BUT YOU KNOW, WIDEN THE APERTURE
A LITTLE BIT, STEP BACK FROM
THAT A SECOND, LOOK AT THE NEW
IPSOS POLL THAT CAME OUT TODAY,
THAT FINDS A ROBUST MAJORITY OF
REPUBLICAN VOTERS NATIONWIDE,
53% OF REPUBLICAN VOTERS IN
AMERICA, BELIEVE RIGHT NOW,
DONALD TRUMP IS CURRENTLY THE
LAWFUL PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED
STATES.
AND JOE BIDEN IS THEREFORE AN
ILLEGAL USURPER OCCUPYING THE
WHITE HOUSE EVEN THOUGH HE LOST
THE 2020 ELECTION TO TRUMP.
A MAJORITY OF REPUBLICANS
ALREADY BELIEVE THAT.
WHERE DOES THIS GO AS THEY NOW
START TO UNCOUNT THE ELECTION
FROM 2020 AND INVENT THEORIES
AND EXPLANATIONS AND WILD TALES
ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED TO THE
VOTING MACHINES AND WHAT
HAPPENED TO THE BALLOTS THAT
MEAN THE 2020 ELECTION SHOULDNT
BE COUNTED?
I MEAN, THE WAY IT WORKED IN
SAMOA IS THAT THEY DIDNT STORM
THE CAPITOL.
THEY JUST LOCKED OUT THE
INCOMING PRIME MINISTER ELECT.
THEY JUST LOCKED THE DOOR.
SO THEIR EQUIVALENT OF AN
INAUGURATION COULDNT HAPPEN.
THE COURT INTERVENED, THEY
IGNORED THE COURT.
NOW ITS A COUP.
IF YOU DO NOT OBEY COURT RULINGS
AND DO NOT RESPECT ELECTION
RESULTS, YOU JUST HOLD ON BY
FORCE, THATS A COUP.
AND ITS A QUESTION OF HOW LONG
EVERYBODY HOLDS THEIR TEMPER
RIGHT NOW IN SAMOA AND TRIES TO
TALK IT OUT.
HOW LONG BEFORE SOME FURTHER
FORCE BEYOND JUST A LOCKED DOOR
IS BROUGHT TO BEAR HERE.
I HOPE THAT DOES NOT HAPPEN.
BUT YOU KNOW, WE HAVE ALREADY
SHOWN HERE AT FORCE IS NOT GOING
TO BE A BIG THRESHOLD ISSUE FOR
US.
FORCE IS NOT GOING TO BE A
PROBLEM FOR THE SIDE THATS
REFUSING TO CONCEDE IN OUR
ELECTION.
AGAIN, THOUGH, SOMETIMES ITS
HARDER FOR US TO SEE THIS STUFF
UP CLOSE THAN WHEN ITS FAR
AWAY.
IN ANOTHER DIRECTION, BUT ALSO
FAR AWAY, BELARUS, THE GUY IN
CHARGE THERE HAS BEEN IN POWER
FOR 26 YEARS.
BELARUS USED TO BE PART OF THE
SOVIET UNION.
ITS ONLY HAD A PRESIDENT SINCE
1994.
THIS SAME MAN HAS BEEN IN THAT
JOB, HAS BEEN PRESIDENT THERE
SINCE THEY ESTABLISHED THE
OFFICE OF PRESIDENT 26 YEARS
AGO.
HES THE ONLY PRESIDENT AND
INDEPENDENT BELARUS HAS EVER
KNOWN.
ALEXANDER LUKASHENKO IS SORT OF
JOINED AT THE HIP WITH RUSSIAN
PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN.
THEY HAVE TALKED ABOUT JOINING
THEIR TWO COUNTRIES TOGETHER.
HASNT HAPPENED YET, BUT IT
COULD ANY MOMENT.
LUKASHENKO IS FREQUENTLY CALLED
EUROPES LAST DICTATOR.
I HONESTLY DONT LIKE TO SAY
THAT BECAUSE IT FEELS LIKE A
JINX TO ME.
DEPENDING ON HOW THINGS ARE
GOING, SURE, HE IS A DICTATOR
THERE NOW FOR SURE, BUT WHY DO
WE THINK HES GOING TO BE THE
LAST?
DONT JINX IT.
AUTHOR
AUTHORITARIANISM IS KIND OF
HAVING A MOMENTS.
DICTATORSHIPS FEEL LIKE THEYRE
HAVING A WAY BACK.
WHY DO WE THINK HELL BE THE
LAST ONE IN EUROPE?
THAT SAID, THE PEOPLE OF BELARUS
SEEM LIKE THEYRE KIND OF DONE
WITH HIM.
IN AUGUST, AS WE WERE GEARING UP
FOR OUR OWN PRESIDENTIAL
ELECTION LAST YEAR, LUKASHENKO
WAS FACING HIS, THE VERSION OF
ELECTIONS THAT HE ALLOWED.
AND HE HAD DONE WHAT ALL GOOD
DICTATORS DO.
HE HAD, FOR EXAMPLE, THROWN INTO
PRISON THE MOST PROMISING
OPPOSITION CANDIDATE WHO WAS
RUNNING AGAINST HIM.
WHAT HE DIDNT EXPECT, I THINK,
IS THAT CANDIDATES WIFE, A
TEACHER WHO HAD NEVER BEEN
INVOLVED IN POLITICS BEFORE, SHE
TOOK UP THE BANNER AND RAN FOR
PRESIDENT IN HER HUSBANDS PLACE
WHILE HER HUSBAND WAS IN PRISON.
AND CITIZENS OF BELARUS WENT TO
THE POLLS IN AUGUST, AND IT
KINDA SEEMS LIKE SHE MIGHT HAVE
WON.
AND SO HOW DOES A DICTATOR
RESPOND TO THAT?
ELECTIONS ARENT SUPPOSED TO BE
REAL.
THEYRE SUPPOSED TO BE JUST FOR
SHOW.
LUKASHENKO NOT ONLY DECLARED
VICTORY FOR HIMSELF, HE DECLARED
IT WAS A LANDSLIDE OVERWHELMING
VICTORY WHICH EVERYBODY KNEW
WASNT TRUE, AND PEOPLE TURNED
OUT IN THE STREETS BY AT LEAST
THE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS, IF
NOT THE MILLIONS.
PROTESTING.
BIGGEST PROTESTS EVER IN
BELARUS, PROTESTING AGAINST THE
INFINITE DICTATORSHIP THEY WERE
STUCK IN, PROTESTING AGAINST THE
FALSE DEMOCRACY THEY WERE TOLD
TO PLAY ACT IN WHERE THERE WAS
NO OBJECTIVELY OBSERVABLE
RESULT, SO IF HE SAYS HE WON,
OKAY, I GUESS HE WON.
MILLIONS OF PEOPLE PROTESTED.
TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WERE
ARRESTED.
SOME DIED IN CUSTODY.
HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE MADE CREDIBLE
ALLEGATIONS OF TORTURE BY POLICE
IN CUSTODY.
VIDEOS LIKE THIS OF FORCED
CONFESSIONS BY PEOPLE SHOWING
THE SIGNS OF BEING BEATEN.
THE WOMAN HOLDING UP THE PHOTO
HERE, THIS IS THE WOMAN WHO RAN
AGAINST LUKASHENKO IN AUGUST.
WHAT SHES HOLDING IS A PHOTO OF
SOMEONE WHO WAS BEATEN VERY
BADLY AFTER BEING ARRESTED FOR
TAKING PART IN THOSE PROTESTS.
I SHOULD TELL YOU THE CANDIDATE,
SHES IN EXILE NOW.
SHES BEEN FORCED OUT OF
BELARUS.
SHE HAS TO LIVE IN LITHUANIA.
ALL THE OPPOSITION LEADERS, ALL
THE PROTEST ORGANIZERS HAVE BEEN
ARRESTED OR CHASED OUT OF THE
COUNTRY SINCE THE ELECTION THAT
IT LOOKS LIKE SHE WON AGAINST
LUKASHENKO.
BUT PUT UP THAT PREVIOUS PICTURE
AGAIN.
LOOK WHAT SHES HOLDING UP
THERE.
YOU SEE OBVIOUSLY THE VERY --
THE PHOTO OF THE VERY INJURED
MAN.
THATS HARD TO SEE, BUT DO YOU
SEE HOW THE PHOTO IS
WATERMARKED?
IT HAS WORDS AND A PATTERN.
I THOUGHT THOSE WERE TATTOOS.
BUT ITS NOT.
ITS A MEDIA OUTLET WATERMARK.
THE WORD IS NEXTA.
NEXTA IS AN OPPOSITION MEDIA
OUTLET IN BELARUS THAT HAONLY
BEEN ABLE TO SURVIVE BECAUSE ITS
LEADERSHIP HAS ALSO FLED THE
COUNTRY.
ITS EDITOR, WHO IS ALSO IN EXILE
IN LITHUANIA, HES ALL OF 26
YEARS OLD.
HE WAS DESIGNATED BY LUKASHENKO
AS A TERRORIST IN NOVEMBER.
DESIGNATED A TERRORIST FOR
RUNNING A MEDIA OUTLET THAT HAD
THE TEMERITY TO REPORT ON THE
PROTESTS AGAINST THAT COUNTRYS
DICTATOR.
MEDIA OUTLET THAT PUBLISHED
PHOTOS LIKE THAT ONE OF HOW
PEOPLE WERE ABUSED BY THE POLICE
AFTER THEY WERE ARRESTED.
WELL, THIS WEEKEND, THE DICTATOR
IN BELARUS, LUKASHENKO, SENT UP
A FIGHTER JET.
SENT UP A MIG FIGHTER JET TO
INTERCEPT A COMMERCIAL PASSENGER
PLANE THAT HAD TAKEN OFF FROM
GREECE AND WAS FLYING TO
LITHUANIA.
THOSE ARE TWO EU COUNTRIES.
IT WAS OVER BELARUS AIR SPACE.
THE FIGHTER JET FORCED THE PLANE
DESIGNATED A TERRORIST FOR THE
CRIME OF HIM RUNNING A MEDIA
OUTLET THAT COVERED THE
PROTESTS.
THEY ARRESTED THAT YOUNG MAN ON
THE TARMAC, TOOK HIM INTO
CUSTODY IN BELARUS.
HE TURNED UP IN A FORCED
CONFESSION VIDEO TODAY,
OBVIOUSLY UNDER DURESS AND
BRUISED.
CONFESSING IN WEIRD TECHNICAL
LANGUAGE HES NEVER USED BEFORE