Rachel Maddow: Trump's Real Potential Scandal is Azerbaijan and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard

I don't care if you are a hard-right Republican who thinks Rachel Maddow is "our" version of Glenn Beck or Sean Hannity (tip: she's not), or if it's your knee-jerk reaction to a) call her MadCow, and/or b) make fun of her sexuality or gender, watch this clip. For one thing, it's fascinating as an instruction on how to tell a story, and make it interesting. It's also fascinating to see the connections between things you'd never considered (and I'm not even yet talking about the political stuff). But it's stunning to see where she's going with this one. [Story continues below]



The Rachel Maddow Show is currently experiencing an upsurge in popularity, vying for and sometimes surpassing actual network prime time television. Part of the reason is that she's elected not to focus on Trump's latest tweets, and the incendiary things 45 says. She's been reporting what they're up to; in some cases what they seem to be up to, sure, but that's part of investigative reporting. Connecting the dots. And not in the boring (and crazy) Beck chalkboard way, but by linking actual, real events.

This story does involve Donald Trump, in a rather grave way. and it's worth your full attention, if you are an American, I don't care what party you are.

And if you won't watch that, at least read the article from The New Yorker that inspired it.

Image from The New Yorker

[Excerpt]

Donald Trump's Worst Deal

Heydar Aliyev Prospekti, a broad avenue in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, connects the airport to the city. The road is meant to highlight Baku’s recent modernization, and it is lined with sleek new buildings. The Heydar Aliyev Center, an undulating wave of concrete and glass, was designed by Zaha Hadid. The state oil company is housed in a twisting glass tower, and the headquarters of the state water company looks like a giant water droplet. “It’s like Potemkin,” my translator told me. “It’s only the buildings right next to the road.” Behind the gleaming structures stand decaying Soviet-era apartment blocks, with clothes hanging out of windows and wallboards exposed by fallen brickwork. . .

Read more at: The New Yorker

EDITED TO NOTE: In an epic Freudian slip, my original headline said "Republican," rather than "Revolutionary" Guard. I do not regret the error.