Old3 More Outrages From GOP
May 1, 2025 - October 31, 2025
May 1, 2025 - October 31, 2025
The following are news articles (from May1, 2025 - October 31, 2025) that were once listed on our website. Much of the information is still relevant, but it was taken off the www.dalecodemocrats.com website to reduce storage requirements and for brevity. This is a good source for history and can be used to help explain some of the current actions of today.
Video: Report: New revelation details a previously unknown money laundering into Jeffery Epstein - October 31, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcfUUVRX6g4
Video: Trump gets gold crown from South Korea - October 29, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFmqau7Ht-M
Comment: Do we want other countries to think of the U.S. as some kind of kingdom, with Trump as a king?
DOJ places on leave 2 prosecutors who said 'mob of rioters' carried out Jan. 6 attack
https://abcnews.go.com/US/doj-places-leave-prosecutors-mob-rioters-carried-jan/story?id=126974576
Comment: "Two federal prosecutors were informed Wednesday that they will be put on leave after filing a legal brief that described the Jan.6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol as being carried out by 'thousands of people comprising a mob of rioters,' sources familiar with their removals told ABC News."
"The two prosecutors, Carlos Valdivia and Samuel White, were locked out of their government devices and informed Wednesday morning they will be placed on leave, just hours after they filed a sentencing memorandum in the case of Taylor Taranto, the sources said."
"Valdivia and White were furloughed due to the government shutdown and informed they would be put on administrative leave following the conclusion of the shutdown, the sources said."
"Taranto was pardoned by President Donald Trump over his involvement in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol but faced a separate conviction for firearms and threat charges related to a June 2023 arrest near the home of former President Barack Obama where he was found in possession of two guns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, as well as a machete."
"A day before Taranto's arrest, he claimed he would use a car bomb to drive into the National Institute of Standards and Technology."
" 'On January 6, 2021, thousands of people comprising a mob of rioters attacked the U.S. Capitol while a joint session of Congress met to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election,' the memorandum said. 'Taranto was accused of participating in the riot in Washington, D.C., by entering the U.S. Capitol Building. After the riot, Taranto returned to his home in the State of Washington, where he promoted conspiracy theories about the events of January 6, 2021.' "
Comment: The Trump administration is punishing 2 federal prosecutors for simply stating a fact that we all saw with our own eyes. Just because Trump refuses to admit that there was a mob of rioters on January 6th, he will punish anyone who tells a truth that makes him look bad. By placing the prosecutors on leave for simply doing their job, the Trump administration is performing an act of intimidation and retribution that this nation should not tolerate. One hopes that one day, those responsible will be held accountable.
Comment: The Trump administration punished the prosecutors, but Trump pardoned Taranto for his actions at the Capitol on January 6th. Now, by laying off Taranto's two prosecutors, the Trump administration may have undercut the sentencing recommendation against Taranto for his latest crimes. What is wrong with this picture? How is this justice? Didn't the Republican Party once claim that they were the "Party of Law and Order?"
UPDATE: Taylor Taranto, pardoned Jan. 6 defendant arrested near Obama's home, sentenced to time served
Comment: Time served? Unbelievable! At least it used to be, with a normal DOJ and a normal justice system.
Trump Fires Entire Agency Reviewing His Tacky D.C. Makeover
https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-fires-entire-agency-overseeing-his-construction-projects/
Comment: "President Donald Trump has taken a wrecking ball to an independent federal agency tasked with reviewing his massive construction projects."
"The White House has terminated all members of the Commission of Fine Arts, whose job it is to advise the president, Congress, and local governments on 'matters of design and aesthetics'."
" 'On behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position as a member of the Commission on Fine Arts is terminated, effective immediately,' read an email sent to one of the commissioners and obtained by The Washington Post, which first reported the firings."
Comment: "The commission reviews proposed designs for memorials, government buildings, coins, medals, and privately owned properties in certain parts of Washington, 'as they affect the federal interest and preserve the dignity of the nation’s capital.' "
Comment: Do you think Donald Trump cares for "the dignity of the nation's capital"? Do you think he cares about the dignity of the American presidency?
White House fires board that reviews presidential construction projects in Washington
Comment: "The president plans to build a triumphal arch along the Potomac River and a new ballroom on the White House grounds."
Video: Forbes: Trump Organization raking in millions off ties to UAE - October 28, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgcdaYWDWAQ
Inside Paul Manafort’s Comeback
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2025/10/28/inside-paul-manaforts-comeback-00620266
Comment: "Brescia, Italy, is not the most obvious place for a disgraced American politico to make a triumphant return."
"But when Paul Manafort appeared at a political event there in April — less than five years after his convictions on financial and lobbying crimes as well as witness tampering were wiped away by a pardon from President Donald Trump — it marked the completion of an unlikely full-circle journey from high-flying global fixer to federal inmate and back."
"Manafort was in the industrial city on the outskirts of Milan with a new client on whose behalf he was trying to engineer a political makeover that evoked some of the 1980s-era projects that made him a near mythic figure in the lucrative world of foreign campaign consulting and lobbying."
"In those days, Manafort made his name by helping launder the reputations of blood-stained foreign figures whom he sold to Ronald Reagan’s Washington as Cold War allies. But it’s a new era in Washington, and the pitch has changed. Instead of winning over an American administration by casting his clients as anti-communist stalwarts, he’s positioning them as comrades in Trump’s war against globalist, deep-state elites."
"Hence his partner at the event in Brescia: Sali Berisha, a former president and prime minister of Albania who had been sanctioned by the U.S. State Department for 'significant corruption' and charged in a corruption case at home, was seeking a return to power in a May 11 parliamentary election."
"Running as the head of the conservative opposition against the ruling Socialist Party of Prime Minister Edi Rama, Berisha had reinvented himself as a Trump-like victim of a witch hunt by domestic rivals and left-wing globalists including the billionaire investor George Soros and former President Joe Biden’s administration. The messaging, according to two people familiar with the effort, was heavily shaped by Manafort."
Comment: Criminals helping criminals to take over the world?
Red states are preparing for an end to the Voting Rights Act
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/28/republican-states-voting-rights-act-redistricting-00623775
Comment: "Some Republicans across the south are preparing to redraw their congressional maps to boot Democrats out of office — if the Supreme Court issues a ruling on a case gutting the Voting Rights Act in time for the midterms."
"While such a decision is no sure thing, some states are nonetheless planning for the scenario. The potential scramble to redraw could completely reshape the midterms, and Democrats are already sounding the alarm. One Democratic group forecasted an ambitious 19 seat pickup for the GOP by dismantling majority Black and other majority-minority districts currently protected by the VRA, though that would be an extreme scenario where every possible state redistricts."
"The Supreme Court’s looming ruling centers around Section 2 of the VRA, which has long been implemented by creating majority-minority districts. Those districts are almost entirely represented by Democrats, something that Republicans have long claimed gives the party an unfair advantage."
"Were that portion of the VRA to be weakened or entirely invalidated by the court, it could open up the floodgates for redistricting, if not in time for 2026 than certainly for 2028."
Comment; The GOP wants to retain control of the House of Representatives, and they are willing to cheat and disenfranchise whole classes of voters to do it. Please remember that if they are willing to cheat one group, at a later time they will be willing to cheat you. Please vote accordingly. If every eligible Democrat votes, we can overcome the impact of many of these GOP gerrymandering efforts.
Comment: The end of Section 2 of the VRA is not yet certain, but given the makeup of the current Supreme Court, it is likely.
If MAGA doesn’t want to be labeled racist, it should stop elevating racists
https://thehill.com/opinion/civil-rights/5572604-trump-race-relations-worsen/
Comment: Linked article provides numerous examples.
Trump refuses to rule out 3rd term, says he got 'perfect' MRI at Walter Reed
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-refuses-rule-3rd-term-perfect-mri-walter/story?id=126891128
Comment: "The 22nd Amendment of the Constitution expressly forbids a president from being elected to office 'more than twice'."
"Asked about whether he would be willing to fight in court over the legality of another presidential bid, Trump responded, 'I haven't really thought about it.' "
Comment: "Trump dismissed the prospect of running on the 2028 Republican ticket as vice president. 'Yeah, I'd be allowed to do that,' Trump said. 'I guess I think it's too cute. Yeah, I would rule that out because it's too cute. I think the people wouldn't like that. It's too cute. It's not -- it wouldn't be right. ' "
The Daily Beast: Raging Stephen Miller Suggests Slapping Handcuffs on Blue State Governor
Comment: Do you think Miller's suggested action would result in a constitutional crisis? What if Pritzker tried to arrest Miller for violation of Illinois state law?
KFF Health News: Doctors Muffled as Florida Moves To End Decades of Childhood Vaccination Mandates
Comment: "Florida plans to end nearly a half-century of required childhood immunizations against diseases that have killed and maimed millions of children. Many critics of the decision, including doctors, are afraid to speak up against it."
"With the support of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo on Sept. 3 announced his plan to end all school-age vaccination mandates in the state."
Comment: "History shows that mandates increase the use of vaccines. Lower vaccination rates will mean increased rates of diseases like measles, hepatitis, meningitis, and pneumonia — and even the return of diphtheria and polio. Many of these diseases threaten not just the unvaccinated but also those they come in contact with, including babies and older people with weakened immunity."
"But that scientific fact is being left unsaid in Florida. Health officials have largely been silent in the face of Ladapo’s campaign — and not because they agree with him. The University of Florida muzzled infectious disease experts, said emeritus professor Doug Barrett, formerly the university’s chief of pediatrics and senior vice president for health affairs."
" 'They’re told not to speak to anyone without permission from supervisors,' he said. University spokespeople didn’t respond to requests for comment."
"County-level Department of Health officials across the state got the same message, said John Sinnott, a retired professor at the University of South Florida who is friends with one of the county health leaders."
Comment: More Florida insanity, courtesy of the state's GOP Governor DeSantis and his administration.
The Daily Beast: Murdoch Paper Flays Trump For ‘Stench’ of Crypto Pardon
https://www.thedailybeast.com/rupert-murdoch-paper-flays-donald-trump-for-stench-of-crypto-pardon/
Comment: "The Rupert Murdoch-owned Wall Street Journal has published a blistering editorial claiming that America’s Founding Fathers would be confounded by President Donald Trump’s decision to pardon a cryptocurrency kingpin."
" 'It sure looks like a conflict of interest,' the WSJ wrote about the bombshell pardon Trump granted crypto billionaire Changpeng Zhao on Thursday."
" 'A reasonable person would look at this and easily conclude that presidential leniency can be bought,' the paper wrote in a scathing rebuke of Trump’s decision."
Comment: "The WSJ’s editorial highlights the link between CZ and the Trump family. Zhao’s company accepted a $2 billion transaction from an Emirati investment fund earlier this year in a cryptocurrency developed by the Trump family-owned World Liberty Financial—giving the coin legitimacy and the company significant revenue."
Comment: "Zhao himself, in his plea deal, told the Justice Department that he turned a blind eye as terrorists, cybercriminals, and foreign adversaries used his platform to launder cash. At least $890 million was transacted through Binance between the U.S. and Iran."
Binance founder’s pardon shows power of Trump allies on K Street
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/25/binance-zhao-pardon-lobby-00621788
Comment: "The president’s pardon for Binance founder Changpeng Zhao came after he and his company hired multiple lobbyists with connections to Trump’s inner circle."
Video: Serious or trolling? Bannon says Trump is 'gonna be president' for third term - October 24, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAvLdVlieKI
Video: Trump pardons convicted founder of crypto exchange Binance - October 23, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-QxkbrE8z0
'Biggest Trump fan': How Bannon says he helped former Mafia hitman get early prison release
https://abcnews.go.com/US/biggest-trump-fan-bannon-helped-former-mafia-hitman/story?id=126701086
Video: White House expands demolition area for Trump’s ballroom - October 22, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ax-yh7dFYSI
Comment: The story, Then and Now!
White House says it will submit ballroom plans for review, with demolition already under way | Reuters
Comment: "The White House said on Tuesday it will submit plans for President Donald Trump's $250 million White House ballroom project to a body that oversees federal building construction, even though demolition work began earlier this week."
Comment: "But critics, aghast about images of the White House walls crumbling after Trump had pledged the project would not interfere with the existing landmark, said a review process should have taken place before the work began."
"The White House still intends to submit those plans to the National Capital Planning Commission, which oversees federal construction in Washington and neighboring states, a White House official told Reuters."
Comment: "Asked why the demolition of East Wing walls was occurring despite Trump's promise that it would not affect the existing building, the official said modernization work was required in the East Wing and changes had always been a possibility."
Comment: "The National Trust for Historic Preservation on Tuesday asked the Trump administration to pause the demolition until the planning commission review was completed. Its letter expressed concern that the proposed 90,000 square foot ballroom 'will overwhelm the White House itself.' The White House is 55,000 square feet."
Comment: OMG. Trump's gaudy ballroom is nearly twice the size of the existing White House!
Washington furious over Trump's East Wing demo
https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2025/10/21/trump-white-house-east-wing-renovation-backlash
Comment: "The sight of bulldozers smashing into the White House's East Wing — almost three weeks into a federal shutdown — is sending shockwaves among certain circles in Washington, with some wondering: Is this even allowed?"
"Comment: "President Trump originally claimed his ballroom project wouldn't 'interfere' with the current White House structure."
"And the $250 million addition — which POTUS is funding — seems to be increasing in scope: Trump said it'll fit 999 people when it's finished by the end of his term, up from original estimates of 650."
Trump EPA seeks to weaken scrutiny for some of US’s most toxic chemicals
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/oct/21/trump-epa-toxic-chemicals
Comment: "New rule would prohibit states from banning dangerous chemicals, and could invalidate hundreds of protections"
Comment: "A new rule proposed by the Trump administration would dramatically weaken safety reviews for some of the nation’s most toxic chemicals that are already on the market, public health advocates and an EPA employee warn."
"Many of the chemicals that would receive less scrutiny are among the nation’s most dangerous substances, including PFAS, formaldehyde, asbestos and dioxins. Each poses serious health risks in consumer goods, or for workers handling the substances, advocates say."
"If implemented, the new rule would shorten the time it takes to review chemicals, and alter the methodology used to assess their dangers. It would also prohibit states from banning or restricting dangerous chemicals, and could invalidate hundreds of state-level protections."
" 'This is a gift to industry wrapped on golden wrapping paper with a big bow on it,' said Kyla Bennett, a former EPA scientist now with the Public Employees For Environmental Responsibility non-profit."
"Federal law requires the Environmental Protection Agency to continuously review the safety of toxic chemicals on the market, and that requirement has been an industry target in recent years."
Video: Collins asks Trump about report that he’s seeking $230M from his own DOJ - October 21, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QJvP3wochU
Video: Trump demands DOJ pay him $230 million for past cases, New York Times reports - October 21, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kV6Ch93vnhM
Trump sought $230M from Justice Dept. to settle past investigations of him
https://www.axios.com/2025/10/21/trump-justice-department-payment-investigations
Comment: "Before his reelection, Donald Trump wanted the Justice Department to pay him as much as $230 million in damages for past investigations — a demand that was going nowhere until Trump blurted out a vague reference to it last week, top officials tell Axios."
"Now its fate is uncertain."
"The New York Times, which first reported Trump's demand, pointed out that 'any settlement might ultimately be approved by senior department officials who defended him or those in his orbit.' "
"Now, of course, the Justice Department is stacked top to bottom with Trump loyalists. But there'd been no internal conversation about the matter since the inauguration, until Trump himself reopened it while talking to the press in the Oval Office last week, a senior administration official told us."
"Trump said, without explanation, that he'd brought 'a great lawsuit' against DOJ based on its previous investigations of him, but added that it now 'sort of looks bad — I'm suing myself, right?' "
Comment: "The second claim, in summer 2024, accuses the FBI of violating Trump's privacy by searching Mar-a-Lago for classified documents in 2022. That complaint also accuses the Justice Department of malicious prosecution in charging him with mishandling sensitive records."
Comment: Many might like to see a civil trial dealing with the classified documents case, with the evidence collected by Jack Smith used as evidence at the civil trial and with Trump and Mar-a-Lago staff testifying under oath. Of course, Pam Bondi would never allow such a trial. She and the Trump sycophants and the Trump personal lawyers posing as Justice Department attorneys would probably settle and just hand over whatever money (tax payer money) Trump demanded. Comment: Perhaps Trump can't be tried criminally, but if Trump chooses to pursue a civil case against a legitimate (non-corrupt) Department of Justice, the rules could change.
Trump pick to lead watchdog agency withdraws after offensive text messages revealed
https://www.npr.org/2025/10/21/nx-s1-5581714/paul-ingrassia-nomination-withdrawal
Comment: "President Donald Trump's pick to lead a federal watchdog agency withdrew from consideration Tuesday evening, after his offensive text messages were made public and GOP senators revolted."
Comment: "On Monday, however, Politico reported on a text chat that showed him saying the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday should be 'tossed into the seventh circle of hell.' Ingrassia also described himself in the chat as having 'a Nazi streak' at times."
Comment: " 'I will be withdrawing myself from Thursday's HSGAC hearing to lead the Office of Special Counsel because unfortunately I do not have enough Republican votes at this time,' Ingrassia posted in an online message. 'I appreciate the overwhelming support that I have received throughout the process and will continue to serve President Trump and the administration to Make America Great Again!' HSGAC is the Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs."
"Asked for comment on Ingrassia withdrawing his name from consideration, the White House said simply, 'He is no longer the nominee.' But Ingrassia's post came after Senate Majority Leader John Thune had said he hoped the White House would withdraw Ingrassia's nomination and several GOP senators said they would not support him."
Comment: "Republicans have been able to muscle through the vast majority of Trump's nominees in roll call votes despite stiff Democratic opposition. But there have been sporadic instances when Republicans have pushed back, generally behind the scenes, showing there are limits to their support."
Comment: "But Democrats weren't satisfied with Ingrassia's withdrawal, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., calling on the president to fire him from his current position as a White House liaison for the Department of Homeland Security."
Comment: This guy is still working "as a White House liaison for the Department of Homeland Security?" Is he the liaison between Stephen Miller and Kristi Noem? Maybe this guy would be perfect for dealing with those two. He would fit right in.
Video: White House begins demolitions for Trump's new ballroom - October 20, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtFfmM1dK-E
Opinion | From Buckley to MAGA: The moral decay of the Republican Party
Comment: "Leaked Young Republican chats glorifying Hitler and violence expose a movement that’s lost its moral compass and abandoned true conservatism."
The Daily Beast: Newsom Explodes at White House After Artillery Fiasco at Vance’s Big Day Out
Comment: "Gavin Newsom is livid with Donald Trump and his administration."
"The California governor tore into detractors on X, including the president and Vice President JD Vance, after an artillery shell detonated prematurely over Interstate 5 during a training exercise held for the Marine Corps’ 250th anniversary on Saturday."
"No injuries were reported, but two vehicles—including one belonging to Vance’s motorcade—were hit by shrapnel."
" 'The shrapnel that hit CHP (California Highway Patrol) vehicles over the weekend from Trump and Vance’s military live-munitions demonstration came from this ordnance. It’s no small thing,' Newsom’s press office wrote, attaching a photo of the device. 'This is what the White House thought was fine to fly over civilians on a major freeway.' "
"Newsom, who reposted his office’s criticism, added on his personal account. 'Donald Trump and JD Vance put lives at risk to put on a show. If you want to honor our troops, open the government and pay them.' "
Santos’s fines, restitution wiped out by Trump clemency order
https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5564409-george-santos-trump-clemency-fines-restitution/
Florida politician faces backlash over calls for mass deportation of Indians
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/19/florida-politician-indian-immigrant-posts-backlash
Comment: This is what happens when Republican "Florida Man" gets elected to public office. [Assumes reader has heard a few "Florida Man" anecdotal stories.]
George Santos Is Already Back on Network TV
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/10/george-santos-is-already-back-on-network-tv/
Comment: "He’s also selling his $300 Cameos again, less than two days after leaving prison."
Comment: "Santos essentially admitted to Bash he would not pay $370,000 in restitution to his victims, given that Trump’s action wipes out that obligation. 'If it’s required of me by the law, yes, if it’s not, then no,' he said. 'I will do whatever the law requires me to do.' "
BBC: 'Have a great life!' Trump orders prison release of disgraced ex-lawmaker Santos
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy5q3439xpqo
Video: President Donald Trump commutes former Rep. George Santos prison sentence for fraud - October 17, 2025
AP News: Trump commutes sentence of former US Rep. George Santos in federal fraud case
https://apnews.com/article/trump-george-santos-commutation-pardon-8ae46d6351cefe01d79f74920521b7a2
Comment: In case you have forgotten who George Santos is, please read the linked article.
Comment: "But in granting clemency to Santos, Trump was rewarding a figure who has drawn scorn from within his own party."
"After becoming the first openly gay Republican elected to Congress in 2022, Santos served less than a year after it was revealed that he had fabricated much of his life story."
Trump’s Department of Homeland Security Embraces a Word With Ties to White Nationalism
https://time.com/7326233/trump-remigrate-homeland-security/
Comment: "For months, the White House and federal agencies have drawn outrage from critics for social media posts promoting President Trump’s immigration agenda. Some of the posts deploy jokes or memes. Others use language or images seen as racist dog whistles. This week, the Department of Homeland Security drew pushback for a post that was just one word: remigrate."
"The term, which has been embraced among Trump’s MAGA base, has a fraught history in Europe, where it has ties to white nationalism and has been seen as a euphemism for ethnic cleansing."
Comment: "The term 'remigration' has traditionally been used in Europe to refer to the mass deportation of non-white immigrants. It has been used by right-winged politicians such as Austria’s Herbert Kickl and Germany’s Alice Weidel of the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. The term has also been popularized by the Austrian, millennial far-right influencer Martin Sellner."
" 'In Europe, it's an established part of the linguistic toolbox of white supremacy,' Nicholas J. Cull, a professor of communication at the University of Southern California, tells TIME."
"The use of the term in Germany and Austria has been a trademark of recent anti-immigration campaigns. Protests across Germany were sparked last year after it was alleged that AfD party members and far-right Austrians were plotting to deport thousands of migrants, causing mass pro-democracy demonstrations."
Comment: "The DHS post seems to be a nod to the efforts of the State Department to create an 'Office of Remigration,' the plans for which were rolled out through a proposal in May that called for an overhaul of the agency that would cut a series of programs and reduce domestic staffing. The details of the plan are outlined in a 136-page document that the State Department sent to six Congressional Committees. The document says the Office of Remigration will 'actively facilitate the voluntary return of migrants to their country of origin or legal status.' "
"This year, Trump has embraced the term and used it multiple times on social media. 'America was invaded and occupied. I am reversing the Invasion. It’s called Remigration,' he said in one Truth Social post from June."
Comment: "In August, the Administration was accused of quoting a white supremacists in a DHS post for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recruiting. The department wrote the caption, 'which way, American man?' which was argued to reference Which Way, Western Man, a 1978 book by the white supremacists William Gayley Simpson, who was a supporter of Hitler."
Comment: What's that old saying? "If it walks like a duck, and it quacks like a duck, it's probably a duck."
CNN: Trump’s former labor secretary Alex Acosta defends handling of controversial Epstein plea deal
https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/17/politics/acosta-interview-epstein-house-oversight
Lawmaker resigns after involvement in racist chat - POLITICO
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/17/lawmaker-resigns-after-involvement-in-racist-chat-00614823
Comment: "The Vermont state senator involved in the hate-filled Young Republican group chat uncovered by POLITICO announced his resignation Friday."
"Douglass was the only elected official in the group chat, though four others worked for elected officials at the time the messages were being sent. Those officials include New York’s state senate minority leader and the Kansas attorney general. One member of the chat worked in President Donald Trump’s Small Business Administration.
Texas National Guard deployed to Austin ahead of No Kings protest
https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/austin/article/no-kings-austin-texas-national-guard-21104378.php
Comment: "Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced that he will deploy the Texas Department of Public Safety and Texas National Guard to Austin in response to a No Kings protest set for this weekend. In a release, the governor claimed the demonstration has links to Antifa, a far-left anti-fascist political movement."
"Last month, President Donald Trump deemed Antifa President Donald Trump deemed Antifa "a terrorist organization" that "explicitly calls for the overthrow of the United States Government, law enforcement authorities and our system of law." The No Kings protest, which organizers have said will be 'a peaceful movement' is scheduled for Saturday, October 18."
Comment: One must challenge any intelligence or law enforcement entity to identify any "organization," much less "a terrorist organization," that is known as Antifa. There is no such organization. Antifa is simply a term coined to mean those who are anti-fascists. One can certainly imagine that most Americans are anti-fascists (except maybe the young Republicans in their chat room). Throughout our history, there have always been a few anarchist types, on both the left and the right, who like to throw rocks and cause trouble. By the very nature of their anarchist tendencies they are not part an organized group trying "for the overthrow of the United States Government." If they show up, the local Austin police should be able to handle a few rock throwers and trouble makers. The Texas National Guard should not be necessary.
Comment: "According to the No Kings protest website, a 'core principal' behind all of its events is 'a commitment to nonviolent action.' The protest, which is set to take place in different cities, is designed for people to organize against the Trump administration and 'show the world: America has no kings, and the power belongs to the people.' "
" 'We expect all participants to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values and to act lawfully at these events,' No Kings' website says. 'Weapons of any kind, including those legally permitted, should not be brought to events.' "
Comment: The presence of the Texas National Guard and other armed agents is likely designed to provoke a reaction from a few troublemakers that can be used by authorities to suppress the constitutionally protected free speech of the vast majority of peaceful No Kings protestors. Many believe that Donald Trump is looking for an excuse to invoke the Insurrection Act. It is imperative that No Kings participants remain peaceful and be vigilant against any provocateurs that want to disrupt the protest. In the words of the 1960's civil rights movement, "Keep your eyes on the prize."
Comment: Indivisible and other No Kings sponsors may wish to consider legal action against Greg Abbott for slander, given his ridiculous and unsubstantiated claims.
Politico: The Young Republicans’ Leaked Chat Is a Sign of Where We Could Be Headed
Comment: Is this the future of the Republican Party?
Video: JD Vance Brushes Off Racist, Sexist Texts by Adults in Republican Group Chat |Firstpost America - October 16, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgihiVtw3F4
JD Vance dismisses bipartisan outrage over racist and offensive Young Republican group chat
Comment: JD Vance's response (the Vice President of the United States) seems to be 'boys will be boys' or 'nothing to see here.'
Politico: ‘I love Hitler’: Leaked messages expose Young Republicans’ racist chat
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/14/private-chat-among-young-gop-club-members-00592146
Comment: "Leaders of Young Republican groups throughout the country worried what would happen if their Telegram chat ever got leaked, but they kept typing anyway."
"They referred to Black people as monkeys and 'the watermelon people' and mused about putting their political opponents in gas chambers. They talked about raping their enemies and driving them to suicide and lauded Republicans who they believed support slavery."
"William Hendrix, the Kansas Young Republicans' vice chair, used the words 'n--ga' and 'n--guh,' variations of a racial slur, more than a dozen times in the chat. Bobby Walker, the vice chair of the New York State Young Republicans at the time, referred to rape as 'epic.' Peter Giunta, who at the time was chair of the same organization, wrote in a message sent in June that 'everyone that votes no is going to the gas chamber'."
"Giunta was referring to an upcoming vote on whether he should become chair of the Young Republican National Federation, the GOP’s 15,000-member political organization for Republicans between 18 and 40 years old."
Comment: "The exchange is part of a trove of Telegram chats — obtained by POLITICO and spanning more than seven months of messages among Young Republican leaders in New York, Kansas, Arizona and Vermont. The chat offers an unfiltered look at how a new generation of GOP activists talk when they think no one is listening."
"Since POLITICO began making inquiries, one member of the group chat is no longer employed at their job and another’s job offer was rescinded. Prominent New York Republicans, including Rep. Elise Stefanik and state Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt, have denounced the chat. And festering resentments among Young Republicans have now turned into public recriminations, including allegations of character assassination and extortion."
Comment: "The 2,900 pages of chats, shared among a dozen millennial and Gen Z Republicans between early January and mid-August, chronicle their campaign to seize control of the national Young Republican organization on a hardline pro-Donald Trump platform. Many of the chat members already work inside government or party politics, and one serves as a state senator."
"Together, the messages reveal a culture where racist, antisemitic and violent rhetoric circulate freely — and where the Trump-era loosening of political norms has made such talk feel less taboo among those positioning themselves as the party’s next leaders."
Comment: "The dynamic of easy racism and casual cruelty played out in often dark, vivid fashion inside the chats, where campaign talk and party gossip blurred into streams of slurs and violent fantasies."
"The group chat members spoke freely about the pressure to cow to Trump to avoid being called a RINO, the love of Nazis within their party’s right wing and the president’s alleged work to suppress documents related to wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein’s child sex crimes."
Comment: "At least one person in the Telegram chat works in the Trump administration: Michael Bartels, who, according to his LinkedIn account, serves as a senior adviser in the office of general counsel within the U.S. Small Business Administration. Bartels did not have much to say in the chat, but he didn’t offer any pushback against the offensive rhetoric in it either. He declined to comment."
Comment: "The private rhetoric isn’t happening in a vacuum. It comes amid a widespread coarsening of the broader political discourse and as incendiary and racially offensive tropes from the right become increasingly common in public debate. Last month, Trump posted an artificial intelligence-generated video that showed House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in a sombrero beside Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, whose fabricated remarks were about trading free health care for immigrant votes — a false, long-running GOP trope. The sombrero meme has been widely used to mock Democrats as the government shutdown wears on."
Comment: Please read the entire linked article. The excerpts capture only part of the outrageousness.
Comment: The only thing more outrageous than the statements from these Young Republicans is the fact that they took their cue from the President of the United States and MAGA folks operating in important positions in their party and in the U.S. government.
The Guardian: Trump threatens removal of World Cup games from Boston, Olympics from LA
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/oct/14/trump-world-cup-olympics-threat-boston
Comment: "Donald Trump has again said he’d pressure Fifa to remove 2026 World Cup games from a host city on the basis of that city’s politics, with Boston becoming the third such city to receive such a threat from the US president. Trump also said he would consider a similar action against Los Angeles for the 2028 Olympics on account of potential safety issues."
"Trump has no legal authority to directly take either action, but he can apply pressure to each competition’s governing body to move host cities."
" 'We could take them away,' Trump said of the World Cup games, which are due to be held at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, about 22 miles south-west of Boston. ''Their mayor is not good … She’s radical left, and they’re taking over parts of Boston. That’s a pretty big statement, right?' "
Comment: " 'If someone is doing a bad job, and I feel there’s unsafe conditions, I would call Gianni [Infantino], the head of Fifa, who is phenomenal, and say let’s move it to another location,' Trump said on Tuesday. 'And he would do that. He wouldn’t love to do it, but he’d do it. Very easily, he’d do it.' "
"Infantino has made no secret of his efforts to be publicly aligned with Trump ahead of next year’s tournament, due to be hosted in 11 cities across the US along with two in Canada and three in Mexico. The Fifa president has appeared at several Oval Office events, had Trump deliver the Club World Cup trophy to Chelsea after that tournament’s final (where the US president overstayed his welcome during the trophy lift), and has even delayed his own organization's congress in order to accompany Trump on a trip to the Middle East earlier in 2025."
Comment: "That has not stopped Trump from threatening to remove World Cup games from other US host cities. On 25 September, Seattle and the San Francisco came in his crosshairs, with Trump saying both cities were 'run by radical left lunatics who don’t know what they’re doing', while criticizing the safety level of both locales and claiming that games could be removed. "
"Fifa vice-president Victor Montagliani rebuffed Trump’s claims when he responded days later at a conference in London."
" 'It’s Fifa’s tournament, Fifa’s jurisdiction, Fifa makes those decisions,' Montagliani said. 'With all due respect to current world leaders, football is bigger than them and football will survive their regime and their government and their slogans. That’s the beauty of our game, that it is bigger than any individual and bigger than any country.' "
Comment: Another Trump attempt to intimidate and extort Democratic led cities, using a non-governmental sports organization that he has no legal authority over.
Prince Andrew told Jeffrey Epstein ‘we’re in this together’ in 2011 email
Comment: Doesn't look good for the prince.
Texas AG Ken Paxton announces ‘undercover’ investigations into liberals
Comment: "The GOP Senate candidate’s announcement of the probes targeting liberals is modeled after Donald Trump’s authoritarian attacks."
Comment: "Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who's a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, says his office is planning to launch undercover operations targeting liberals."
"The scandal-plagued Paxton has incentive to carve a lane for himself as the Trumpiest candidate in the primary."
Comment: "That’s helpful context for his conspiracy theory-filled announcement of undercover investigations into liberals, which he said will complement President Donald Trump’s efforts to use federal agencies and the military against antifa."
Comment: "Paxton’s threats add to the growing heap of evidence showing officials in the insurrectionist-aligned MAGA movement are using the killing of Kirk — which literally unfolded while a gunman allegedly infatuated with right-wing killers shot up a school in the next state over — to portray liberals as the true violent threats and crack down on their civil rights."
Comment: Please read the entire linked article. The limited comments can't do justice to the insanity coming from Paxton, a man who has a reasonable chance of being nominated by the GOP for U.S. Senator.
Allegations against Paul Ingrassia, a key Trump nominee, become even more serious
Comment: "Ingrassia’s odds of being confirmed as the next head of the Office of Special Counsel were poor. His chances now appear even worse. "
Comment: "For those who might need a refresher, during Donald Trump’s first term, the U.S. Office of Special Counsel was a routine annoyance. The OSC (not to be confused with appointed special counsels such as Jack Smith or Robert Mueller) frequently investigated allegations of misconduct and ethical lapses at the White House, which led to multiple findings related to Hatch Act violations."
"The president was apparently determined to bring the office to heel in his second term, which is why he fired Hampton Dellinger as the head of the independent ethics agency just a couple of weeks after his second inaugural."
"In May, Trump announced that he’d chosen Ingrassia to lead the office, describing his nominee as 'a highly respected attorney, writer, and Constitutional Scholar.' That wasn’t an entirely complete description. On the contrary, The Washington Post reported that Ingrassia had 'publicly advocated' for white supremacist and antisemite Nick Fuentes, publishing a Substack titled ‘Free Nick Fuentes’ and writing on X that ‘dissident voices’ such as Fuentes should have a place in conservative politics."
Comment: That's just the beginning of the outrageous things that Ingrassia has said and done. Please read the entire linked article for more information.
Politico: Johnson describes planned No Kings rally as ‘hate America,’ ‘pro-Hamas’ gathering
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/10/no-kings-protest-mike-johnson-00602705
Comment: Speaker Johnson just lost whatever credibility he had left. Past protests that I have attended in Dothan have been peaceful, with many of the older citizen participants simply fed up with Trump attacks on government institutions that have served this country well. Younger protesters were rightly concerned about their future. There have been no confrontations and no violence. Protesters don't hate America, but they are concerned about the Trump administration attacks on democracy and the rule of law. No one is 'pro-Hamas', but many may concerned about Netanyahu and recent Israeli attacks in Gaza. Frankly, past Dothan protests have focused on domestic issues and have not focused on foreign policy issues like the war in Gaza. I have not seen any anarchist types/actions (normally associated by Republicans with "antifa"). As far as I know, there isn't any real organization called "antifa." I think the term was originally coined to refer to folks that were against fascism. I think if you polled most Americans, most would say they are against fascism. See you in Dothan at the courthouse on Oct. 18th, 10 AM - 2 PM. Bring your sign!
Comment: "Speaker Mike Johnson on Friday slammed the No Kings protest march scheduled to take place at the National Mall next week, describing the planned protest as the 'hate America rally' that would draw 'the pro-Hamas wing' and 'the antifa people.' His characterizations, however, drew condemnation from some Democrats who defended the protest movement, whose first big demonstration was overwhelmingly peaceful."
Comment: "Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), another senior House Republican, also criticized the planned demonstration and blamed it for prolonging the shutdown. Telling reporters Democrats had caved to the 'terrorist wing of their party,' Emmer alluded to a 'hate America rally in D.C. next week'.”
Comment: "The No Kings movement first sprang up as counter-programming to a military parade spearheaded by the White House in June, leading to the largest coordinated demonstration against Trump to date since his return to the Oval Office. The protests were overwhelmingly peaceful, and organizers at the time said they specifically did not plan an event in Washington to avoid a conflict."
Comment: " 'Speaker Johnson is running out of excuses for keeping the government shut down,' the No Kings coalition wrote. 'Instead of reopening the government, preserving affordable healthcare, or lowering costs for working families, he’s attacking millions of Americans who are peacefully coming together to say that America belongs to its people, not to kings.' ”
Comment: " 'Those of us who will be participating next weekend in what Emmer calls a ‘hate rally’ for ‘terrorists’ love our country — particularly its promise that we’re all created equal, that we all have the right to speak freely, to enjoy equal protection under the law, to believe what we want, and to choose our leaders without fear of reprisal,' he wrote." Comment: Washington Republicans want to discourage and intimidate average American citizens (of all ages, races, and backgrounds) from speaking out against the outrages of the current Trump administration. Show them that even Red State Alabama is fed up!
From Medicine to Mysticism: The Radicalization of Florida’s Top Doc
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/10/ladapo-florida-anti-vaccine-mysticism-brianna/
Comment: "In early September, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo took the podium at a Tampa news conference to make an unprecedented announcement: He planned to eliminate 'all vaccine mandates' in the state, he told the crowd. 'Every last one of them is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery.' ”
Comment: "The vaccine announcement from Florida’s top doctor may have been his most controversial, but it wasn’t the first time he had flouted public health guidelines. Since Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) appointed him in 2021 during the height of the Covid pandemic, Ladapo has drawn increasing criticism from the medical community for rolling back the state’s pandemic protections, questioning the safety of Covid vaccines, and publicly challenging CDC measles quarantine guidelines amid an outbreak."
Comment: "For those reasons and more, he now has a reputation as something of a rogue public health official, even given his impressive résumé."
Comment: "The handful of his former colleagues with whom we spoke remember him as once having been a capable, detail-oriented, and highly collaborative scientist. All of them were perplexed by the path he seems to have taken since the pandemic. One former research co-collaborator from Boston Children’s Hospital told us that he and Ladapo’s other former colleagues had, in recent weeks, found themselves asking, ' 'How did this happen? Where did this come from?' ' "
Comment: "The answers to those questions may be found by taking a closer look at his journey of personal transformation that has paralleled some of his most controversial public health decisions. Burdened by a traumatic past, Ladapo has been deeply influenced by two charismatic people who seem to lack any training in Western medicine. The first is his wife, Brianna, an “Energetic Healer, Certified Naturopath, Movement Therapist, and Integrative Health and Wellness Coach,” according to her Instagram bio as of publication time. Brianna claims that despite her childhood trauma, she has been blessed with supernatural gifts, including the abilities to speak to angels and historical figures and read people’s auras. She also believes that people who have been sexually abused give off energy from their wounds that invites more abuse, and that people—even children—choose what happens to them, including their own suffering."
"His other major influence is a charismatic guru and former Navy SEAL named Christopher Maher, whom the couple credits with facilitating their individual and marital healing. During a recent appearance on the podcast hosted by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s former running mate, Nicole Shanahan, Joseph Ladapo referred to Maher as 'a mechanic for the human spirit'.”
Comment: Forget a "Florida man" characterization. This guy has gone totally nuts. Read the article and see for yourself.
Reuters: Trump’s war on the left: Inside the plan to investigate liberal groups
Comment: "President Donald Trump's threatened crackdown on the finances and activities of liberal non-profits and groups opposed to his agenda is a multi-agency effort with top White House aide Stephen Miller playing a central role, according to officials."
"The Trump administration plans to deploy America's counter-terrorism apparatus - including the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department - as well as the Internal Revenue Service and the Treasury Department against certain left-wing groups it accuses of funding and organizing political violence, the officials said."
"The effort marks an escalation in the administration's efforts to target domestic opponents, raising alarm among civil rights groups and Democratic leaders about the use of executive power."
"Reuters spoke to three White House officials, four Department of Homeland Security officials and one Justice Department official to produce the first comprehensive account of how decisions are being made, forces deployed, and operations coordinated in the crackdown."
"All of the administration officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations more freely."
"Miller is deeply involved in reviewing government agencies' investigations into the financial networks behind what the administration labels 'domestic terror networks,' which include nonprofits and even educational institutions, a White House official said."
"The Trump administration has released some examples of what it alleges are incidents of left-wing violence, but it has provided little evidence of a coordinated effort."
" 'Left-wing organizations have fueled violent riots, organized attacks against law enforcement officers, coordinated illegal doxing campaigns, arranged drop points for weapons and riot materials, and more,' the White House said in a statement to Reuters."
Comment: "Two weeks after the September 10 assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Trump issued a presidential memorandum directing the National Joint Terrorism Task Force to focus on 'domestic terrorists' whose common ideologies include 'anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism, and anti-Christianity'."
"Trump's opponents say the focus on liberal and left-wing groups ignores violence by right-wing organizations. They point to the January 6, 2021, violence by Trump supporters at the U.S. Capitol who sought to overturn his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden. Trump has pardoned most of those convicted of violence that day."
Comment: Since when did being a liberal make one a domestic terrorist? Since when did being anti-capitalism or anti-Christianity make one subject to investigation? Perhaps in Stephen Miller's sick twisted mind.
The Daily Beast: RFK Jr. Ties Autism to Circumcision and Tylenol in Bonkers Rant
https://www.thedailybeast.com/rfk-jr-ties-autism-to-circumcision-and-tylenol-in-bonkers-rant/
Republican Buys 2020 Voting Firm and Gives it MAGA Makeover
Comment: "The company, central to unfounded voter fraud claims in 2020, is now owned by a GOP donor."
Comment: "A former Republican election official and GOP donor has purchased Dominion Voting Systems, stating the acquisition will be pivotal in 'restoring trust in our elections'."
"Dominion was central to President Donald Trump and his allies' unfounded claims of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election."
Comment: Be afraid. Be very afraid.
Trump and White House used footage from Florida to show ‘chaos’ in Chicago, report claims
Comment: "President Donald Trump and the White House apparently shared footage of Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in Florida taken months ago — while claiming the 'chaos' was taking place in Chicago, according to a report."
"As Trump deployed some 500 National Guard troops to Illinois Wednesday, the White House shared footage of masked and armed ICE officers knocking down doors and making arrests."
" 'An incompetent Mayor. A delusional Governor. Chicago is in chaos, and the American people are paying the price,' the White House wrote on its official X account. 'Chicago doesn’t need a political spin — it needs HELP.' "
"The clip includes a voiceover of the president calling Chicago a 'mess' along with images of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, whom Trump has called for the jailing of, despite neither being accused of criminal wrongdoing."
"However, much of the footage featured in the video, which Trump also shared on his Truth Social account, was filmed in April in Florida, according to The Daily Beast."
"Some of the footage even shows palm trees, which are common in Florida, but not so much in Chicago."
Comment: Chicago "doesn't need a political spin." Neither does it need the misrepresentation and lies from the Trump video.
Axios: Armed Florida agents visited Largo man over postcard critical of CFO Ingoglia
Comment: "Armed state investigators last week paid a home visit to a Largo man who sent a postcard criticizing Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia, the Orlando Sentinel reported."
Comment: "The situation raises questions about how Ingoglia's office is using law enforcement and whether more Floridians should expect such visits."
Comment: "The note in question, sent by 77-year-old James O'Gara, said simply, 'You lack values,' according to his wife."
Comment: "Calling the situation 'unfortunate,' Ingoglia spokesperson Sydney Booker told Axios late Wednesday that 'the decision to conduct the threat assessment was made solely by law enforcement personnel.' "
" 'The CFO trusts that law enforcement officials are taking necessary steps to protect public safety and the safety of elected officials while also preserving the First Amendment rights of Floridians.' "
Comment: Perhaps CFO Ingoglia should not trust that Florida 'law enforcement officials' are 'preserving the First Amendment rights of Floridians." Perhaps Ingoglia should get with Florida governor DeSantis to see that this type of thing doesn't happen again. Otherwise, citizens might see this as just another act of political intimidation.
CBS News: Florida lawmaker files bill to require all state colleges, universities to rename road after Charlie Kirk
Comment: More Charlie Kirk insanity! "Florida Man" strikes again!
Politico: Trump open to invoking the Insurrection Act
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/06/trump-insurrection-act-national-guard-00595241
Comment: "President Donald Trump on Monday said he would consider using the Insurrection Act to deploy the military if federal courts prevented him from deploying the National Guard to protect federal buildings and conduct law enforcement operations."
"The comments came a day after a federal judge blocked the president from sending National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon, which Trump claims has been taken over by left-wing 'domestic terrorists'."
"Trump told reporters in the Oval Office he did not yet see the need to use the Insurrection Act, but 'if I had to enact it, I’d do it, if people were being killed and courts were holding us up, or governors or mayors were holding us up.' ”
Comment: "The Insurrection Act of 1807 is a federal law that allows the president to nationally deploy the U.S. military or federalize state National Guard troops to quell what the president deems an insurrection against the United States."
"Earlier Monday, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller said the administration had been contending with a 'legal insurrection' and that rulings stifling the White House’s agenda amounted to 'an insurrection against the laws and Constitution of the United States'.”
Comment: "Trump has flirted with invoking the Insurrection Act before. During the 2024 campaign, he said he would use the law to suppress unrest. And at the end of his first term in office, some of his supporters urged him to invoke the law to try to hold onto power after his loss to former President Joe Biden."
Comment: How many of you think that Donald Trump is trying to provoke a violent response in Portland so that he can exploit it to invoke the Insurrection Act? Do you believe that Trump then plans to instigate authoritarian rule and hold onto power past January 20, 2029?
Comment: With regard to Stephen Miller, some of his statements indicate that he is a clear and present danger to constitutional government in the United States.
White House Anti-Terror Order Targets ‘Anti-Capitalist’ and ‘Anti-American’ Views. Here’s What To Know
https://time.com/7322106/trump-nspm-7-domestic-terrorism/
Comment: "The Trump Administration is facing mounting criticism over a sweeping directive that expands the government’s definition of domestic terrorism indicators to include a wide range of political beliefs, with lawmakers and civil liberties groups warning it could be used to criminalize dissent."
"The order, which directs the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) to investigate 'networks, entities, and organizations that foment political violence,' identifies ideological markers such as anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism and anti-Christianity as potential red flags. Rights groups say that language is so broad it risks sweeping in protest movements, advocacy organizations, and critics of the administration."
" 'The goal is to silence people and groups by threatening retaliation,' Rep. Ro Khanna of California told TIME. 'These are McCarthy-era tactics. The rise in political violence is real, but attacking free speech is not the answer.' ”
"The order, named NSPM-7, directs the JTTF and its offices to create a national strategy to 'investigate, prosecute, and disrupt entities and individuals engaged in acts of political violence and intimidation' that suppress lawful political activity or obstruct the rule of law."
"It highlights 'common threads animating this violent conduct,' which it says include 'anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism, and anti-Christianity; support for the overthrow of the United States Government; extremism on migration, race, and gender; and hostility towards those who hold traditional American views on family, religion, and morality.' "
"The order also requires the task force to coordinate investigations of 'Antifa,' though experts note the group is an ideology rather than a formal organization, raising questions about how investigations will proceed."
Comment: "Experts warn that the directive could significantly expand the number of Americans under federal scrutiny."
"The order 'directs law enforcement resources to target a range of activities which it often characterizes as violent, but also covers many aspects of First Amendment protected activity,' explains Faiza Patel, Director of the Liberty and National Security Program at the Brennan Center."
" '“It's not an order that is directed at criminal activity or terrorism, even though it uses those words frequently.' "
"Nonprofits, their employees, and donors could face investigation if deemed to 'aid or abet' those engaged in certain conduct. The Secretary of the Treasury is tasked with disrupting financial networks funding political violence and ensuring organizations that support such activities lose their tax-exempt status."
Comment: Since when does being "anti-capitalism; " "anti-Christianity;" "an extremist on migration, race, and gender;," or have "hostility towards those who hold traditional American views on family, religion, and morality;" make one a terrorist? (especially when these subjective evaluations are made from extreme MAGA and Christian Nationalist perspectives)
Comment: This is just another example of Trump's attempt to intimidate American citizens and establish authoritative rule.
Education Department employees surprised to find their email automatically changed to blame Democrats for shutdown
Comment: "Education Department employees furloughed this week discovered their email accounts had been manipulated while they were out of office to include partisan talking points that blamed the government shutdown on Democrats."
"Five employees who spoke with NBC News and provided copies of their out-of-office messages said the wording was altered from how they originally had composed them. All of them are civil servants, not political appointees, and requested anonymity out of fear of professional repercussions."
"Education officials initially sent employees templates of nonpartisan out-of-office wording to use in their emails. Several employees said they used that language earlier in the week, only to find that while they were furloughed, someone had changed it."
"One person reported changing the out-of-office message back to the nonpartisan version, only to have it revert to the partisan wording later."
Trump eyes cuts to 'Democrat Agencies' in government shutdown
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-discuss-agency-cuts-with-ombs-vought-thursday-2025-10-02/
Trump Goes Full Project 2025 With Plot to Destroy ‘Democrat’ Agencies
https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-goes-full-project-2025-with-plot-to-destroy-democrat-agencies/
Trump to talk with Vought about which ‘Democrat Agencies’ should be cut - Live Updates - POLITICO
https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/10/02/congress/trump-to-talk-with-vought-00591585
Comment: "President Donald Trump said Thursday that he’ll speak with Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought about which 'Democrat Agencies' should be nixed as the government shutdown enters its second day."
" 'I have a meeting today with Russ Vought, he of PROJECT 2025 Fame, to determine which of the many Democrat Agencies, most of which are a political SCAM, he recommends to be cut, and whether or not those cuts will be temporary or permanent,' Trump wrote on Truth Social.”
Comment: More threats and intimidation. Do you remember, during the 2024 campaign, when Trump claimed to know nothing about Project 2025?
Trump touts shutdown as ‘unprecedented opportunity’ to cut more Democratic priorities
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/10/02/trump-government-shutdown-updates-vought.html
Comment: "President Donald Trump on Thursday said Democrats have given him an “unprecedented opportunity” to slash federal agencies, signaling plans to harm his political opponents during the 2-day-old government shutdown while blaming them for causing it."
"Trump’s warning came a day after his administration froze about $18 billion for two major infrastructure projects in New York City and canceled roughly $8 billion more for climate-related projects in Democratic-leaning states."
"The top Democrats leading the shutdown fight, Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, both represent New York."
"Both of the funding halts were first announced by Russell Vought, the director of the White House’s Office of Management and Budget, not by the departments that have oversight of the projects."
"Trump said he will soon meet with Vought 'to determine which of the many Democrat Agencies, most of which are a political SCAM, he recommends to be cut.' ”
"The two men will also weigh 'whether or not those cuts will be temporary or permanent,' Trump wrote on Truth Social."
Comment: Trump is willing to kill infrastructure projects important to the United States in order to enact political retribution against his opponents. He's also trying to establish authoritative control in Democratic-leaning states through extortion and intimidation.
Comment: " 'I can’t believe the Radical Left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity,' he added."
Comment: Democrats couldn't believe that any President could be so lowdown and petty as to sabotage the country and it's economy for political retribution.
Comment: "Trump, asked about that memo, said, 'there could be firings and that’s their fault.' ”
" 'We could cut projects that they wanted, favorite projects, and they’d be permanently cut,' he said in a recent interview with conservative news outlet OAN."
Stephen King is the most banned author in US schools, according to report
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/oct/02/stephen-king-most-banned-author
Comment: "During the 2024-2025 school year, there were more then 6,800 instances of books being pulled, led by the horror author"
Trump targets states that voted for Harris in shutdown fight
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/01/trump-shutdown-democratic-states-00590368
Comment: "The White House is targeting Democratic states with its first wave of cuts to federal projects following the government shutdown, impacting billions of dollars in funding for energy and infrastructure in New York, California and elsewhere."
"Russ Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, said Wednesday the Trump administration is cancelling nearly $8 billion in funding for energy programs he characterized as part of 'the Left’s climate agenda'.”
"The cuts will impact 16 states — all of which voted for former Vice President Kamala Harris in last year’s presidential election. Vought did not identify exactly which programs would be cut in the social media announcement."
"Earlier Wednesday, Vought said the White House is withholding $18 billion in funds from New York City’s Second Ave. subway and Gateway tunnel projects, the latter which connects New Jersey and New York."
"New York-area lawmakers reacted with fury to the infrastructure cuts earlier Wednesday."
" 'Political revenge. Clearly outlined by Trump, time and again. He sees the U.S. as Blue and Red, and Blue states are enemies,' George Latimer (D-N.Y.), who represents the New York City suburbs in Westchester County, wrote in a text message to POLITICO. 'As he has said many times, he hates his enemies; he is the retribution. Has he announced any rescission of any projects in Florida or Texas?' "
"Vought has not publicly announced cuts that affected a state that backed Trump in 2024."
Video: Karoline Leavitt BLASTS Reporter For ‘Despicable’ Question Regarding Jared Kushner - October 1, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BF-63YjUjgA
Comment: How many of you think it is "despicable" for a White House press secretary to dodge a very legitimate question and try to blame a journalist, who is just trying to do his job and inform the public?
PEN America warns of rise in books 'systematically removed from school libraries'
https://www.npr.org/2025/10/01/nx-s1-5559158/book-bans-challenges-pen-america
Video: Lawrence: How many flashes of insanity from a president should we tolerate? - October 1, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JH0uvJsdVJM
Trump directs generals to defend US from 'war from within'
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-directs-generals-defend-us-war/story?id=126087035
Comment: "President Donald Trump on Tuesday told the military's top generals about his controversial plans to send troops to 'dangerous' Democratic cities, arguing, 'We're under invasion from within.' "
"Trump made clear that the military's job is not only to protect the United States from threats abroad but also what he repeatedly referred to as a domestic enemy in American cities."
Comment: "Trump talked about his efforts to increase the use of U.S. military in American cities. Trump specifically said that Democratic-run cities, such as New York, Chicago and San Francisco, are in 'bad shape,' and that he threatened to 'straighten them out, one-by-one'."
" 'I told Pete [Hegseth] we should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military National Guard,' he said."
"Over the weekend, Trump announced that he ordered federal troops to Portland, Oregon, because of what he alleged were threats from domestic terrorists. The city's Democratic Mayor Keith Wilson and the state's Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek both stressed that they did not request the troops and objected to the action."
Comment: "Throughout Trump's speech -- which came after Hegseth called for an end to what he called 'woke' culture in the military -- the president's words were met generally with silence and subdued reaction from generals, who did not seem to respond to the president's often highly-partisan talking points. Reaction in the room among the military’s top leaders was even more limited when Trump talked about sending troops into American cities such as Chicago and Portland."
"It was an unusual reception for Trump, who is used to delivering blockbuster speeches to friendly audiences."
Government website blames shutdown on "radical left." Ethics group calls it a "blatant violation." - CBS News
Federal employees told Democrats to blame for shutdown in ‘highly inappropriate’ email
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5530094-federal-emails-shutdown-democrats/
Comment: "Federal employees at multiple agencies received emails Tuesday blaming congressional Democrats for a potential government shutdown 'forced' by the party, an unusual use of government communications that typically steer clear of political comments."
Comment: "Ethics experts blasted the messages as inappropriate but said they stopped short of violating ethics laws."
"Donald Sherman, executive director or Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, called the emails 'highly inappropriate, highly irregular, but not illegal'.”
" 'This is too cute by half and wouldn’t clear legal vetting in a normal administration,' Sherman told The Hill."
" 'This seems like a carefully worded email to try and avoid violating a number of different laws, including the Hatch Act, including the Anti-Lobbying Act.' ”
"Federal employees, including political appointees, are barred through the Hatch Act from electioneering at work, including in their communications with other staff."
"The Anti-Lobbying Act bars the use of federal funds for 'communications intended or designed to influence Members of Congress'.”
"Sherman said the emails dance around — but do not cross — those lines."
Comment: "A spokesperson for the Interior Department said the message came 'under guidance from the White House Office of Management and Budget."
Comment: Under the Trump Administration, anything just short of absolute illegality is perfectly acceptable?
Trump administration uses taxpayer dollars to blame Democrats for government shutdown
https://www.npr.org/2025/09/30/nx-s1-5558393/government-shutdown-trump-ethics-hatch-act
Comment: "The Trump administration is blaming Democrats for the government shutdown in internal federal agency communications as well as public agency websites, in what experts say could be a violation of federal ethics laws."
Comment: The linked article gives several examples of partisan website messages, from various Trump administration agencies.
Comment: "The inclusion of overtly political messages in federal agency communications raised immediate alarm bells for some federal workers and ethics experts. They said it could violate the Hatch Act, which prohibits civil servants in the executive branch from engaging in most political activity inside federal buildings or while on duty."
The Guardian: FCC chair claims he never threatened TV networks over Jimmy Kimmel
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/30/fcc-brendan-carr-jimmy-kimmel-networks
Comment: "Brendan Carr, the tough-talking, pro-Trump chair of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), claimed on Tuesday that Democrats and the media had 'misrepresented' critical comments he made about Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night talkshow."
"Television conglomerates including Nexstar and Sinclair opted to pull the show for 'business' reasons, Carr argued, not because of anything he said."
" 'There was no threat made or suggested that if Jimmy Kimmel didn’t get fired, that someone was going to lose their license,' Carr said during a press conference that followed the FCC’s monthly meeting."
Comment: " 'We can do this the easy way or the hard way,' Carr had said, explaining that he wanted broadcasters to 'take action' on Kimmel."
"Nexstar and Sinclair, two major carriers of ABC programming, quickly announced plans to pull Kimmel’s show, seemingly forcing ABC’s hand."
Comment: Is there anyone out there, besides Carr, who doesn't see his words as a threat? The subsequent actions of Nexstar and Sinclair seem to indicate that they thought it was a threat.
Video: Youtube Agrees To Pay Donald Trump $24 Million To Settle Lawsuit Over Jan. 6 suspension - September 29, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ThWQo2bTcs
Comment: More extortion from Trump? Money will go to the new White House ballroom.
Politico: Democrats alarmed as Trump eyes weapons material to fuel nuclear reactors
Comment: "The Trump administration is considering a proposal to divert plutonium that plays a central role in the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile to fuel a new generation of power plants, according to an Energy Department official and previously undisclosed department documents."
"The proposal calls for the department to alter the plutonium so it can be used by civilian power companies, including startups pitching advanced reactor designs. It’s part of a broader push by President Donald Trump to convert tons of the Energy Department’s plutonium to civilian use, a notion that some lawmakers argue would undermine the U.S. weapons program for the benefit of untested private companies."
"The initiative would involve harvesting plutonium on a large scale: According to a department official and a July 31 DOE memo seen by POLITICO, more than a fifth of the plutonium needed to meet Trump’s mandates would come from the highly radioactive spheres manufactured for the cores of nuclear weapons. DOE already faces a crunch to make more of those spheres, known as plutonium pits — it’s lagging behind Congress’ demands that it boost pit production to modernize the country’s nuclear deterrence."
The week in Trump absurdities: from Turkey’s ‘rigged elections’ to ‘your countries are going to hell’
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/28/trump-tylenol-autism-turkey-united-nations-pam-bondi
Comment: A recap of this week's outrageous statements from Donald Trump.
Outrage mounts as Republicans in Congress move to protect pesticide makers from lawsuits
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/27/republican-pesticide-legislation
Comment: "It’s been seven years since Germany's Bayer bought US agrochemical giant Monsanto, inheriting not only the company’s vast portfolio of seeds and pesticide products, but also more than 100,000 lawsuits alleging Monsanto's popular Roundup herbicide causes cancer. Bayer, which has so far paid out billions of dollars in settlements and jury verdicts to cancer victims, has been working – so far in vain – to put an end to the litigation and to block any future such cases."
"Now Bayer appears closer than ever to success, as many Republican congressional leaders push for measures that would effectively block lawsuits against pesticide makers around the country."
"A group founded by Bayer called the Modern Ag Alliance is the face of the legislative push, advocating for liability shields they say are necessary to allow companies to continue to sell chemicals that farmers use to kill weeds and bugs in their fields."
Comment: "The alliance has been lobbying for the passage of state laws blocking such lawsuits. They’ve succeeded thus far in two states – Georgia and North Dakota – and continue to lobby for such laws in all 50 states."
"But the immediate battleground is in the halls of Congress, where a provision tucked into a congressional appropriations bill is outraging consumer advocates, including those affiliated with the influential Make American Healthy Again (Maha) movement. Similar protective language for pesticide makers is expected to be included in the new farm bill as well."
Leaks Show Hegseth’s Selfish Reason for Calling in Generals
https://www.thedailybeast.com/pete-hegseths-self-centered-reason-for-calling-in-generals-leaks/
Comment: "The former Fox News personality, now a top Trump official, reportedly wants to make a video of his brief speech."
Comment: "A White House official separately told CNN that the meeting is meant to be a show of force, demonstrating what the military looks like under Trump."
Comment: "As it was put to CNN, the 'guys with the stars on their shoulders make for a better audience from an optics standpoint.' ”
Comment: "The defense secretary’s team plans to record his speech and then release it publicly. It will also reportedly be amplified by the White House."
Comment: "Hegseth has remained largely tight-lipped about the upcoming meeting, but appeared to address some concerns about it on Friday morning with a sarcastic post on X."
"The defense secretary wrote 'Cool story, General' in response to a tweet from retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges about Adolf Hitler gathering Nazi generals in 1935 and them being 'required to swear a personal oath to the Führer'.”
Hegseth’s mysterious meeting with generals will focus on grooming and warrior ethos
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/26/hegseth-meeting-details-00582791
Comment: "Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered hundreds of generals to Virginia next week to discuss grooming, standards and his “warrior ethos” vision — an unusual move that has sparked confusion among military leaders around the world."
"The secretive meeting will serve as a kind of pep rally where Hegseth focuses on conduct and expectations for military leadership, according to three military officials and a congressional aide familiar with the planning."
"Almost every general and admiral in the U.S. military, including many from global commands, will need to show up Tuesday at a military base in Quantico, Virginia. The unprecedented event will be one of the only times such an assembly of senior military leaders has been in the same space."
"Hegseth wants to talk about how everyone 'needs to row in the same direction' or face career consequences, said one of the military officials, who like others, was granted anonymity to discuss internal planning."
"President Donald Trump on Thursday framed the event as a friendly meetup, even as some defense officials called it little more than a photo op. The speech will be filmed and possibly aired at a later date, according to another one of the officials."
Comment: Does anyone in their right mind thinks it's a good idea to consolidate the entire military command structure at a single location at the same time? Meanwhile, leadership is physically away from their worldwide areas of responsibility and authority. Wouldn't this be a perfect time for our adversaries, whether they be nation states or terrorist organizations, to threaten our military assets or national interests?
Comment: Then there are the costs, monetary and otherwise, for hundreds of senior personnel to travel (possibly with their security personnel and staff) to Quantico for what has been characterized as a 1 hour meeting. The military has a secure teleconferencing system that can accomplish what Hegseth has said is the purpose of this meeting.
Comment: The only reason for assembling all these high level military leaders at a single physical location is to create a photo op for Hegseth. That, of course, assumes Trump and MAGA are not conducting some kind a coup and want to capture all of America's military leadership in one fell swoop. [sarcasm added]
Trump demands Microsoft fire Lisa Monaco - POLITICO
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/26/trump-microsoft-lisa-monaco-00583363
Comment: "President Donald Trump is demanding that Microsoft fire former Biden Justice Department official Lisa Monaco, who Trump has previously blamed for federal investigations into his mishandling of classified documents and alleged election interference, furthering his retribution campaign against his former antagonists."
Comment: Now Trump, in "furthering his retribution campaign," is dictating personnel staffing demands to businesses! We thought Republicans wanted to minimize the role of government in our lives. Trump's demand certainly seems to contradict this philosophy.
DOGE put Social Security numbers on cloud server at risk of hacking: Senate Democrat
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5524103-report-accuses-doge-ssn-data-breach/
Comment: "A report issued Thursday accuses the Department of Government Efficiency of putting millions of Americans’ personal information in an unsecured cloud server."
"Released by Senate Homeland Security Committee ranking member Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), the report describes 'unprecedented privacy and cybersecurity risks' by the agency, which one whistleblower warned could end with every American needing to be issued a new Social Security number."
"Chuck Borges, former chief data officer at the Social Security Administration (SSA), filed a whistleblower complaint in August, revealing the existence of DOGE’s 'vulnerable cloud environment'.”
"His accusations of DOGE’s mishandling of Americans’ personal information came after an appeals court ruled that DOGE could continue accessing sensitive federal data."
"The report, compiled by the committee’s Democratic staff cites multiple whistleblowers, including Borges, and states that DOGE staffers 'had been granted permission to move highly sensitive SSA data into an unmonitored cloud environment'.”
" 'Authorization to upload live SSA data to the cloud environment was apparently granted, according to whistleblower disclosures, by Michael Russo and Aram Moghaddassi, both of whom are DOGE-affiliated,' the report continues."
"Whistleblowers alleged that DOGE uploaded a live copy of Numerical Identification Files, also known as NUMIDENT, 'which contains highly sensitive personal data on anyone who has held a Social Security number, including every American.' ”
"The information uploaded includes Social Security numbers, place and date of birth, parents’ names and other sensitive information, the report adds."
Trump White House hangs image of Biden autopen signature in new ‘Presidential Walk of Fame’
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-subs-photo-biden-autopen-new-white-house/story?id=125902014
Comment: "President Donald Trump is once again making decorative changes to the White House -- disparaging former President Joe Biden in the process."
"The White House has installed a new presidential portrait gallery along the West Wing Colonnade, unveiling the wall of photos on Wednesday. While the new 'Presidential Walk of Fame' features portraits of all the presidents in gilded frames, Biden's portrait is replaced with a picture of an autopen."
Comment: "The colonnade has served as an iconic part of the White House since it was built during Thomas Jefferson’s presidency. The open-air walkway has been used by presidents and their staffers to travel quickly between the West Wing and the Executive Residence."
Comment: Trump's juvenile attempt to be "cute" and to disparage a former president, without evidence of fact, just illustrates what a boorish jackass he is. It also illustrates how unworthy he is to occupy the oval office.
House Republicans push to honor Charlie Kirk with new US currency | Fox News
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/charlie-kirk-could-placed-us-currency-under-new-house-gop-proposal
Comment: "Republican Study Committee Chairman August Pfluger, R-Texas, and Rep. Abe Hamadeh, R-Ariz., plan to introduce a bill later this week directing the U.S. Treasury to mint 400,000 silver dollar coins with Kirk's likeness, the pair first told Fox News Digital."
Comment: Can Republicans in Congress get any sillier? If they want to put Charlie on a coin, maybe Trump can create another Meme Coin with Charlie's image to rip off his supporters. Let the man rest in peace. Quit trying to exploit him for political purposes.
The Guardian: Oklahoma official says all high schools will have Turning Point chapters after Charlie Kirk killing
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/24/turning-point-oklahoma-high-schools
Comment: "The state superintendent in Oklahoma announced plans to put Turning Point USA chapters in every high school in the state, saying it would counter 'radical leftist teachers unions' and their 'woke indoctrination'."
"After far-right activist Charlie Kirk was killed on a college campus earlier this month, requests to start chapters of his conservative youth group, Turning Point, at colleges and high schools have surged, the organization has said."
"Oklahoma is the first state where the government is getting involved to promote starting these chapters. In a press release on Tuesday, Ryan Walters, the Oklahoma superintendent, detailed how students could start a chapter of 'Club America', the organization’s high school program, by gathering at least three students from the same school and completing a charter agreement. Then, Turning Point will help the club get a teacher sponsor and official recognition, and send materials such as an 'activism kit'."
" 'We will be putting TPUSA on every high school campus in Oklahoma,' Walter said in the press release. 'Charlie Kirk inspired a generation to love America, to speak boldly, and to never shy away from debate. Our kids must get involved and active. We will fight back against the liberal propaganda, pushed by the radical left, and the teachers unions. Our fight starts now.' ”
Comment: "When asked by a local reporter what would happen in a school that said it wouldn’t open a chapter of the group, Walters said he would go after the school’s accreditation. 'They would be in danger of not being a school district if they decided to reject a club that is here to promote civic engagement,' he said. 'Everything would be on the table in that scenario.' ”
Comment: "Walters has come under fire for repeated instances of pushing religion and rightwing politics in Oklahoma schools. He has sought to require schools in the state to show a video of him praying. He pushed to create the country’s first Catholic public charter school, which the US supreme court ruled against in May."
Comment: Please read the entire linked article to see other crazy things this state superintendent has proposed or enacted in Oklahoma. How can these sort of things possibly be legal? How can public school facilities and resources be used for right-wing political indoctrination under the guise of "civic engagement?"
Comment: "Oklahoma ranks among the lowest states in public education quality, with one recent survey putting the state at 50th place."
Comment: Perhaps Oklahoma should stress education rather than political indoctrination.
Update: Oklahoma superintendent who put Trump Bibles in classrooms resigns
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/25/oklahoma-superintendent-resigns-ryan-walters
Comment: Not sure if Walter's resignation was his idea or someone else's. Perhaps even red state Oklahoma got sick of some of Walter's insane plans.
Update 2: Politico: New Oklahoma schools superintendent rescinds mandate for Bible instruction in schools
Georgia’s Medicaid Work Requirement Program Spent Twice as Much on Administrative Costs as on Health Care, GAO Says
https://www.propublica.org/article/georgia-pathways-medicaid-work-requirement-gao-report
Comment: "Republican lawmakers cite Georgia’s Pathways to Coverage as a national model for federal Medicaid work requirements that are set to take effect in 2027. A new report shows the program has spent at least $54 million on administrative costs alone."
Comment: Please read the linked article to discover the experience in Georgia of implementing Medicaid work requirements like those authorized nationally by Trump's so called "Big Beautiful Bill."
Charlie Kirk was a divisive far-right podcaster. Why is he being rebranded as a national hero?
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/sep/23/charlie-kirk-bigoted-far-right-podcaster
Comment: "Two weeks ago, those flags were flying at half-staff, but not in recognition of the passing of a high-ranking public official, as would be customary. Instead, the half-staff was ordered by the White House in a highly politicized effort to memorialize the 10 September killing of Charlie Kirk, a 31-year-old podcaster, hard-right party operative, and Maga youth influencer, as an event of national tragedy."
"Kirk ruled over an online fiefdom peddling his signature brand of rage-baiting racist, xenophobic, Islamophobic and misogynistic commentary. It wasn’t just his vitriolic style, but also his popularization of cruelty, humiliation and dehumanization of political opponents – especially college students – that attracted millions to his audience. He famously said empathy was 'a made-up, new age term that does a lot of damage'."
Comment: "...the speaker of the House of Representatives called for a moment of silence on the floor for a private citizen who had never held office nor served in the military. (The brief silence erupted seconds later into a shouting match melee when congresswoman Lauren Boebert requested that members hold an open prayer for Kirk from the floor). Just nine days later, the House passed a Republican resolution eulogizing Kirk’s life with a sweeping 310-58 majority."
Comment: "...seven teams in the National Football League – the very organization that has long been criticized for its inconsistent and often hypocritical stance on the place of politics in sports – held in-game memorials for Kirk, who never played any professional sport nor held a role within the league. In the Dallas Cowboys stadium in Texas, Jumbotrons featured a statesman-like image of Kirk, what one might expect for the passing of a former president or a longtime team affiliate."
Comment: "I feel no grief because these memorials to Kirk are not created for me to grieve. Instead, they seek not only to enshrine Kirk into the national consciousness, but also to foster national memories about what he represents ideologically and culturally. The lionizing is an official effort to coalesce the state into his movement – a brazen proclamation that his consistently hostile white nationalist, homophobic and misogynistic convictions represent the federal government’s interests, and thus, what the presidency believes should be the national priority."
Comment: "Though I, like the majority of Kirk’s critics, do not condone his shooting, Kirk himself said gun deaths were 'worth it" to maintain gun rights. While rhetoric this extreme, including his claim that Black women in government and media lacked 'brain processing power', is being euphemized in tributes as his 'advocacy for free speech', media figures and government employees who openly question if he should be publicly lauded are being fired from their jobs."
"Additionally, hundreds of college professors were doxed, harassed and threatened by Kirk’s organization, Turning Point USA, and its notorious 'Professor Watchlist', which published the names and information of any academics with views Kirk construed as incompatible with his own. It’s curious how a virtue like 'doing politics the right way' can be afforded to someone who sought to devastate the lives of scholars and intellectuals."
Comment: "Those who call for us to honor the life of a man who said the 1964 Civil Rights Act as a 'huge mistake', and who described Martin Luther King Jr, as 'awful', have betrayed those of us who heard Kirk espouse eugenics and replacement theory loud and clear, with such vast online influence that it prompted a 2024 investigation by the Southern Poverty Law Center."
"The valorization of Kirk by his far-right defenders is an insult to millions of the most marginalized Americans who lived every day in the crosshairs of his rhetoric. Kirk’s memorialization by his supporters and apologists is but a new opportunity to announce an old message about whose country this is and whose it isn’t."
Trump "wouldn't oppose" Charlie Kirk national holiday, White House says
https://www.axios.com/2025/09/22/charlie-kirk-national-day-remembrance-trump
Comment: Are You Kidding! Has Trump lost all perspective?
Video: 'Outrageous': Morning Joe slams Pentagon's new restrictions on reporters - September 22, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4eqCM21Tkc
Related: Pentagon restricts speaking engagements alongside media crackdown
https://www.axios.com/2025/09/22/pentagon-hegseth-external-engagements-press
Forbes: Here’s How Much The Trump Kids Have Made Because Of The Presidency
ALGOP Chair Wahl Criticizes Sewell, Figures for Votes Against Kirk Resolution
https://alpolitics.com/algop-chair-wahl-criticizes-sewell-figures-for-votes-against-kirk-resolution/
Comment: What is outrageous is the GOP's efforts to deify Charlie Kirk, a controversial figure who was known for making many racist and sexist statements, while wrapping himself in the cloak of Christianity but ignoring many of its teachings. While no sane person approves of Kirk's murder, the resolution to honor Kirk was inappropriate. Sewell and Figures realized this and voted correctly. I applaud their rejection of this ridiculousness. It is not surprising that ALGOP Chair Wahl, known for taking many ridiculous positions, would try to use Kirk's death to attack his political opposition.
Video: 'ACT FAST': Trump demands Bondi pursue enemies 'if they're guilty or not' - September 20, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXxCYxAeKhA
‘We can’t delay any longer’: Trump urges Bondi to prosecute his rivals - POLITICO
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/20/trump-bondi-truth-social-00574380
Comment: "President Donald Trump publicly vented at Attorney General Pam Bondi on Saturday, saying the lack of criminal charges against top adversaries was 'killing our reputation and credibility'.”
" 'We can’t delay any longer,” Trump posted on Truth Social in a message directed to 'Pam.' 'JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!' He specifically lamented the lack of criminal charges against Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, three of his most prominent political antagonists."
"Trump spent much of the post venting about Erik Siebert, the former U.S. attorney from the Eastern District of Virginia, who he forced out Friday amid reports that Siebert did not believe there was enough evidence to charge James with mortgage fraud."
Comment: "It was a remarkable public message to the nation’s top law enforcement officer, linking his personal grievances over his own criminal prosecutions and congressional impeachments to a potential decision by federal prosecutors to level criminal charges against his adversaries. Trump’s frustration stemmed in part, he said, from '30 statements and posts' from allies that complained 'nothing is being done' to punish his longtime rivals."
Comment: Does this sound like weaponizing the Justice Department and abuse of executive power to you?
Trump ‘border czar’ Tom Homan reportedly accepted $50,000 in cash from undercover FBI agents | Trump administration | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/20/tom-homan-undercover-fbi-agents
Tom Homan was investigated for accepting $50,000 from undercover FBI agents. Trump's DOJ shut it down.
https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/news/tom-homan-cash-contracts-trump-doj-investigation-rcna232568
Comment: "In an undercover operation last year, the FBI recorded Tom Homan, now the White House border czar, accepting $50,000 in cash after indicating he could help the agents — who were posing as business executives — win government contracts in a second Trump administration, according to multiple people familiar with the probe and internal documents reviewed by MSNBC."
"The FBI and the Justice Department planned to wait to see whether Homan would deliver on his alleged promise once he became the nation’s top immigration official. But the case indefinitely stalled soon after Donald Trump became president again in January, according to six sources familiar with the matter. In recent weeks, Trump appointees officially closed the investigation, after FBI Director Kash Patel requested a status update on the case, two of the people said."
"It’s unclear what reasons FBI and Justice Department officials gave for shutting down the investigation. But a Trump Justice Department appointee called the case a 'deep state' probe in early 2025 and no further investigative steps were taken, the sources say."
Comment: "Several FBI and Justice officials believed that they had a strong criminal case against Homan for conspiracy to commit bribery based on recording him accepting cash and his apparent promise to assist with contracts, according to four people familiar with the probe. Homan could have been charged with a crime then, legal experts say, but his case was unusual: He was not a public official, and Trump was not president at the time he accepted money in the FBI’s undercover sting, so his actions didn’t clearly fit under a standard bribery charge."
"Top officials privately debated the possible charges given Homan’s status at the time, people familiar with the case said. But several concluded it would be better for the investigation to continue to monitor his actions once he was back in public office. According to a document reviewed by MSNBC, Justice officials were eyeing four potential criminal charges in his case: conspiracy, bribery and two kinds of fraud."
"MSNBC asked legal experts about a hypothetical situation similar to the Homan probe. They said a person who promises to influence federal contracts when they become a public official can’t be charged under the federal bribery statutes until they are named or appointed to such a post. If the person did get the administration job and then reaffirmed his promise or communicated in some way about his plan to deliver on his agreement, investigators could make a strong bribery case."
"It is still a crime, however, for anyone to seek money to improperly influence federal contracts, the legal experts said, whether they are a public official or not, and whether they ever delivered on their promise or not. People in this category could be charged with conspiracy or fraud, they say."
Comment: "Several FBI and Justice Department officials believed Homan’s acceptance of the cash provided strong evidence that they should continue to pursue after Homan took public office. The Public Integrity Section, a squad of seasoned public corruption prosecutors typically assigned to sensitive cases involving elected and other high-profile figures, agreed to join the case in late November 2024, according to documents reviewed by MSNBC."
Comment: Please read the linked article to better understand the legal nuances of Homan's actions and to learn how Trump administration officials killed the investigation of Homan.
Video: *NEW DETAILS LEAKED* ABOUT UFC WHITE HOUSE CARD | Dana White - September 19, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENx__Y9AQGc
Axios: Trump signs "Gold Card" order, with lower $1 million fee for residency
https://www.axios.com/2025/09/19/trump-gold-card-platinum-card
Comment: Please tell us that the U.S. government is not going to issue a sickening card like that shown in the sample, with Trump's picture and signature on it.
Comment: "President Trump on Friday signed an executive order establishing his long-touted 'Gold Card' program to sell U.S. residency — but with a lower price than first touted, and a new tax-advantaged 'Platinum Card' option added."
Comment: "Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick claimed the new program would raise more than $100 billion for the Treasury."
"But it's unclear if existing law allows visas to be sold in this way — and it's a substantially higher price than similar 'golden visa' programs that have met with limited success elsewhere.
Comment: What is America's reputation worth? Will $100 billion (if ever realized) cover the cost of America's reputation.
Comment: No more "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free." Lady Liberty is weeping today.
Military leaders consider recruiting campaign centered on Charley Kirk
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna231971
Comment: "Possible slogans discussed include 'Charlie has awakened a generation of warriors.' There is talk of using Turning Point USA chapters as recruitment centers."
Comment: Sounds like Pete Hegseth and company are recruiting for Trump's personal palace guard or for a Christian Nationalist militia, rather than for a professional military that swears an oath to the Constitution of the United States. Will such a force defend all Americans or just those deemed worthy by MAGA. Given Kirk's past statements about blacks and women, do you think these groups will flock to Turning Point USA recruitment centers? Perhaps Trump and Segseth would prefer an all white, male only military.
Comment: I'm sorry that Charlie Kirk got shot. He didn't deserved to be murdered. However, he also doesn't deserve to be turned into a MAGA martyr for right-wing political purposes.
NPR: A congressman called Charlie Kirk Jesus's '13th disciple.' Other Christians disagree
Comment: "Charlie Kirk's evangelical followers frame him as a martyr for free speech. But they are facing fierce counter-arguments from other Christians, particularly African-Americans."
Comment: "This Sunday, President Trump and other political leaders will gather in Arizona to memorialize the conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Kirk, who was assassinated earlier this month in Utah, was an evangelical Christian. He was not a pastor, but since his death, his allies have framed him as an important religious leader. But Kirk has also been criticized by some Christians, particularly African American Christians, about his views on race and social justice issues."
Comment: "Yeah, several have, especially Black Protestant leaders. Reverend Bernice King, for instance, criticized comparisons of Kirk to her father, Martin Luther King Jr. It's worth noting that Kirk once called King, quote, 'a bad guy,' and he referred to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as a mistake that had been turned into, quote, 'an antiwhite weapon.' And Kirk saw the veneration of King as part of an improper fixation on race in American society. But perhaps the most widely seen criticism of Kirk came from a sermon preached over the weekend by Reverend Howard-John Wesley, pastor of Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria, Virginia. He said this.
"HOWARD-JOHN WESLEY: Tell me I ought to have compassion for the death of a man who had no respect for my own life. I can abhor the violence that took your life, but I don't have to celebrate how you chose to live."
Video: AOC: 'We should be clear about who Charlie Kirk was' - September 19, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQjIyIIwoss
Comment: This is the man that Republicans are glorifying.
Time Magazine: FCC Chair Looks to Tighten the Screw on ‘The View’
https://time.com/7318743/abc-kimmel-the-view-brendan-carr-fcc-equal-time-rule/immel did Monday night and is it even worse
Comment: Do you think that censoring Jimmy Kimmel has just whetted MAGA's appetite?
Video: Trump pushes administration to go after critics, political rivals - September 19, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKDloIYqgpU
Video: Trump floats pulling TV licenses over negative coverage of him - September 18, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzMtacIAYQQ
Trump says TV networks 'against' him should 'maybe' lose licence after Kimmel suspension - BBC News
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cr4qe0rz2zvo
Comment: How's that for intimidation and extortion of the media in an attempt to stifle free speech and control what is said/reported. Apparently, Trump can't take a joke.
White House plans to take action targeting left-wing groups as early as this month
Comment: "The administration is putting together plans to take action against left-wing groups that President Donald Trump and his allies accuse of fomenting political violence, according to three people familiar with discussions about the federal response to the Sept. 10 assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in Utah. One of the sources said the moves could come as early as the end of the month."
Comment: "The actions, which are still being formulated, are expected to include investigations into the tax-exempt status of certain liberal organizations, the same source said. They were first reported by The Wall Street Journal."
" 'The White House is exploring a wide variety of options to address left-wing political violence and the network of organizations that fuel and fund it,' an administration official said. 'The emphasis and focus are on criminal actions,' the official added, 'not political speech'.”
"Trump said on 'Fox & Friends' last week that he wanted to launch a racketeering probe of groups funded by billionaire George Soros, the 95-year-old New York-based financier. Trump later told NBC News that Soros 'should be put in jail'."
Comment: Exploiting a tragic murder to initiate a campaign of retribution and intimidation directed toward one's political opponents?
Video: Why was Jimmy Kimmel's show pulled? Jake Tapper says, 'follow the money' - September 17, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9nmt9nL5Hk
Video: ABC pulls Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show indefinitely following Charlie Kirk comments - September 17, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BP0qIlLGoJw
CNN: ABC yanks Jimmy Kimmel’s show ‘indefinitely’ after threat from Trump’s FCC chair
https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/17/media/jimmy-kimmel-charlie-kirk-trump-fcc-brendan-carr
NPR: U.S. Education Dept. unites conservative groups to create 'patriotic' civics content
Comment: "The U.S. Department of Education announced a partnership Wednesday with more than 40 conservative organizations to create programming around civics aimed at the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States."
"This coalition 'will take bold steps to educate, inspire, and mobilize youth toward active and informed citizenship,' U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a press release."
"Called the America 250 Civics Education Coalition, the project will be overseen by the Education Department and led by the America First Policy Institute (AFPI), a nonprofit conservative group. It includes Turning Point USA, the Heritage Foundation, Hillsdale College and other conservative state and national organizations."
"The Education Department statement said the initiative 'is dedicated to renewing patriotism, strengthening civic knowledge, and advancing a shared understanding of America's founding principles in schools across the nation.' "
Comment: Most of us would like to see the teaching of real civic education improved in schools. However, we don't want to see MAGA indoctrination of our children. Note that the Heritage Foundation is one of the leaders in this initiative. These are the folks that gave us Project 2025. Turning Point USA, the Charlie Kirk organization, is another major contributor to this initiative. The project is overseen by Education Dept. head Linda McMahon, whose primary prior management experience was staging phony wrestling matches for entertainment.
Trump's DOJ sues Maine and Oregon over states' voter data : NPR
https://www.npr.org/2025/09/17/nx-s1-5544354/voter-data-lawsuit-oregon-maine
Comment: "The Department of Justice is escalating its demands for sensitive elections data from voting officials, announcing lawsuits against two Democratic-controlled states who have thus far rebuffed the department's requests."
"The DOJ is suing Oregon and Maine and those states' secretaries of state in an effort to gain access to each state's voter registration list, including personal information such as partial Social Security numbers."
"The department has asked for sensitive voting data from numerous states; Oregon and Maine are the first to be sued."
" 'If the President wants to use the DOJ to go after his political opponents and undermine our elections, I look forward to seeing them in court,' Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read, a Democrat, said in a statement. 'I stand by my oath to the people of Oregon, and I will protect their rights and privacy.' "
"In the lawsuits, the Justice Department says it hasn't been given complete answers or enough supporting evidence in the form of raw data to determine if the states are following federal law when it comes to maintaining accurate registration lists."
Video: Trump Asked To Clarify Admin.'s 'Hate Speech' Stance After AG Pam Bondi's Remarks - September 16, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5L8qPibaa_0
Comment: Watch, and ask yourself if you've heard any other President express such sentiments in public.
Election deniers now hold posts on local US election boards, raising concerns for midterms | US politics | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/15/election-deniers-midterms-board-offices
Comment: "A number of people who deny the legitimacy of the 2020 election, and often of other elections in which Republicans have not been victorious, have been elevated to positions of power since Donald Trump’s re-election, raising concerns about the potential for partisan meddling in critical parts of the country such as Arizona and Georgia."
"State by state, activists aligned with the 'election integrity' movement have found their way on to local elections boards and elections offices, raising red flags for Democrats who have already started efforts to have them removed."
Comment: "Protect Democracy, an advocacy organization, describes a strategy of election subversion in three parts: deceive, disrupt and deny."
"Disinformation from influencers suggests that voter fraud or noncitizen voting occurs often enough to swing an election. Then these influencers call on their supporters to disrupt election administration and voting process and introduce chaos into the system. Finally, they attempt to interfere or halt the certification process and 'declare the true result untrue, unknown, or unknowable', Protect Democracy’s advocates wrote."
"The object is to allow the loser to claim victory regardless of the results, forcing a court to either choose a winner or order a new election, delegitimizing a fair vote."
Conservative evangelical church leaders are calling Charlie Kirk a martyr after his killing | CNN
https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/15/us/conservative-evangelical-leaders-charlie-kirk
Comment: Before anyone declares Charlie Kirk a religious martyr, they should read some of his incendiary comments (discussed in the article of September 11th - below) and ask if those sentiments are consistent with the teachings of Jesus Christ. Kirk should not have been murdered, but here's been no moral role model.
'We will do it in Charlie's name': Stephen Miller vows vengeance for Kirk's murder
"The White House has ramped up its vow for vengeance in the wake of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination, with deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller promising to bring the resources of the federal government to bear against what he described as 'terrorist networks'.”
"Vice President JD Vance, meanwhile, argued that those identifying as liberals were largely to blame for political violence and endorsed efforts to shame and make job trouble for those publicly cheering Kirk’s death."
"Their comments came Monday during an episode of Kirk’s namesake podcast, which Vance hosted from his ceremonial office at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building."
" 'It is a vast domestic terror movement,' said Miller, speaking of left-wing political organizations."
" 'With God as my witness, we are going to use every resource we have at the Department of Justice, Homeland Security and throughout this government to identify, disrupt, dismantle and destroy these networks and make America safe again for the American people,' he added. 'It will happen, and we will do it in Charlie’s name.' ”
Comment: Another outrageous claim from a Trump administration official without any basis in fact, designed to scare and intimidate citizens from criticizing MAGA and the Trump administration. Threats of vengeance, arrest, and "job trouble" against so called leftist "terrorist networks" are an abuse of power and should constitute an impeachable offense. There is no evidence that the alledged (and probable) shooter was part of a terrorist network. He likely acted alone in response to controversial statements, made by Charlie Kirk, that he personally took offense to. Kirk's prior statements, no matter how controversial or distasteful, do not justify his murder. On the other hand, distasteful statements made by others don't warrant vengeance, arrest, and "job trouble," especially from government officials. For the most part, "left-wing political organizations" decry violence (against those on the left and right) as a means to affect political change.
Attorney General Pam Bondi claims 'left-wing radicals' killed Charlie Kirk
https://abcnews.go.com/US/attorney-general-pam-bondi-claims-left-wing-radicals/story?id=125604411
Comment: " 'Left-wing radicals' killed conservative activist Charlie Kirk, and 'they will be held accountable,' Attorney General Pam Bondi claimed to ABC News in an interview on Monday."
" 'Who killed Charlie? Left-wing radicals, and they will be held accountable,' Bondi told ABC News Chief Justice Correspondent Pierre Thomas. 'So will anyone in this country who commits a violent crime against anyone. And the death penalty, thanks to Donald Trump, is on the table again.' "
"The attorney general, however, did not offer a motive as to why the alleged suspect, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, killed Kirk last Wednesday while he was speaking at an event on a university campus in Utah."
"Pressed on whether Robinson acted alone, she said it is an ongoing investigation."
Comment: Based on available public information, it appears that that the shooter acted alone and was not part of any "left-wing radical" group that had culpability for the shooting. However, that did not stop Pam Bondi from acting in an unprofessional manner by spouting inflammatory political diatribe and threats. If she has additional, non-public, information (unlikely) suggesting some sort of conspiracy, she should take her own advice and be quiet until a proper investigation takes place. That is what a competent Attorney General would do.
Axios: President Trump blasts "ridiculous ideas" like golf ball rollback
https://www.axios.com/2025/09/15/trump-golf-nfl-pga
Comment: Given all our problems, it's good that Trump has time to worry about the really important things! [sarcasm added]
One of voters’ most powerful tools is under consistent attack from state legislatures
Comment: "In 2025, state legislators have introduced 148 bills designed to curb direct democracy. At the same time that Congress and the Supreme Court are abdicating their powers to the president, voters’ ability to pass laws via ballot measures is being stripped out from under our noses in state capitols across the country."
"Citizen-led ballot measures are voters’ most powerful tool for making change when politicians fail them. As our representative democracy becomes increasingly dysfunctional, ballot measures are more important than ever — and it’s no surprise that politicians intent on consolidating power find direct democracy threatening. But if we shine a light on this power grab and hold our politicians to account, we can still preserve democracy in its purest form."
Comment: "The 148 bills my organization counted have been filed across 15 states, and each of them, in one way or another, was drafted to break the mechanisms by which voters initiate ballot measures. The 148 bills represent a 95% increase in anti-democratic legislation by state lawmakers since 2023. Put simply, politicians’ attempts to weaken direct democracy have nearly doubled. This assault on ballot measures has no precedent. From 2000 to 2023, there was an average of 16 such bills a year. An increase to 148 isn’t a trickle. It’s a deluge."
The Guardian: Guided by angels, pursued by chemtrails: the weird world of Florida health chief’s influential wife
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/13/joseph-ladapo-wife-brianna
Comment: "The wife of Florida surgeon general Dr Joseph Ladapo, a leading vaccine skeptic, believes that angels have spoken to her and that 'dark forces' are targeting her family with chemtrails, and has claimed her husband won’t work with anyone she hasn’t vetted."
"In published works and interviews reviewed by the Guardian, Brianna Ladapo – who edited her husband’s USA Today op-ed from March 2020 against Covid-19 shutdowns and appears alongside him at conferences – claims to have regularly received visions that come true and believes her life has been saved 'multiple times' by angels."
Joseph Ladapo, a longtime vaccine skeptic who was handpicked by Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis, has faced accusations by public health advocates of peddling 'scientific nonsense'. Ladapo has defended his stances on vaccines and Covid guidance, stating in 2023 in response to allegations he falsified a Covid report: 'Between my scientific experience and training, and the fact that I am only comfortable saying the truth and speaking the truth, I felt completely fine with that announcement.' ”
"He recently ended vaccine mandates for children in Florida against preventable diseases, including measles, mumps, chickenpox, polio and hepatitis, comparing mandates to 'slavery' and claimed the move would receive the blessing 'of God'. Florida is the first state in the US to do so."
Comment: Is Florida man DeSantis promoting voodoo these days? [Sarcasm added]
Video: Missouri Legislature passes new Republican-drawn congressional map - September 12, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7LMuJNz0EI
Missouri lawmakers give final approval to map targeting Democratic House seat | CNN Politics
https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/12/politics/missouri-redistricting-us-house-republicans
Bomb threats target Black Democratic leaders, HBCUs
https://www.axios.com/2025/09/12/bomb-threats-target-black-democratic-leaders
Comment: "Black Democratic politicians have been receiving both 'credible' and 'non-credible' bomb threats in the past few days, as have a slew of historically Black colleges and universities."
"Bomb threats are rising alongside bipartisan calls to tone down accusatory rhetoric after several recent acts of political violence."
"The threats targeted four high-profile Black Democrats: Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II, Maryland House Speaker Adrienne Jones, and Oregon state Senate leaders James Manning Jr. and Kayse Jama."
Comment: While these threats are not likely coming from GOP politicians, they are likely coming from the MAGA Republican base. Donald Trump has called for beating "the hell out" of "radical left lunatics." Trump's fringe MAGA supporters may take this as a suggestion to attack black Democratic politicians or university administrators.
Charlie Kirk once said prominent Black women didn't have 'brain processing power' to be taken seriously
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/charlie-kirk-black-women/
Comment: "He was talking specifically about Michelle Obama, Joy Reid, Sheila Jackson Lee and Ketanji Brown Jackson."
Comment: Fact Check - True statement. See other Kirk statements in article below.
Charlie Kirk in his own words: ‘prowling Blacks’ and ‘the great replacement strategy’
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/11/charlie-kirk-quotes-beliefs
Comment: "Charlie Kirk, the far-right commentator and ally of Donald Trump, was killed on Wednesday doing what he was known for throughout his career – making incendiary and often racist and sexist comments to large audiences."
"If it was current and controversial in US politics, chances are that Kirk was talking about it. On his podcasts, and on the podcasts of friends and adversaries, and especially on college campuses, where he would go to debate students, Kirk spent much of his adult life defending and articulating a worldview aligned with Trump and the Maga movement. Accountable to no one but his audience, he did not shy away in his rhetoric from bigotry, intolerance, exclusion and stereotyping."
"Here’s Kirk, in his own words. Many of his comments were documented by Media Matters for America, a progressive non-profit that tracks conservative media."
"On race
If I see a Black pilot, I’m going to be like, boy, I hope he’s qualified.
– The Charlie Kirk Show, 23 January 2024
If you’re a WNBA, pot-smoking, Black lesbian, do you get treated better than a United States marine?
– The Charlie Kirk Show, 8 December 2022
Happening all the time in urban America, prowling Blacks go around for fun to go target white people, that’s a fact. It’s happening more and more.
– The Charlie Kirk Show, 19 May 2023
If I’m dealing with somebody in customer service who’s a moronic Black woman, I wonder is she there because of her excellence, or is she there because of affirmative action?
– The Charlie Kirk Show, 3 January 2024
If we would have said that Joy Reid and Michelle Obama and Sheila Jackson Lee and Ketanji Brown Jackson were affirmative action picks, we would have been called racists. Now they’re coming out and they’re saying it for us … You do not have the brain processing power to otherwise be taken really seriously. You had to go steal a white person’s slot to go be taken somewhat seriously.
– The Charlie Kirk Show, 13 July 2023"
Comment: The linked article provides similar quotes on the following topics: 'On debate'; 'On gender, feminism and reproductive rights'; 'On gun violence'; 'On immigration'; 'On Islam'; 'On religion.'
Comment: Please read Kirk's past statements in the linked article, and decide if you think he should be honored and heralded by President Trump and the Republican members of Congress. No one should be shot, but should he be given the Presidential Medal of freedom?. Should the US flag be lowered to half staff for a man making public statements like those listed in the article?
Video: Top Trump officials almost come to blows at exclusive MAGA club, source says - September 8, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eN0Ehd-gYQ
Comment: Instead of fighting each other, why don't they start fighting for the American people?
Politico: ‘I’m Gonna Punch You in Your F--king Face’: Scott Bessent Threatens an Administration Rival
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2025/09/08/scott-bessent-bill-pulte-blowup-00549956
Comment: Are these the words you want to hear out of the mouth of your Treasury Secretary?
Comment: "The confrontation — which one Trump insider called 'bonkers' and another called 'unhinged' — underscores the surprising tensions between top Trump officials tasked with working on the nation’s most sensitive economic matters."
Comment: "But behind the scenes, the two men have clashed in something of a turf war over the mortgage giants as well as other economic matters, four Trump insiders told me. Bessent believes, some of the people familiar with their conflict say, that Pulte has inserted himself into matters the secretary views as his jurisdiction. Pulte, they add, has bristled at the threat of being bigfooted."
Video: Trump targets Chicago in 'Apocalypse Now'-inspired post - September 7, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k32aAh3E5E0
AP News: Trump threatens Chicago with apocalyptic force and Pritzker calls him a ‘wannabe dictator’
Comment: "President Donald Trump on Saturday amplified his promises to send National Guard troops and immigration agents to Chicago by posting a parody image from 'Apocalypse Now' featuring a ball of flames as helicopters zoom over the nation’s third-largest city."
" ' 'I love the smell of deportations in the morning,' ' Trump wrote on his social media site. 'Chicago about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR.' ”
"The president offered no details beyond the label 'Chipocalypse Now,' a play on the title of Francis Ford Coppola’s dystopian 1979 film set in the Vietnam war, in which a character says: 'I love the smell of napalm in the morning.' ”
Comment: "The illustration in Trump’s post shows him against a backdrop of the Chicago skyline, wearing a hat matching that of the movie’s war-loving and amoral Lt. Col. Kilgore, played by Robert Duvall."
Comment: If anyone else made such comments, one could ignore them as the childish antics of an unfunny buffoon. However, the President of the United States, if unchecked, actually has the power and possibly the inclination to make his sick fantasy real.
Comment: "The president 'is threatening to go to war with an American city,' Pritzker wrote on X over an image of Trump’s post. 'This is not a joke. This is not normal.' ”
"He added: 'Donald Trump isn’t a strongman, he’s a scared man. Illinois won’t be intimidated by a wannabe dictator.' ”
Comment: Under normal circumstances, Pritzker's statements would sound alarmist and not credible. However, Pritzker is correct and he's right to sound the alarm. These are not normal circumstances. If you have any doubt, look at the following comments from Trump. They statements were not spoken in a joking manner. They were not a joke from Trump.
Comment: "Trump has suggested that he has nearly limitless powers when it comes to deploying the National Guard. At times he’s even touched on questions about his being a dictator."
" 'Most people are saying, ‘If you call him a dictator, if he stops crime, he can be whatever he wants’ — I am not a dictator, by the way,' Trump said last month. He added, 'Not that I don’t have — I would — the right to do anything I want to do.' ”
" 'I’m the president of the United States,' Trump said then. 'If I think our country is in danger — and it is in danger in these cities — I can do it.' ”
CNN: Navy restores former White House physician Rep. Ronny Jackson’s rank, overturning demotion following scathing investigation
https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/05/politics/ronny-jackson-navy-rank
Comment: Dr. Feelgood gets his rank restored after earlier demotion?
Video: Trump’s pick to lead BLS ran Twitter account full of bigoted attacks - September 5, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0KmltPWWro
Comment: BLS is Bureau of Labor Statistics which compiles and publishes important U.S. economic data
CNN: Trump to sign executive order renaming Pentagon the Department of War
https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/04/politics/department-of-war-trump-executive-order
Politico: Prior authorization panic
https://www.politico.com/newsletters/future-pulse/2025/09/04/prior-authorization-panic-00542932
Comment: "Democrats are raising the alarm about a federal pilot program that will use artificial intelligence to authorize whether Medicare patients can get certain kinds of treatment."
" 'I’m concerned that this AI model will result in denials of lifesaving care and incentivize companies to restrict care,' House Energy and Commerce Committee ranking member Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) said Wednesday at a subcommittee hearing on the use of AI in health care."
"The pilot, set to start in January 2026, will allow the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to work with private AI companies to improve and expedite prior authorization in Arizona, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas and Washington for services that have been 'vulnerable' to fraud, waste and abuse in the past. Prior authorization will be required for certain procedures, such as skin and tissue substitutions, electrical nerve stimulator implants and knee arthroscopy for osteoarthritis."
Comment: If, in the past, you were concerned about an HMO bureaucrat overriding a doctor's decision regarding your healthcare, what do you think about an AI computer program making these decisions instead? What's up, Dr. Oz?
Axios: OMB director says Government Accountability Office "shouldn't exist"
https://www.axios.com/2025/09/03/russell-vought-government-accountability-office
Comment: "Russell Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, said Wednesday that he doesn't believe the Government Accountability Office (GAO) should exist."
"Why it matters: The GAO has released several reports this year that said the Trump administration is in violation of federal law — including at least one one that singled Vought out."
Comment: "Republican lawmakers and the White House have targeted the GAO after it opened investigations into the spending of congressionally approved funds, the New York Times reported."
Comment: " 'GAO provides Congress, the heads of executive agencies, and the public with timely, fact-based, non-partisan information that can be used to improve government and save taxpayers billions of dollars,' the watchdog's website said."
Comment: "Gene Dodaro has been in the position since December 2010, and the one-time term is limited to 15 years. President Trump has not said who he will appoint to replace Dodaro when his term expires."
" 'Clearly Russell Vought does not value transparency and accountability,' Dodaro said in a Wednesday statement."
"'GAO's mission is to support Congress in carrying out its constitutional responsibilities. During my tenure as Comptroller General alone, GAO has saved taxpayers over $1.2 trillion and resulted in tens of thousands of improvements to how federal programs work.' "
Comment: "Vought's comments are latest example of the Trump administration criticizing a section of the government that is meant to function without partisanship."
Comment: Accountability, transparency, watchdogs, who needs them? [sarcasm added]
Video: Laura Loomer is basically a Trump Cabinet official at this point. - September 3, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cB76b1RytAk
Florida surgeon general says state is moving to 'end all vaccine mandates'
Comment: In the near future, when Alabamians head to the beach, they can bring back a communicable disease, like the measles or Covid, in addition to a tan.
The Guardian: Ice obtains access to Israeli-made spyware that can hack phones and encrypted apps
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/02/trump-immigration-ice-israeli-spyware
Comment: "US immigration agents will have access to one of the world’s most sophisticated hacking tools after a decision by the Trump administration to move ahead with a contract with Paragon Solutions, a company founded in Israel which makes spyware that can be used to hack into any mobile phone – including encrypted applications."
Comment: "It means that one of the most powerful stealth cyber-weapons ever created – which was produced outside the US – is now in the hands of an agency that has repeatedly been accused by civil and human rights groups of violating people’s due process rights."
Comment: "When it is successfully deployed against a target, the hacking software – called Graphite – can hack into any phone. By essentially taking control of the mobile phone, the user – in this case, Ice – can not only track an individual’s whereabouts, read their messages, look at their photographs, but also open and read information held on encrypted applications, like WhatsApp or Signal. Spyware like Graphite can also be used as a listening device, through the manipulation of the phone’s recorder."
Comment: Now ICE can easily violate the 4th Amendment to the Constitution (unreasonable searches and seizures) in order to help violate the rest of one's rights. Do you think ICE will limit this tool's use only against non-citizens, or will it also be used against citizens who may associate with or interact with ICE targets?
Mother Jones: Vinay Prasad, who is making it harder to get the Covid vax, barely comes into the office.
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/09/vinay-prasad-covid-work-from-home/
Comment: "The FDA Director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research has also criticized work-from-home policies."
Comment: "Vinay Prasad, the FDA Director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, has been critical of the Covid vaccine, to put it lightly. Not only that, he has a history of minimizing mask wearing, an effective tool in limiting the spread of infectious diseases. He also compared Covid public health measures to Nazi Germany."
Comment: "Since coming back to the FDA, Prasad has also received special treatment. As the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday:"
"It isn’t clear, though, how much time he’ll spend at the FDA’s White Oak, Maryland, headquarters. When he was ousted at the end of July, he said he didn’t want to be a distraction and that the commute to the FDA from his home in California had been too much."
"Prasad had been spending roughly three days out of every two weeks at the Maryland headquarters, documents reviewed by the Journal indicate, despite the administration’s efforts to return federal workers to the office. The agency had been footing the bill for his cross-country commute, the documents show. Prasad didn’t respond to requests for comment, and HHS declined to comment on his commute."
Trump's flag burning order is unconstitutional. That's not the problem. | Opinion
Comment: "The administration really wanted us to believe that Trump was making flag burning illegal, but the president's order doesn't actually do that."
Comment: "On Aug. 25, President Donald rump announced an executive order aimed at 'Prosecuting Burning of the American Flag'.”
"The administration really wanted us to believe that Trump was making flag burning illegal, but Trump's order doesn’t actually do that. However, it remains problematic because of what it says about our current state of politics."
"I despise the burning of the American flag, but that doesn’t mean I think it ought to be illegal. I do think it is a form of protected protest speech, as the Supreme Court has affirmed in the past."
"Americans should still worry that Trump is eager to act like he is going against the courts, and should be concerned that nobody in the GOP seems willing to check him on that fact."
Comment: "Trump's order is titled 'Prosecuting Burning of the American Flag.' That would be unconstitutional if that's what the order actually did. Instead, the order directs the attorney general to 'prosecute those who incite violence or otherwise violate our laws while desecrating this symbol of our country'.”
Comment: "For one example, a man has already been arrested for burning a flag, under the reasoning that it is illegal to burn anything in a public park. Obviously, the administration just wants to arrest people burning flags and will look for accompanying laws to do it."
"Even more worrying is the order's insistence that 'the Court has never held that American Flag desecration conducted in a manner that is likely to incite imminent lawless action or that is an action amounting to 'fighting words' is constitutionally protected.' Once again, Trump is attaching the burning of a flag to another crime: incitement. But in this case, the incitement qualification becomes vague."
Comment: Another attempt to create a loophole to circumvent the Constitution of the United States and its free speech provisions?
Trump Orders New Federal Buildings to Be Built in Ancient Greek and Roman Style - GreekReporter.com
https://greekreporter.com/2025/08/30/trump-orders-ancient-greek-roman-style-federal-buildings/
Comment: "US President Donald Trump ordered all new federal buildings to be built in ancient Greek and Roman architecture style 'to visually connect our contemporary Republic with the antecedents of democracy'.
Comment: Does this order apply only to Washington D.C. or will local post offices and federal courthouses around the country have to be designed with Greco-Roman architecture? Who is going to pay for this extravagance and lack of functionality? Despite his stated motivation, is his real motivation the desire to replicate the grandeur of Imperial Rome and to reinforce his image as a modern day Caesar?
Comment: Or is Trump just NUTS!
Axios: Bonfire of expertise: Trump drives scientists, spies and soldiers out of government
https://www.axios.com/2025/08/30/trump-government-brain-drain-cdc-pentagon-intel
Comment: "Centuries' worth of experience walked out of key government agencies this summer, including high-level departures from the CDC, Pentagon and intelligence community just in the past week."
"Why it matters: President Trump and his allies believe the 'Deep State,' scientific establishment and federal bureaucracy were overdue for a purge. They're ushering in a government in which the officials maintaining nuclear weapons, monitoring medical trials or guarding state secrets have shorter resumes and smaller staffs — likely for many years to come."
Scoop: White House believes Europe secretly undoing Ukraine war's end
https://www.axios.com/2025/08/30/trump-accuse-european-leaders-prolong-ukraine-war
Comment: "Two weeks after the summit between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, there has been little clear progress toward ending the war. Frustrated Trump aides contend the blame should fall on European allies, not on Trump or even Russian President Vladimir Putin."
Comment: When all else fails, blame someone else, not yourself nor your friend (Putin).
Axios: Trump says tariff ruling could "literally destroy the United States"
https://www.axios.com/2025/08/29/trump-tariff-ruling
Comment: Destroy the United States? Really? The country was not destroyed before the tariffs and will not be destroyed if they are eliminated. If Trump is worried about the lost tariff revenue, he can start by taxing his billionaire buddies, instead of taxing middle class consumers with, what are effectively, national sales taxes.
ABC News: Here's a list of the individuals, including Lisa Cook, targeted so far by the Trump administration
Comment: The sheer number of folks targeted for vengeance and extortion make the administration's actions truly outrageous.
CNN: Fact check: 10 debunked lies Donald Trump has repeated in the last week alone
https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/29/politics/fact-check-trump-ukraine-inflation
Trump touts ‘comprehensive’ crime bill in Congress that doesn’t appear to exist
Comment: "After the president announced work on a new crime bill, GOP lawmakers reportedly couldn’t help but 'scratch their heads” in response.' "
Comment: "Those waiting for non-existent legislation to address a non-existent crime crisis probably shouldn’t expect anything substantive anytime soon."
Comment: This is not the first time Trump has made up imaginary congressional legislation. In 2018, he claimed that he and congressional Republicans were working on a tax cut for the middle class that would be ready just before the 2018 elections. Not true. Congress wasn't even in session to work on such a bill. Trump simply made it up, in an attempt to help Republican congressional campaigns. Please read the linked article for more background.
PBS: Florida taxpayers may lose $218M on ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ as judge orders shutdown
Comment: In his rush to serve Donald Trump and MAGA, DeSantis may have cost his Florida constituents a lot of taxpayer dollars.
Politico: Trump calls for George Soros and son to face federal charges
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/27/trump-george-soros-investigation-threat-00530314
Comment: "The president has ramped up legal threats against his political opponents in recent weeks."
Comment: " 'George Soros, and his wonderful Radical Left son, should be charged with RICO because of their support of Violent Protests, and much more, all throughout the United States of America,' Trump wrote on Truth Social."
"Soros has drawn significant attacks from MAGA Republicans for his long history of financial support for Democrats and liberal causes. 'Trump would like to establish a mafia state,' he said during the president's first term."
"Trump has long called for prosecution of his political enemies, dating back to his 2016 rival Hillary Clinton. But throughout his second term, prominent critics of the president have been either investigated or charged by the federal government — from Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) to John Bolton."
Video: 'IN THE TOILET': New polls show why Trump is desperate to rig midterm elections - August 26, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTPS0Ze-ZH4
Comment: "Trump Appoints Election Denier To Election Integrity Role"
yahoo.com: ‘Big Balls’ in Biggest Ever Social Security Leak: Whistleblower
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/big-balls-biggest-ever-social-172516854.html
Comment: "A Social Security whistleblower says hundreds of millions of Americans are at risk after their personal data was recklessly uploaded to a vulnerable cloud server, which one of the most notorious DOGE operatives, 'Big Balls,' could access."
"Charles Borges, the Social Security Administration’s chief data officer, said DOGE members uploaded a database containing records of all Social Security numbers issued by the federal government, full names, addresses, birth dates and other details that could be used to steal their identities, according to the complaint obtained by the New York Times."
"The move 'potentially violated multiple federal statutes' protecting sensitive government data, Borges wrote, and could result in a 'catastrophic impact' for Social Security beneficiaries and programs if compromised."
“ 'Should bad actors gain access to this cloud environment,' Borges warned in the complaint, 'Americans may be susceptible to widespread identity theft, may lose vital health care and food benefits, and the government may be responsible for reissuing every American a new Social Security number at great cost.' ”
"DOGE members copied the data to an internal server that only they could access, a setup which Borges says created 'enormous vulnerabilities' without any verified audits or oversight mechanisms."
Comment: "Coristine, who joined the agency after resigning from Musk’s team, became an iconic figure in Musk’s chaotic cost-cutting crusade after going by 'Big Balls' on social media platforms, including LinkedIn."
"The 19-year-old [emphasis added] then became a MAGA martyr, inspiring Trump’s hostile D.C. takeover after he was allegedly assaulted by a boy and a girl, both 15, during a carjacking on Aug. 3."
Comment: Yes, this sounds like the kind of teenager we should trust with all our personal data [sarcasm added].
Comment: Follow up:
The Daily Beast: Social Security Whistleblower Pushed Out Amid DOGE Firestorm - August 30, 2025
NPR: Trump again calls for FCC to revoke ABC and NBC licenses
https://www.npr.org/2025/08/25/nx-s1-5515480/fcc-abc-nbc-reviews
Comment: "The nation's chief broadcast regulator is, once more, at the center of President Trump's culture war after the president launched a social media barrage Sunday night against ABC and NBC."
"While the Federal Communications Commission has historically operated with a degree of independence from U.S. presidents, its new chairman, Brendan Carr, has muscularly followed Trump's lead. "
"Carr has launched formal reviews of nearly all the major broadcast networks — ABC, CBS, NBC, NPR and PBS. He has also initiated investigations into the diversity, equity and inclusion actions of the corporate parents of ABC and NBC — the Walt Disney Co. and Comcast, respectively. "
"One network has so far escaped his scrutiny: Fox, which is owned by Trump political ally Rupert Murdoch."
Comment: Intimidation and extortion from the Trump administration?
Video: Amid push to add Trump to Mount Rushmore, experts say it 'can’t happen' - August 25, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UMJgbofKGo
Comment: Does the groveling to pledge allegiance to Trump know no bounds?
Video: Trump boasts about photo sent to him by Putin - August 23, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkWrN3_LNM8
Comment: Can someone please explain Trump's 'bromance' with Putin? Does he have dementia?
Video: White House Deputy blasts 'stupid white hippies' protesting DC National Guard - August 23, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMwYXXBSUvo
Comment: 'Communists'? 'Hippies'? Is Stephen Miller the reincarnation of Spiro Agnew?
Comment: Given his past statements and actions, do you think Stephen Miller has any concerns about black D.C. residents?
AP News: Defamation case against Fox News highlights role of its hosts in promoting 2020 election falsehoods
Comment: Court papers in a voting technology company’s $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News point to Maria Bartiromo, Lou Dobbs and Jeanine Pirro as leaders in spreading false stories about election fraud in the weeks after Democrat Joe Biden's victory over President Donald Trump in 2020."
"Arguments for summary judgment by Smartmatic were filed in lightly redacted form this week at the New York Supreme Court. It’s like a bad rerun for Fox: Similar revelations about its conduct following the 2020 election came in a lawsuit by another company falsely accused of doctoring votes, Dominion Voting Systems. Fox agreed to pay Dominion $787 million in a 2023 settlement after the judge found it was 'CRYSTAL CLEAR' that none of the claims against the voting system company were true."
"In short: Fox let Trump aides spread conspiracy theories despite knowing they were false because it was what their viewers wanted to hear. Fox was trying to hold on to viewers who were angry at the network for saying Biden had won the election."
Comment: "The focus on Pirro is noteworthy because the former Fox personality now serves in Trump's second administration as U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C."
"Smartmatic, relying on emails and text messages revealed as part of the case, said Pirro was using her position as a Fox host in 2020 to help Trump and persuade him to pardon her ex-husband, Albert Pirro, who was convicted of conspiracy and tax evasion. Trump pardoned him before leaving office in 2021."
"In a text to then-Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel in September 2020, Pirro said, 'I’m the No. 1 watched show on news cable all weekend. I work so hard for the President and the party,' Smartmatic said in court papers."
Axios: Trump lays out his redistricting endgame: A 100-seat Republican majority
https://www.axios.com/2025/08/21/trump-redistricting-republican-100-seats-mail-voting
Comment: "President Trump shared his ultimate voting reform goal in a Wednesday Truth Social post, saying he wants the GOP to pick up 100 congressional seats."
"Why it matters: Trump's unrealistic vision of a Republican supermajority in the House relies on a combination of GOP-led states redistricting out Democrats and ending mail-in balloting nationwide."
Comment: So, a 100 seat pickup, not based on popular public policies, but based instead on gerrymandering and changes to the election process. This should give you an indication of the level of election corruption that Trump and the GOP will engage in to attempt to achieve Trump's fantasy. What will you do, as a citizen, to stop this level of corruption?
Axios: Trump threatens "harsh measures" against Colorado if Tina Peters is not freed from prison
https://www.axios.com/local/denver/2025/08/21/trump-threat-colorado-tina-peters
Comment: "The remark, made Thursday on his Truth Social platform, is the latest attempt by Trump to intervene on behalf of Peters, one of the nation's most prominent 2020 election deniers."
Comment: "Last October, a Colorado judge sentenced Peters to 8 ½ years and six months in jail after a jury found her guilty on seven of 10 counts related to her role in tampering with county voting equipment after the 2020 election."
Comment: "Federal authorities cannot overturn a state court conviction, raising questions about the premise of Trump's threat."
Comment: "The administration could target Colorado by withholding federal funds or pursuing legal action regarding the state's immigration laws."
Comment: Another attempt at intimidation and abuse of power?
Video: ‘It’s nuts’: Lawmaker reacts to Trump referring to himself as a ‘war hero’ - August 20, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuB4P7i6XGg
Comment: Reaction from former GOP congressman and military pilot Adam Kinzinger.
CBS News: Federal judge blocks Texas law requiring Ten Commandments displayed in public school classroom
https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/ten-commandments-texas-abbott-law-blocked-federal-judge/
Comment: The outrage is that this law was passed to begin with. Shouldn't the Ten Commandments be taught in church, rather than public schools?
Video: Trump says the Smithsonian is too focused on ‘how bad slavery was’ - August 20, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcwNF5bVN6I
Comment: Trump wants to rewrite history to support his narrative, at the expense of the truth.
PBS: Oklahoma to require ideology test for teachers from New York and California
Comment: "Oklahoma will require applicants for teacher jobs coming from California and New York to pass an exam that the Republican-dominated state’s top education official says is designed to safeguard against 'radical leftist ideology,' but which opponents decry as a 'MAGA loyalty test.' ”
"Oklahoma will require applicants for teacher jobs coming from California and New York to pass an exam that the Republican-dominated state’s top education official says is designed to safeguard against 'radical leftist ideology,' but which opponents decry as a 'MAGA loyalty test.' ”
" 'As long as I am superintendent, Oklahoma classrooms will be safeguarded from the radical leftist ideology fostered in places like California and New York,' Walters said in a statement."
The Independent: DHS speechwriter linked to hateful social accounts
Comment: "A speechwriter at the Department of Homeland Security has been linked to hateful posts on social media, reportedly claiming that American conservatives are ostracized like the Jews were in Nazi Germany."
"A blog post reportedly authored by Eric Lendrum celebrated the January 6 insurrection and compared the following fallout for conservatives to the Holocaust and slavery, Notus reported.
Comment: "His podcast, The Right Take, is listed in the author’s description on the site. On one episode of the podcast, he said he liked watching videos of scared legislators during the Jan 6 insurrection."
" 'There’s something so gratifying about seeing the images of these members of Congress — especially the Democrats — crouching under their chairs, putting on those stupid, like, bubble masks, those anti-gas bubble masks, and then taking selfies,' a laughing Lendrum said just days after the Capitol riot."
"In another episode, published in October 2022, Lendrum said immigrants put Europe at risk, while also backing the 'great replacement theory.' The far-right theory claims that nonwhite immigrants are damaging the influence of white people."
Comment: The examples listed above are only a part of Lendrum's personal public statements.
Comment: " 'The DHS Office of Public Affairs states that a speechwriter at the department is responsible for preparing 'speeches, talking points, editorials, Congressional testimony, video scripts, web content, and other written content for the Secretary and Deputy Secretary.' The department ranks as the largest federal law enforcement agency."
Comment: This guy is responsible for preparing speeches for Kristi Noem, and helping to speak for DHS?
Inside the fight to stop US from destroying $10M of contraceptives
https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5455267-contraceptives-destruction-lawmakers-activists/
Comment: "The contraceptives have been sitting in a warehouse in Belgium for months after President Trump froze all U.S foreign aid and shuttered USAID earlier this year."
" 'They are not even close to being expired,' said Nabeeha Kazi Hutchins, president and CEO of reproductive health rights group PAI, adding the government 'could redistribute them or could let an entity or a set of entities acquire them, but the administration has opposed that.' ”
"Lawmakers, activists and reproductive health nonprofits alike have decried the move as a waste of taxpayer money that will hurt millions of women and girls in the developing world."
" 'It’s a death sentence that’s written in policy,' Kazi Hutchins said."
"More than 75 percent of the stockpile was earmarked for five countries in Africa: Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Mali and Congo, according to a report from the International Planned Parenthood Federation."
The Daily Beast: Trump Says He’ll Make His Own Crime Stats to Justify Takeover
https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-says-hell-make-his-own-crime-stats-to-justify-takeover/
Comment: "President Donald Trump says data showing crime decreasing in Washington, D.C., is fake and has a novel way to fix it: releasing his own crime statistics."
"After firing the labor statistics chief because he didn’t like her latest jobs report and then demanding changes to the Census, Trump has turned his sights to D.C.’s decreasing crime rate, insisting it has been manipulated."
"Asked if the administration would now release its own crime stats to counter D.C.’s official figures, the president replied, 'Yes.' "
" 'They are giving us phony crime stats, just like they gave other stats in the financial world,' Trump told reporters on Thursday. 'But they’re phony crime stats. Washington, D.C., is at its worst point, and it will soon be at its best point. You’re going to have a crime-free city.' "
Comment: Don't like reality? Just make up your own. Trump does.
The Guardian: Trump reportedly called Norwegian minister ‘out of the blue’ to ask about Nobel prize
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/14/trump-nobel-prize-norway
"Donald Trump cold-called Norway’s finance minister last month to ask about a nomination for the Nobel peace prize, Norwegian press reported on Thursday."
"The Norwegian outlet Dagens Naeringsliv, citing unnamed sources, reported: 'Out of the blue, while finance minister Jens Stoltenberg was walking down the street in Oslo, Donald Trump called … He wanted the Nobel prize – and to discuss tariffs.' ”
"The outlet added that it was not the first time that Trump had raised the question of a Nobel peace prize nomination to Stoltenberg."
Comment: If one assumes that the reporting is accurate, do you think that Trump's blatant narcissism embarrasses himself and Americans in general?
AL.com: Trump says he’ll host awards show after arm twisting: ‘Are you fools asking me?’
Comment: "Donald Trump is going to host an awards show after some rigorous arm twisting, the president claimed Wednesday."
"While announcing the honorees of the 2026 Kennedy Center Honors, the president said he will host the event celebrating country star George Strait, actor Sylvester Stallone, actor and comedian Michael Crawford, singer Gloria Gaynor and rock band KISS."
Comment: "Trump has transformed the Kennedy Center in his image during his second term by becoming chairman, removing the board and installing loyalists."
"The president has also taken a keen interest in renovating the culture center, even hinting at wanting to change the name to the Trump Center."
Comment: Do you think the loyalists had anything to do with Trump being approached as host? Do you think that the board members wanted to keep their jobs?
Video: Trump's Family-Linked Crypto Business Announces $1.5B Digital Coin Deal | TRENDING - August 12, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Q5ndGDCdtw
Common Dreams: 'This Isn't Normal!' Secret Pentagon Plan for Troops to Put Down Local 'Unrest' Nationwide
https://www.commondreams.org/news/pentagon-plan-civil-unrest
Comment: "Internal documents obtained by The Washington Post and reported on Tuesday reveal a secret Pentagon plan by the Trump administration to create a standing force of military personnel that could be rapidly deployed to U.S. cities or communities to quell public protests or any situation President Donald Trump deems 'domestic civil unrest.' "
"The proposal to create what it dubs a 'Domestic Civil Disturbance Quick Reaction Force'—which evidence shows has been under serious consideration by the administration over recent months—would utilize existing statute, including invocation of Title 32, to authorize the deployment of specialized National Guard units anywhere in the country within hours, according to the documents."
"According to the Post: The plan calls for 600 troops to be on standby at all times so they can deploy in as little as one hour, the documents say. They would be split into two groups of 300 and stationed at military bases in Alabama and Arizona, with purview of regions east and west of the Mississippi River, respectively."
Comment: "The leaked documents detailing the plan, which the Post noted 'represents another potential expansion of [Trump’s] willingness to employ the armed forces on American soil,' comes just a day after the president sparked serious concerns (and local protests) by deploying National Guard troops in the city of Washington, D.C. and announcing a federal takeover of the D.C. police force."
"Civil liberties advocates and critics of Trump's growing authoritarianism warn the president is raising 'a trial balloon' to see just how much he can get away with when it comes to deploying U.S. soldiers onto the nation's streets."
Comment: Will one of these units be stationed at Fort Rucker? We note that Fort Rucker in Alabama and Fort Huachuca in Arizona are Army training bases with substantial helicopter resources. According to its website, Fort Huachuca is also the home of the U.S. Army Intelligence Center.
White House orders a review of exhibits at Smithsonian museums ahead of nation’s 250th birthday
https://apnews.com/article/smithsonian-review-250th-anniversary-2e26f9555bb8d51c7c0f92edede1c866
Comment: "The White House is ordering a wide-ranging review of the Smithsonian museums and exhibitions ahead of the country’s 250th birthday with a goal of aligning the institution’s content with President Donald Trump’s interpretation of American history."
Comment: How do you feel about Trump's efforts to rewrite American history?
The Guardian: Ohio law requires buses for private school kids. Public school students have to find their own ride
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/11/ohio-private-charter-school-buses
Comment: "Ohio law means that public school districts such as Dayton’s are responsible for transporting students who attend private and charter schools. When they fail to do so, they risk fines of millions of dollars."
Comment: "A shortage of drivers and buses combined with the threat of fines, means that public school districts in Dayton and around Ohio find themselves relegating their own students to the back of the transportation line."
Pam Bondi fired him for prosecuting January 6 rioters. He’d do it again: ‘it’s about justice’ | US Capitol attack | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/10/mike-gordon-trump-administration-january-6
Comment: "When he showed up to work on 27 June, Mike Gordon was having one of the best weeks of his career."
"Gordon, a federal prosecutor in Tampa, had spent the last month working on a complex case involving allegations that well-known businessman Leo Govoni stole $100m from a fund for children with special needs. That Monday, the US attorney for the middle district of Florida held a press conference announcing an indictment in the case. On Wednesday, Gordon had his semi-annual performance review and received the top rating: outstanding. On Thursday, he appeared on behalf of the government in court and successfully convinced a judge that Govoni should remain in jail until his trial."
"As the end of the day rolled around on Friday 27 June, Gordon was fired."
"He wasn’t given a reason for his dismissal. An office assistant simply knocked on his door while he was preparing a witness for trial, and handed him a letter that told him he was being immediately fired 'Pursuant to Article II of the United States Constitution and the laws of the United States', signed by the US attorney general, Pam Bondi. Gordon was told to turn in his devices, pack up his things and leave. The firing was so abrupt he had no chance to hand over his work to colleagues."
"Even without an official explanation, there was little doubt why he was fired. From 2021 until the end of 2023, Gordon had volunteered for the team prosecuting people involved in the January 6 attack on the US Capitol. During his time working in a unit called the Capitol siege section, Gordon became known as one of the most skilled trial litigators and became a kind of coach to other prosecutors as they prepared for trials."
Comment: "“I got fired because I prosecuted people that this administration wanted protected. Bottom line,” Gordon said."
Video: NY AG James' Attorney Abbe Lowell: Trump has turned the DOJ into the ‘Department of Weaponization’ - August 10, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZtnJDLWHtw
NPR: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reposts video of pastors saying women shouldn't vote
https://www.npr.org/2025/08/09/nx-s1-5497226/women-pastor-pete-hegseth-vote
Comment: "Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has reposted and praised a video interview of a self-described Christian nationalist pastor whose church doesn't believe women should be allowed to vote."
"In the CNN interview, Wilson also defended previous comments where he had said there was mutual affection between slaves and their masters. He also said that sodomy should be recriminalized. The Supreme Court invalidated sodomy laws in 2003."
"Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told NPR in an emailed statement on Saturday that Hegseth is a 'proud member of a church affiliated with the Congregation of Reformed Evangelical Churches,' which was founded by Wilson."
" 'The Secretary very much appreciates many of Mr. Wilson's writings and teachings,' Parnell also wrote."
Comment: Don't think most Christians believe that women should not vote. Do you think Christianity and Christian nationalism are one and the same?
Trump orders federal law enforcement to patrol DC after Stephen Miller claims crime in capital ‘more violent than Baghdad’
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/trump-orders-federal-law-enforcement-020414879.html
Comment: "“It’s our capital city, it is more violent than Baghdad, it is more violent than parts of Ethiopia and parts of many of the most dangerous places in the world,” White House deputy chief of staff Miller told NewsNation Thursday."
Comment: Really, Mr. Miller? More violent than Ethiopia? Do you have crime statistics from Ethiopia, or did you just pick an African country to perpetuate a racist stereotype? More violent than Baghdad? Is that before or after Saddam Hussein was toppled? Perhaps you would prefer an authoritarian government like Saddam's to keep crime (and dissent) in check?
Comment: "Figures from the Metropolitan Police Department found that crime was down 35 percent in 2024 compared to 2023 in the city—a 30-year low. Preliminary numbers from the police found that violent crime was down 26 percent for 2025 so far."
Comment: I suspect that certain areas of of Washington DC do have violent crime, but so do areas of Alabama. Rather than touting isolated incidents and anecdotal information, please address the facts, like the crime statistics above, before gutting municipal government and "federalizing" our nation's capital. Otherwise, citizens may suspect that your actions are driven by political purposes and/or by a desire to seize control of Washington DC law enforcement for more nefarious reasons.
Video: DOJ opens investigation into NY AG's office over fraud case against Trump - August 8, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xL8StEUU9yI
Comment: Unbelievable political retribution?
ABC News: GOP's Texas map has Austin residents sharing district with rural Texans 300 miles away
Comment: "As Texas Republicans try to muscle a rare mid-decade redistricting bill through the Legislature to help Republicans gain seats in Congress -- at President Donald Trump's request -- residents in Austin, the state capital, could find themselves sharing a district with rural Texans more than 300 miles away."
"The proposed map chops up Central Texas' 37th Congressional District, which is currently represented by Democrat Rep. Lloyd Doggett, will be consumed by four neighboring districts, three of which Republicans now hold."
"One of those portions of the Austin-area district was drawn to be part of the 11th District that Republican Rep. August Pfluger represents, which stretches into rural Ector County, about 20 miles away from the New Mexico border."
Comment: Doesn't this look like gerrymandering?
BBC: US diplomat says UK would have lost WW2 with Starmer as leader
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yp78gd636o
Comment: "The UK would have lost World War Two if Sir Keir Starmer had been its leader at the time, the US ambassador to Israel has suggested in an attack on the prime minister's response to Israel's Gaza City takeover plan."
Comment: "His comments come after Starmer condemned Israel's plans to take over Gaza City as 'wrong' and urged its government to immediately reconsider its decision 'to further escalate its offensive'."
Comment: What kind of diplomat is Mike Huckabee to publicly disparage the prime minister of one of our closest allies? Is Mike Huckabee an ambassador to Israel or an ambassador for Israel? Is he looking out for U.S. interests, or looking out for Netanyahu's interest?
CBS News: Video from Jan. 6 attack shows Justice Department adviser telling rioters attacking police to "kill 'em"
Comment: "Video footage from the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol shows a man who now works as an adviser at the Justice Department shouting at rioters to 'kill' law enforcement officers responding to the attack and calling them 'the Gestapo.' "
"The footage, from a body camera worn by a Metropolitan Police Department officer, was first published Thursday by NPR. The network joined CBS News and other news organizations in suing to obtain thousands of hours of surveillance footage and court exhibits from the more than 1,000 criminal cases brought by the Justice Department against people who allegedly participated in the Capitol attack."
"Among those defendants was Jared Wise, who eventually faced six charges as a result of his alleged actions on Jan. 6. He pleaded not guilty. Wise's hiring by the Justice Department was reported last month. A Justice Department spokesperson said in a statement that Wise 'is a valued member of The Department of Justice and we appreciate his contributions to our team.' "
Comment: "In accompanying court papers, an FBI agent said that video footage depicted Wise inside the Capitol building on the afternoon of Jan. 6 after entering from a Senate door. Body camera footage from the Metropolitan Police Department also showed Wise engaging with police officers outside the Capitol, telling them, "You guys are disgusting. I'm former — I'm former law enforcement. You're disgusting. You are the Nazi. You are the Gestapo. You can't see it because you're chasing a pension, right? Your pension. Your retirement right?' "
Energy chief suggests Trump administration is altering previously published climate reports
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/energy-chief-suggests-trump-administration-150917358.html
Comment: "Energy Sec. Chris Wright said Tuesday night the Trump administration is updating the National Climate Assessments that have been previously published, which the administration recently removed from government websites."
" 'We’re reviewing them, and we will come out with updated reports on those and with comments on those reports,' Wright told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins in an interview on 'The Source.' ”
"Wright dismissed the past reports, saying 'they weren’t fair in broad-based assessments of climate change.' ”
Comment: Is the Energy Department normally the agency responsible for the National Climate Assessments? Chris Wright's statements seem to imply that it is responsible now. Wonder if the new assessments come out different from what Trump wants to hear, if those responsible will be fired?
ABC News: A woman accused of fraud hired the AG's brother as her lawyer. Months later, DOJ dropped charges
https://abcnews.go.com/US/woman-accused-fraud-hired-ags-brother-lawyer-months/story?id=124429973
Comment: "Federal prosecutors on Wednesday moved to dismiss criminal charges against a woman accused of fraud in Florida who was being represented in court by Brad Bondi, the brother of Attorney General Pam Bondi."
"The Biden Justice Department filed a criminal complaint against Carolina Amesty, a former Republican lawmaker, in mid-January -- just days before President Donald Trump took office. Amesty faced two counts of theft of government property related to Covid relief fraud and, if convicted, faced a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison."
Comment: "The dropping of charges Wednesday was not the first legal victory Brad Bondi has scored during the Trump administration. He previously represented Trevor Milton, the disgraced Nikola founder who was sentenced to four years in prison for lying about the viability of his electric vehicle technology; Milton secured a pardon from President Trump in March."
Comment: Do you think Pam Bondi and/or the Trump Justice Dept. might be ethically challenged?
The Daily Beast: ICE Barbie Now Begging Teenagers to Become Agents
https://www.thedailybeast.com/ice-barbie-now-begging-teenagers-to-become-agents/
Comment: "The Department of Homeland Security announced on Wednesday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will waive age limits for new applicants, opening applications up to people as young as 18."
Comment: "Previously, applicants had to be at least 21 and no older than 37 or 40 depending on the position, but the department now hopes that by removing existing age requirements, 'even more patriots will qualify to join ICE in its mission to arrest murderers, pedophiles, gang members, rapists, and other criminal illegal aliens from America’s streets.' Applicants will still be required to pass medical screenings and a physical fitness test."
Comment: If you thought ICE agents used racial profiling and excessive force before, can you imagine hormone charged teenage agents provoked by Noem's incendiary characterizations of immigrants? Do you think applicants should also be required to take psychological fitness tests (similar to that used by the military to check enlistees) to check mental and emotional stability?
Trump on Texas redistricting: ‘We are entitled to 5 more seats’ - POLITICO
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/05/trump-texas-redistricting-00493624
Comment: Entitled? How is the GOP "entitled" for 5 more seats? Is this the justification for cheating the precedent stopping mid-census redistricting for political purposes?
Trump names himself chair of L.A. Olympics task force, sees role for military during Games
Comment: "In past Olympic Games held on American soil, sitting presidents have served in passive, ceremonial roles. President Trump may have other plans."
"An exective order signed by Trump on Tuesday names him chair of a White House task force on the 2028 Games in Los Angeles, viewed by the president as 'a premier opportunity to showcase American exceptionalism,' according to a White House statement. Trump, the administration said, 'is taking every opportunity to showcase American greatness on the world stage.' ”
Comment: Does this perspective remind anyone else of the 1936 Olympics in Berlin?
Video: Jeanine Pirro's own producer thought she was unfit for live TV. Better make her a U.S. Attorney! - August 4, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TU4FRZ8KvYQ
Alabama Republican Party votes to disqualify GOP officials who appoint Democrats
Comment: "The Alabama Republican Party Saturday approved a new rule that would allow the party to disqualify an elected GOP official if they appoint a Democrat to a position during their term."
"About 83% of the attendants at the GOP Summer Meeting in Montgomery voted for the rule that prohibits elected partisan officials from appointing people other than Republicans. Suzelle Josey, a former candidate for Senate District 30 in 2014, wrote the rule change."
Comment: "The Alabama Democratic Party’s bylaws do not have a similar rule."
Comment: This rule change clearly illustrates the mindset of the Alabama Republican party. Don't consider the best candidates for appointment, regardless of political party. Instead pick a party hack, who may not be the best qualified. Don't consider that this choice might adversely impact the constituents the elected official is supposed to represent. After all, according to the Alabama Republican party, the Party comes first, the constituents second.
The Guardian: Federal agency opens inquiry into ex-special counsel Jack Smith over Trump investigations
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/02/jack-smith-inquiry-trump-investigations
Comment: "Smith led investigations into Trump’s part in the January 6 Capitol attack and the mishandling of classified documents"
Comment: "The confirmation of an investigation comes after Arkansas senator Tom Cotton, a Republican, requested last week that Smith, 56, be investigated for 'unprecedented interference in the 2024 election'."
Comment: Jack Smith Investigated for just doing his job? If anyone needs to be investigated, it's the Trump appointed judge (Aileen Cannon) handling the classified documents case. She let Trump get away with a terrible crime and breach of national security. If anyone else had taken special compartmented information (SCI) classified documents from a SCIF and hidden them in his home, they would be imprisoned in the federal Supermax prison facility in Florence Colorado, possibly for the rest of their life.
With regard to Tom Cotton, we note that he later claimed that the DC rioters simply 'roamed into' the capitol on January 6th. Please contrast that with tape of him quickly escaping down capitol halls from the rioters on January 6th.
This investigation of Jack Smith is truly outrageous and hypercritical.
How an alleged Ponzi scheme targeting Republicans left investors and politicians reeling
Comment: "A federal receiver is on the hunt to recover $140 million lost in an alleged Ponzi scheme that benefited some Republicans in the top ranks of their party in Georgia and Alabama. He’s looking to claw back funds, including almost 1,000 political donations totaling more than $1 million, that often backed far-right Republican insurgents."
"Some of these same politicians say they too lost money, but others left holding the bag for First Liberty Building & Loan are rank-and-file conservatives, swayed by talk show pundits who promoted it as an opportunity for Christians and 'America First MAGA patriots.' ”
Comment: "Georgia and Alabama also are investigating. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger urged politicians to return campaign cash. Hays said he’s already received $110,000, plus a returned $20,000 charitable donation."
Comment: "But no criminal charges have been announced, and some Frost relatives retain influential positions in the Georgia Republican Party, whose chairman, Josh McKoon, has had the Frosts’ political and financial support. McKoon said the party returned nearly $37,000 in Frost donations and he’s 'profoundly saddened that members of our conservative movement' lost money.
Comment: "Campaign disclosures show First Liberty, the Frosts and associated companies contributed widely to Republican causes, including more than $700,000 in Georgia, $150,000 in Alabama and nearly $140,000 in Maine, where the Frosts spent $230,000 over multiple years renting a Kennebunkport vacation home."
Comment: "In Alabama, Republican state Auditor Andrew Sorrell says he and a political action committee he controls both lost money. He hasn’t said how much he lost personally, but records show Alabama Christian Citizens PAC invested $29,000."
Comment: "But Sorrell, now running for Alabama Secretary of State, also benefited: He pocketed $55,000 for his campaigns, while Alabama Christian Citizens and Sorrell’s federal-level U.S. Christian Citizens PAC each got $12,500."
Republicans to Roll Out ‘America First’ Test For Teachers Arriving From Blue States
https://time.com/7306969/oklahoma-education-america-first-teachers/
Comment: "Oklahoma’s education department has announced plans to introduce an 'America First' certification test to ensure that teachers moving from liberal states align with its values."
" 'One of the things that we wanted to do is, first of all, make sure that they're great teachers, right? And No. 2, make sure we're not getting these woke, indoctrinating social justice warriors in the classroom,' the state’s Superintendent Ryan Walters said in an interview with Fox Digital."
"Walters said that every teacher moving to work in Oklahoma must pass the test in order to begin teaching, and that Conservative think-tank PragerU will assist in the development of the test."
Comment: Brainwashing Oklahoma school children? It's not Hitler Youth; it's Trump Youth!
Axios: Giuffre family blasts Trump for Maxwell's prison move: "Smacks of a cover up"
https://www.axios.com/2025/08/01/virginia-giuffre-ghislaine-maxwell-prison-camp-epstein
Video: Ghislaine Maxwell moved to Texas prison on heels of meeting with DOJ over Epstein - August 1, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xmlGsZ4pD0
Axios: Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell moved to minimum security prison camp
https://www.axios.com/2025/08/01/ghislaine-maxwell-moved-minimum-security-prison-camp
Comment: "Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who was serving her 20-year sentence in Florida, was moved to a minimum security prison for women in Texas, her attorney told Axios on Friday.
Comment: "Maxwell recently met with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche in an attempt to gather more information about the Epstein files, as the Trump administration faces mounting bipartisan pressure to be more transparent for the public."
Comment: "The move comes while Maxwell is appealing her conviction, and shortly after her attorney suggested his client would appreciate 'any relief.' "
Comment: "President Trump has said he had not 'thought about' giving Maxwell a pardon, but noted that he was 'allowed to do it.' "
Comment: "Maxwell was granted 'limited' immunity from the Justice Department to answer questions related to the child sex-trafficking ring that led to her arrest."
Comment: Do you think that Maxwell was rewarded with better prison conditions for speaking with Todd Blanche? Do you think the extent of any present or future rewards were contingent upon the content of what she was willing to state, or not to state?
Video: White House says Trump deserves overdue Nobel Peace Prize - August 1, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tuw8SgCtgF0
Comment: What can we say? Unbelievable!
Video: Trump unveils his new golf course in Scotland before returning to his side hustle as POTUS - July 30, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ll8jpFBAwDU
Comment: The Daily Show's comedic take on Trump's visit to his new Scottish golf course.
Video: Watch "Some GOP lawmakers ‘don’t see danger’ in conspiracies with legislation banning weather modification" on YouTube - July 29, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5Qq9XM2YAg
Video: Trump says Epstein was ‘taking people’ from Mar-a-Lago spa - July 29, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eatJjtwMow8
Axios: Ghislaine Maxwell files Supreme Court brief appealing Epstein conviction
https://www.axios.com/2025/07/28/ghislaine-maxwell-supreme-court-appeal-epstein-files
Comment: "Ghislaine Maxwell pressed ahead with an appeal to the Supreme Court on Monday, seeking to overturn her conviction on the grounds that she was unlawfully prosecuted for sex trafficking minors with Jeffrey Epstein."
Comment: "Why it matters: The filing by Maxwell, who was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison in 2022, comes just three days after she met with a top Justice Department official tapped to re-examine the Epstein case."
Comment: Does anybody think the timing of the appeal is just coincidence?
Hegseth Secretly Splurges Nuclear Cash on Trump’s ‘Free’ Jet
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/hegseth-secretly-splurges-nuclear-cash-172858019.html
Comment: "Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has found a new money pot to fund President Trump’s Qatari-backed Air Force One project."
"The Pentagon has transferred $934 million from the “Sentinel,” a $77.7 billion project dedicated to modernizing the U.S.’ ground-based nuclear missiles, to fund a classified project, according to The New York Times, and Air Force officials said at least some of the funds will go toward renovating a Qatari-funded Boeing 747-8 to Trump’s liking."
Comment: "The $400 million plane would function as Trump’s Air Force One, then be transferred to Trump’s presidential library once he leaves the White House."
Fact check: Trump calls to prosecute Beyoncé based on a nonexistent $11 million payment
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/fact-check-trump-calls-prosecute-160431618.html
Comment: "President Donald Trump over the weekend called for the prosecution of music superstar Beyoncé – based on something that did not actually happen."
"Trump claimed in a social media post that Beyoncé broke the law by supposedly getting paid $11 million for her endorsement of Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris during an October 2024 event in Houston. But there is simply no basis for Trump’s claim that Beyoncé received an $11 million payment related to the Harris campaign, let alone for the endorsement in particular."
Comment: So, Trump is threatening supporters of his political opponents with malicious prosecution? Does this sound like abuse of power to you?
‘He fumbled this 1,000%’: How Ron DeSantis keeps making powerful enemies in Trump’s GOP
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/fumbled-1-000-ron-desantis-090042416.html
Comment: "Thirty minutes into a routine appearance Thursday on Florida’s Gulf Coast, Gov. Ron DeSantis abruptly turned his fire on a fellow Republican, accusing a veteran state lawmaker of betraying the party’s voters."
"Hours later, President Donald Trump endorsed that same lawmaker, Joe Gruters, to become the next chairman of the Republican National Committee."
Comment: In this case, it is difficult to determine where to direct the outrage. Should the outrage be directed at Trump for selecting an unworthy head of the Republican Party? Or should the outrage more likely be directed at Ron DeSantis, the Florida Governor and former presidential candidate, for being so politically inept?
NOAA Puts 2 Officials Who Investigated Trump For Changing A Forecast Map On Leave
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/noaa-puts-2-officials-investigated-205959570.html
Comment: "Two top officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) who investigated President Donald Trump’s disinformation about a 2019 hurricane have been placed on administrative leave."
"Stephen Volz is an assistant administrator for NOAA’s Satellite and Information Service. Jeff Dillen serves as NOAA deputy general counsel. Both were placed on leave Friday, CNN first reported."
Comment: "Both Dillen and Volz led an investigation into Trump using a Sharpie to draw on a map of a forecast for Hurricane Dorian in 2019. Trump did it to indicate the storm would go over Alabama. It didn’t."
"Following Trump’s false claim, the National Weather Service’s Birmingham, Alabama, office tweeted out: 'Alabama will NOT see any impacts from #Dorian. We repeat, no impacts from Hurricane #Dorian will be felt across Alabama. The system will remain too far east.' ”
"NOAA then released a statement defending Trump's false claim and criticizing the Birmingham office for speaking 'in absolute terms.' ”
Comment: Does anyone believe that these 2 officials were punished for anything but for their contradiction of Trump's erroneous hurricane forecast clear back in 2019? These trained individuals were just doing their job, and sparing the people of Alabama from unnecessary worry and hurricane preparation. After nearly 6 years, has Trump finally applied retribution?
Business Insider: Photos show the extreme inequality between rich and poor Americans during the Gilded Age
Comment: WhenTrump talks about "Making America Great Again" he's talking about returning to the Gilded Age, If you doubt this, please take a look at the following article from back in March:
Trump has touted Gilded Age tariffs, an era which saw industrial growth together with poverty
NBC 5 Chicago: One-time US Senate candidate charged with solicitation of murder in Illinois
Comment: "Allison Salinas ran as a Republican for U.S. Senate against Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth in the 2022 election."
House GOP launches new select subcommittee on the Jan. 6 attack - Live Updates - POLITICO
Comment: "House Republicans are launching their own select subcommittee around the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, part of the broader effort among the GOP to rewrite what happened when rioters stormed the building that day in 2021."
Comment: "Loudermilk emphasized that the investigative panel has been a priority for Trump, and the two began speaking about it before he was inaugurated in his second term. Although negotiations with GOP leadership have been in the works since last October, talks around the panel picked up again in earnest last month, Loudermilk said. He told reporters that at a meeting with Trump in June, the president pressed Loudermilk about the reason for the delay and said he had expected the panel to be established earlier this year."
Video: Lawmakers vote to name Kennedy Center opera house after Melania Trump - July 22, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/IluNBRYYnSU
ABC News: Trump accuses Obama of 'treason' in the Oval Office
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-accuses-obama-treason-oval-office/story?id=123963917
Comment: "Days after President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated fake video showing former President Barack Obama's arrest on his social media platform, the current president pushed conspiracy theories about Obama in the Oval Office on Tuesday, accusing him of treason without providing evidence regarding the 2016 presidential election."
Trump Makes Unconfirmed Claim Skydance Will Give Him $20 Million in ‘Advertising, PSAs or Similar Programming’ After Paramount Merger Goes Through
Comment: If true, shouldn't this be investigated as a bribe?
Texas Public Radio | TPR: Prosecutors for Ken Paxton cut this alleged sex trafficker a deal. He was just rearrested.
Comment: "The episode raises questions about how this case was handled inside the attorney general’s office. The agency has seen significant turnover over the course under Paxton, a Republican who has fought accusations of impropriety for years, with the much-lauded trafficking unit particularly struggling to secure convictions."
"A Republican now running for the U.S. Senate, Paxton has been critical of local prosecutors who he says have been too lenient on those accused of crimes. He has pushed for new state laws that would deny bail for some violence offences."
Comment: And now Ken Paxton has a good chance to be the GOP candidate for Texas Senator?
Mother Jones: Tulsi Gabbard’s Dangerous Disinformation Campaign Against America
Comment: "The Trump administration has launched a war on former Obama administration officials, and to do so, it has engaged in one of the most egregious and obvious acts of politicizing intelligence in decades."
Comment: "On Friday, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard released formerly classified US intelligence reports about the 2016 election that she said were evidence of an Obama administration 'conspiracy to subvert President Trump’s 2016 victory and presidency.' In a hysterical press release, she accused former President Barack Obama and his national security aides of having 'manufactured and politicized intelligence to lay the ground for what was essentially a years-long coup against President Trump.' Describing this as a 'treasonous' plot, she said she was forwarding documents to the Justice Department, presumably to initiate a criminal investigation. Naturally, she went on Fox News to amplify her allegations against Obama and his advisers."
"It’s all a fabrication. What’s worse, her skullduggery appears to have been the catalyst for one of President Donald Trump’s most disturbing and dangerous social media posts: An AI-generated video of Obama in the Oval Office visiting a smiling Trump, being manhandled and arrested by FBI agents, and then tossed into a prison cell."
Trump threatens to restrict stadium deal with Washington Commanders if they don’t change name back to ‘Redskins’
https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/20/politics/washington-commanders-trump-stadium
Comment: "President Donald Trump on Sunday escalated his call for the Washington Commanders to change their name back to the 'Redskins,' threatening to restrict the NFL team’s stadium deal if they don’t, though it’s unclear how he would be able to."
Comment: With all our nation's problems, did you elect Trump to meddle in a sports team name decision? By what authority could Trump impact the NFL team's stadium deal?
Gabbard threatens Obama officials with criminal referral over 2016 election assessment
https://share.google/Sb63Q8K8sBQQhcwfh
Comment: "Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard on Friday threatened to refer Obama administration officials to the Justice Department for prosecution over the intelligence assessment of Russia’s 2016 election interference, in the latest example of officials going after perceived enemies of President Donald Trump."
"Gabbard declassified documents Friday that she claimed were evidence the Obama administration’s intelligence officials 'manufactured and politicized intelligence to lay the groundwork' for the FBI’s Russia investigation into Trump."
Comment: "Democrats criticized Gabbard’s release Friday as an attempt to 'rewrite history.' "
" 'The Senate Intelligence Committee conducted a bipartisan investigation reviewing hundreds of thousands of documents and interviewing witnesses over several years. The unanimous, bipartisan conclusion was that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to benefit Donald Trump,' Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the committee, said in a statement. 'This is just another example of the DNI trying to cook the books, rewrite history, and erode trust in the intelligence agencies she’s supposed to be leading.' "
”Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said in a statement, 'Every legitimate investigation, including the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee investigation, found no evidence of politicization and endorsed the findings of the 2016 Intelligence Community Assessment.' ”
"The FBI’s criminal investigation into the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia began in 2016 and stretched into the first Trump administration. It then became the subject of investigations by the Justice Department’s inspector general and by special counsel John Durham, who was appointed by Attorney General Bill Barr to also examine the handling of intelligence that led to the Trump-Russia probe."
"The Durham probe ended with no finding of wrongdoing in the handling of the intelligence, but it did end with the indictment of three people, including a former FBI lawyer who pleaded guilty to falsifying information in a surveillance warrant request targeting a Trump campaign aide."
Comment: How many times are Republicans going to investigate this false narrative? Until they get the answer they want, no matter how untrue?
Trump's DOJ contacted states for voter data, access to voting machines: Sources - ABC News
Comment: "Members of the Department of Justice in recent weeks have reached out to several states around the country requesting voter information, according to sources familiar with the outreach and letters obtained by ABC News."
"The outreach was made to at least six states. In some of the letters obtained by ABC News, the DOJ requested from the states broad information about voting systems, how counties maintain updated voter information and how noncitizens who are on voter lists are identified."
"The letters also, in some cases, requested copies of the state's voter registration lists."
Comment: " 'He contacted me in particular to see if I'd be willing to work with him in the White House to allow a third party to come in and do a review of the [voting] machines,' Grantham said." [emphasis added]
Comment: Weren't there RICO indictments in Coffee Co. Georgia for meddling with voting machines as part of the 2020 attempt to overturn the election results?
Video: Trump falsely claims his uncle taught the Unabomber at MIT - July 17, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuJNQy3FrR0
Comment: Trump tells another bald face lie, apparently just to stay in practice. What could be the purpose of this false story? Doesn't Trump realize that it undermines his credibility when discussing more important issues? Perhaps he doesn't care, knowing that the gullible will believe him anyway. How would you like to be the press secretary somehow justifying his lies and embellishments?
AG Bondi heads to Alcatraz for briefing after Trump's order to reopen infamous prison
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsNRgvoNXj4
Comment: Does any sane person think that remaking Alcatraz into a federal prison is a good idea. How many of you think that Bondi's trip is part a political stunt in an attempt to help Trump look strong on crime?
Big Oil has been lying to us for decades: Don’t let it off the hook
Comment: "Simultaneously, during last month’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach urged Congress to rewrite the Clean Air Act to block states from regulating fossil fuel emissions."
"Kobach also joined a group of 16 state attorneys general on a letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi asking the Department of Justice to create a “liability shield” exempting fossil fuel companies from being held accountable for their deliberate climate deception and the worsening climate crisis."
"All signees are members of the Republican Attorneys General Association, to which the American Petroleum Institute is a top 10 donor."
"These blatant attempts to grant polluters nationwide immunity show just how far some officials will go to deny communities their day in court. In recent years, dozens of climate cases have been filed in the U.S., as litigation has become an increasingly important pathway for holding the fossil fuel industry accountable."
Mother Jones: Red States, Defying Reality, Are Reclassifying Gas as a “Green” Fuel
Comment: "The designation, pushed by right-wing think tank ALEC, allows fossil fuel firms to compete for clean energy funding."
Comment: "Reclassifying natural gas as 'green' energy means that proposed natural gas pipelines may be able to access funding that would otherwise have gone to new solar or wind projects; it may also make natural gas companies more appealing to environmentally conscious investors."
Comment: "Over the years, ALEC has succeeded in getting laws that benefit fossil fuel companies passed across the country. Recently the group, which was founded in the 1970s, has helped draft legislation criminalizing grassroots protest against pipelines, gas terminals, and other fossil fuel infrastructure—versions of that bill had passed in 17 states by 2022. Its members have also drafted bills aiming to punish economic boycotts of the oil industry. And there are currently 114 different model policies related to energy on ALEC’s website, 23 of which specifically address 'green energy.' "
The Daily Beast: Trump Kept Gold Club World Cup Trophy for Himself So FIFA Had to Give the Winners a Replica
Comment: "President Trump has revealed that the champions of the Club World Cup won’t be getting the original trophy, because he’s keeping it."
Comment: "It has since been revealed that the intricate prize hoisted aloft by the London club’s captain, Reece James, was a replica because the president of football’s governing body, FIFA, has let Trump use the original as an ornament in the Oval Office. The trophy, crafted in collaboration with Tiffany & Co, features a central disc with three rotating outer rings. It has a 24-carat gold-plated finish and is thought to have cost around $230,000 to make. If FIFA lets Trump keep the orbital award for good, it is likely to end up in the National Archives."
The Hill: DOJ drops charges against Utah doctor accused of throwing away COVID vaccines, distributing fake vaccination cards
https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5398661-justice-department-drops-charges-against-doctor/
Comment: "The Department of Justice (DOJ) moved to dismiss charges against a Utah doctor charged in connection with a COVID-19 fraud scheme, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on Saturday."
"Michael Kirk Moore Jr. and three of his associates were indicted by a federal grand jury in January 2023 and accused of discarding more than $28,000 worth of government-provided COVID-19 vaccines and of distributing nearly 2,000 fraudulent COVID-19 vaccination cards in exchange for cash or required 'donations.' "
"The indictment also alleged that Moore and his associates administered saline shots to children, at the request of the parents, so the children would think they were receiving the COVID-19 vaccine."
Bondi fires 20 DOJ employees from Jan. 6, Trump documents cases
https://www.axios.com/2025/07/12/pam-bondi-fires-justice-employees-jan6-documents-trump
Comment: "Attorney General Pam Bondi has fired more than 20 Justice Department employees who worked on cases involving the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol and Donald Trump's handling of classified documents, sources told Axios."
"Why it matters: The firings are part of a massive purge aimed at clearing DOJ of attorneys and support staff who took part in Special Counsel Jack Smith's prosecution of Trump for Jan. 6 and possessing classified documents unlawfully."
Comment: Do you think perhaps Pam Bondi should be charged with obstructing justice? Do you think perhaps that those who have been fired have a good civil case against her and the Trump administration?
The Wall Street Journal: Jan. 6 Rioters Are the New Hot Event in Town for Republicans
https://www.wsj.com/politics/jan-6-rioters-are-the-new-hot-event-in-town-for-republicans-e3a02170
Comment: "County parties say they want to hear directly from people charged with storming the Capitol; former defendants are eager to recast the narrative"
Federal officials say a prominent Georgia Republican was running a $140 million Ponzi scheme
https://www.yahoo.com/news/federal-officials-prominent-georgia-republican-024729300.html
Comment: "Frost has been an important player in Georgia politics since 1988, when he coordinated televangelist Pat Robertson's Republican presidential bid in the state. His son, Brant Frost V, is chairman of the Coweta County Republican Party, where the company is based, and is a former second vice-chair of the state Republican Party. Daughter Katie Frost is Republican chairman of the 3rd Congressional District, which includes Coweta County and other areas southwest of Atlanta."
"At last month’s state Republican convention, Katie Frost chaired a nominating committee that recommended delegates reelect state Party Chairman Josh McKoon. Delegates followed that recommendation, rejecting a number of insurgent candidates."
Fact Check: Laura Loomer posts about feeding 'illegals' to alligators are real
https://share.newsbreak.com/dwslu7xf
Comment: This far-right influencer has been an unofficial advisor to President Trump, traveling with the President and making recommendations regarding administration national security staff.
The Guardian: Donald Trump says he wants to stage UFC fight on White House grounds
Comment: "Trump floats UFC fight on White House lawn in 2026"
"President says bout could draw 25,000 spectators"
"Plan part of celebration for US semiquincentennial"
Comment: Do you think Eric and Don Jr. will get the pay-for-view rights? [sarcasm added]
President Donald Trump announces upcoming UFC event at White House in 2026
Comment: "No, we are not making this up! Do you suppose the next step will be for Trump to build an arena on the White House lawn so that he can feed immigrants to the lions, while he imagines himself to be an American Caesar?
Trump Threatens to Arrest 2 Political Opponents in Same Press Conference, Hours After Entertaining Elon Musk Deportation
https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-threatens-arrest-2-political-203315289.html
Comment: Do you think that threats of jailing your political opponents may sound just a bit authoritarian?
Trump again brings up the idea of deporting US citizens for crimes - ABC News
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-brings-idea-deporting-us-citizens-crimes/story?id=123385213
Comment: "President Donald Trump continued on Tuesday to float his idea, which some legal experts say is unconstitutional, to deport U.S. citizens who commit crimes."
Ex-FBI agent charged in Capitol riot now works on Justice Department's 'weaponization' task force - ABC News
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/fbi-agent-charged-capitol-riot-now-works-justice-123395614
Comment: "Wise repeatedly shouted, 'Kill ’em!' as he watched rioters assaulting officers outside the Capitol, according to an FBI agent’s affidavit. Wise clapped his hands and raised his arms 'in triumph' after he entered the building through the Senate wing door, the affidavit says. He left the building about nine minutes after entering."
Former FBI agent pardoned by Trump for Jan. 6 charges now serving in Justice Department: Sources - ABC News
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/former-fbi-agent-pardoned-trump-jan-6-charges/story?id=123397023
Comment: "A former FBI agent accused of egging on rioters to attack police during the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol is now serving in the Justice Department as part of the so-called 'Weaponization Working Group,' sources familiar with the appointment confirmed to ABC News."
"Jared Wise was on trial when he was pardoned as part of President Donald Trump's sweeping series of pardons and commutations for nearly all of the more than 1,500 individuals charged in connection with the Capitol attack."
"According to sources, Wise is now serving in the department as an investigator and counselor to Ed Martin, the former interim D.C. U.S. Attorney, whose permanent nomination to the post was rejected by Republican senators concerned over his past vocal advocacy for Jan. 6 rioters and other controversial actions he took in Trump's first four months in office."
Comment: So, are these examples of "law & order" Republicans? Is this what is meant by "backing the blue"?
Trump’s Secret Service detail to pay $600K for golf carts and port-a-potties to use at his New Jersey club
https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-golf-course-set-bill-182126370.html
AP News: Justice Department abruptly fires 3 prosecutors involved in Jan. 6 criminal cases, AP sources say
Comment: "The Justice Department on Friday fired at least three prosecutors involved in U.S. Capitol riot criminal cases, the latest moves by the Trump administration targeting attorneys connected to the massive prosecution of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack, according to two people familiar with the matter." :
Comment: Do you think this might be the result of electing a convicted felon as president of the United States?
NPR: Kari Lake takes her war on Voice of America to Congress
https://www.npr.org/2025/06/26/nx-s1-5445313/kari-lake-voice-of-america-radio-free-europe-congress
Comment: "The Trump administration official running the parent agency of the Voice of America defended her efforts to shut it down at a hearing on Capitol Hill Wednesday, at one point insisting — without evidence — that the Chinese Communist Party has more influence than American values over the federally funded network's news coverage. [Emphasis added]"
Trump cites presidential immunity to try to toss out $83M judgment he owes to E. Jean Carroll
https://share.newsbreak.com/dr3eqb9p
Politico: A judge sided with Trump. Behind the scenes, he was lobbying for a nomination.
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/06/20/ed-artau-trump-judge-nomination-florida-00415408
Comment: "A Florida state judge was lobbying for a seat on the federal bench. After he sided with the president in a defamation case, Donald Trump gave him one."
Comment: "About two weeks after the court published his opinion — which called for the overturning of a landmark Supreme Court case that made it harder for public officials to sue journalists — he interviewed with the White House Counsel’s Office. In May, Trump announced his nomination to the federal judiciary."
Alabama Political Reporter: Alabama county commissioner tells followers to arm themselves against No Kings protests
Comment: Do you think this Alabama public official might have been trying to intimidate peaceful protesters?
Trump’s Pardoning Spree Cost Victims and Taxpayers More Than $1 Billion
https://www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-pardoning-spree-cost-victims-and-taxpayers-more-than-1-billion/
Axios: MAGA voices spread falsehoods to link Minnesota shooter to Democrats
https://www.axios.com/2025/06/17/minnesota-shootings-misinformation-conspiracies-lee-moreno-musk
Comment: "Prominent MAGA figures — including the president's son — have amplified false rumors that the Minnesota shooting suspect was a Democrat in an effort to paint their political opponents as violent."
Includes Video: Democratic Sen. Padilla forcibly removed from DHS press conference in Los Angeles : NPR
https://www.npr.org/2025/06/12/nx-s1-5431731/padilla-removed-dhs-press-conference
Comment: "Democrat Adam Schiff, Padilla's fellow senator from California, vowed to hold the administration accountable."
" 'When a U.S. senator goes to demand answers about the lawfulness or lawlessness of these actions to see him tackled to the ground, brought to the ground, what is becoming of our democracy?' he asked on the Senate floor. 'Are there no limits to what this administration will do? Is there no line they will not cross?' "
Includes Additional Video: Padilla pushes back against Noem's claim he barged into news conference
Colorado Public Radio: Millions of acres of public land in Colorado, other Western states could be sold under Senate reconciliation bill
Proud Boys’ lawsuit is legally weak — but Trump’s DOJ will likely just surrender
https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/proud-boys-lawsuit-trump-doj-enrique-tarrio-rcna211941
Comment: "The Justice Department already settled in the Ashli Babbitt case, signaling it won't fight back against legally unsound MAGA lawsuits."
Axios: Mike Johnson says Gavin Newsom should be "tarred and feathered" over L.A. protests
https://www.axios.com/2025/06/10/la-protests-johnson-newsom-tarred-feathered
Comment: "House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) declined to say Tuesday whether he believes California Gov. Gavin Newsome should be arrested — but he did say that the Democrat should be 'tarred and feathered.' "
Comment: "President Trump and White House border czar Tom Homan have both floated the idea of arresting California officials — including Newsom — for allegedly impeding deportations."
Axios: Democratic Rep. LaMonica McIver indicted, potentially faces 17 years in prison
https://www.axios.com/2025/06/10/lamonica-mciver-indicted-alina-habba-doj
Comment: "McIver has denied the charges and said in a statement that 'the facts of this case will prove I was simply doing my job and will expose these proceedings for what they are: a brazen attempt at political intimidation.' "
Comment: "McIver has said she was the one who was assaulted in the clash."
AP News: Florida agency tells newspaper to halt reporting angle on foundation associated with governor's wife
Comment: "Florida’s child welfare agency sent a letter to a Florida newspaper telling it to 'cease and desist' its reporting on foster families for a story about a nonprofit associated with Gov. Ron DeSantis’ wife that is the subject of an investigation."
Orlando Sentinel: Editorial: Intimidation won’t make the Sentinel back down on Hope Florida story
Ars Technica: Anti-vaccine quack hired by RFK Jr. has started work at the health department
Comment: "David Geier was previously disciplined for practicing medicine without a license."
NBC News: Former federal inmate pardoned by Trump tapped as Bureau of Prisons deputy director
Comment: "A former federal inmate who was pardoned by President Donald Trump in his first term for drug trafficking crimes more than two decades ago has been tapped as deputy director of the federal Bureau of Prisons, according to bureau spokesperson Kristie Breshears."
22-Year-Old Leading Terrorism Prevention Center at DHS
https://www.yahoo.com/news/22-old-leading-terrorism-prevention-021028606.html
Comment: " '“CP3 strengthens our country’s ability to prevent targeted violence and terrorism nationwide through funding, education, training, evidence-based resources, increased public awareness, and strategic partnerships across every level of government, the private sector, and in local communities,' reads the center’s mission statement on its website."
Comment: "Prior to assuming his role at the DHS, Fugate served as an 'advance team member' on President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign, according to his LinkedIn page. He also interned [emphasis added] at several political organizations including The Heritage Foundation, widely known as the think tank behind Project 2025, and the Texas House of Representatives."
Comment: How does his experience make him qualified to take on the defined responsibilities of this anti-terrorism center?
UPDATE TO ABOVE STORY - July 22, 2025
Trump’s Anti-Terror Gardener, 22, Humiliated by His Own Boss
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/trump-anti-terror-gardener-22-172811045.html
Comment: "When Kristi Noem put 22-year-old Thomas Fugate in charge of a unit fighting domestic terror in June, her department rushed to praise the MAGA loyalist for his 'leadership.' ”
Comment: "The DHS has been scrambling to downplay his role ever since, with Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin saying on June 20 that Fugate was actually just one of 'several staffers' assisting the 'Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Undersecretary' with reforming CP3."
"Then, after The Daily Beast reported on July 10 that Fugate’s law enforcement experience extended to being investigated by cops less than four years ago in connection with a teenage love triangle gone wrong, the DHS finally appeared to have faced enough humiliation."
"McLaughlin told Fox News Digital Monday that Fugate was 'never in a position of leadership within the program.' Fox News said she 'even referred to him as a ‘low-level’ staffer.' "
Trump Administration Makes New Federal Employees Write Essays to Prove MAGA Loyalty
news/trump-administration-makes-federal-employees-155935637.html
CNN: Laura Loomer meets with JD Vance at White House complex, sources say
https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/03/politics/laura-loomer-jd-vance-meeting
Comment: "Laura Loomer, the far-right activist who once posted a video claiming 9/11 was an 'inside job,' was back at the White House complex Tuesday morning, where she met privately with Vice President JD Vance, three sources familiar with the meeting tell CNN."
Comment: "After Loomer’s last known visit to the White House in April, the White House fired several National Security Council staffers whom she labeled as disloyal. The administration also fired the director and deputy director of the National Security Agency."
Trump’s Pardons Since Jan 6 Spree Show an Infuriatingly Corrupt Trend
https://share.newsbreak.com/dc8i20t8
Republican bill would name the DC Metro the ‘Trump Train,’ as part of a ridiculous pattern
The Guardian: RFK Jr’s ‘Maha’ report found to contain citations to nonexistent studies
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/29/rfk-jr-maha-health-report-studies
Comment: "The report exposes glaring scientific failures from a health secretary who earlier this week threatened to ban government scientists from publishing in leading medical journals."
Video: Vance: Crypto has 'ally' in White House as Trump family gains billions - May 28, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQAfdeDnHsQ
Trump pardons ex-sheriff convicted of bribery
https://www.axios.com/2025/05/27/trump-pardon-sheriff-bribery-fraud-conviction-virginia
Vietnam bypassing its own laws to fast-track $1.5B Trump golf resort amid tariffs threat, report says
https://share.newsbreak.com/d9uzf7jn
Taxpayers Face Shocking Sum to Protect Trump’s Border Czar
https://www.yahoo.com/news/taxpayers-paying-shocking-sum-protect-213922378.html
CNN: Inside the room at Trump’s meme coin dinner
https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/23/politics/trump-crypto-meme-coin-dinner
Comment: "The dinner, which was billed by the White House as an event Trump was attending in his personal capacity, caused a flurry of concern back in Washington, with critics’ chief concern being that it presented foreigners with the opportunity to purchase access to the president. The Constitution bans a president from receiving foreign gifts without Congressional consent."
SFGATE: National parks ordered to police 'negative' history under Trump directive
https://www.sfgate.com/california-parks/article/national-parks-negative-history-trump-20343308.php
Comment: "The National Park Service is directing park units to display signs that encourage guests to report any information that is critical of American history."
NPR: A Jan. 6 rioter convicted of assaulting police scored a visit to the White House
https://www.npr.org/2025/05/21/nx-s1-5403788/trump-jan-6-white-house
Axios: Republican moves to expel Rep. LaMonica McIver from Congress
https://www.axios.com/2025/05/21/lamonica-mciver-expel-congress-nancy-mace
Why Florida school vouchers can pay for Disney tickets, TVs while draining billions from public schools
Politico: Charges against House Dem sets up clash at immigration hearing
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/20/democrats-ice-new-jersey-hearing-00358193
Yahoo: Ashli Babbitt's family to receive $5 million in settlement with Trump administration: Sources
https://www.yahoo.com/news/ashli-babbitts-family-receive-5-182535597.html
Comment: "The Trump administration is set to pay out nearly $5 million to settle a lawsuit brought by the family of Ashli Babbitt, a rioter fatally shot during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, sources familiar with the matter confirmed to ABC News on Monday." [Emphasis added]
Yahoo: Trump Demands 'Major Investigation' Into 4 Huge Stars In Middle-Of-The-Night Meltdown
https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-demands-major-investigation-4-091902411.html
Trump Shares Unhinged Plan to Release ‘Terrorists’ On Justices’ Doorsteps
https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-shares-unhinged-plan-release-222202277.html
‘Open season for corruption’: FBI shuts down public corruption unit that investigated Trump
VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pp5vq3_6HQk
AP News: Trump surgeon general pick praised unproven psychedelic therapy, said mushrooms helped her find love
NPR: Oklahoma education standards say students must identify 2020 election 'discrepancies'
https://www.npr.org/2025/05/14/nx-s1-5384282/oklahoma-education-standards-2020-election
Trump Struck Secret Deal With El Chapo’s ‘Terrorist’ Cartel
https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-struck-secret-deal-el-180135999.html
AL.com: Why does Alabama’s GOP chairman have a Tennessee driver’s license under a different name?
DOJ 'weaponization' group will shame individuals it can't charge with crimes, new head says
Comment: Isn't the DOJ responsible for prosecuting crimes, not actions it subjectively labels "shameful?"" Why didn't Ed Martin find the actions of the January 6th rioters shameful? I thought the GOP blamed Democrats for "weaponizing" government.
Fact Check: Yes, Oklahoma's new academic standards say to teach students 2020 election fraud myths as fact
https://www.yahoo.com/news/fact-check-yes-oklahomas-academic-130000411.html
Trump is hosting a dinner for the biggest buyers of his memecoin. The guest list is now set—and many of the winners are foreign nationals
https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/trump-hosting-dinner-biggest-buyers-221016203.html
The Guardian: Crass, flashy, outrageous: Trump media blitz redefines meaning of presidential
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/10/trump-media-white-house-communications
You Won’t Believe How Much Richer the Trumps Have Gotten This Year
https://share.newsbreak.com/d0l5hc8d
Trump has sat for only 12 ‘daily’ intelligence briefings since taking office
https://share.newsbreak.com/d0l86pjl
Trump appoints Fox News host Jeanine Pirro as top prosecutor in DC - ABC News
https://abcnews.go.com/US/trump-eying-fox-news-host-jeanine-pirro-top/story?id=121604820
Comment: "Following Trump's loss in the 2020 election, Pirro pushed false allegations of election fraud involving voting machines and was later among the Fox News employees named in the Dominion Voting Systems defamation lawsuit for broadcasting false claims about the company. Fox News eventually settled for $787.5 million and admitted the statements were false."
Comment: "In 2019, Pirro was reportedly suspended by Fox News after she questioned the loyalty of Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar to the U.S. Constitution, citing Omar's Muslim faith."
Trump picks conspiracy theorist ‘wellness influencer’ Casey Means with no medical license to replace Fox contributor as Surgeon General
https://www.yahoo.com/news/white-house-withdraws-surgeon-general-200057816.html
Kari Lake announces Voice of America partnership with OAN: 'This is a defeat for truth'
https://www.yahoo.com/news/kari-lake-announces-voice-america-205011357.html
Comment: "Senior Trump adviser Kari Lake announced that she’d struck a deal with One America News to blast the right-wing channel’s pro-Trump propaganda out to the audience of Voice of America, making it clear what her intentions are for the government-run radio network."
Mother Jones: North Carolina GOP judge finally concedes after six-month effort to steal the election Fails
A group of anonymous traders scored a $100 million payday by buying Melania Trump’s memecoin just before it launched publicly
https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/group-anonymous-traders-scored-100-143627552.html
Video: Senator Tommy Tuberville: We "can't afford" due process | Video | waaytv.com
Comment: Is this Tommy Tuberville's idea of defending the Constitution?
The Guardian: US scientist who touted hydroxychloroquine to treat Covid named to pandemic prevention role
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/05/covid-hydroxychloroquine-steve-hatfill
The Guardian: Maga media mob: meet the new rightwing faces in the White House briefing room
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/05/white-house-briefing-rightwing-media
NPR: Catholic leaders criticize Trump for posting apparent AI photo of himself as the pope
https://www.npr.org/2025/05/04/nx-s1-5386516/catholic-leaders-criticize-trump-ai-pope-photo
Politico: Trump when pressed on if he needs to uphold the Constitution: ‘I don’t know’
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/04/i-dont-know-trump-constitution-00326040
JURIST Legal News: US House Republicans vote against blocking ICE from deporting US citizens
Comment: Does this mean that House Republicans approve of deporting US citizens?
Trump: GOP should start thinking about expelling Democrats pushing impeachment
https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-gop-start-thinking-expelling-125800375.html
HuffPost: Company Boasts Spending Up To $20 Million On Trump Crypto Coin To Buy Influence
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-coins-freight-influence_n_68153967e4b03d516aad99d3
Even Republicans are Raising Eyebrows Over Trump’s Exclusive Memecoin Dinner
https://www.yahoo.com/news/even-republicans-raising-eyebrows-over-033915183.html
Trump’s Corruption Hits Next Level With Shady $2 Billion Crypto Deal
https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-open-corruption-hits-next-194013720.html
Trump nominee gives misleading testimony about ties to alleged 'Nazi sympathizer'
https://www.npr.org/2025/05/01/nx-s1-5380933/ed-martin-trump-hale-cusanelli-antisemitic
Stephen Miller claims Trump ‘has literally saved America’ as White House continues to deflect from bad economic news
https://www.yahoo.com/news/stephen-miller-claims-trump-literally-143438983.html
AP News: Army plans for a potential parade on Trump’s birthday call for 6,600 soldiers, AP learns
https://apnews.com/article/army-parade-trump-birthday-96bb9c8e9af1ef285c56fdc3d1ba4b35
RFK Jr. Unhingedly Claims Measles Vaccine Made With Aborted Fetuses
https://newrepublic.com/post/194661/robert-f-kennedy-jr-measles-vaccine-abortion-conspiracy
Comment: An outrageous an ridiculous claim, even for RFK Jr.
For News Articles links from before May 1st, 2025, please go to:
https://sites.google.com/view/dem2oldnews/home/old2-more-outrages-from-gop
There you will find a continuation of the news links & comments from the period prior to May 1, 2025 (Including article links prior to the November 2024 election, found by clicking a second google sites website link at the end of the site referenced immediately above). The article history can be viewed as follows:
www.dalecodemocrats.com (latest)
sites.google.com/view/dem3oldnews/home/ (May 1, 2025 - October 31, 2025)
sites.google.com/view/dem2oldnews/home/ (Nov 2024 election - April 30, 2025)
sites.google.com/view/demoldnews/home/ (Prior to 2024 election)