to mature and deepen our bench of candidates and our base.

I wanted to get your thoughts on the upcoming midterms in Congress. Theres some predictions saying Dems will lose the House. What can Our Revolution and other progressive organizations do to have their elected leaders have more of a voice in the Democratic Party? I remember the Force the Vote movement on Medicare for All, and Ive seen some folks suggest that maybe progressive Democrats should operate in a more disruptive fashion, kind of like the Tea Party. Whats your thoughts on how progressives should operate as a minority in the House?

Id love to talk about this because its not what progressives have done. Nobody forced the vote, people fought with a reasonable outlook on what was achievable through the Build Back Better Act to expand access to Medicare not to force the vote on Medicare for All, because we know that we have winnable issues and we want to show that we can win on these issues.

Progressives are the ones who fought the hardest for President Bidens agenda. It was Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema who blocked the agenda, the so-called moderates that arent willing.

Progressives are trying to deliver on the most popular items on the Democratic platform that would help them win in the midterms, and they were stymied. We cant save the Democratic Party if they cant pass their own agenda, but we can certainly fight to get more progressives elected for the future.

See the rest here:
Our Revolution on progressive wins in Texas primaries - The Texas Signal