In media news, Fox News host Tucker Carlson is under fire over racist attacks on Senator Tammy Duckworth and Congressmember Ilhan Omar, using language that echoes a popular white nationalist slogan. During a segment Tuesday attacking the two women lawmakers of color over their alleged lack of patriotism, Carlson’s producers broadcast a graphic reading “We have to fight to preserve our nation & heritage.” Critics have compared that to an infamous “14-word” slogan frequently used by white nationalists and neo-Nazis.
Senator Tammy Duckworth is an Army National Guard veteran who lost both her legs in 2004 after the helicopter she was piloting was shot down by Iraqi fighters. She tweeted, “Does @TuckerCarlson want to walk a mile in my legs and then tell me whether or not I love America?”
Carlson joined prominent Republicans this week in attacking Congressmember Omar, who is Somali American, after she called for the “dismantling” of systems of oppression in the United States.
Rep. Ilhan Omar: “As long as our economy and political systems prioritize profit without considering who is profiting, who is being shut out, we will perpetuate this inequality. So we cannot stop at criminal justice system. We must begin the work of dismantling the whole system of oppression wherever we find it.”
Following those remarks, Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy accused Congressmember Omar and Democrats of seeking to “tear down” America. Omar responded, “It is telling that a black woman discussing systematic oppression is so triggering to the right.”