'We control this country'
| 'We control this country'  Bannon speaks with reporters in New York on Aug. 20, 2020.  Steve Bannon has never hidden his desire to tear down the US government and fill it with Donald Trump loyalists. So it's hardly surprising that he is now the subject of a criminal contempt recommendation for ignoring a subpoena by the House committee investigating the January 6 Capitol riot. The panel wants to find out about his conversations with Trump around the time of the insurrection, but he claims that their chats are legally protected.
Bannon, a scruffy pulled-through-a-bush-backwards ideological prophet for Trumpism was once dubbed "the most dangerous political strategist in America." He was quick to sense Trump's potential for torching bedrock Washington institutions and was an early staffer in his White House. A one-time Wall Street banker, Bannon espouses a kind of anti-free trade, anti-establishment populist nationalism rooted in a sense that White, Western civilization is in decline and needs a strongman's rescue. But most of all, he wants to (metaphorically) blow everything up and see where the pieces land.
In one of his most famous descriptions of his ideology, Bannon advocated the "deconstruction of the administrative state" — a smashing of regulations that he believes liberals use to wield power. Trump fit perfectly into his plan, since good governance froze for four years during the 45th President's tenure. More recently, Bannon -- who was pardoned by the ex-President from fraud charges -- has been goading the MAGA crowd to take over school boards and local election positions.
"We control this country. We've got to start acting like it," said Bannon recently on his flame-throwing podcast. Such rhetoric is one reason why his showdown with the January 6 committee is so important. If Bannon is allowed to snub the probe, that alone will help gut traditional American democracy and secure impunity for insurrectionists. The entire constitutional premise that Congress can check and balance an aberrant President will be tarnished.
No wonder Bannon is up for the fight. The world and America A leaked draft government report called for homicide charges against Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.
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Insanely High Paying Cash Back Card With No Annual Fee $200 bonus offer. High ongoing cash back rates. No annual fee. 0% interest for 15 months on purchases. Start racking up huge cash back rewards. Postcard from Millersburg, Ohio Missionary leaders from Christian Aid Ministries in Haiti likely feel at least a little at home in that island country's famous mountains — the streets of Millersburg, Ohio, a small community in the heart of the state's Amish country where the aid organization is based, are just as steep.
That may be where the familiarities end. Writing in an online blog reviewed by CNN, a missionary in Haiti from the group — which saw 17 of its members kidnapped by a gang there on Saturday — described scenes of chaos and danger that have become increasingly common in the country.
"With all the political uncertainty in Haiti, gangs have taken over. Gangs fighting each other breaks the calm nights with rapid gun fire. The CAM base in [Titanyen], Haiti has been targeted by the local gang. Demanding money and food they vandalize CAM vehicles and threaten with severity," the missionary wrote in October 2020, using an abbreviation for the ministry.
Compelled to international relief work by a command in the Bible to "do good unto all men," the missionaries at Christian Aid Ministries are posted around the world, working in often unsafe countries, like Haiti, where they had recently been involved in rebuilding projects following the August earthquake.
It's a far-cry from Millersburg, where traffic is slowed behind horse-drawn carriages, and markets have buggy parking around back. The area, in a rural part of the Midwestern state and a 90 minute drive from Cleveland, is one of the largest communities of Amish and Mennonite in the US.
On Tuesday, amid the season's browning leaves, there was deep concern in the community. "I think about them all the time as I'm going about my work: Lord give those ladies grace, be with the children, and help the men. It's our breath," said one community member affiliated with Christian Aid Ministries who asked not to be identified because the organization had told its members not to speak with the media.
In Millersburg, a sign fixed to the group's headquarters' front door on Tuesday said the building was closed "due to the Haiti kidnapping situation."
"Please join us in praying for the situation," the sign says. -- CNN's David Shortell writes to Meanwhile from Millersburg  A Boston-bound plane carrying more than 20 people struck a fence and erupted in flames while taking off at Houston Executive Airport, officials said. Happily, no major injuries were reported. (KHOU/KTRK) Thanks for reading. On Tuesday, the Taliban and Russia hold talks in Moscow. The World Business Forum will be held in New York. It's the one-year anniversary of the Lekki tollgate massacre. View in browser | All CNN Newsletters
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