First Single From Taylor Swift's reputation, "Look What You Made Me Do," Is Available Now on All Streaming Services

Taylor Swift's sixth studio album, reputation, will be released via Big Machine Records on November 10, 2017.

"Look What You Made Me Do" is the first new single from Taylor Swift's long-awaited and highly anticipated 6th studio album, reputation (Big Machine Records). "Look What You Made Me Do" is available for purchase on iTunes and is available to stream everywhere.

The most anticipated album of the year, reputation, is available for pre-order on iTunes, Target, TaylorSwift.com, and Walmart. When you pre-order reputation, make sure to register for Taylor Swift Tix powered by Ticketmaster Verified Fan for an opportunity to purchase tickets to an upcoming concert show. Taylor is committed to getting tickets into the hands of fans, not scalpers or bots, so she collaborated with Ticketmaster #VerifiedFan for U.S. dates to create an exclusive program to help you get the best access to tickets, in a really fun way. When you participate, you'll build your activity status and boost your place in line. Register now at Taylor Swift Tix and watch the video explaining more about Taylor Swift Tix HERE.

Want to collect all of the various album packages available for Taylor's 6th studio album reputation and help boost your place in line? Here's how…The two Unique and Collectible Magazines created by Taylor will be available exclusively at Target on November 10th and for pre-order online immediately at target.com/TaylorSwift. 

Each collectible edition (Volume 1 and Volume 2) of reputation magazine will include 72-pages of:

• Personal poetry and photos
• Artwork by Taylor
• Handwritten lyrics
• Behind-the-scene photos from the "Look What You Made Me Do" video shoot
• Exclusive poster

Standard reputation CD will include one of five double-sided exclusive posters.

SOURCE: Big Machine Records

Bonus Video:

Newly-Published Japanese Internment Photos From Anchor Editions Raise Funds To Fight Muslim Immigration Ban

Children waiting for the bus which will take them from their homes to an internment camp. Photo by Dorothea Lange. Anchor Editions is donating half of the sales of these prints to organizations fighting for immigrant rights.

In 1942, the US Government hired renowned photographer Dorothea Lange to document the "evacuation" and "relocation" of Japanese-Americans. Despite disagreeing with the internment, Lange took the job and produced a striking set of photographs showing citizens who were forced to register, dispose of their property and livelihoods, and live in camps behind barbed wire and guard towers. After seeing her images, the military impounded her photographs for the duration of World War II, later depositing them in the National Archives, where they remained mostly unseen and unpublished until recently.

Noticing parallels to the current political climate, Anchor Editions, a fine art print shop in Washington DC, recently reprinted the photos to create a conversation about immigration and raise funds for organizations fighting the Muslim ban.

"The tide of racism and xenophobia that led to the Japanese concentration camps in 1942 is swelling again today," says Tim Chambers, photographer and printer for Anchor Editions. "My hope is that today's audience viewing photographs from this shameful period in our history will remember the need to resist any violation of civil and human rights now."

Chambers digitized and restored some of Lange's negatives from the National Archives, published a photo essay, and sold limited-edition prints, donating half of the proceeds to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Several editions sold out in as little as three days, and to date, Anchor Editions has donated over $35,000 to the ACLU.

This month, Anchor Editions released more prints after completing new restorations of several of Lange's negatives. Half of the new print sales will be donated to the National Immigration Law Center (NILC), which works to protect the rights of Americans, particularly low-income immigrants and their families.

"Through social media, and discussions online, in galleries, and in the classroom, Dorothea Lange is finding a new audience and relevance as our country faces another inflection point in how we treat our citizens and immigrants," Chambers said. "The response has been overwhelming. One woman even found her great-grandfather pictured in one of the images, and I've heard many similar stories of personal connections to the photographs."  

Anchor Editions hopes the newly-restored photographs will connect with people in a similar way, widening the margin of support for the work of the ACLU and NILC.

SOURCE: Anchor Editions

How Should We Protest Neo-Nazis? Lessons From German History

A supporter of President Donald Trump, center, argues with a counter protester at a rally in Boston on Saturday, Aug. 19, 2017. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

By Laurie Marhoefer, University of Washington

After the murder of Heather Heyer in Charlottesville, many people are asking themselves what they should do if Nazis rally in their city. Should they put their bodies on the line in counterdemonstrations? Some say yes.

History says no. Take it from me: I study the original Nazis.

We have an ethical obligation to stand against fascism and racism. But we also have an ethical obligation to do so in a way that doesn’t help the fascists and racists more than it hurts them.

History repeats itself
Charlottesville was right out of the Nazi playbook. In the 1920s, the Nazi Party was just one political party among many in a democratic system, running for seats in Germany’s Parliament. For most of that time, it was a small, marginal group. In 1933, riding a wave of popular support, it seized power and set up a dictatorship. The rest is well-known.

It was in 1927, while still on the political fringes, that the Nazi Party scheduled a rally in a decidedly hostile location – the Berlin district of Wedding. Wedding was so left-of-center that the neighborhood had the nickname “Red Wedding,” red being the color of the Communist Party. The Nazis often held rallies right where their enemies lived, to provoke them.

The people of Wedding were determined to fight back against fascism in their neighborhood. On the day of the rally, hundreds of Nazis descended on Wedding. Hundreds of their opponents showed up too, organized by the local Communist Party. The antifascists tried to disrupt the rally, heckling the speakers. Nazi thugs retaliated. There was a massive brawl. Almost 100 people were injured.

I imagine the people of Wedding felt they had won that day. They had courageously sent a message: Fascism was not welcome.

But historians believe events like the rally in Wedding helped the Nazis build a dictatorship. Yes, the brawl got them media attention. But what was far, far more important was how it fed an escalating spiral of street violence. That violence helped the fascists enormously.

Violent confrontations with antifascists gave the Nazis a chance to paint themselves as the victims of a pugnacious, lawless left. They seized it.

It worked. We know now that many Germans supported the fascists because they were terrified of leftist violence in the streets. Germans opened their morning newspapers and saw reports of clashes like the one in Wedding. It looked like a bloody tide of civil war was rising in their cities. Voters and opposition politicians alike came to believe the government needed special police powers to stop violent leftists. Dictatorship grew attractive. The fact that the Nazis themselves were fomenting the violence didn’t seem to matter.

One of Hitler’s biggest steps to dictatorial power was to gain emergency police powers, which he claimed he needed to suppress leftist violence.

Thousands of Nazi storm troops demonstrate in a Communist neighborhood in Berlin on Jan. 22, 1933. Thirty-five Nazis, Communists and police were injured during clashes. (AP Photo)

The left takes the heat
In the court of public opinion, accusations of mayhem and chaos in the streets will, as a rule, tend to stick against the left, not the right.

This was true in Germany in the 1920s. It was true even when opponents of fascism acted in self-defense or tried to use relatively mild tactics, such as heckling. It is true in the United States today, where even peaceful rallies against racist violence are branded riots in the making.

Today, right extremists are going around the country staging rallies just like the one in 1927 in Wedding. According to the civil rights advocacy organization the Southern Poverty Law Center, they pick places where they know antifascists are present, like university campuses. They come spoiling for physical confrontation. Then they and their allies spin it to their advantage.

A demonstration on the University of Washington campus where far-right commentator Milo Yiannopoulos was giving a speech on Friday, Jan. 20, 2017.(AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

I watched this very thing happen steps from my office on the University of Washington campus. Last year, a right extremist speaker came. He was met by a counterprotest. One of his supporters shot a counterprotester. On stage, in the moments after the shooting, the right extremist speaker claimed that his opponents had sought to stop him from speaking “by killing people.” The fact that it was one of the speaker’s supporters, a right extremist and Trump backer, who engaged in what prosecutors now claim was an unprovoked and premeditated act of violence, has never made national news.

We saw this play out after Charlottesville, too. President Donald Trump said there was violence “on both sides.” It was an incredible claim. Heyer, a peaceful protester, and 19 other people were intentionally hit by a neo-Nazi driving a car. He seemed to portray Charlottesville as another example of what he has referred to elsewhere as “violence in our streets and chaos in our communities,” including, it seems, Black Lives Matter, which is a nonviolent movement against violence. He stirred up fear. Trump recently said that police are too constrained by existing law.

President Trump tried it again during the largely peaceful protests in Boston – he called the tens of thousands who gathered there to protest racism and Nazism “anti-police agitators,” though later, in a characteristic about-face, he praised them.

President Trump’s claims are hitting their mark. A CBS News poll found that a majority of Republicans thought his description of who was to blame for the violence in Charlottesville was “accurate.”

This violence, and the rhetoric about it coming from the administration, are echoes – faint but nevertheless frightening echoes – of a well-documented pattern, a pathway by which democracies devolve into dictatorships.

The Antifa
There’s an additional wrinkle: the antifa. When Nazis and white supremacists rally, the antifa are likely to show up, too.

“Antifa” is short for antifascists, though the name by no means includes everyone who opposes fascism. The antifa is a relatively small movement of the far left, with ties to anarchism. It arose in Europe’s punk scene in the 1980s to fight neo-Nazism.

The antifa says that because Nazism and white supremacy are violent, we must use any means necessary to stop them. This includes physical means, like what they did on my campus: forming a crowd to block ticket-holders from entering a venue to hear a right extremist speak.

The antifa’s tactics often backfire, just like those of Germany’s communist opposition to Nazism did in the 1920s. Confrontations escalate. Public opinion often blames the left no matter the circumstances.

What to do?
One solution: Hold a counterevent that doesn’t involve physical proximity to the right extremists. The Southern Poverty Law Center has published a helpful guide. Among its recommendations: If the alt-right rallies, “organize a joyful protest” well away from them. Ask people they have targeted to speak. But “as hard as it may be to resist yelling at alt-right speakers, do not confront them.”

This does not mean ignoring Nazis. It means standing up to them in a way that denies them a chance for bloodshed.

The cause Heather Heyer died for is best defended by avoiding the physical confrontation that the people who are responsible for her death want.

About Today's Contributor:
Laurie Marhoefer, Assistant Professor of History, University of Washington

This article was originally published on The Conversation. 

With Bannon Back At Breitbart, What Will #WAR Mean For The White House?

It’s #WAR, but who is the enemy now? EPA/Jim Lo Scalzo

By Scott Lucas, University of Birmingham

Did Steve Bannon jump or was he pushed? Bannon’s opponents spoke of a firing, while his allies – and Bannon himself – said he had planned to resign for weeks. Turns out both sides were right. But that is only the start of a tale in which the final chapters are not yet written.

Within hours of leaving his post, Bannon was back as executive chairman of Breitbart. Staff at the right-wing publication, including senior editor Joel Pollak, had already declared “#WAR” on the White House as soon as their boss’s departure was announced.

A Bannon friend said: “Steve’s unchained. Fully unchained.” Another said: “It’s now a Democrat White House”.

At a staff meeting, Bannon refined the blunt declarations. The line that Trump himself would not be attacked was repackaged as a “war for Trump”. That war would be against Trump’s enemies – but not the counter-protesters at Charlottesville or even the “fake media”. The war would be waged on those considered the president’s foes within the White House.

Breitbart has already lined up its first target: national security adviser H R McMaster. The hard right had been set against McMaster since the spring, when he pushed Bannon off a key committee of the National Security Council. Then, with leverage from the appointment of Kelly as chief of staff, McMaster removed four of Bannon’s allies from the council. This tussle led Bannon’s camp to counter-attack on social media, calling for “McMasterOut”.

Trump with McMaster earlier in the summer. EPA

On the Sunday immediately following Bannon’s departure from the White House, Breitbart led with an article: “HR McMaster Endorsed Book That Advocates Quran-Kissing Apology Ceremonies.” The next day the site was blaming McMaster for Trump’s response to the deaths of ten sailors aboard the USS John McCain in a collision near Singapore. According to the article, McMaster failed to brief the president properly, which is why the commander in chief initially reacted to the news by saying “that’s too bad”.

Bannon and his allies had been whipping up an electronic and social media campaign against McMaster for some time. They tried to rally opposition to a review of Afghanistan policy, with Bannon pushing for a privatisation of the US intervention.

The prelude to the war came after Charlottesville when Bannon supported Trump in his message that both sides were to blame for the violence in Charlottesville — thereby tacitly supporting the white supremacists, even while other advisers warned him against such statements.

Kelly hit back. His allies spread stories that Trump disliked Bannon’s leaking, especially about White House in-fighting, and the books and articles portraying the chief strategist as the power in the executive. Bannon also helped design his own demise – unwittingly or deliberately – by committing “suicide by journalist”. Piqued by a story in The American Prospect about North Korea, he called up the journalist to complain about the government’s approach – which he blamed on generals like McMaster. The enemy, he said, was China in an economic war. He also boasted about his influence, claiming he could have people fired in the government.

The article was quickly presented to Trump. On Friday morning, in a staff meeting, the president said his right-hand ideologue would be leaving that day.

The beginning of the end
The Bannon-Breitbart campaign to vanquish McMaster, and then maybe National Economic Council director Gary Cohn, and then maybe Kelly, and then maybe even Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump will get the publicity accorded to a dramatic story.

Framed as a valiant fight against the “deep state”, it will have its vocal partners. We’ll hear from alt-right polemicist Mike Cernovich, who accused McMaster of manipulating intelligence reports to Trump. We’ll also get insight from “Pizzagate” agitator Jack Posobiec, InfoWars conspiracy theorist Alex Jones (“McMaster’s sold out”), and even ex-KKK grand wizard David Duke.

It is unlikely to succeed. The retired generals in the White House have succeeded in containing the machinery around Trump, even if the president cannot be restrained on Twitter. They will have the power of executive agencies behind them. Most of the media will have no desire to aid and abet Bannon. Posobiec may appeal to the wonders of social media and InfoWars but, as Charlottesville showed, the alt-right is discovering that it may not even have a secure position on that battleground.

Still, the campaign will be a most unwelcome flank attack as Trump finds himself surrounded on all sides: the Russia investigation, the failure to pass a single major piece of legislation since January, the questions over ethics and conflicts of interests, the looming deadline for adoption of the federal government’s budget, and the white supremacy spectre.
Once upon a time – even last week – the mantra “Trump still has his base” was being invoked to minimise the threat to the president. Now even that base is fragmenting.

For the occupant of the White House, it is now Total #WAR.

About Today's Contributor:
Scott Lucas, Professor of International Politics, University of Birmingham

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Say Aloha To American Girl's Newest Historical Character, Nanea Mitchell

American Girl's newest BeForever character, Nanea Mitchell, a Hawaiian girl growing on the island of Oahu in 1941.

Today, girls everywhere will say "Aloha!" to American Girl's newest BeForever character, Nanea Mitchell, a Hawaiian girl growing up on the island of Oahu in 1941. Nanea's story explores what life was like for islanders in the weeks leading up to and the aftermath of the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and the U.S.'s entry into World War Two. In bringing this significant period in history to life for girls today, Nanea's story illuminates how the courage, patriotism, and aloha spirit of the Hawaiian people inspired a nation at war and shows how one girl can make a meaningful difference in the face of big change.

"At its heart, our BeForever line is about building a bridge of understanding, helping girls today see the interconnectedness—the feelings, experiences, hopes, and dreams—that exists between themselves and girls from long ago," says Katy Dickson, president of American Girl. "We hope Nanea's powerful story of resilience, responsibility to others, and contributing for the common good—or kokua, as it's known in Hawaii—will resonate with girls and show them they have the power within to face the obstacles that come their way."

Written by Newbery Honor Award-winning author Kirby Larson, the Nanea series introduces readers to 9-year-old Nanea Mitchell. Nanea loves her close-knit extended family, dancing the hula, fishing with her father, and playing with her dog, Mele. Nanea is also eager to "dip her paddle in" to be useful at home and at her grandparents' store. 

When Pearl Harbor—the naval base where her father works—is attacked by Japan, the peaceful existence the Mitchells and their neighbors enjoy is replaced with martial law, and rumors of additional attacks and frequent air-raid drills have everyone on edge. Amid the chaos and uncertainty, Nanea embraces her spirit of aloha and deeply held belief in kokua—doing good deeds and giving selflessly—to do her part for the war effort and help restore peace to her beloved Hawaiian home.

In addition to the stories, the Nanea collection features a beautiful 18-inch doll featuring an all-new face mold, hazel eyes, and dark brown hair, plus several 1940s-era, Hawaiian-inspired doll outfits and Nanea-inspired apparel for girls. Numerous authentic-to-the-era accessories round out the play experience, including Nanea's Hula Outfit and Hula Implements and Nanea's Family Market, with 90 pieces, including a wooden store with a movable counter, food, supplies, displays, and more. 

To help ensure the historical accuracy and cultural authenticity of Nanea's story and products, American Girl worked closely with a five-member advisory board who provided their expertise in Hawaiian culture, language, and history to inform all aspects of Nanea's development—including the doll, books, outfits, and accessories.

To support Nanea's inspiring message, from August 21 until the end of 2017, American Girl will be collecting donations for the American Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces (SAF) program to help provide comfort and care to the members of the military, veterans, and their families. American Girl will match every dollar donation made at americangirl.com or at any American Girl store in the U.S. up to a maximum total donation of $75,000. American Girl is also giving $575,000 worth of its signature 18-inch dolls to the American Red Cross to provide a bit of cheer to children in times of crisis.

And, to engage girls in Nanea's world and her inspirational message, American Girl is also introducing the following activities and events:

• Nanea Island Inspiration Sweepstakes: American Girl has partnered with Visit Oahu on a sweepstakes for the chance to win a fun-filled family getaway for four to Oahu, which includes round-trip travel on Hawaiian Airlines, a four-night stay at The Royal Hawaiian, tickets for four to the Aha Aina Luau Show, a visit to two attractions at Pearl Harbor, and a Nanea doll.
• Nanea Retail Events: On August 25 and 26, American Girl's retail stores are hosting special debut events to introduce girls to Nanea's world in 1941 Hawaii. Girls will enjoy a hula demonstration, a fun free craft, a doll drawstring bag giveaway, and a chance to win a Nanea doll. Nanea-themed events will also be held at the American Girl stores throughout the year.
• Nanea Videos and Online Play: Behind-the-scenes videos on Nanea's story and development, along with fun Hawaiian-themed craft and activity videos, are available on American Girl's YouTube channel at YouTube.com/americangirl. Girls can also visit the Nanea-dedicated site at americangirl.com/PlayNanea for book excerpts, games and quizzes, wallpaper, and much more.
• Nanea Learning Materials: A free, downloadable teacher's guide, which explores themes and issues covered in the Nanea book series, is available at americangirl.com/corporate/parents-and-teachers.

The Nanea product collection will be available on August 21, 2017, at americangirl.com; through American Girl's catalogue, at all American Girl retail locations nationwide at American Girl specialty boutiques at select Indigo and Chapters in Canada and El Palacio de Hierro locations in Mexico City. 

The Nanea books can also be purchased through retail and online booksellers.

SOURCE: American Girl

Bonus Video:

Citing Charlottesville Unrest and its Harmful Effect on Children, First Book Provides Resources for Educators Serving Kids in Need

White supremacists in Charlottesville

Our nation is reeling from the unrest in Charlottesville and the hateful rhetoric that is reverberating across the country. These groups and their acts of bigotry, racism, anti-Semitism, sexism, Islamophobia, transphobia, and homophobia are repulsive and counter to our belief in the fundamental rights that First Book has championed as leaders in the fight for educational equity.

Among those most vulnerable to this climate of violence and terror are our nation's children, in particular, children from low-income areas, including communities of color, immigrants, rural communities, and other underserved populations. First Book stands with these communities every day, providing desperately needed educational resources and supporting the heroic educators and other caring adults who work to lift these children up. These outrageous acts of hate are not only antithetical to all we believe in, but do insidious and lasting damage to these children, families, and communities – and to all of us.

First Book is committed to supporting those working in the lives of children in need with resources to help kids and families who are struggling. First Book will shortly announce an initiative to increase the supply of books and educational resources to elevate empathy and understanding, including diverse and inclusive books, and social and emotional learning guides to help children navigate their feelings and fears.

As a tangible next step, we are making a gift of new books to educators serving children in need in the Charlottesville area and beyond to help them begin to restore a sense of normalcy. We are in continuous conversation with our more than 325,000 First Book members across the country – the largest network of educators serving children from low-income communities – as to what they need and how we can best support them during this time.

We have seen first-hand the power of stories to blunt hate, create empathy, and change lives. That is our focus. Our responsibility to these children, families, educators, and communities is unwavering. As we reach this new level of crisis in our country, we are reminded that this work – while always important – has reached a new level of urgency.

First Book logo. (PRNewsFoto/First Book)

About First Book 
First Book transforms the lives of children in need. Through a sustainable, market-driven model, First Book is creating equal access to quality education — making everything from brand-new, high-quality books and educational resources, to sports equipment, winter coats, snacks, and more – affordable to its member network of more than 325,000 educators who exclusively serve kids in need. Since 1992, First Book has distributed more than 160 million books and educational resources to programs and schools serving children from low-income families in more than 30 countries. First Book currently reaches an average of 3 million children every year and supports more than one in four of the estimated 1.3 million classrooms and programs serving children in need. With an additional 1,000 educators joining each week, First Book is the largest and fastest-growing network of educators in the United States exclusively serving kids in need.

Eligible educators, librarians, providers, and others serving children in need can sign up at firstbook.org/register. For more information, please visit firstbook.org or follow the latest news on Facebook and Twitter.

SOURCE: First Book

Fox's "The Simpsons" Voiceover Star Nancy Cartwright to Receive Backstage Vanguard Award at Voice Arts

Voiceover actress and producer, Nancy Cartwright

Annual Voice Arts Awards honoring the best talent in the voiceover industry will be presenting the 2017 Backstage Vanguard Award to legendary voiceover artist and Emmy Award winner Nancy Cartwright. Nancy is best-known for being the voice of Bart Simpson on Fox Network's long running show "The Simpsons." 

In addition to her voiceover work, Nancy founded and operates her own production company, Spotted Cow Entertainment. She is also an active supporter of non-profit organizations such as The Make a Wish Foundation, The Way to Happiness and The Citizen Commission on Human Rights. 

The Backstage Vanguard Award is presented during a special segment of the That's Voiceover!  Career Expo 2017, and is sponsored by the non-profit Society of Voice Arts & Sciences (SOVAS). 

The Voice Arts awards feature nearly 100 categories across multiple genres. Previous award winners include, Jon Hamm, Kate Winslet, James Earl Jones, Katy Perry and Lena Dunham.

"We are thrilled to be presenting the Backstage Vanguard Award to Nancy. She is in a class of her own and we are privileged to have her here, in person, accepting this award. This year's That's Voiceover!, and Voice Arts Awards will feature some of the top names in entertainment," says Emmy Award-winning producer and SOVAS CEO, Rudy Gaskins. 

That's Voiceover! Career Expo 2017 will be held at The Times Center, with the Voice Arts Awards Gala taking place on Sunday, November 5th at Lincoln Center. Good Morning America called the Voice Arts Awards, "The Oscars of voiceover acting."

In addition to Nancy, award winning actress Lily Tomlin will be in attendance this year to receive the Voice Arts Icon Award for lifetime achievement. The Voice Arts Awards also celebrates the power of the voice to impart change in the world. 

The 2017 award ceremony will present the second annual Muhammad Ali Voice of Humanity Honor to acclaimed documentary filmmaker Ken Burns. The Muhammad Ali Voice of Humanity Honor was awarded to President Barack Obama last year. 

This award has the full support of the Muhammad Ali Center and was created in consultation with Muhammad Ali, prior to his passing in 2016.   

Visit SOVAS.ORG for entries in the craft categories and event ticket availability.

SOURCE: Society of Voice Arts and Sciences (SOVAS)

Charlottesville, Donald Trump, And The Dark Side Of American Populism

Citizen militia march in Charlotttesville, August 12. EPA/Virginia State Police

By Todd Landman, University of Nottingham

Charlottesville, Virginia is home to the University of Virginia, founded by Thomas Jefferson; he was a slave owner, but today stands as a symbol of the US’s egalitarian ethos and political myth. But on August 12, some seven months into Donald Trump’s presidency, Charlottesville saw a far uglier side of the US on display: a Unite the Right rally bringing together people and organisations who resented the proposed removal of a statue of Confederate Civil War general, Robert E Lee.

On the eve of the rally, the university’s Charlottesville campus became the site of a march of torch-bearing white supremacists, evoking the Klan rallies seen throughout the 20th century. Tense clashes between marchers and counter-protesters ensued, and the next day, the rally itself turned violent.

Radical right marchers turned up along with citizen militia groups (their guns on full display thanks to open carry legislation) and clashed with anti-fascist and other groups who stood up to them. Then 20-year-old James Alex Fields Jr ploughed his car into a group of protesters, and has now been charged with the second degree murder of Heather Heyer, who died after he ran into her.

The context for these events is as old as the US itself. The country was borne of violence: a revolution that overthrew British rule, violent suppression of the Native American population, a violent Civil War that took over 600,000 lives, and a philosophy of “manifest destiny” that expanded the American nation across a continent.

Much of this violence was social and political. The Civil War has been seen as the true American revolution; it pitted a social and political order based on rugged individualistic capitalism against one of plantation economics and strong social hierarchy, including the system of slavery. The southern model was defeated, the slaves emancipated, and Confederate leaders and sympathisers left to mourn their project as a “lost cause”. But the culture of white supremacy was far from defeated, and radical right-wing social movements and organisations have troubled the US ever since.

The most notorious group, the Ku Klux Klan, was borne of Southern Democrats’ resentment of emancipation; over the years, it has been invigorated by other radical right groups founded on a powerful ideology of “Christian Identity”, a commitment to the racial superiority of white people and a mission to secure white power and dominance. (The Southern Poverty Law Centre has spent decades documenting and mapping their prevalence, discourses and actions across the US.)

To this day, there are strong social elements in the south and elsewhere that resent the the outcome of the Civil War and the consequences of reconstruction. To them, those consequences include the enfranchisement of women, the Civil Rights movement, Supreme Court rulings such as Brown v Board of Education (which desegregated schools in 1954) and Roe v Wade (which legalised abortion in 1973), and the overall advance of a progressive social agenda – one that to them culminated in the election and presidency of Barack Obama.

This politics of resentment gathered steam during the Trump campaign, and as the events in Charlottesville demonstrate, it’s now flourishing under his presidency.

Fanning the flames
During the 2016 campaign, Trump’s rhetoric was caustic and divisive. He described differences between groups as if they were essential and irreduceable; he named Mexicans and Muslims as having special attributes, lesser qualities, and who were in need of special measures, such as a “complete shutdown” on Muslims entering the US and a 2,000-mile border wall to keep out Mexican “rapists and murderers”.

His rhetoric also legitimised interpersonal violence more generally. He boasted that he could shoot someone and not lose votes, and encouraged participants at his rallies to use physical force against dissenters.

Now he’s president, Trump is trying to follow through on this rhetoric with executive orders and new legislation. This essentially gives licence to the US’s radical right elements to pursue their ends more zealously – and tellingly, Trump’s initial response to the events in Charlottesville was muted and non-specific.

Trump failed to name the right-wing violence as white supremacy, or to specifically condemn it; instead, he lamented the violence on all sides. The job of denouncing white supremacist racism was left to his daughter Ivanka and his vice-president, Mike Pence, who used much stronger language. After something of an outcry at his vague words, he finally took to Twitter to rail against “all that hate stands for”.

Many asked why Trump did not unequivocally condemn the events. But to explicitly condemn these groups would alienate a significant portion of his electoral base – something specifically pointed out to him by former Klan leader David Duke.

The protesters in Virginia, who came from across the US, closely resemble many who attended Trump rallies during the campaign – and much as he did post-Charlottesville, when asked by a journalist to specifically condemn the violence at those events, Trump declined.


While many of grievances Trump issued during the campaign are legitimate – the decline of the manufacturing, steel, and coal industries, decaying infrastructure, and so on – the rhetorical framing of the campaign galvanised a right-wing populism that had been in abeyance for much of the 1990s and early 2000s. In mid-2017, this dark side of populism is clearly very much awake.

About Today's Contributor:
Todd Landman, Professor of Political Science, Pro Vice Chancellor of the Social Sciences, University of Nottingham

This article was originally published on The Conversation. 

Roald Dahl's Imaginormous Challenge Announces Five NEW Lucky Golden Ticket Winners!

6 year old Imaginormous Winner, Giselle Decker, enjoying her unicorns at Dylan's Candy Bar

This summer, for the first time since Charlie Bucket won the prize of a lifetime, Penguin Young Readers, along with some of Mr. Wonka's most trusted advisors, has chosen five children from across the United States to become the 5 NEW lucky golden ticket winners!

Roald Dahl's Imaginormous Challenge, which recently concluded its first year, received over 20,000 imaginative story ideas from American kids aged 5-12 across the U.S.—a  record breaking entry level! 

This past weekend, three of the children experienced once in a lifetime opportunities to work with incredible partners to transform their 100 word story ideas into something that would make Willy Wonka proud. 

From the youngest winner, Giselle Decker, at just 6 years of age, who imagined a unicorn kitty named Bubblegum and had her story idea transformed into a 3D printed, edible candy, to Anusha Senapati, an 11-year-old whose idea about a paralyzed girl who longs to dance was transformed by the cast and crew of "Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" on Broadway into a choreographed dance number, each winner had the opportunity to work with industry leaders to help them realize their full creative potential.

Eleven-year-old Imaginormous winner Lucy Franks said of getting the chance to work with New York Times bestselling author Adam Gidwitz: "It was a once in a lifetime experience to be able to work with Adam Gidwitz, an author whose books I've read and enjoyed. He helped me develop my story and I left the session with some wonderful ideas. I can't wait to complete and share my story."

The final two winners' experiences are currently in the works: eight-year-old Sage Marie Spaeth will fly out to Hollywood to visit Warner Bros. Animation for her winning experience at the end of August, and eleven-year-old Cole Ritchie's winning idea is currently being transformed into a playable Minecraft experience, which will be available in a few weeks.

The full line up of Golden Ticket winners and their Imaginormous experiences are:

1.    Theatrical Creation Winner: Anusha Senapati, Age 11, Hometown: Acton, MA    

 "Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" on Broadway turned Anusha's winning story idea into a marvelous, theatrical creation.

2.    Hollywood Pitch Winner: Sage Marie Spaeth, Age 8, Hometown: Teaneck, NJ

Sage and her family will fly out to Hollywood, courtesy of Mr. Wonka, and pitch her story idea to a major Hollywood Executive at Warner Bros. Animation!

3.    Immersive Minecraft World Winner: Cole Ritchie, Age 11, Hometown: Heber City, Utah

A team of Minecraft builders are transforming and reimagining Cole's winning story idea into a playable Minecraft experience for Cole and the world to enjoy.

4.      Become an Author Winner: Lucy Franks, Age 11, Hometown: Sparta, NJ

New York Times bestselling, award winning author Adam Gidwitz (A Tale Dark and Grimm, The Inquisitors Tale, The Empire Strikes Back: So You Want to be a Jedi?), is working with Lucy to transform her idea into her very own short story book!

5.     Candy Creation Winner: Giselle Decker, Age 6, Hometown: Mesa, Arizona

Following in Willy Wonka's footsteps and with the help of Dylan's Candy Bar, Giselle's idea was turned into a magical, edible creation – a 3D-printed piece of candy!

The Golden Ticket winners also won the chance to see the new Broadway musical "Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" in New York City the first weekend in August and are now traveling on an incredible family trip for four to the UK provided by Norwegian Air, which has two aircraft with Roald Dahl as its tailfin hero.The first was introduced last year, and the second was just put into service this summer.

Additionally, key stationery sponsor Post-it® Brand is proud to reward the teachers of the five winning children with special Post-it® Brand  educational materials, and the winning teachers will also be gifted with a Roald Dahl library of books valued at $500.00 from Penguin Young Readers.

If you didn't win in 2017, do not despair! It has been confirmed that the Challenge will be coming back bigger and better then ever in 2018. Roald Dahl's Imaginormous Challenge is all about inspiring imaginative story ideas in children 5 to 12 years of age. Recurring annually, the challenge aims to capture a million story ideas from children across the United States by 2020.

Go to imaginormouschallenge.com TODAY to find out more about entering next year.  Remember, all it takes is 100 words to enter – and the prizes are set to be just as spectacular in 2018.

SOURCE: Roald Dahl Literary Estate