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demmiblue

demmiblue's Journal
demmiblue's Journal
May 10, 2018

Roll Red Roll Is One of the Most Horrifying Documentaries I've Ever Watched, and Everybody Needs to

This in-depth look at the Steubenville rape case is as brutal as it should be mandatory.

Source: Slate

When the Steubenville High School rape case swept the country in December 2012, I had just turned 18. I was barely a year older than Steubenville’s perpetrators; more importantly, I was only two years older than their victim. At the time, I paid little attention to the case. I thought I had bigger things to worry about. Six years and five thousand feminist wake-up calls later, I thought it was time to rectify this gap in my knowledge, so I attended the world premiere of Roll Red Roll at the Tribeca Film Festival. I’ve read Missoula three times, I thought as I strolled into the screening. I’ve seen The Hunting Ground. I’ve got this.

I did not got this. What unfolded for the next 80 minutes, in larger-than-life proportions, was easily the most gut-wrenching crime story I’d ever seen. This is both a testament to the dismaying reality of rape culture and to director Nancy Schwartzman’s storytelling skills. Roll Red Roll gets as deep into the Steubenville case as any civilian could, and then some. Thanks to experienced doc editor Christopher White, the film easily bounces between police interrogation footage, social media re-creations, and revealing interviews with Steubenville residents and case heavy-hitters. The crime, wherein high school football players Trent Mays and Ma’lik Richmond raped an incapacitated girl, advances as a nauseating and public example of the breadth of rape culture.

Documentaries don’t usually horrify the oxygen out of me, but I found myself gulping for air more than once during Roll Red Roll. Between interviews with victim-blaming adult Steubenvillites and stomach-churning social media posts from Jane Doe’s peers, the documentary is ultimately about the dehumanization of a helpless child—and it refuses to let you forget that. Roll Red Roll’s most harrowing footage comes from the teen bystanders themselves: an Instagram post of Jane Doe’s limp body, rape joke-laden tweets. A video of spectator Michael Nodianos laughing about the event (“They raped her harder than that cop raped Marsellus Wallace in Pulp Fiction!”) marks the film’s apex. Roll Red Roll is, above all, a comprehensive account of apathy.

Still, though Schwartzman refuses to coddle her viewers, Roll Red Roll has pockets of humanity. Alexandria Goddard, the true crime blogger who exposed the case to the world when she uncovered Steubenville teens’ social media posts about the crime, is the film’s compelling and sharp-edged heart. Goddard struggles with whether or not her actions harmed Jane Doe, shows off her Steubenville-inspired tattoo, and rifles through her notes from the investigation. That Schwartzman is able to capture her raw emotion on camera is no doubt a testament to her directorial empathy and skill. Goddard is a light in the bleakness. And there is a lot of bleakness.


https://slate.com/culture/2018/05/roll-red-roll-is-an-essential-documentary-about-the-steubenville-rape-case.html


I'm not sure that I would be able to view this... watching it unfold on DU in real-time was really hard to handle. I am glad that the events are being told again, though.
May 10, 2018

Giuliani resigns from law firm due to 'pressing demands' of Mueller probe

Source: The Hill

Rudolph Giuliani is leaving his job at a powerhouse law firm, citing the "pressing demands" of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russia's role in the 2016 presidential election.

Giuliani took a temporary leave of absence from the firm Greenberg Traurig when he joined President Trump's legal team last month. But in a statement on Thursday, the former New York City mayor said he intended to permanently resign from the firm.

"In light of the pressing demands of the Mueller investigation, I believe it is in everyone's best interest that I make it a permanent resignation," Giuliani said. "This way, my sole concentration can be on this critically important matter for our country."

"I have had a wonderful experience at the firm and I wish the firm and its Executive Chairman, Richard Rosenbaum, all the very best, now and in the future. I will always treasure the personal friendships I have made with everyone at Greenberg Traurig."

Read more: http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/387110-giuliani-resigns-from-law-firm-due-to-pressing-demands-of-mueller

May 8, 2018

WSJ: In Mock Mueller Interview, Trump Took 4 Hours To Get Through 2 Questions

Source: Think Progress

President Trump’s preparations for a potential interview with Special Counsel have not exactly been going smoothly, according to a Monday Wall Street report, which detailed the difficulty the President had making it through a mock interview:

In an informal, four-hour practice session, Mr. Trump’s lawyers were only able to walk him through two questions, given the frequent interruptions on national-security matters along with Mr. Trump’s loquaciousness, one person familiar with the matter said.


Trump’s lawyers have set a May 17 deadline — the one-year anniversary of Mueller’s appointment — to decide whether the President should sit down for questioning by the special counsel, the Journal reported. If Trump decides not to grant Mueller a voluntary interview, it could prompt the special counsel to subpoena him, escalating a legal battle.

Trump last week shook up his legal team by adding on Emmet Flood to replace Ty Cobb, the White House counsel responsible for responding to the Russia probe. Trump also recently brought on former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani to represent him personally. Giuliani has taken a more aggressive tone to dealing with Mueller in various interviews with the press.


https://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/trump-mueller-interview-four-hours
May 7, 2018

Trump grows frustrated with Giuliani as Stormy drama rages on

The recent shakeups of the president's personal and White House legal teams have done little to calm things down.

Source: Politico

President Donald Trump has shaken up his legal team in the last three weeks – and he’s still not happy.

The president has been griping to associates that Rudy Giuliani, his new personal attorney, has failed to shut down the Stormy Daniels hush money saga. And he has expressed frustration that Giuliani’s media appearances are raising more questions than they are answering, turning the story into a days-long drama capped by the admission Sunday that the president may have made similar payments to other women.

For now, White House aides said, Giuliani still has a direct line in to Trump – the two speak almost daily – and nobody in the West Wing is eager to insert themselves between the two irascible New Yorkers by yanking Giuliani off TV. But some aides said they expect the president to fire Giuliani if his behavior doesn’t change.

In a phone interview Monday, Giuliani pushed back against the notion that the president is unhappy with his performance. “If I’m not up to it, I don’t know who is,” he told POLITICO. “I know the Justice Department better than just about anyone.”


Read more: https://www.politico.com/story/2018/05/07/trump-giuliani-fallout-stormy-daniels-573196

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