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The Rundown

Texas A&M Just Successfully Shut Down a September 11 Alt-Right Rally

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Photo via Wikimedia Commons and Flickr User V@s

Hate gets cancelled: White supremacist, Charlottesville instigator and creator of the term alt-right Richard Spencer was scheduled to speak at Texas A&M University on September 11 for a White Lives Matter rally. But the university has now cancelled the event after administrators consulted law enforcement and state officials, citing security risks as the reason.

Trump capes for Alt-Right: During a press conference at Trump Tower in New York on infrastructure policy, President Trump lashed out at reporters asking him about the events in Charlottesville last weekend and his delayed rebuke of the blatant racism shown by alt-right protesters. The president aggressively defended himself, saying that he waited until getting all the facts before making a statement, and he, unlike the press which he repeatedly referred to as "fake news," had been watching things very closely.

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He then doubled down on his claim that "many sides" were to blame for the violence at the Charlottesville rally, both the alt-right and what he dubbed "alt-left" counter-protesters. Many are saying that by equating the actions of white nationalist hate groups with anti-fascist counter-protesters, the president is creating a false moral equivalency that could incite further violence.

Still up to no good: The Daily Stormer was a white nationalist website once operated by white supremacist Andrew Anglin before it was shut down by web hosting company GoDaddy for violating terms of service via racist content, but that hasn't stopped the site's community of alt-right members from posting hateful rhetoric on the dark web.

Now, a member of the Daily Stormer named Andrew Auernheimer -- who goes by the handle "weev" online -- is attempting to stage a protest at Heather Heyer's funeral this Wednesday. Heyer was the Charlottesville counter-protester who got killed when a car plowed into a crowd of pedestrians demonstrating against the alt-right. Many have called for the FBI to attend the funeral or for President Trump to be there to dissuade any actions from potential alt-right protesters looking for trouble.


Watch some more video on VICE:


Locked up for a dream: On Tuesday, Democratic Representative Luis Guitérrez from Illinois, along with approximately 30 other demonstrators, was arrested for protesting in front of the White House. Guitérrez and immigrant rights activists held a rally at Lafayette Square to celebrate the five year anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The Obama administration created DACA in 2012 as a way to protect undocumented immigrants who entered the country as children from immediate deportation and the recipients are referred to as DREAMERs.

The policy has its flaws, but it's largely seen as essential immigration reform legislation. Guitérrez's protest was reportedly nonviolent and he was only arrested after sitting on the White House sidewalk. Nederland Goes 100%: The town of Nederland, Colorado recently announced plans to achieve 100 percent renewable energy by 2030. It is one of many US municipalities that is proactively taking steps to address climate change and strong job growth for it's residents. Given the immediacy of climate change, Nederland's mayor, Kristopher Larson, thinks his town can actually reach the goal even sooner. You can learn more about the effort and how to encourage your city leaders to go renewable.

Peace out: After the chaos in Charlottesville and President Trump's lackluster condemnation of right-wing extremists, several corporate advisers are distancing themselves from the president. Leaders and CEOs of Merck, Intel and Under Armour have each separately announced their resignation from advising the president on manufacturing. They join a long list of other company leaders from a variety of industries that have ghosted the president since supporting unfavorable policies towards the environment or non-inclusive rhetoric. Not everyone has jumped ship. Approximately 36 leaders are still aboard the Trump train, including Pepsi, JP Morgan Chase, GM Motors and more.