23 years after the premiere of The Usual Suspects, Keyser Söze is still a household name. Pulling off one of the greatest cinematic twists, semi-mythical villain Keyser Söze has continued to pop up in reference throughout the decades following his 1995 introduction. If you’ve never watched the film, spoiler alert: in its final minutes, the audience realizes that Verbal Kint, a low level con-artist played by Kevin Spacey (yeah, RIP Kevin Spacey’s career) and the supposed sole survivor of a master scheme orchestrated by the legendary Keyser Söze, is actually the criminal mastermind himself. But by the time the federal customs agent who Kint has been telling his story to, realizes the truth – it’s too late. Kint a.k.a  Keyser Söze disappears into the light of day as the web of lies he has crafted breaks apart. 

As a fan of the crime/suspense/thriller genre in television and film, I am drawn in by brilliantly written characters, suspenseful plots, and unexpected twists. The most exciting shows and movies are the ones that keep you guessing up until the very end, when the “big reveal” comes in. There is an “aha!” moment, as the detective/main protagonist realizes what has been true all along. 

That is the difference between cinema and the scandal that has been rocking our current political landscape – we already know what has been true all along. Unlike the stories that are penned to script, these characters aren’t brilliant, the plot isn’t suspenseful, and the twists aren’t unexpected. In fact, if this were a movie it would probably win big at the Razzie Awards for “Worst Everything.” We keep waiting for the “gotcha!” moment, but this is not coming from the minds of exceptional screenwriters or filmmakers; it is coming from the inability of anyone linked to the Trump administration to conceal the fact that they got in bed with Russia to interfere in the 2016 election.

If anything, the “gotcha!” part is that Donald J. Trump is President.

It’s one thing if those on the Trump team who conspired and colluded with members of the Kremlin squad were crafty, Keyser Söze-like criminals, but they are far from it. John Oliver coined a title for the Russia-Trump scandal, calling it “Stupid Watergate”;  honestly, it’s hard to think of anything more appropriate. Here’s a quick recap highlighting some of the best of “Stupid Watergate”:

Former national security advisor Mike Flynn, who led crowds at Trump rallies in chanting “Lock her up!” (referring to Hillary Clinton), and once said, “If I, a guy who knows this business, if I did a tenth of what she did, I would be in jail today.” This past December, Flynn pled guilty to lying to the FBI about his communications with Russia, 9 months after he was forced to resign from his post. I’ll just leave that there.

Donald Trump, who has a penchant for tweeting things like “…Also, there is NO COLLUSION!” Trump fired James Comey for refusing to swear political loyalty to him, fired former AG Sally Yates, reportedly tried to fire Robert Mueller last June, only stopping in doing so after his lawyer threatened to quit because he knew how bad it would look, and recently trolled/smeared FBI director Andrew McCabe into taking an early retirement. Let’s also not forget when he revealed highly classified information in the Oval Office to a Russian foreign minister and ambassador, because the man is an idiot. 

Don Trump Jr., who has basically left an entire paper trail of his communications with Russian contacts, i.e. emails with subject lines like “Russia-Clinton-private-confidential.” He also DM’d with WikiLeaks on Twitter regarding Clinton dirt, and emailed Jared Kushner about it.

Jared Kushner, who like many others, frequently has a case of *“Russia dementia” when forgetting to disclose very important information about his Russian ties or business holdings (until they are later produced by investigators). 

*Russia dementia: An illness that affects any member of the Trump Team who has met or corresponded with Russian officials, but can’t seem to remember doing so when questioned about it. Jeff Sessions has a significantly bad case of it.

Communications director Hope Hicks, who the Times recently reported had previously told Mark Corallo, a former spokesman for Trump’s legal team, that the emails detailing a meeting between Don Trump Jr. and a Russian lawyer to disseminate dirt on Hillary Clinton will “never get out.”

Former Trump foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos, who bragged to the Trump foreign policy team that he had the contacts to set up a meeting between Trump and Putin (a conversation that Jeff Sessions conveniently said he “couldn’t recall” – see Russia dementia, above), and drunkenly told an Australian diplomat one night in May of 2016 that Russia had dirt on Clinton.

Best Papadopoulos moment: when he erroneously believed he was in contact with Putin’s niece, and wrote an email to the Trump team informing them of it. Like Flynn, Papadopoulos pled guilty of lying to the FBI about his Russian connections. 

And then there’s Carter Page, boy-wonder, who decided that the best move in the midst of being investigated by the FBI was to make multiple, ill-advised appearances on national television. In one particularly bizarre interview with Chris Hayes, he stumbled so poorly over questions about his Russian connections and his relationship with Papadopoulos, prompting Hayes to congratulate him on “not being indicted.” Thanks to the recent Nunes Memo, Page is once again center stage – it turns out he has been a subject of interest for the FBI since 2013.

Much like Mariah Carey has famously claimed throughout the years that she “does not know Jennifer Lopez,” Trump and other members of his team will repeatedly claim that he does not know *insert whichever team member is under investigation.* This past October, after Papadopoulos pled guilty to lying, Trump tweeted, “Few people knew the young, low level volunteer named George, who has already proven to be a liar.” But as the receipts show, in March of last year he referred to Papadopoulos as “an excellent guy” in an interview with the Washington Post, and later posted a picture on Instagram of his national security team – with Papadopoulos sitting 4 seats down from him. Meanwhile, Devin Nunes is STILL claiming that Trump never met Papadopoulos. WE HAVE THE RECEIPTS, DEVIN. 

Speaking of Devin Nunes – just when you think you’ve ripped the last of your hair out by the sheer stupidity of everyone involved in “Stupid Watergate,” in comes Nunes with his memo. The memo was backed up by Paul Ryan and House Republicans, and was referred to as “ jaw-dropping,” “sickening” and “worse than Watergate.” In what has perhaps taken the prize as the most asinine piece of “evidence” to prove Trump’s claims that the FBI, the DOJ, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama worked together to conspire against him and keep him from becoming President, the memo was the exact opposite of a bombshell.

If you haven’t read the memo, or if you are confused as to what in the hell it is all about, it essentially claims that the Trump-Russia investigation was cooked up by the Clinton campaign and passed along to corrupt law enforcement agents in order to stop Trump from becoming President. It also claims that the investigation began with the surveillance of Carter Page, and the only reason that the FBI was able to obtain a FISA warrant to survey Carter Page was because of the Steele dossier, a document that alleges conspiracy between Russia and the Trump campaign, and which was in part funded by the Clinton campaign and the DNC. The memo claims that Christopher Steele, the British intelligence agent who had compiled the incriminating dossier against Trump, wanted to personally ensure that Trump did not become President. Therefore, according to Sean Hannity, Trump, Nunes, and other Republicans who have jumped on board this latest  piece of the conspiracy theory, the investigation into the Trump campaign’s Russian ties began with a fictional dossier whose sole purpose was to act as a Democratic hit job against Trump.

But the reason the memo is so utterly stupid and why it has left any sane person scratching their head in confusion regarding the dramatic build-up that preceded it, is that it literally contradicts itself. Aside from the fact that we know Carter Page (who really never seems to stop talking) popped up on the FBI’s radar back in 2013, due to suspicion that he was being recruited as a spy, the final page of the Nunes memo mentions that “The Papadopoulos information triggered the opening of an FBI counterintelligence investigation in late July 2016 by FBI agent *Peter Strozak.”

*Fun fact: Peter Strozak, the FBI agent who, according to Nunes and Trump, was working against Trump, was the same agent who co-wrote the letter Comey sent to Congress announcing that they were reopening the investigation into Hillary’s email server. Bear in mind, this was 11 days before the election, and was perhaps the final nail in Hillary’s presidential coffin.

But let’s return to the memo. So after laying out 3 pages claiming that the falsified and biased Steele dossier is the reason the DOJ and FBI started surveying Page and therefore served as the catalyst for the Trump-Russia investigation, the memo casually says that Papadopoulos’ conversation with the Australian diplomat WHILE DRUNK was the trigger…? I dare this to write itself as an episode of VEEP.

Not only does the memo NOT vindicate Trump’s claims, the man behind its release is utterly moronic. If you feel like you’ve heard Devin Nunes’ name one too many times in the past year, you’re absolutely correct. Lest we’ve forgotten his reprehensible behavior last March, quick reminder that Nunes was forced to recuse himself from the House Intelligence Committee’s investigation into Trump-Russia ties after the embarrassing press conference in which he released “intelligence reports” and tried to make it look as if they verified Trump’s claims of having been wiretapped by President Obama. These “reports,” of course, came from none other than the Trump White House itself. 

Yes, I am resisting the urge to ram my head into a wall over the fact that Nunes has been allowed back in the spotlight to once again make ridiculous, duplicitous claims; at the expense of our most trusted institutions of law enforcement. In backing Trump’s lies that he was conspired against, Nunes and other right-wing lackeys have ripped open the door to a legitimate constitutional crisis. Though absolutely vacuous, the fodder surrounding the memo, rather than the memo itself, has given conservative media and Trump’s political supporters even more yarn in the false narrative they have been spinning; in turn, throwing our law enforcement agencies into the shredder, right next to the scraps that were once GOP decency.

What those under Trump’s umbrella are attempting is something that every thriller/crime writer knows well: the ultimate “twist” that throws everything we previously knew out the window in light of the dramatic “reveal.”  But remember, this is “Stupid Watergate,” and there is no plot twist. There are no Keyser Söze villains. Every piece of the Trump-Russia “puzzle” leads us to the same obvious conclusion time and time again.

But at the end of the day, despite the brainlessness of many of these individuals, they are in charge. There is no getting around that fact. Trump and his team do as they please, knowing that they have the full backing of the Republican Party and the ear and mouth of conservative media. Fully enabled by Republicans like Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell, Trump has been given permission to hold himself above the law. His election broke the GOP’s backbone in two, rendering it unable to stand up for justice.

Devin Nunes continues to have a platform for his evidence-lacking conspiracy theories. Fox News pundits continue to spew forth anything that contradicts reason and logic. House and Senate Republicans continue to weasel their way out of holding Trump or themselves accountable for anything. You know the quote, “Do it, then ask for forgiveness later”? Team Trump operates under the motto, “Do it, then claim you didn’t do it, then claim that you did do it but it wasn’t actually illegal, then claim that you didn’t do it and it’s all part of a conspiracy cooked up by Hillary Clinton.”

It’s easy to chalk the entire administration up as “idiots,” and laugh off the absurdity of something like the Nunes memo. But Trump, with the help of Republicans and conservative media, is directing the public away from the obvious and clear truth, and Democrats, along with the mainstream press, aren’t doing a great job of steering it back. Sacrificing country in favor of party, Republicans are running our most trusted institutions into the ground by disparaging their reputations in order to push the Trump narrative forward. And so far, it seems to keep on working. Trump, Republicans, and conservative media are concerned with one thing: having the public believe what they want them to believe. They do not care about their constitutional obligations to uphold justice because they do not care about the truth.

At the end of The Usual Suspects, Verbal Kint remarks, “The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.” In regards to Trump, the greatest trick he ever pulled was convincing millions of people that he, a reality-star, billionaire con-man, was the populist leader they had been waiting for. It’s past time for the Democrats to rip back the curtain, revealing the truth behind the illusion.

Almost one week ago, Doug Jones cinched a hard-fought victory in the special Alabama Senate race. Though if you ask Roy Moore, Jones’ victory is as real as the multiple accounts of child molestation against him. Taking another page out of Trump’s playbook, Moore has decried voter fraud, sending a fundraising email this past Saturday that stated, “This race is not over until the numerous reports of fraud have been investigated, all votes have been counted and the Alabama Secretary of State officially certifies the results.” I, for one, would love to never hear from Moore again for the rest of his despicable life.

Despite my previously negative outlook that a Democrat like Jones (whose platform included controversial issues like reproductive rights) could not possibly win in a state where almost half of the electorate are white evangelicals, I was proven wrong. Hot on the heels of Virginia’s gubernatorial election between Democrat Ralph Northam and Trump-backed candidate, Ed Gillespie, Jones’ victory, after a 25-year Democratic drought, felt like a very real turning point. By the time Jones had taken the lead in what amounted to a 4^th quarter interception, I was holding my bottle of wine and screaming, “GO DOUG GO!!!!!!” After the 2016 election devastation, something finally seems to be stirring…I dare say it’s called “hope.”

At the end of the day, Moore, Trump, Bannon, Kellyanne Conway, the RNC, white evangelicals, and all future pedophiliac would-be-Senators, lost. Granted, it speaks volumes on the state of our country that many of us believed a religious bigot – credibly accused of molesting under-age girls – would not lose in a state like Alabama. In a better world, Moore would have never even come as close as he did: within 1.5% of Jones. In a perfect world, he’d be sitting in prison. At least he’d have ample time to practice his Christian faith that he constantly speaks of by praying to God and reflecting on his many, many sins.

Last Tuesday’s election was a huge victory for Democrats, and a vital step in a possible 2018 take-back of Congress. But more importantly, in the moment that Jones was declared the winner, the faint heartbeat of human decency was once again heard. By a razor-thin margin; but nevertheless – 49. 9% of Alabamians showed that racism, bigotry, misogyny, homophobia, and pedophilia might be accepted by the GOP, but not by the people.

That being said, those who have been following the breakdown of the election results are well aware that once again, black voters were largely responsible for the victory. Black women, in particular, who overwhelmingly supported Jones at a 98% margin. On the other hand, the majority of white voters, including white women with college degrees, supported Moore. When the numbers came out, Twitter and other online media exploded in cries of “thank you black women!”; as if black women were Clark Kent, flying in to save the Democratic Party and expecting nothing in return. Black women voted to stop Moore, much like they voted to stop Ed Gillespie in Virginia, to stop Kim Guadagno in New Jersey, and to stop Donald Trump from ruining this country (although white voters won out on the last one). So why did black women turn out in record numbers to vote? Because America is also their home, and they’re fighting to change the reality that black people face a disproportionate level of poverty, incarceration, unequal access to healthcare and quality education. Black voters didn’t vote to save white people in Alabama. White voters made it very clear where they stand on issues that matter to them, and black voters did the same. If the Democratic Party didn’t understand it before, they better understand it now: black women truly are the backbone of the party. It’s high time they turn their attention to the needs of their long-ignored voters who are more than just a tool for Democratic victories.

In the aftermath of Alabama’s Senate election, it is impossible to ignore that since the dawn of the Trump-era, there have been an eruption of reckonings as a direct response to having the worst president in American history. In the past year, our country’s morality and decency has plummeted time and time again (even when it seems as if we cannot go any lower), and we have found ourselves face-to-face with realities that must finally be dealt with. From the “Sexual Harassment and Assault” reckoning, to the “Black Voters are the Heart of the Democratic Party and Cannot Be Disregarded” reckoning, to the “Total Loss of GOP Morality” reckoning; our eyes have been opened wider than ever. People are paying closer attention now, myself included. Finding ourselves stuck in the never-ending reality show drama that has unfolded since Trump, a man who tweets from a golden toilet, hilariously won as a “populist leader,” many of us have become much more active in politics. How can we not, when every single day is a reminder that a question such as: “Will an insane tweet storm from our President cause North Korea to nuclear bomb us?” has become part of the norm.

As someone who has worked in politics, and considers herself “actively in-the-know,” I was blown away by how little I was aware of issues that states like Alabama have faced for decades. From a political point of view, I looked at Alabama as a deeply red, racially divisive state; one that will never be of help to Democratic politics. Alabama supported  Trump with 62% of its vote, and that’s all I really cared to know. I understood very little of its problems in healthcare, infrastructure, education, and more. I was unaware that Alabama has the 5^th highest rate of poverty, and a minimum wage of $7.25. Its infant mortality rate is higher than Sri Lanka’s, Ukraine’s, Bahrain’s, and many other developing countries. Democrats won an incredibly important election, but now it’s time to fight for their voters. As Doug Jones said in his victory speech, “This campaign has been about common courtesy and decency and making sure everyone in this state, regardless of which Zip Code you live in, is going to get a fair shake in life.”

Here’s one way Jones and other Democrats can make sure Alabamians, as well as people all over the country, get a “fair shake”: shutdown the government until federal programs like CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program), and vital community health centers, receive the funding they need. CHIP affects more than 150,000 children in Alabama alone, and it ran out of funds at the end of September. Healthcare is in dire straits in Alabama, and we cannot ignore it simply because we got the votes we needed to put a Democrat in office. Here’s another way Democrats can ensure that they are representing the needs of their people, who have worked tirelessly this past year to win them elections: raise hell to prevent the Senate vote on the tax bill from happening until Jones is sworn in. Even if the vote goes through, the message will be clear. Besides, they had no problem delaying the vote on the Affordable Care Act to allow incoming Republican Senator, Scott Brown, his right to vote against it, so it stands to reason that they should do the same with the GOP tax bill.

Doug Jones fought hard for his victory in Alabama. A wheel is turning, and momentum seems to be on our side. The Democratic Party is energizing and gearing up to take over the midterm elections in 2018. But if the Party’s sights are solely set on future victories in the Senate and the House, they are grievously neglecting to stop what Republicans in Congress are doing at this very moment. If they don’t rise up right now to fight the Republicans on DACA, CHIP, Obamacare, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and the tax bill, then we’re still losing. It’s time to take a page out of the GOP’s book by refusing to compromise.

Five years ago today, Adam Lanza strode into Sandy Hook elementary school with a Bushmaster XM-15 rifle and a .22-caliber Savage Mark II rifle; assault weapons obtained legally that provided him enough firepower to unleash 154 rounds in less than five minutes. Five years ago today, 20 first graders and 6 adults were massacred in what became the deadliest mass shooting at a grade school or high school – and Congress has done nothing since.

It is still difficult for me to picture those children without crying. Even today, on the 5^th anniversary, the heartbreak is just as inexpressible. I can only imagine the unremitting grief felt by the families who wake up every morning, painfully aware that nothing will ever bring back their little ones. The only moments they see them now are in their dreams, or their imaginations of what they would look like today. They cling to pictures and videos like the priceless items that they are, full of ache that there will be no future memories. Every day that goes by is a reminder that their children were taken too soon, and that Congress has cowardly chosen to turn the other way. Since Sandy Hook, more than 100 bills for gun reform have been shot down – pun ironically intended. In remembering the sweet faces of the first graders who senselessly lost their lives, I also think of the brave teachers and administrators, who, in protecting their students, acted with more courage than any politician ever has. As someone who teaches at an elementary school, I have had to cease naively thinking, “It will never happen here,” because in America, it absolutely can.

Newtown, Connecticut, was once described as “a small scenic town.” Before it became synonymous with “one of the worst mass shootings in history,” it was #4 on the “100 safest cities in America” list. Prior to December 14^th, 2012, I had never even heard of it. I wish that were still true. Today, it is a dark reminder that in this country, innocent children can be gunned down in the name of the 2^nd amendment. Today, it is a lingering memory of bloodshed and inconceivable tragedy. Most people outside of Newtown have since moved on; unsurprisingly, considering the fact that gun massacres occur in this country at the rate of “Days of Our Lives” episodes.

I believe there are things in life we simply cannot get over. We carry on with our lives because we must, but we do not forget. I had just finished the first semester of my junior year of college when the shooting happened, and I remember turning on the television; watching in horror as the news of Sandy Hook poured across the screen. Within the hour, I had posted a status on Facebook that called for gun control. Immediately, I was attacked for my “lack of compassion,” and my “politicizing of a tragedy.” As is the standard go-to following a mass shooting, I was told that it was a time for “prayer,” and not “politics.” But like many others felt, enough was enough. These first graders dreamed of being astronauts, ballerinas, teachers, singers, firefighters, and police offers; they dreamed of what they were going to get for Christmas, which was only 11 days away. Instead, they spent the final moments of their short lives in absolute terror.

It has since been 1,826 days. In that time, not a single piece of gun control legislation has passed at a federal level. Every time a mass shooting occurs in this country, it is always “too soon” to bring politics into it. We heard this after Virgina Tech. After Orlando. After San Bernardino. After Las Vegas. After Sutherland Springs. It’s always “too soon.” So, how many more days since Sandy Hook must we wait to discuss gun control? In today’s press conference, Sarah Huckabee Sanders responded to questions about gun legislation by deflecting to talking about tighter U.S. borders and national security. No surprise there. That’s the equivalent of responding to your kitchen being on fire by saying you’re going to make sure your front door is locked. “Whether or not there’s a regulation that could’ve been put in place that could’ve prevented those things, frankly I’m not aware of what that would be.”

“Those things.” Things. Because in this country, a mass shooting truly is just another “thing.” I am well aware that I am not alone in my anger. One of the most insanely frustrating points regarding the gun control debate is how it really is not a debate; the majority of Americans actually do favor measures like background checks, and disallowing mentally ill people, as well as people on federal no-fly/watch lists, from purchasing guns. A majority of Republicans and Democrats also support an assault weapons ban and a federal database to track gun sales. We’re beyond sick of waking up to news of a massacre at a nightclub, at a church, at a concert, at an elementary school. Especially when gun legislation could have lessened the loss of life, if not prevented it all together.

Since Sandy Hook, 1,000 children under the age of 12 have died from gun violence. For reference – that’s one child every 44 hours. In case you need even more reason to think of 2017 as a hellhole year, is has also been the deadliest year for mass killings in the last decade. We don’t even have enough time to fully mourn lives lost in a mass shooting before we’re moving on to the next one. In the last two months alone, two of the five deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history have occurred. It seems that we’re par for the course in continually topping those statistics.

Statistics. Oh, how we know our statistics. We’re basically a broken record at this point when it comes to them. “Americans are more likely to die from gun violence than many leading causes of death combined.” “Since Sandy Hook there have been more than 1,500 mass shootings.” “On average, there is more than one mass shooting for each day in the U.S.” “Americans own almost half of the world’s guns.” We know all this. At this point, we’re experts on America’s gun problem. But still, we wash, rinse, and repeat after every tragedy; while nailing the glorified 2^nd amendment higher up on the wall.

Among the victims of the recent Sutherland Springs church shooting were 8 children and teenagers. It was the highest number of children killed in a mass shooting since Sandy Hook – the youngest victims were a 5-year old and a 1-year old, as well as the unborn baby of a pregnant parishioner. On November 5^th, 2018, we’ll mourn the first anniversary of these 26 lives that were lost; but by then, it will have faded into the shadows.