Daily Kos

Daily Kos https://www.dailykos.com News Community Action Copyright - Kos Media, LLC Tue, 28 Oct 2025 16:15:36 +0000 Tue, 28 Oct 2025 16:15:36 +0000 rsshelp@dailykos.helpscoutapp.com rsshelp@dailykos.helpscoutapp.com Mass job cuts on the horizon as Trump's economy backslides https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/28/2350845/-Mass-job-cuts-on-the-horizon-as-Trump-s-economy-backslides?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= On Tuesday, Amazon announced it is cutting 14,000 corporate jobs, becoming the latest major corporation to slash its workforce in the rapidly declining economy. The massive 14,000 culling is just the opening salvo in job cuts at the online retail giant, with Reuters reporting that the company could <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/world-at-work/amazon-targets-many-30000-corporate-job-cuts-sources-say-2025-10-27/" target="_blank">cut as many as 30,000 corporate jobs</a> by the end of the year.  The large-scale job cuts at Amazon are just a fraction of the tens of thousands of jobs that have been cut so far this year. Layoffs.fyi—which tracks publicly announced layoffs at tech companies—has counted <a href="https://layoffs.fyi/" target="_blank">128,732 layoffs at 218 different tech companies</a> in 2025. <figure class="image-captioned align-right"><img alt="Cartoon by Pedro Molina" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1464514/large/20250805edpmc-a.jpg?1754434884" title="Cartoon by Pedro Molina"> <figcaption>“Get in line” by Pedro Molina</figcaption> </figure> This week alone, companies have announced thousands of layoffs: electric car maker <a href="https://www.wsj.com/business/autos/rivian-to-layoff-more-than-600-workers-amid-ev-pullback-03a792e5" target="_blank">Rivian</a> and Facebook parent company <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/91427041/meta-ai-layoffs-today-600-jobs-are-already-being-cut-from-alexandr-wang-superintelligence-lab" target="_blank">Meta</a> are each cutting 600 jobs, Charter communication is slashing <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/91426780/cable-giant-charter-laying-off-nearly-1200-employees-source-says" target="_blank">1,200 roles</a>, and Paramount is <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/paramount-cut-1000-jobs-wednesday-first-round-layoffs-bloomberg-news-reports-2025-10-27/" target="_blank">eliminating 1,000 employees</a>. Amazon, for its part, blamed the layoffs on artificial intelligence, writing in a <a href="https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/company-news/amazon-workforce-reduction" target="_blank">memo</a> to staff, "This generation of AI is the most transformative technology we’ve seen since the Internet, and it's enabling companies to innovate much faster than ever before (in existing market segments and altogether new ones). We’re convinced that we need to be organized more leanly, with fewer layers and more ownership, to move as quickly as possible for our customers and business." However, it's worth noting that Amazon is owned by Jeff Bezos, who has <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/5/2/2319759/-Jeff-Bezos-swore-he-d-never-bow-to-Trump-Time-to-put-up-or-shut-up" target="_blank">cozied up to President Donald Trump</a> and done his best <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/8/13/2338236/-Bezos-pushes-the-Washington-Post-further-into-the-Trump-gutter" target="_blank">not to anger the retributive leader</a>. Given that Amazon is in the retail business—which is majorly impacted by Trump's tariffs that force companies to either raise their prices or cut costs to make up for decreased profit margins—tariffs cannot be ruled out as responsible for at least some of the cuts. Ultimately, the large number of layoffs this week is yet another troubling sign for the economy, which is facing dual crises of<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/8/13/2337992/-New-GOP-spin-Inflation-is-the-best" target="_blank"> high inflation</a> and a weakening labor market—with economists <a href="https://truthout.org/articles/inflation-and-jobless-claims-are-rising-economists-blame-trumps-tariffs/" target="_blank">blaming</a> Trump's <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/8/29/2340737/-Trump-s-latest-tariff-will-hit-his-base-hard-and-piss-everyone-off" target="_blank">idiotic tariffs</a> for the perilous economic conditions. <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/9/5/2341949/-New-jobs-numbers-are-so-bad-Trump-would-rather-discuss-Epstein" target="_blank">New jobs numbers are so bad, Trump would rather discuss Epstein</a> <hr> Even before these mass layoffs were announced, the Bureau of Labor Statistics' <a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm" target="_blank">monthly jobs reports</a> showed that job growth has been <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/9/4/2341790/-Thanks-Trump-Jobs-market-grinds-to-a-halt" target="_blank">virtually stagnant</a> since April, when Trump first announced his tariffs. Indeed, the economy actually <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/9/5/2341949/-New-jobs-numbers-are-so-bad-Trump-would-rather-discuss-Epstein" target="_blank">lost jobs in June</a>—the first time that had happened since the COVID-19 crisis began in 2020. Because the government is currently shut down, BLS is not releasing its monthly jobs reports. And that is probably welcome news for Trump at the moment, as the report could show yet another month of job losses. Are we great again yet? rss@dailykos.com (Emily Singer) Amazon DonaldTrump Economy Inflation JeffBezos Jobs JobsReport Tariffs _2350845 Tue, 28 Oct 2025 15:30:27 +0000 Canada is not done taunting Trump over his tariffs https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/28/2350766/-Canada-is-not-done-taunting-Trump-over-his-tariffs?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source=  President Donald Trump may not like what Canadian leaders have to say about tariffs, but that doesn’t mean they’ll stop saying it. After Ontario Premier Doug Ford ran <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/24/2350203/-Watch-the-ad-driving-Trump-mad" target="_blank">a short-lived ad campaign</a> using former President Ronald Reagan’s criticism of tariffs and trade wars, Trump halted chats with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, despite the video coming from Ford, who is the Canadian equivalent of a U.S. governor.  In response to the ad, Trump promised to place an additional 10% tariff on Canadian imports.  “I don’t want to meet with [Carney],” Trump <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-10-27/trump-says-he-won-t-resume-canada-trade-talks-for-a-while" title="" target="_blank">said on Monday aboard Air Force One</a>. “No, I’m not going to be meeting with them for a while. I’m very happy with the deal we have right now with Canada. We’re going to let it ride.” This is where it gets funny.  Ford <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/24/ronald-reagan-ad-canada-trade-talks-00622692?click_x=119&click_y=325&i=4&item_height=703&item_width=461&proximity_active=false&vct=107.854" target="_blank">agreed to pull the ad</a>—but not until after it made its rounds during the first two games of the World Series between the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers.  “You know why President Trump is so upset right now? It was because it was effective,” Ford <a href="https://www.wcvb.com/article/ontario-premier-antitariff-ad-trump-tariffs/69168498" target="_blank">said</a> on Monday. “It was working. It woke up the whole country.” <figure class="image-captioned width-xl align-right"><img alt="Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney, listens as President Donald Trump speaks during a group photo at the G7 Summit, Monday, June 16, 2025, in Kananaskis, Canada. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)" class="width-xl" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1465137/large/AP25168033471616.jpg?1754588526" title="Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney, listens as President Donald Trump speaks during a group photo at the G7 Summit, Monday, June 16, 2025, in Kananaskis, Canada. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)"> <figcaption>Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney, left, and President Donald Trump, shown in June.</figcaption> </figure> And while Ford’s ads will no longer run, another Canadian premier has entered the chat.  British Columbia’s David Eby has <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/vancouver/article/david-eby-says-british-columbias-anti-tariff-ads-aimed-at-americans-will-go-ahead/" title="" target="_blank">vowed to run his own ads</a> calling out Trump’s destructive tariffs.  “Americans need to hear how tariffs raise prices. We’re making ads to defend British Columbia and Canada’s forestry workers,” Eby <a href="https://x.com/Dave_Eby/status/1981750065921495407" target="_blank">wrote on X</a> this past Friday. “Our wood faces higher U.S. tariffs than Russia. Absurd.” The thing is, Eby isn’t the only one talking about the negative impact of Trump’s lumber tariffs.  Aside from the fact that Trump’s plan seemingly includes <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/3/5/2307908/-Even-trees-aren-t-safe-from-Trump-s-wrath" target="_blank">plowing down U.S. national forests</a> to pick up the slack of reduced imports, he’s also just hurting the home-building industry.  Even the far-right Heritage Foundation can’t stick by Trump’s side on this. On Heritage’s blog, Anthony B. Kim and Patrick Tyrrell<a href="https://www.heritage.org/trade/commentary/tariffs-canadian-softwood-lumber-hitting-us-homebuyers-hard" target="_blank"> said that Trump’s tariffs</a> were causing “suppressed activity in the U.S. homebuilding industry, fewer construction jobs, and fewer options for homebuyers.” “What’s not clear, however, is why the government should require U.S. consumers and homebuilders to bear the burden of supporting U.S. growers who can’t compete,” they wrote. Trump seems to be losing out on favor regardless of where he turns, and these diss tracks coming out of Canada probably won’t garner him much pity. After all, Trump is the same guy who’s posting AI-generated videos of him <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/20/2349507/-Mike-Johnson-is-fine-with-Trump-pooping-on-America" target="_blank">dumping poo </a>on U.S. citizens.  rss@dailykos.com (Alix Breeden) Baseball Canada DonaldTrump Tariffs WorldSeries _2350766 Tue, 28 Oct 2025 14:30:02 +0000 Trump flexes his mob boss fantasies by meddling in media mergers https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/28/2350729/-Trump-flexes-his-mob-boss-fantasies-by-meddling-in-media-mergers?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= Warner Bros. Discovery, which owns CNN and HBO, has <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/10/21/warner-bros-discovery-sale-cnn/" title="" target="_blank">put itself on the market</a>. And while there are several companies that might be in a position to buy it, that’s not how things work under President Donald Trump. Instead, his administration gets to decide.  So while both Netflix and Comcast <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/10/21/wbd-sale-warner-bros-media.html" title="" target="_blank">have expressed interest</a>, they probably don’t have a shot. And even though Warner Bros. <a href="https://variety.com/2025/biz/news/how-much-david-ellison-paramount-warner-bros-discovery-takeover-bid-1236560469/" title="" target="_blank">turned down</a> three offers from Paramount, the companies might soon be merging anyway.  <figure class="image-captioned width-xl align-right"><img alt="Skydance Media CEO David Ellison attends the premiere of "Fountain of Youth" at the American Museum of Natural History on Monday, May 19, 2025, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)" class="width-xl" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1493275/large/AP25140179404298.jpg?1761608165" title="Skydance Media CEO David Ellison attends the premiere of "Fountain of Youth" at the American Museum of Natural History on Monday, May 19, 2025, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)"> <figcaption>Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison</figcaption> </figure> Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison has been <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/23/media/ellison-wbd-trump-warner-bros-discovery-bid" title="" target="_blank">telling people</a> that his company is the only buyer that the Trump administration would accept. In a normal administration, such a statement would be wildly out of pocket—an outrageous lie about his connections to the president. But these days, Paramount can be confident in its “Trump card.” “Who owns Warner Bros. Discovery is very important to the administration. The Warner board needs to think very seriously not just on the price competition but which player in the suitor pool has been successful getting a deal done,” a senior Trump official <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/10/23/media/trump-admin-favors-paramount-skydance-in-race-to-buy-warner-bros-discovery-sources/" target="_blank">told the New York Post</a>. That is just some straight-up mafia shit right there, which only makes sense since Trump is basically running a protection racket, and Paramount seems happy to play ball. It had no problem <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/7/2/2331305/-CBS-News-disgraces-itself-as-parent-company-bends-to-Trump" target="_blank">settling</a> one of Trump’s sham lawsuits against CBS for $16 million <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/7/25/2335135/--Bribery-is-still-illegal-Paramount-merger-reeks-of-Trump-payoff" title="" target="_blank">to get approval</a> for its merger with Skydance.  CBS News, which is owned by Paramount Skydance, then obligingly lurched to the right—putting the <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/6/2347231/-CBS-hires-anti-woke-hack-to-run-storied-news-division" title="" target="_blank">comically incompetent</a> Bari Weiss in charge and <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/7/18/2334015/-CBS-cancels-Trump-critic-Colbert-s-Late-Show-and-faces-sharp-blowback" target="_blank">canceling</a> “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”  Meanwhile, “CBS Evening News” anchor John Dickerson <a href="https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/cbs-news-john-dickerson-departure-reaction-b2853174.html" title="" target="_blank">is leaving</a> at the end of the year, no doubt having seen the writing on the wall when Weiss <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/new-cbs-boss-bari-weiss-wants-fox-news-star-bret-baier-as-evening-news-anchor/" title="" target="_blank">started courting</a> Fox News’ Bret Baier for the anchor job.  <figure class="image-captioned width-xl align-left"><img alt="MIAMI, FL - NOV 18: Staff editor and writer for the New York Times, Bari Weiss is seen on stage during day two of the Miami Book Fair presented by Miami Dade College, Wolfson Campus on November 18, 2019 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Alberto E. Tamargo/Sipa USA)(Sipa via AP Images)" class="width-xl" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1485519/large/AP19323500567770.jpg?1759779445" title="MIAMI, FL - NOV 18: Staff editor and writer for the New York Times, Bari Weiss is seen on stage during day two of the Miami Book Fair presented by Miami Dade College, Wolfson Campus on November 18, 2019 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Alberto E. Tamargo/Sipa USA)(Sipa via AP Images)"> <figcaption>Bari Weiss, CBS News’ editor-in-chief</figcaption> </figure> A merger between Warner Bros. and Paramount would <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/22/business/dealbook/paramounts-secret-bids-warner-bros-discovery.html" title="" target="_blank">further consolidate</a> a media landscape that’s dominated by fewer and fewer companies. Two of the largest Hollywood studios would be under the same roof, as would CNN and CBS News and streaming services Paramount+ and HBO Max. This raises obvious <a href="https://deadline.com/2025/10/warner-bros-discovery-deal-suitors-1236596524/" title="" target="_blank">antitrust concerns</a>, but Ellison and his father, Oracle’s Larry Ellison, are pals with Trump, and those ties could certainly <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/paramount-takeover-of-warner-bros-discovery-could-spark-antitrust-scrutiny-10915489" target="_blank">make those concerns disappear</a>. Larry is already part of the group of billionaires that’s <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/9/25/2345470/-Trump-says-China-s-Xi-has-approved-proposed-deal-putting-TikTok-under-US-ownership" title="" target="_blank">taking over TikTok</a> as part of an incredibly sweet deal where Trump basically just got to decide who would buy it and—surprise, surprise—just happened to pick his pals.  So if Warner Bros. and Paramount merge, the Ellison family would control a staggering amount of media.  That consolidation and control isn’t just about handing billionaire cronies tons of cash; it’s also about Trump controlling the media. He has <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/9/16/2343832/-The-New-York-Times-has-done-so-much-for-Trump-but-it-s-never-enough" target="_blank">sued</a> multiple media outlets and <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/8/25/2340163/-Despite-bribes-and-payoffs-Trump-demands-more-from-TV-networks" title="" target="_blank">extracted millions</a> in settlements, but the biggest benefit is <a href="https://www.msnbc.com/top-stories/latest/paramount-skydance-warner-bros-discovery-trump-ellison-rcna239680" title="" target="_blank">eliminating</a> any negative coverage of him. Trump has turned media mergers into both a cash grab and a way to push his agenda—making bank while steadily building the state-run media he craves. rss@dailykos.com (Lisa Needham) CBSNews Corruption davidEllison DonaldTrump Media Paramount WarnerBros _2350729 Tue, 28 Oct 2025 13:30:07 +0000 Doctors muffled as Florida moves to end decades of childhood vaccination mandates https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/28/2350720/-Doctors-muffled-as-Florida-moves-to-end-decades-of-childhood-vaccination-mandates?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= By <a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/author/arthur-allen/" title="" target="_blank">Arthur Allen</a> for <a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/florida-vaccine-mandates-ladapo-pediatricians-flu-measles-disease/" target="_blank">KFF</a> <hr> 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. “Every last one of them is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery,” he told a cheering crowd of vaccination foes in Tallahassee. “Who am I, as a government or anyone else,” he said, “to tell you what you should put in your body?” 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. <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/9/3/2341645/-Florida-all-set-to-make-communicable-diseases-great-again" title="" target="_blank">Florida all set to make communicable diseases great again</a> <hr> 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. Sarasota County’s health department referred a reporter to state officials in Tallahassee, who responded with a statement that vaccines will “remain available” to families who want them. The state did not respond to other requests for comment or for an interview with Ladapo. Many pediatricians are silent, too, at least in public. “A lot of them don’t take a strong stance on whether kids need to be vaccinated,” said Neil Manimala, a urologist and the president-elect of the Hillsborough County Medical Association. “They don’t want to lose business. And there are enough anti-vax people who can lambaste you on Google, spreading stories about clinicians who ‘want to instill the poison jabs.’” <h3>History of Modern Vaccine Mandates</h3> Several states ended vaccination mandates early last century when smallpox was the only widely given vaccine, said historian Robert Johnston of the University of Illinois-Chicago. None has done so since other vaccines were added to the schedule. (Routine smallpox vaccination ended in 1972). In the 1970s, persistent measles outbreaks provoked officials to strengthen child protection with enforced school mandates in every state. Today the partisan split on vaccine policy in the wake of the covid outbreak has changed the equation. This is nowhere more the case than in Florida, although legislators in Texas and Louisiana are also considering ending mandatory vaccination, and Idaho enables parents to get an exemption just by asking for it. “This is really going to be a watershed moment for families who already were not sure they want to do vaccines and now are being told they don’t need them,” said Jennifer Takagishi, vice president of the Florida branch of the American Academy of Pediatrics. It’s hard to know how fast vaccine-preventable diseases might return if Florida ends its mandates — or how the public will respond. Asked <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGrXoUR5iGA" title="" target="_blank">in an interview</a> whether his office had modeled disease outcomes before his September announcement, Ladapo said “Absolutely not.” Parental freedom of choice isn’t a scientific matter, he said. “It’s an issue of right and wrong.” <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/9/14/2341701/-At-CDC-worries-mount-that-agency-has-taken-anti-science-turn" target="_blank">At CDC, worries mount that agency has taken anti-science turn</a> <hr> Ladapo’s Department of Health did not respond a month later when asked whether it was making contingency plans for outbreaks. During a <a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/florida-defies-cdc-measles-outbreak/" title="" target="_blank">2024 measles outbreak</a> in Broward County, Ladapo sent parents a letter granting them permission to send unvaccinated children to school, defying the science-supported advice from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 1977, a measles epidemic that killed two children in Los Angeles County spurred a dramatic crackdown on vaccine-shunning across the country. But during an epidemic this year that killed two Texas children and <a href="https://www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/measles-takes-root-mexico" title="" target="_blank">14 people in Mexico</a>, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas signed a bill making it easier for parents to opt out of getting required shots. “When are we going to have enough of a groundswell of people dying or becoming severely ill that leads people to push back and say, ‘No, no, we want the vaccines?’” Takagishi said. “I don’t know if we know the tipping point yet.” “I don’t have the answer,” said Emory University emeritus professor Walter Orenstein, who worked on measles for many of his 26 years at the CDC and led the agency’s immunization program from 1988 to 2004. “Measles resurgences created the political will to support our overall immunization program. For some reason it hasn’t worked this time. It’s just sad.” Youngsters in Florida are already among the least vaccinated in the nation, because of relatively lax enforcement, the post-covid backlash against shots, and the libertarian attitude of state officials. Statewide, only about 89% of kindergartners are fully vaccinated, with Sarasota County having the lowest rate, at about 80%. To be safe from the spread of measles, a community must be 95% immunized. With Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. cutting vaccine research, filling the health agency with anti-vaccine activists and spreading doubt about vaccination’s safety and value, little stands in the way of decisions by Florida officials that are likely to cause rates to sink further. <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/9/2347732/-Americans-don-t-buy-RFK-Jr-s-medical-quackery" title="" target="_blank">Americans don't buy RFK Jr.'s medical quackery</a> <hr> Ladapo’s department is ending mandates for shots against hepatitis B, chickenpox, and the bacteria causing meningitis and pneumonia. Early next year, the Florida Legislature is expected to take up reversal of a 1977 law requiring kids at school and day care to be vaccinated against seven other diseases that can kill children: whooping cough, measles, polio, rubella, mumps, diphtheria, and tetanus. <h3>After Measles, Which Disease Returns Next?</h3> In the face of these attacks, scientists are attempting to predict which diseases are likely to make a resurgence and when. A <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2833361" target="_blank">study published in April</a> by Stanford epidemiologist Mathew Kiang and colleagues estimated that even at current vaccination levels, measles, declared eliminated from the United States in 2000, is likely to become a routine illness again. If measles vaccination rates drop by an additional 10%, there could be an average of about 450,000 cases yearly, with hundreds of deaths and cases of brain damage. But the study may exaggerate the threat, said Shaun Truelove, an epidemic disease modeler at Johns Hopkins University who said he’s worried about losing public trust with alarmist predictions. Still, he said, an intensification of measles outbreaks seems certain. The country is already in the midst of its worst measles year in three decades, with more than 1,500 cases and current outbreaks in South Carolina and Minnesota. “You don’t really need to model measles if vaccines stop,” Truelove said. “In the pockets where there are outbreaks, every kid who isn’t vaccinated will get infected.” <div class="dk-editor-embed dk-datawrapper-embed center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <a class="iframe_placeholder datawrapper dk-embed" href="//datawrapper.dwcdn.net/lHutZ/1/" title="" data-frameborder="0" data-height="679" data-src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/lHutZ/1/" data-width="757">Datawrapper Content</a></div> Measles is the “canary in the coal mine” for other vaccine-preventable diseases, said Sal Anzalone, a pediatrician with Healthcare Network in Naples, Florida. “When you start seeing measles, there’s more to come behind that.” People who want vaccinations will still be able to get them if mandates are eliminated, Ladapo has said. But the state’s message confuses parents, especially the poor and underserved, Anzalone said. It’s typically hard for them to get children to appointments unless they have to, he said, noting that 80% of his patients are insured through Medicaid. If policies put more of the payment burden on parents, fewer will vaccinate, he said. And if vaccinations fall and infections increase, children won’t be the only people affected. Cancer patients and people in Florida’s numerous elderly communities would be at risk. Schools and businesses would be disrupted. Disease could disrupt the tourism industry, which brought 143 million people to the state last year. (The Florida Chamber of Commerce did not respond to requests for comment.) “Infectious diseases don’t stop with the people who say they are willing to bear the risk,” said Meagan Fitzpatrick, a University of Maryland vaccinologist. Because of their unpredictable spread, she said, “with an infectious disease, vaccination is never an individual choice.” Clinicians fear that an end to mandates could allow hepatitis B, a chronic liver disease, to return with force, since an estimated 2 million Americans carry the virus. They also foresee a return to the days when infants with high fever had to undergo a painful and risky lumbar puncture and blood draw to rule out meningitis, as well as a blood infection caused by the bacteria Haemophilus influenzae type B that routine vaccination has prevented since the 1990s. <figure class="image-captioned width-xl align-right"><img alt="Cartoon by Pedro Molina" class="width-xl" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1476705/large/20250910edpmc-a.jpg?1757548510" title="Cartoon by Pedro Molina"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> Barbara Loe Fisher, who co-founded the modern movement against vaccine mandates in the early 1980s after her son suffered a reaction to the pertussis vaccine then in use (and since replaced with a safer shot), is skeptical that Floridians will abandon vaccination en masse, despite the end to mandates. Fisher, president of the National Vaccine Information Center, moved from Virginia to southwestern Florida in 2020. She said she believes that vaccine injuries are undercounted and that children are vaccinated without informed consent. She acknowledged that mandates have increased coverage but said their removal will increase trust in public health and medicine. “It is time to allow biological products like vaccines to be subject to the law of supply and demand,” she said, “just like any other product sold in the marketplace.” Sinnott, for his part, anticipates measles will come roaring back, along with intensified whooping cough, influenza, and covid outbreaks. “They think nothing will happen. Maybe they’re right,” said Sinnott, the retired professor. “It’s an experiment.” Polio could return, and that is not an abstraction for Sinnott, 77. He was 7 years old when he contracted the disease, spending six months in a wheelchair. In recent years he’s suffered from post-polio syndrome — difficulty swallowing, and tightness and pain in his limbs. The first polio vaccine was licensed in 1955, the year he got sick. “I remember one time my mother telling me, ‘The line was too long,’” he said. Sinnott forgives his parents, and parents today who waver on vaccination. He’s less tolerant of certain public health leaders. They should know better, he said. rss@dailykos.com (KFF) Children Florida PublicHealth Vaccines _2350720 Tue, 28 Oct 2025 13:00:06 +0000 Cartoon: Good while it lasted https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/28/2350321/-Cartoon-Good-while-it-lasted?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= A cartoon by Clay Bennett. <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/23/2350018/-Americans-have-300-million-reasons-to-hate-Trump-s-ballroom" title="" target="_blank">Americans have 300 million reasons to hate Trump's ballroom</a> <hr> rss@dailykos.com (Clay Bennett) Cartoon ClayBennett Corruption Democracy DonaldTrump Grift WhiteHouse _2350321 Tue, 28 Oct 2025 12:30:16 +0000 Not even Trump knows what the hell he’s doing with his dumb ballroom https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/27/2350718/-Not-even-Trump-knows-what-the-hell-he-s-doing-with-his-dumb-ballroom?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= The East Wing of the White House was <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/24/2350283/-Trump-s-White-House-demolition-is-pissing-off-America" title="" target="_blank">reduced to a pile of rubble</a> last week in a hasty, brutal demolition that shocked the country. Now, it’s time to build President Donald Trump’s big, dumb, gilded bribe palace—but no one knows exactly what that entails. The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/10/25/us/politics/trump-east-wing-ballroom-plans.html" title="" target="_blank">tried to figure this out</a>, looking at the plans—which Trump <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/23/2350018/-Americans-have-300-million-reasons-to-hate-Trump-s-ballroom" target="_blank">waved around</a> in the Oval Office—posted on the White House website and a physical model of the ballroom.   And guess what? None of them are the same. Honestly, of course they aren’t. This is all being done on the fly, subject to Trump’s daily whims. The ballroom <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/bizarre-flaws-emerge-in-trumps-new-white-house-design/" title="" target="_blank">could hold</a> 650 people, or maybe 1,350—it’s a mystery! Maybe it will cost <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/2025/07/the-white-house-announces-white-house-ballroom-construction-to-begin/" target="_blank">$200 million</a>, maybe <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/10/26/white-house-ballroom-changes-east-wing/86876390007/" title="" target="_blank">$300 million</a>. Wait, scratch that—it’s <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-ballroom-donors-white-house-stand-to-gain/" title="" target="_blank">$350 million</a>. Definitely <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-10-26/trump-s-ballroom-fundraising-taps-cash-from-crypto-tech-allies" target="_blank">$350 million</a>. <figure class="image-captioned width-xl align-right"><img alt="President Donald Trump speaks as he meets with Finland's President Alexander Stubb in the Oval Office at the White House, Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)" class="width-xl" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1486608/large/AP25282711465826.jpg?1760108865" title="President Donald Trump speaks as he meets with Finland's President Alexander Stubb in the Oval Office at the White House, Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)"> <figcaption>President Donald Trump sits in his tacky, gold-plated Oval Office on Oct. 9.</figcaption> </figure> You might find it odd that construction is already starting on a building that has multiple building plans—where one version of the ballroom holds nearly twice the other, with a price tag that increases by about $50 million every time you turn around.  You fool! You rube! You just don’t understand how construction works!  Let White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt school you.  “With any construction project, changes come. And we have informed all of you, we've been keeping you apprised of this project. We've shown you the renderings,” she <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/new-images-show-entire-white-house-east-wing/story?id=126800684" target="_blank">said</a>. Well, yes. It’s the fact that there are renderings plural that is the problem here. All we really know for sure is that <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/9/25/2345391/-Trump-s-tacky-ballroom-will-be-way-bigger-than-the-actual-White-House" title="" target="_blank">it will be 90,000 square feet</a>, or nearly double the size of the White House, which stands at 55,000 square feet—at least until Trump destroyed the East Wing.  Former first lady Jackie Kennedy’s garden is <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/historic-magnolia-trees-kennedy-garden-removed-east-wing/story?id=126822108" target="_blank">also gone</a>, as are two magnolia trees that were planted in the 1940s to honor former Presidents Warren G. Harding and Franklin D. Roosevelt. And why not? Trump doesn’t want to honor any past presidents. He only wants to honor himself.  Even the small details <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/10/25/us/politics/trump-east-wing-ballroom-plans.html" title="" target="_blank">are inconsistent</a> in Trump’s plans for the ballroom, including the number of decorative columns and staircases. There’s also the small problem of the renderings having physically impossible features, like a stairway to nowhere and overlapping windows.  To be frank, it looks a lot like someone just used AI to render a crappy facsimile of Mar-a-Lago. Maybe these plans all look like haphazard, slightly different versions of golden crap because McCrery Architects, which is designing the ballroom, <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/91427027/mccrery-architects-portfolio-of-work" title="" target="_blank">mostly builds churches</a>—not ballrooms. However, James McCrery, the firm’s owner, is a hard-right religious zealot and has also designed buildings <a href="https://dc.hillsdale.edu/News/Why-America-Needs-Classical-Architecture/" target="_blank">for Hillsdale College</a>, the right’s beloved ultraconservative school. But Trump knows that the companies showering him with money for this project don’t actually care about the ballroom's aesthetics or who builds it; it’s just another opportunity to curry favor with the president.  And Trump certainly doesn’t care about quality. He revels in <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/91329575/none-of-the-objects-on-the-oval-office-mantle-were-made-in-the-u-s" title="" target="_blank">gilded everything</a>, a king in the world’s <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/8/1/2336246/-Trump-seeks-to-leave-his-gold-plated-stain-on-the-White-House?pm_source=ICYMI&pm_campaign=ICYMI08012025" target="_blank">tackiest castle</a>. He’s created a perfect ecosystem of grift without oversight or public input. And what do we get? A comically ill-designed piece of garbage where the People’s House used to be. rss@dailykos.com (Lisa Needham) Corruption DonaldTrump EastWing Grift Mar-a-Lago WhiteHouse _2350718 Tue, 28 Oct 2025 00:01:08 +0000 The Recap: GOP starves the poor, and Trump’s IQ insecurity https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/27/2350713/-The-Recap-GOP-starves-the-poor-and-Trump-s-IQ-insecurity?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= A daily roundup of the best stories and cartoons by Daily Kos staff and contributors to keep you in the know. <hr> <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/27/2350650/-Trump-is-so-smart-that-he-can-name-three-animals?pm_source=ICYMI&pm_campaign=ICYMI10272025" title="" target="_blank">Trump insists he is smart after spending weekend showing he is not</a> He named three animals, okay? <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/27/2350612/-The-poor-should-starve-says-Trump-administration?pm_source=ICYMI&pm_campaign=ICYMI10272025" title="" target="_blank">The poor should starve, says Trump administration</a> At this point, Trump is starving people on purpose. <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/27/2350665/-Trump-s-midterm-rigging-scheme-hits-another-state?pm_source=ICYMI&pm_campaign=ICYMI10272025" target="_blank">Trump’s midterm-rigging scheme hits another state</a> The state’s official motto is “Crossroads of America,” as if it couldn’t get more heavy-handed. <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/27/2350299/-What-s-the-point-of-the-military-if-not-to-torment-immigrants?pm_source=ICYMI&pm_campaign=ICYMI10272025" title="" target="_blank">What’s the point of the military if not to torment immigrants?</a> Trump keeps building camps to house large concentrations of people. If only there were a word for that … <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/27/2350667/-House-speaker-Starving-the-poor-makes-legal-sense?pm_source=ICYMI&pm_campaign=ICYMI10272025" title="" target="_blank">House speaker: Starving the poor makes legal sense</a> Just so you know, the legal theory checks out. ✅ <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/27/2350246/-Cartoon-Hunted-to-extinction?pm_source=ICYMI&pm_campaign=ICYMI10272025" title="" target="_blank">Cartoon: Hunted to extinction</a> VRA RIP. <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/27/2350666/-Rich-as-hell-treasury-secretary-feels-the-pain-of-the-common-farmer?pm_source=ICYMI&pm_campaign=ICYMI10272025" title="" target="_blank">Rich-as-hell treasury secretary feels the pain of the common farmer</a> “In case you don’t know it, I’m actually a soybean farmer.” <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/27/2350324/-Company-tied-to-Don-Jr-randomly-wins-big-Pentagon-contract?pm_source=ICYMI&pm_campaign=ICYMI10272025" title="" target="_blank">Company tied to Don Jr. randomly wins big Pentagon contract</a> Funny how that happens. <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/blog/Comics?pm_source=ICYMI&pm_campaign=ICYMI10272025" title="" target="_blank">Click here to see more cartoons.</a> rss@dailykos.com (Daily Kos Staff) DonaldTrump donjr GOP RepublicanParty ScottBessent TheRecap _2350713 Mon, 27 Oct 2025 19:16:50 +0000 Cartoon: Trump's White House redevelopment plan https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/27/2350253/-Cartoon-Trump-s-White-House-redevelopment-plan?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= A cartoon by David Horsey. <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/23/2350080/-Trump-team-goes-full-racist-with-timeline-of-White-House-history" target="_blank">Trump team goes full racist with timeline of White House history</a> <hr> rss@dailykos.com (David Horsey) Cartoon Corruption DavidHorsey DonaldTrump Grift WhiteHouse _2350253 Mon, 27 Oct 2025 23:59:08 +0000 GOP's new health care 'fix' sure sounds familiar https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/27/2350714/-GOP-s-new-health-care-fix-sure-sounds-familiar?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= House Speaker Mike Johnson on Monday suggested that the "<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/9/2347724/-GOP-still-at-the-ideas-stage-of-magically-fixing-health-care" target="_blank">ideas</a>" Republicans are kicking around for how to make health insurance more affordable is basically just the <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/senate-gop-effort-repeal-obamacare-fails-n787311" target="_blank">Obamacare-repeal plan</a> that the GOP <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/07/25/us/politics/senate-votes-repeal-obamacare.html" target="_blank">tried and failed</a> to pass in 2017, during Donald Trump’s first term. “When I say that the Republicans have been working on a fix for health care, we’ve been doing this for years,” Johnson said Monday at a news conference on Capitol Hill after he was asked how Republicans were planning on addressing the expiration of enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies that, if not extended, will soon cause <a href="https://www.kff.org/affordable-care-act/aca-marketplace-premium-payments-would-more-than-double-on-average-next-year-if-enhanced-premium-tax-credits-expire/" target="_blank">massive premium increases</a> for millions of Americans. <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content"><a class="new_iframe_placeholder" href="#">x</a></div> <a class="iframe_placeholder youtube dk-embed" href="//youtube.com/watch?v=w-fYvJL4pIA" data-frameborder="0" data-height="281" data-src="//www.youtube.com/embed/w-fYvJL4pIA" data-width="500">YouTube Video</a></div> </div> Johnson specifically pointed to the <a href="https://rsc-pfluger.house.gov/framework-for-personalized-affordable-care" target="_blank">health care proposal</a> he released when he was chair of the Republican Study Committee—a caucus of right-wing House Republicans. "These ideas have been on paper for a long time," Johnson said. “There’s volumes of this stuff. Volumes of it.” Of course, the reason they have been on paper but never passed is because the ideas in the RSC health care proposal are overwhelmingly unpopular. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a left-leaning think tank, <a href="https://www.cbpp.org/research/health/republican-health-coverage-proposals-would-increase-number-of-uninsured-raise" target="_blank">reviewed</a> a newer version of that RSC health care proposal found in the committee’s proposed budget. That review found the plan would weaken protections for preexisting conditions, cut the tax subsidies millions of Americans receive to make their ACA premiums lower, and "would slash $4.5 trillion in federal investment in Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and marketplace coverage"—all moves that would likely cause millions to lose their insurance. “These proposals would create an environment where people with health conditions would pay higher premiums and out-of-pocket costs for less substantial coverage than is currently available,” the CBPP report says. “Given the increase in costs, more people would enroll in subpar plans that leave them exposed to high costs if they get sick.” That sounds a whole lot like the Obamacare repeal that Republicans attempted to pass in 2017. That bill failed spectacularly amid public outcry because it would have kicked millions off their insurance and weakened protections to cover preexisting conditions. In fact, the repeal effort was such an <a href="https://poll.qu.edu/poll-release-legacy?releaseid=2461" target="_blank">unpopular boondoggle</a> that it helped to sink the GOP in the <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/11/07/healthcare-topped-the-economy-as-the-biggest-issue-for-voters-now-heres-why.html" target="_blank">2018 midterm elections</a>. If this is the plan Republicans will try to pass again, it’ll likely be an equally unpopular mess for the GOP. Polling shows that the ACA is popular, with 64% of Americans viewing it favorably, <a href="https://www.kff.org/interactive/kff-health-tracking-poll-the-publics-views-on-the-aca/#?response=Favorable--Unfavorable&aRange=twoYear" target="_blank">according</a> to a KFF tracking poll. <hr> <div class="dk-editor-embed dk-datawrapper-embed center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <a class="iframe_placeholder datawrapper dk-embed" href="//datawrapper.dwcdn.net/oiHbE/1/" data-frameborder="0" data-height="265" data-src="//datawrapper.dwcdn.net/oiHbE/1/" data-width="757">Datawrapper Content</a></div> <hr> Surveys also show that voters want Congress to extend the ACA subsidies that will expire unless Congress acts. A Navigator Research <a href="https://navigatorresearch.org/government-shutdown-week-3-message-guidance/" target="_blank">poll</a> released last week found that 73% of registered voters want the subsidies extended.  Already, Republicans’ health care changes in the “One Big Beautiful Bill” are unpopular with voters, who do not support the <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/3/3/2307602/-Voters-really-hate-GOP-plans-to-cut-Medicaid-and-food-stamps" target="_blank">law’s major Medicaid cuts</a> enacted to partially pay for tax cuts that overwhelmingly benefit the rich.  But letting those tax credits expire and forcing large premium increases on millions of people struggling to get by because of <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/7/31/2336069/-So-much-for-Trump-ending-inflation" target="_blank">inflation</a> and <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/9/5/2341949/-New-jobs-numbers-are-so-bad-Trump-would-rather-discuss-Epstein" target="_blank">a rocky job market</a>, both exacerbated by Trump’s tariffs, could be catastrophic for Republicans on the ballot in 2026.  Indeed, some vulnerable Republicans up for reelection in 2026 are fretting that their party’s lack of a plan to address coming cost spikes in insurance premiums will be a major problem for the GOP next November.  “I think the reality is, if costs go up under our control, it could have an impact on us,” Republican Rep. David Valadao of California <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/26/politics/health-care-premiums-obamacare-republicans-shutdown" target="_blank">told</a> CNN. “I get that there’s some in leadership who don’t like hearing it but there’s no denying it.” As they say, a broken clock is right twice a day. rss@dailykos.com (Emily Singer) 2026midterms AffordableCareAct DonaldTrump HealthCare MikeJohnson Obamacare _2350714 Mon, 27 Oct 2025 23:00:02 +0000 Democratic senator says GOP’s shutdown will bite them in the ass https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/27/2350748/-Democratic-senator-says-GOP-s-shutdown-will-bite-them-in-the-ass?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= Democratic Sen. <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/8/2347604/-Arizona-s-senators-are-fed-up-with-Mike-Johnson-s-BS" target="_blank">Ruben Gallego</a> of Arizona <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fy4WAyJ4fq0" target="_blank">appeared on</a> “The Mike Broomhead Show” Monday to explain Democrats’ stance on the GOP government shutdown.  When asked if Republicans’ stubbornness was "political suicide," Gallego threw up his hands. "It is!” he said. “I actually talked about it with Republicans—like, ‘I'm literally trying to give you guys a lifeline here, right?’” <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content"><a class="new_iframe_placeholder" href="#">x</a></div> <a class="iframe_placeholder youtube dk-embed" href="//youtube.com/watch?v=FAaDWnmnAF0" data-frameborder="0" data-height="281" data-src="//www.youtube.com/embed/FAaDWnmnAF0" data-width="500">YouTube Video</a></div> </div> Gallego then pointed out that President Donald Trump’s preferred pollster, Tony Fabrizio, <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/gop-pollster-republicans-benefit-supporting-obamacare-policy-2099353" target="_blank">warned Republicans</a> that a health care crisis hurts their chances for reelection in the midterms—and <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/27/2350670/-House-speaker-has-a-hell-of-an-excuse-for-not-showing-up-to-work" target="_blank">no amount of spin</a> or <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/27/2350665/-Trump-s-midterm-rigging-scheme-hits-another-state?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=top_news_slot_8&pm_medium=web" target="_blank">election shenanigans</a> will fix that. “All the machinations the president's doing right now with redistricting with all this kind of stuff—none of that is going to matter if you see 24 million families—remember, it's not people, families—are going to see insurance rates double,” Gallego explained. “That's not the political policy you want to fight on in a very swing year, and the year after the president has just won. It does not usually work in favor of the party in power." rss@dailykos.com (Walter Einenkel) 2026 DonaldTrump GovernmentShutdown HealthCare Midterms RubenGallego _2350748 Mon, 27 Oct 2025 22:55:04 +0000 Top union leader says stop playing politics as GOP shutdown drags on https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/27/2350717/-Top-union-leader-says-stop-playing-politics-as-GOP-shutdown-drags-on?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= The head of the United States’ largest federal workers union is <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/afge-largest-federal-workers-union-end-shutdown-rcna239767" target="_blank">blasting</a> Congress as the government shutdown drags into its second month—the <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/10/22/government-shutdown-trump-democrats.html" target="_blank">second-longest</a> in U.S. history—forcing hundreds of thousands of employees to miss another round of paychecks. Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees—which represents more than 820,000 government workers—took aim at lawmakers on Monday, warning that the political standoff has gone too far. “Both political parties have made their point, and still there is no clear end in sight,” he <a href="https://www.afge.org/article/its-past-time-to-end-this-shutdown/" target="_blank" title="">wrote in a statement</a>. “Today I’m making mine: it’s time to pass a clean continuing resolution and end this shutdown today. No half measures, and no gamesmanship.” <figure class="image-captioned align-right"><img alt="UNITED STATES - JULY 17: From left, Everett Kelley, national president of the American Federation of Government Employees, Liz Shuler, AFL-CIO president, Reps. Jared Golden, D-Maine, and Donald Norcross, D-N.J., conduct a news conference to oppose a "union-busting executive order by President Donald Trump," that eliminated collective bargaining rights for federal workers, in the Capitol Visitor Center on Thursday, July 17, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP Images)" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1472018/large/AP25198628017911.jpg?1756314105" title="UNITED STATES - JULY 17: From left, Everett Kelley, national president of the American Federation of Government Employees, Liz Shuler, AFL-CIO president, Reps. Jared Golden, D-Maine, and Donald Norcross, D-N.J., conduct a news conference to oppose a "union-busting executive order by President Donald Trump," that eliminated collective bargaining rights for federal workers, in the Capitol Visitor Center on Thursday, July 17, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP Images)"> <figcaption>Everett Kelley stands behind AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler during a news conference against President Donald Trump’s union-busting efforts on July 17.</figcaption> </figure> A “clean” continuing resolution keeps the government running at current funding levels without unrelated political riders. Republicans insist that their proposal fits that bill; Democrats say it underfunds critical programs, using their leverage in the Senate to secure an extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/9/23/2345057/-Trump-won-t-even-discuss-protecting-health-care-for-millions" target="_blank">set to expire</a> at the end of the year. But passing a stopgap measure isn’t simple, and the blame doesn’t rest solely with Democrats.  House Speaker Mike Johnson has <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/27/2350670/-House-speaker-has-a-hell-of-an-excuse-for-not-showing-up-to-work?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=top_news_slot_1&pm_medium=web" target="_blank">kept the chamber</a> out of session, arguing that the House has already done its job by passing a short-term funding bill. In other words, there’s little room for negotiation when half of Congress isn’t even in town. While Kelley didn’t name names, his message lands squarely in the partisan fight.  “It’s time for our leaders to start focusing on how to solve problems for the American people, rather than on who is going to get the blame for a shutdown that Americans dislike,” he wrote. Kelley also urged lawmakers to approve a resolution that buys time to debate larger issues, from ballooning federal costs to a chronically broken budgeting process. The stakes are real—and personal. Hundreds of thousands of federal employees are either<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/22/2349849/-Trump-uses-his-shutdown-to-give-his-fascist-minions-a-little-treat" target="_blank"> working without pay</a> or <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/23/2350079/-National-Parks-are-more-of-a-mess-thanks-to-the-GOP-shutdown" target="_blank">furloughed</a>. Air traffic controllers, TSA agents, Army nurses, food inspectors, and Veterans Affairs staff <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/01/24/working-without-pay-air-traffic-controllers-are-driving-uber-waiting-tables-putting-stress-steroids/" target="_blank">are scrambling</a> to cover basic expenses, even as the White House <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/16/2348929/-Trump-plans-to-pay-his-favorite-fascists-during-GOP-shutdown" target="_blank">has continued to pay</a> immigration agents. Many have <a href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/union-pressures-democrats-to-end-government-shutdown-6028b2b1?mod=politics_lead_pos2" target="_blank">had to rely on</a> savings, short-term loans, and even <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/27/2350689/-A-damn-ballroom-Tim-Walz-slams-GOP-shutdown-hypocrisy" target="_blank">food banks</a> to survive the shutdown. “These are patriotic Americans—parents, caregivers, and veterans—forced to work without pay while struggling to cover rent, groceries, gas, and medicine because of political disagreements in Washington,” Kelley wrote in his statement. “That is unacceptable.” <figure class="image-captioned align-right"><img alt="Cartoon by Clay Bennett" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1491764/large/20251026edcbc-a.jpg?1761245083" title="Cartoon by Clay Bennett"> <figcaption>A cartoon by Clay Bennett.</figcaption> </figure> But the impacts of the shutdown are felt far beyond federal paychecks. The U.S. Department of Agriculture warns that more than 40 million Americans<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/22/2349883/-Republicans-want-to-starve-the-poor-These-states-are-stepping-up" target="_blank"> who rely on</a> food assistance <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5572490-usda-snap-funding-impasse/" target="_blank">could lose benefits</a> as soon as Nov. 1 if the shutdown continues. The political deadlock is entrenched. Senate Democrats<a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5568368-democrats-government-funding-bill-shutdown/" target="_blank"> have blocked</a> a GOP-backed continuing resolution a dozen times, insisting that the reopening of the government<a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/10/12/nx-s1-5570849/shutdown-aca-health-care-tax-credits" target="_blank"> must come with the guarantee</a> that ACA subsidies will continue.  Meanwhile, AFGE is taking the fight to court. The union<a href="https://www.afge.org/publication/federal-employee-unions-file-expanded-lawsuit-challenging-trump-administrations-illegal-shutdown-firings/" target="_blank" title=""> is suing</a> the Trump administration over mass layoffs during the shutdown and for partisan emails<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/3/2346601/-GOP-s-shutdown-blame-game-hits-federal-websites-and-workers-inboxes" target="_blank" title=""> sent from employees’ government email</a> accounts without their consent.  Kelley said that the goal is simple: Reopen the government and<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/7/2347378/-Here-s-how-Trump-could-screw-federal-workers-even-more" target="_blank" title=""> ensure back pay</a> for every worker affected, whether they’ve been forced to work without pay or furloughed. “None of these steps favor one political side over another. They favor the American people—who expect stability from their government and responsibility from their leaders,” he wrote. Despite the urgency, negotiations show little progress. The shutdown will hit its one-month mark this week, and President Donald Trump<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/2/2346553/-Trump-plans-new-way-to-torment-Democrats-as-his-shutdown-continues" target="_blank"> has said</a> that he will only meet with Democrats after they vote to reopen the government. The union’s plea is direct and urgent—an effort to put a human face on the stalemate. Hundreds of thousands of Americans aren’t just entries on a payroll—they’re families stretched to the breaking point. And if Congress doesn’t step in, the consequences will only get worse. Whether the message will move the needle is unclear. But one thing isn’t: Republicans <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/1/2346371/-It-s-simple-Republicans-have-the-votes-to-end-their-shutdown" target="_blank">have the votes</a> to end this shutdown whenever they choose. rss@dailykos.com (Alex Samuels) Congress DonaldTrump EverettKelley GovernmentShutdown MikeJohnson Union _2350717 Mon, 27 Oct 2025 22:00:05 +0000 Sean Duffy happily spins tragedy into hate-mongering https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/27/2350709/-Sean-Duffy-happily-spins-tragedy-into-hate-mongering?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= If there’s one thing the Trump administration is, it’s consistent—at least, consistent in finding new ways to target the immigrant community. And that extends even to the guy who oversees the nation’s highways and airports. On Sunday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, a former reality-TV star, <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/8/26/2340303/-Trump-administration-threatens-funding-for-3-states-over-trucker-English-rules" title="" target="_blank">revived an anti-immigrant attack</a> he made against California in August, threatening to pull millions of federal funding if the state didn’t stop allegedly issuing commercial driver’s licenses to noncitizens. “I’m about to pull $160 million from California,” Duffy <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/transportation-secretary-pull-160m-california-noncitizen-truck-license-rcna239962" target="_blank">said</a> on Fox News, adding, “And as we pull more money, we also have the option of pulling California’s ability to issue commercial driver’s licenses.” He also <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/sean-duffy-to-withhold-millions-from-california-over-commercial-licenses-10941523" target="_blank" title="">called</a> the fact that undocumented immigrants can obtain driver’s licenses in some states “unbelievable.” Immigrants in the truck-driving industry have found themselves in the middle of a political war zone after Harjinder Singh, an Indian-born man living in California, allegedly <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/8/26/2340303/-Trump-administration-threatens-funding-for-3-states-over-trucker-English-rules" target="_blank">made an illegal U-turn</a> in August, leading to the death of three individuals. According to the Trump administration, Singh was in the country without documentation. Conservatives like Duffy have clung to Singh’s legal status, making the generalization that if one undocumented immigrant made an error, all immigrants in the industry were an issue.  <figure class="image-captioned width-xl align-right"><img alt="FILE - California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a press conference in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer, File)" class="width-xl" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1387541/large/AP24316685355737.jpg?1736813248" title="FILE - California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a press conference in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer, File)"> <figcaption>California Gov. Gavin Newsom, shown in 2024.</figcaption> </figure> Duffy’s attack on California was seemingly revived last week when a different allegedly undocumented man, Jashanpreet Singh, <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/semi-truck-driver-country-illegally-pleads-not-guilty/story?id=126844211" title="" target="_blank">crashed his semi-truck</a> while allegedly under the influence, killing three people. The man has <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/semi-truck-driver-country-illegally-pleads-not-guilty/story?id=126844211" title="" target="_blank">pleaded not guilty</a>. The broader Trump administration is using this accident against its political opponents. The Department of Homeland Security <a href="https://x.com/DHSgov/status/1981837719480254808" title="" target="_blank">claimed</a> last week on X that California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s policies are “100% to blame” for the accidents. However, Newsom’s press office clapped back, <a href="https://x.com/GovPressOffice/status/1981876899317272814" target="_blank">writing on X</a> that it was the Trump administration that renewed the driver’s work permit.  “CA-licensed CDL holders are involved in fatal crashes at a rate FAR BELOW the national average,” Newsom’s office added. “They may want to look into Texas, which has a 50% HIGHER rate than California.” The Trump administration’s rhetoric has <a href="https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2025-09-12/punjabi-truckers-feel-targetted-by-tariff-and-crackdown-after-accident" target="_blank">encouraged harassment </a>toward immigrant drivers who, like everyone else, just want to do their jobs.  As the administration claims to care about safety on America’s roads, it also<a href="https://www.freightwaves.com/news/fmcsa-halts-study-on-sexual-assault-in-trucking" target="_blank"> halted a study </a>looking into the rape and sexual assault of female truck drivers.  Then again, Duffy directing his focus to attacking immigrants while others suffer is a common theme.  After all, air traffic controllers are <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/23/2350056/-Transportation-secretary-says-his-job-is-really-hard-man" target="_blank">continuing to work without pay</a>—and calling in sick—as we barrel toward the one-month mark of the government shutdown.  “The controllers are wearing thin,” Duffy<a href="https://thehill.com/policy/transportation/5573764-duffy-air-traffic-controllers-are-wearing-thin-as-government-shutdown-hits-day-26/" target="_blank"> told Fox News</a> on Sunday. “And again, they’re taking second jobs, they’re out there looking, ‘Can I drive Uber, can I find another source of income to make ends meet?’” As these federal workers struggle to put food on the table, it’s clear the Trump administration won’t be helping: It would <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/27/2350612/-The-poor-should-starve-says-Trump-administration" target="_blank">rather people starve</a>. rss@dailykos.com (Alix Breeden) California CDL GavinNewsom Immigration KRISTINOEM SeanDuffy TruckDrivers _2350709 Mon, 27 Oct 2025 21:00:06 +0000 ‘Blatant corruption’: Watch this Democrat shred Trump’s crypto scam https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/27/2350712/--Blatant-corruption-Watch-this-Democrat-shred-Trump-s-crypto-scam?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= During an <a href="https://x.com/atrupar/status/1982825459734720680" target="_blank">appearance on MSNBC</a> Monday, Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California did not mince words when asked about President Donald Trump’s <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/23/2350083/-Trump-pardons-another-shady-crypto-crony" target="_blank">pardon of Binance founder</a> Changpeng Zhao. “This is blatant corruption. You don't need to know a lot about cryptocurrency to understand what went on here,” he said. “You've got a foreign billionaire, who was basically engaged in money laundering, having money go to Hamas, having money go to Iran, having money go to child abusers. He was convicted. He served four years in prison. And then he petitions for a pardon from Donald Trump—after basically funneling money to terrorists.”  <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content"><a class="new_iframe_placeholder" href="#">x</a></div> <a class="iframe_placeholder youtube dk-embed" href="//youtube.com/watch?v=WCi91p8kcjQ" title="" data-frameborder="0" data-height="281" data-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WCi91p8kcjQ" data-width="500">YouTube Video</a></div> </div> Khanna then reminded viewers that Zhao’s clemency request came as Trump’s World Liberty Financial was <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/9/7/2341986/-Crypto-is-the-grift-that-keeps-on-giving-for-the-Trump-family" title="" target="_blank">striking billion-dollar deals</a> with the convicted crypto criminal's company.  “It is so illegal, it is right in our faces, and we should ban any elected official from having cryptocurrency and accepting foreign money, which the Trump administration—the Trump family—has done from UAE [United Arab Emirates] and from this foreign billionaire,” he said. rss@dailykos.com (Walter Einenkel) binance ChangpengZhao Corruption Cryptocurrency DonaldTrump RoKhanna _2350712 Mon, 27 Oct 2025 20:55:11 +0000 House speaker has a hell of an excuse for not showing up to work https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/27/2350670/-House-speaker-has-a-hell-of-an-excuse-for-not-showing-up-to-work?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= House Speaker Mike Johnson is still defending his asinine decision to <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/20/2349540/-House-GOP-will-stop-at-nothing-to-keep-Epstein-files-hidden" target="_blank">keep the House in recess</a> for more than a month. "House Republicans are doing some of the most meaningful work of their careers,” he <a href="https://x.com/atrupar/status/1982818879886807104" target="_blank">said</a> during a news conference Monday. “They are in their districts working around the clock with their constituents, helping them not only to negotiate the crisis that's been created by this Democrat shutdown, but all the other matters that they need to attend to. And I am hearing from them individually. They are having some of the most meaningful interactions at a time of great crisis with their constituents that they've ever had, and that's really, really important. So I don't want to pull them away from that work.” <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content"><a class="new_iframe_placeholder" href="#">x</a></div> <a class="iframe_placeholder youtube dk-embed" href="//youtube.com/watch?v=lv03p1Yi87I" data-frameborder="0" data-height="281" data-src="//www.youtube.com/embed/lv03p1Yi87I" data-width="500">YouTube Video</a></div> </div> Johnson also claimed that there’s "plenty of time" left in the year for Republicans to do the legislative work that they were elected to do—even though that’s not at all true.  Not a <a href="https://www.congress.gov/crs-appropriations-status-table" target="_blank">single individual spending bill</a> needed to fund government functions for the entire fiscal year has made it to President Donald Trump’s desk for a signature. In fact, the stopgap continuing resolution that Republicans passed in September is <a href="https://appropriations.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/republicans-appropriations.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/bill-text-continuing-appropriations-and-extensions-act-2026.pdf" target="_blank">set to expire</a> on Nov. 21. So even if the government reopened today, that would give Congress less than a month to pass the longer-term spending bills needed to keep the government open. Republicans are also not working on legislation to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies <a href="https://www.kff.org/affordable-care-act/aca-marketplace-premium-payments-would-more-than-double-on-average-next-year-if-enhanced-premium-tax-credits-expire/" target="_blank">to prevent millions</a> of Americans’ health insurance premiums from doubling, which is why the government has shut down in the first place. Though a number of GOP lawmakers are <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/26/politics/health-care-premiums-obamacare-republicans-shutdown" target="_blank">now privately fretting</a> that <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/24/republicans-obamacare-subsidy-cliff-plan-trump-00620873?experience_id=EXYF89KVT5UQ&is_magic_link=true&template_id=OTJIR2CRKUD6&template_variant_id=OTV632IE7RALS" target="_blank">not taking action</a> will hurt their party in the 2026 midterms. <figure class="image-captioned align-right"><img alt="A closed sign stands in front of the National Archives on the first day of a government shutdown, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1484426/large/AP25274463378870.jpg?1759504099" title="A closed sign stands in front of the National Archives on the first day of a government shutdown, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)"> <figcaption>A closed sign stands in front of the National Archives on the first day of a government shutdown on Oct. 1.</figcaption> </figure> As for the "meaningful" work that Johnson says Republicans are doing in their districts, it certainly can’t be town hall meetings to hear constituents' concerns. Johnson <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/2/26/2306387/-New-GOP-plan-to-deal-with-angry-voters-Run-and-hide?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=top_news_slot_1&pm_medium=web" target="_blank">told Republicans</a> not to hold town halls, since voters are showing up to <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/3/3/2307539/-Town-halls-are-getting-even-uglier-for-Republican-lawmakers?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=top_news_slot_1&pm_medium=web" target="_blank">yell at them</a> for cutting Medicaid and food stamps and for allowing Trump to wreck the economy with his idiotic tariffs. In fact, Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa—one of the most vulnerable Republicans up for reelection in 2026—<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/7/2347367/-House-Republican-says-she-ll-hold-a-town-hall-when-hell-freezes-over" target="_blank">said</a> that she'll hold a town hall "when hell freezes over.” Perhaps the "meaningful" work includes virulently racist Rep. Randy Fine of Florida trying to "denaturalize and deport" New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. “I just think we need to take a hard look at how these folks became citizens, and if there is any fraud or any violation of the rules we need to denaturalize and deport,” Fine <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/10/25/us-news/house-republicans-push-to-denaturalize-mamdani-over-citizenship-form/" target="_blank">told</a> the New York Post Saturday. Then there’s Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, who <a href="https://x.com/realannapaulina/status/1982441351925923880" target="_blank" title="">met with the leader</a> of Russia's sovereign wealth fund during his visit to the United States <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/24/europe/kirill-dmitriev-russian-envoy-visits-us-intl" target="_blank" title="">to try to convince</a> Trump and the GOP not to impose sanctions on Russia for targeting innocent civilians in its evil war on Ukraine. And we can’t forget Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, who’s been <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/house-republicans-accuse-bidens-fbi-retaliating-against-whistleblower-who-exposed-misconduct" target="_blank" title="">continuing his investigations</a> into the Biden administration in an attempt to gin up anger among the right. What a “meaningful” use of his time. <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/27/2350612/-The-poor-should-starve-says-Trump-administration" target="_blank">The poor should starve, says Trump administration</a> <hr> Other Republicans are merely using their time off to defend Trump from whatever new scandal is plaguing his administration, whether it be his <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/26/2350070/-Spineless-Republicans-defend-Trump-s-ballroom-debacle" target="_blank">demolition</a> of the White House, his <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/18/2348920/-GOP-won-t-stop-spewing-bullsh-t-about-No-Kings-protests" target="_blank">demonization</a> of the massive “No Kings” protests, or his <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/24/2350217/-Even-Trump-s-bootlickers-can-t-defend-his-taxpayer-shakedown" target="_blank">$230 million shakedown</a> of U.S. taxpayers. Despite his many excuses, the reason that Johnson doesn't want to bring the House back from recess is because it would <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/21/2349757/-Lawsuit-seeks-to-force-swearing-in-of-US-Rep-elect-Adelita-Grijalva-of-Arizona" target="_blank">force him to swear in</a> Arizona Democrat Adelita Grijalva, who would be the final signature to <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/9/24/2345222/-Democratic-win-in-Arizona-could-force-House-vote-on-Epstein-files" target="_blank">force a vote</a> on releasing the Epstein files—which Trump <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/7/23/2334851/-Guess-who-s-reportedly-named-in-the-Epstein-files" target="_blank">doesn’t want made public</a>. It would also allow congressional reporters better access to GOP lawmakers to ask questions about the shutdown and Trump's other lawless actions, which could cause bad news cycles for Republicans who are <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/23/2350036/-Watch-Mike-Johnson-s-latest-and-saddest-GOP-shutdown-excuse" target="_blank">already struggling</a> to <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/12/2347937/-GOP-spreads-increasingly-desperate-and-dangerous-lies-to-shirk-blame-for-their-shutdown" target="_blank">deflect blame</a> for their shutdown. At the end of the day, voters are unlikely to buy Johnson’s spin that it’s more “meaningful” for Republicans to be on vacation than it is for them to be doing their jobs. rss@dailykos.com (Emily Singer) AdelitaGrijalva DonaldTrump EpsteinFiles GovernmentShutdown MikeJohnson _2350670 Mon, 27 Oct 2025 20:00:11 +0000 Cartoon: The Young Republican group chat https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/27/2349753/-Cartoon-The-Young-Republican-group-chat?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= A cartoon by Clay Bennett. <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/21/2349712/-Racism-isn-t-the-only-legacy-Trump-passed-on-to-Young-Republicans" title="" target="_blank">Racism isn’t the only legacy Trump passed on to Young Republicans</a> <hr> rss@dailykos.com (Clay Bennett) Bigotry Cartoon ClayBennett DonaldTrump Racism YoungRepublicans _2349753 Mon, 27 Oct 2025 19:59:09 +0000 Company tied to Don Jr. randomly wins big Pentagon contract https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/27/2350324/-Company-tied-to-Don-Jr-randomly-wins-big-Pentagon-contract?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= The Trump family coffers apparently aren’t deep enough, because Daddy Dearest and his loyal Cabinet members just <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/24/us/politics/trump-drones-pentagon.html" target="_blank">handed</a> Donald Trump Jr. a massive deal at the Pentagon. Unusual Machines, a Florida-based drone company in which Trump Jr. has invested $4 million, <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/4cedc140-4a02-4ab6-9f78-93dd8c51aeef" target="_blank">secured a contract</a> with the Defense Department. According to CEO Allan Evans, the purchase—for an undisclosed amount—was their largest buyout to date.  <figure class="image-captioned align-right"><img alt="President Donald Trump, front right, walks down the stairs of Air Force One with his granddaughter Kai Trump upon arriving at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Friday Sept. 26, 2025, after a day trip to the Ryder Cup golf tournament at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, N.Y. (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1487736/large/AP25269738694304.jpg?1760384503" title="President Donald Trump, front right, walks down the stairs of Air Force One with his granddaughter Kai Trump upon arriving at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Friday Sept. 26, 2025, after a day trip to the Ryder Cup golf tournament at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, N.Y. (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)"> <figcaption>President Donald Trump deplanes Air Force One with his granddaughter, Kai, who recently launched a grift of her own.</figcaption> </figure> Despite Trump Jr.’s investment and role on Unusual Machines’ advisory board, Evans told the Financial Times that he “did not advise or do anything else on this deal.” And a spokesperson for Trump Jr. also denounced any connection.  “Don has never communicated with anyone in the administration on behalf of Unusual Machines or about the contract in question,” they told the Financial Times. “His advisory role with them has nothing to do with interfacing with the government.” But the sale did come at an opportune time, given that President Donald Trump <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/06/unleashing-american-drone-dominance/" target="_blank">signed</a> an executive order in June to boost the drone industry. Still, Trump Jr.’s drone profits are just a <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/9/11/2342795/-Trump-Jr-joins-an-accused-rapist-in-latest-dubious-business-venture" target="_blank">drop in the bucket</a> at this point. From inheriting his father's real-estate portfolio to managing his trust, Trump Jr. and the rest of the president’s children are set. <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/7/2347419/-Fox-News-doesn-t-worship-Trump-enough-according-to-Trump-family" target="_blank" title="">Fox News doesn't worship Trump enough—according to Trump family</a> <hr> Though inheritance doesn’t seem to be quite enough for all of the Trump family.  Recently, Eric Trump has been using his platform to <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/9/29/2346072/-Eric-Trump-whines-about-violent-left-to-hawk-his-book" target="_blank">hawk his book</a> making claims about the “radical” left’s alleged coordinated attack against his family. And if that wasn’t enough, he’s been using Charlie Kirk’s assassination to <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/14/2348535/-Eric-Trump-concocts-crazy-sales-pitch-for-his-crappy-book" target="_blank" title="">push book sales</a>. The family has also <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/9/7/2341986/-Crypto-is-the-grift-that-keeps-on-giving-for-the-Trump-family" target="_blank" title="">made quite a killing</a> from crypto, all with the help of insider knowledge on Trump’s plans for deregulation. And Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, has also <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/1/17/2297463/-Trump-s-family-wastes-no-time-profiting-off-of-Daddy-s-second-term" target="_blank">made his own share of deals</a> through his business relationship with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who provided Kushner’s firm $2 billion from a sovereign wealth fund. Even Trump’s grandchildren are getting involved in the grift. Kai Trump, who is the daughter of Trump Jr., <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/13/2348407/-Trump-family-proves-grift-does-not-skip-a-generation" target="_blank">recently launched</a> her own clothing line and YouTube channel—with her grandfather front and center as she racks in money.  It seems like Trump’s family is right on track to make their riches before the first year of his second term is even over. rss@dailykos.com (Alix Breeden) Corruption DonaldTrump DonaldTrumpJr Pentagon peteHegseth _2350324 Mon, 27 Oct 2025 19:00:09 +0000 'A damn ballroom': Tim Walz slams GOP shutdown hypocrisy https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/27/2350689/--A-damn-ballroom-Tim-Walz-slams-GOP-shutdown-hypocrisy?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= On Monday, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz <a href="https://x.com/atrupar/status/1982833301543862439" title="" target="_blank">unveiled</a> his plan to provide $4 million in emergency funding to support food shelves, calling out President Donald Trump and the GOP for the <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/27/2350612/-The-poor-should-starve-says-Trump-administration" target="_blank">crisis created</a> by their ongoing government shutdown. "This is not a both-sidesism. This is owned by the Republicans. It is owned by their ability to want to have anything their way. They've got a president that is pulling money back that was appropriated by the legislature,” he said. <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content"><a class="new_iframe_placeholder" href="#">x</a></div> <a class="iframe_placeholder youtube dk-embed" href="//youtube.com/watch?v=hE6YKa5q9r0" title="" data-frameborder="0" data-height="281" data-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hE6YKa5q9r0" data-width="500">YouTube Video</a></div> </div> “I know Democrats are ready to go,” Walz continued. “The people are going to be lined up out here to get food, and we're talking about a damn ballroom. Don't lose the plot. Don't lose the plot of what's going on here." rss@dailykos.com (Walter Einenkel) DonaldTrump Foodbanks GovernmentShutdown Minnesota SNAP TimWalz _2350689 Mon, 27 Oct 2025 18:55:11 +0000 Rich-as-hell treasury secretary feels the pain of the common farmer https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/27/2350666/-Rich-as-hell-treasury-secretary-feels-the-pain-of-the-common-farmer?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, a hundred-millionaire, wants America’s farmers to know he’s just like them and they are all in this together.  American soybean farmers have had a rough go of it lately, with China <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/25/business/china-soybean-sales-farmers.html" target="_blank">boycotting</a> the purchase of U.S. soybeans. Never fear, though. Bessent knows exactly what you’re going through.  “In case you don’t know it, I’m actually a soybean farmer, so I have felt this pain too,” <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3m43ypcso7c2p" target="_blank">Bessent shared on ABC News</a> on Sunday. <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content"><a class="new_iframe_placeholder" href="#">x</a></div> <a class="iframe_placeholder youtube dk-embed" href="//youtube.com/watch?v=IfP0aLtpxnQ" data-frameborder="0" data-height="281" data-src="//www.youtube.com/embed/IfP0aLtpxnQ" data-width="500">YouTube Video</a></div> </div> This is nonsense on so many levels. First, Forbes estimates Bessent’s net worth to be <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/kylemullins/2025/06/10/how-rich-is-treasury-secretary-scott-bessent/" target="_blank" title="">about $600 million</a>, so he probably is feeling no pain. In contrast, those who run small farms often have to<a href="https://www.fb.org/market-intel/small-family-farms-the-roots-of-american-agriculture" target="_blank" title=""> work side gigs</a> to make ends meet, and <a href="https://www.fb.org/market-intel/the-other-paycheck-how-off-farm-income-keeps-farmers-farming" target="_blank" title="">over three-quarters</a> of total farm household income is from off-farm jobs. After accounting for all the costs that go into farming, small family farms make about $44,000 per year on average.  Next, Bessent doesn’t farm a thing. Instead, he owns<a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5574543-bessent-soybean-farmers-pain/" target="_blank" title=""> substantial farmland</a> in North Dakota, which he rents out. The land is worth up to $25 million, and the rental income pulls in between $100,000 and $1 million per year for him.  In other words, he’s a landlord. <figure class="image-captioned align-right"><img alt="In this Friday, Oct. 18, 2019, photo Ervin Buse drives a combine down a row of soybeans at Terry Hayhurst's farm in southwest Vigo County, Ind. (Austen Leake/The Tribune-Star via AP)" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1483834/large/AP19293636258821.jpg?1759343013" title="In this Friday, Oct. 18, 2019, photo Ervin Buse drives a combine down a row of soybeans at Terry Hayhurst's farm in southwest Vigo County, Ind. (Austen Leake/The Tribune-Star via AP)"> <figcaption>A farmer drives a combine down a row of soybeans in Indiana, in 2019.</figcaption> </figure> You are probably wondering how Bessent was allowed to keep his farm after starting work in the Trump administration, and you’re not alone. Bessent has been<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/13/us/politics/scott-bessent-conflicts-of-interest.html" target="_blank"> allowed to keep</a> some of his private holdings, including that farmland. Bessent was supposed to divest of certain holdings within 90 days of being confirmed, But, in a neat trick, Bessent has avoided it, promising now that he will comply by Dec. 15. Well, except for the things Bessent has<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/13/us/politics/scott-bessent-conflicts-of-interest.html" target="_blank"> unilaterally decided</a> he will not divest from. That includes a private equity fund and his investments in a drug development company and a flavored water company. According to Bessent, it is just too difficult to see them, and the government ethics office just did him a solid and said those magically do not pose any conflicts of interest. Bessent hasn’t<a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/10/26/trump-trade-war-bessent" target="_blank"> sold his farmland</a>, either. In theory, he is required to sell that by Dec. 15, but before he does that—if he does it at all—he’s going to do a wee bit of Trump-style grifting. See, as the treasury secretary, he is negotiating<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-10-27/soybeans-jump-on-signs-of-easing-us-china-trade-tensions" target="_blank"> a soybean deal</a> with China, which stands to enrich Bessent, the faux-farmer. Neat. But he’s not in this for the money, nosiree. “The honor of serving the American people under President Trump can’t be ascribed a dollar value,” he told The New York Times. Sure.  Bessent’s attempt to show he is in touch with the needs of the common man, the workaday farmer struggling to make ends meet, is ridiculous. The only part of farming he engages in is counting his delicious passive income while other people do the work. rss@dailykos.com (Lisa Needham) China ScottBessent Soybeans _2350666 Mon, 27 Oct 2025 18:00:28 +0000 Trump’s midterm-rigging scheme hits another state https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/27/2350665/-Trump-s-midterm-rigging-scheme-hits-another-state?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= Indiana Gov. Mike Braun has called a special session to redraw congressional districts—making Indiana the latest Republican-led state to act on pressure from the Trump administration to tighten the party’s control of the U.S. House ahead of next year’s midterm elections. In a statement, Braun<a href="https://www.wfyi.org/news/articles/mike-braun-calls-special-session-to-redraw-indianas-congressional-maps" target="_blank" title=""> said</a> the special session was meant to “protect Hoosiers from efforts in other states that seek to diminish their voice in Washington” and to make sure their congressional representation “is fair.” Still, the political ramifications are obvious: A new map in Indiana could hand national Republicans as many as two more House seats, tightening the party’s grip on its<a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/narrow-house-majority-congress-dg" target="_blank"> slim majority</a> and strengthening President Donald Trump’s hold on Congress. The governor’s announcement follows weeks of resistance from state Democrats and even some Republicans who were wary of following<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/8/8/2337445/-Texas-Republicans-vow-to-go-nuclear-in-redistricting-row" target="_blank"> Texas</a>,<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/22/2349831/-This-swing-state-takes-another-step-away-from-democracy" target="_blank"> North Carolina</a>, and<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/9/9/2342554/-Another-state-is-trying-to-rig-more-GOP-seats-in-the-next-election" target="_blank"> Missouri</a> in redrawing maps before the midterms. Those states have already completed their redistricting, potentially giving Republicans up to seven additional House seats—a significant shift in a chamber with razor-thin margins. <figure class="image-captioned align-right"><img alt="President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1488980/large/AP25289713498481.jpg?1760735196" title="President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)"> <figcaption>President Donald Trump, shown in October.</figcaption> </figure> In Indiana, the process could be trickier. Although the GOP holds a supermajority in both chambers—meaning Democrats can’t block the session<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/8/18/2338996/-Texas-Democrats-are-back-What-now" target="_blank"> by walking out</a>—it’s<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/22/indiana-redistricting-trump-senate-00618155" target="_blank"> not yet clear</a> whether enough Republican state senators will back the new maps. State Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray’s office said on Wednesday that the Indiana Senate lacked the votes to pass a new congressional map, casting doubt on the success of the special session. Braun, a staunch Trump ally who won office in a state the president <a href="https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?year=2024&fips=18&f=1&off=0&elect=0" target="_blank">carried by nearly 19 percentage points</a>, had long insisted he wouldn’t call lawmakers back until legislative leaders were on board. That hesitation seems to have faded under mounting White House pressure. Vice President JD Vance<a href="https://pro.stateaffairs.com/in/elections/vance-second-indiana-trip-redistricting" target="_blank"> made two trips</a> to Indiana this year to personally lobby Braun and legislative leaders, urging them to redraw the state’s nine districts to ensure a full Republican sweep. And Trump <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/27/us/indiana-redistricting-special-session.html" target="_blank">reportedly phoned</a> GOP state senators this month to encourage them to back the plan. It marked a significant<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/9/30/2346239/-Trump-turns-redistricting-into-a-Republican-loyalty-test" target="_blank"> escalation in pressure</a> from the White House. Conservative groups piled on, too. According to The New York Times, lawmakers in Indiana were also bombarded with emails from organizations like Turning Point USA, which threatened primary challenges against Republicans who resisted the plan. That pressure campaign seems to have worked. The special session will begin Nov. 3 and is expected to <a href="https://indianacapitalchronicle.com/2025/10/27/indiana-governor-summons-lawmakers-for-redistricting-session-amid-national-gop-pressure/" target="_blank">last about six days</a>, though legislative rules could be suspended to speed things up. The fact that Braun called the session suggests Republicans already have the votes. Now, attention turns to what the new map might look like. While seven of Indiana’s nine congressional districts are already solidly Republican, Trump wants all nine for the party. It’s unclear whether a new map will target one or both of Indiana’s Democratic-held districts—the 1st, in northwest Indiana, or the 7th, covering much of Indianapolis. “This is not democracy. This is desperation,” said Indiana Senate Democratic Leader Shelli Yoder in a statement to the<a href="https://apnews.com/article/indiana-redistricting-special-session-braun-63f3447efcc34529dfc363a96a763b6e" target="_blank"> Associated Press</a>, vowing to challenge any maps passed in court. <figure class="image-captioned align-right"><img alt="FILE - Protesters gather in the rotunda outside the House Chamber at the Texas Capitol as lawmakers debate a redrawn U.S. congressional map in Texas during a special session, Aug. 20, 2025, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1493097/large/AP25289696733936.jpg?1761583433" title="FILE - Protesters gather in the rotunda outside the House Chamber at the Texas Capitol as lawmakers debate a redrawn U.S. congressional map in Texas during a special session, Aug. 20, 2025, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)"> <figcaption>Protesters gather in the Texas Capitol as lawmakers debate a new Republican gerrymander for the U.S. House during a special session, on Aug. 20.</figcaption> </figure> Democrats in other states are pursuing their own countermeasures. California voters<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/8/21/2339515/-Map-war-between-California-and-Texas-enters-wild-new-phase" target="_blank"> will weigh</a> in next month on allowing the state legislature to pass a new map, which is expected to add five Democratic-leaning districts, and<a href="https://app.displayr.com/Dashboard?id=707a2765-e49a-4b3e-923d-761bedaf3c37#page=cb5c7087-6f97-48a9-8b94-6514f691847b" target="_blank"> polling suggests</a> the ballot measure will pass. Virginia lawmakers<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/24/2350205/-Virginia-Democrats-seek-to-reshape-House-map-to-counter-Trump-redistricting-push" target="_blank"> are also meeting</a> in a special session this week to consider changes expected to benefit Democrats. Earlier this year, Texas Republicans <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/8/1/2336094/-Texas-House-Republicans-unveil-new-congressional-map-that-looks-to-pick-up-five-GOP-seats" target="_blank">kicked off</a> the redistricting wave, approving a map that could net their party five more U.S. House seats.  In total, nearly a dozen states<a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/07/26/trump-redistricting-texas-california-congress" target="_blank"> are now considering</a> or have already completed mid-cycle redistricting—an extraordinary step in what’s usually a once-a-decade process. For Braun, the move marks a sharp pivot from his earlier caution. In August,<a href="https://indianacapitalchronicle.com/2025/08/12/braun-noncommittal-on-early-redistricting-decision-to-depend-on-texas-action-and-indiana-lawmakers/" target="_blank"> he said</a> he would leave redistricting decisions to legislative leadership. But with Trump turning up the heat, Indiana Republicans now seem poised to fall in line. The governor insists the session is about fairness, and that’s clearly not the case. In reality, it’s yet another state bending to Trump’s demand to tighten his grip on power—no matter the cost. rss@dailykos.com (Alex Samuels) DonaldTrump Indiana MikeBraun Redistricting _2350665 Mon, 27 Oct 2025 17:00:11 +0000 Cartoon: Hunted to extinction https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/27/2350246/-Cartoon-Hunted-to-extinction?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= A cartoon by Drew Sheneman. <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/9/5/2342020/-These-Supreme-Court-justices-want-you-to-just-shut-up-already" target="_blank">These Supreme Court justices want you to just shut up already</a> <hr> rss@dailykos.com (Drew Sheneman) Cartoon DonaldTrump DrewSheneman SupremeCourt VotingRightsAct _2350246 Mon, 27 Oct 2025 16:59:15 +0000 House speaker: Starving the poor makes legal sense https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/27/2350667/-House-speaker-Starving-the-poor-makes-legal-sense?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= House Speaker Mike Johnson says Republicans have found a legal argument for <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/27/2350612/-The-poor-should-starve-says-Trump-administration" target="_blank" title="">not</a><a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/27/2350612/-The-poor-should-starve-says-Trump-administration" target="_blank"> feeding children</a> enrolled in food assistance programs during the GOP’s government shutdown. “The SNAP [Supplemental Nutritional Assistant Program] benefits is a unique situation. I got a summary of the whole legal analysis, and it certainly looks legitimate to me,” Johnson <a href="https://x.com/atrupar/status/1982819340333236388" target="_blank">said</a>. “The contingency funds are not legally available to cover the benefits right now. The reason is because it's a finite source of funds. It was appropriated by Congress. And if they transfer funds from these other sources, it pulls it away immediately from school meals and infant formula.”  <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content"><a class="new_iframe_placeholder" href="#">x</a></div> <a class="iframe_placeholder youtube dk-embed" href="//youtube.com/watch?v=Ag_baViFIJw" data-frameborder="0" data-height="281" data-src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Ag_baViFIJw" data-width="500">YouTube Video</a></div> </div> While the Trump administration is promising to bail out farmers with the <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/9/25/2345407/-You-won-t-believe-Trump-s-new-genius-idea-to-help-farmers" target="_blank">same money it is siphoning from them</a> via tariffs, states run by Democrats are <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/22/2349883/-Republicans-want-to-starve-the-poor-These-states-are-stepping-up" target="_blank">leading efforts</a> to ensure that families who rely on the SNAP are not left hungry. rss@dailykos.com (Walter Einenkel) GovernmentShutdown MikeJohnson Shutdown SNAP Video _2350667 Mon, 27 Oct 2025 16:55:07 +0000 The poor should starve, says Trump administration https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/27/2350612/-The-poor-should-starve-says-Trump-administration?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= Funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will expire at the end of the month, impacting as many as <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/nexstar_media_wire/5569987-snap-benefits-may-run-out-nov-1-heres-how-you-could-still-get-food-assistance/" target="_blank">42 million people</a>—16 million of them children.  And if you’re thinking that this is just an unfortunate, unfixable product of the government shutdown, think again.  The Department of Agriculture has <a href="https://apnews.com/article/snap-food-assistance-government-shutdown-9cece00f9d6ef39fc5a0240ca2374696?utm_source=copy&utm_medium=share" title="" target="_blank">about $5 billion</a> in contingency funds it could use, even during the shutdown. It would cover <a href="https://www.cbpp.org/blog/the-trump-administration-can-and-should-take-available-steps-to-ensure-snap-participants-get" target="_blank">about two-thirds</a> of the whole month of benefits. But, according to the administration, those funds are only for <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/10/24/gov-shutdown-snap-payments-emergency-funds" title="" target="_blank">emergencies</a> “like hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods, that can come on quickly and without notice.” Starvation is apparently not an emergency. So the administration won’t spend those contingency funds, nor will it <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/federal-food-aid-govenrment-shutdown/" target="_blank">reimburse states</a> if they pick up the slack.  Unsurprisingly, the administration <a href="https://www.usda.gov/" title="" target="_blank">is saying</a> this is the fault of Democrats, who have “voted 12 times to not fund the food stamp program.” Of course, Democrats have done no such thing. They’ve voted 12 times against the GOP's <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5572376-public-opinion-republican-shutdown/" target="_blank">refusa</a>l even to discuss things like the expiration of expanded health care subsidies. But according to the USDA, “the well has run dry.” <figure class="image-captioned width-xl align-right"><img alt="Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins speaks with reporters at the White House, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)" class="width-xl" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1410772/large/AP25057532088363.jpg?1742420191" title="Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins speaks with reporters at the White House, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)"> <figcaption>Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, shown in February.</figcaption> </figure> Yeah, about that.  The requirement that these contingency funds be used to keep SNAP aid flowing isn’t something that the Democrats invented out of whole cloth. The USDA’s own <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20251001024645/https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fy2026-usda-lapse-plan.pdf" target="_blank">shutdown plan</a> said, “Congressional intent is evident that SNAP’s operations should continue since the program has been provided with multi-year contingency funds that can be used for State Administrative Expenses to ensure that the State can also continue operations during a Federal Government shutdown.” Of course, rather than fulfill, or even acknowledge, this obligation, the administration instead <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/10/24/gov-shutdown-snap-payments-emergency-funds" target="_blank">just deleted</a> the USDA report from its website. That’s one way to deal with it.  It isn’t just that the administration could fund SNAP but doesn’t want to. The administration is required to fund SNAP but doesn’t want to.  Pretending that Democrats are the ones blocking access to SNAP funds is made even more absurd by the fact that the One Big Beautiful Bill, which congressional Republicans passed earlier this year, <a href="https://www.cbpp.org/research/food-assistance/by-the-numbers-harmful-republican-megabill-takes-food-assistance-away-from" title="" target="_blank">cut SNAP funding</a> by $187 billion over the next 10 years. That’s a 20% hit to the program. There’s only one party eager to starve people, and it <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/22/2349883/-Republicans-want-to-starve-the-poor-These-states-are-stepping-up" target="_blank">isn’t the Democrats</a>.  Some conservatives don’t care if people could soon go hungry. Take Mike Davis, former chief counsel to Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley.  <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block" data-twitter-content="&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;We should only help people who can’t help themselves.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;It’s outrageous 40MM people get food stamps.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Get off your fat, ghetto asses.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Get a job. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Stop reproducing.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Change your shitty culture.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Stop giving food stamps to immigrants.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;We don’t want you here, if you won’t work. &lt;a href="https://t.co/L6POe5lNDm"&gt;https://t.co/L6POe5lNDm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— 🇺🇸 Mike Davis 🇺🇸 (@mrddmia) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/mrddmia/status/1982524632633864404?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;October 26, 2025&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;"><div class="remove-embed-content">x</div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">We should only help people who can’t help themselves. It’s outrageous 40MM people get food stamps. Get off your fat, ghetto asses. Get a job. Stop reproducing. Change your shitty culture. Stop giving food stamps to immigrants. We don’t want you here, if you won’t work. <a href="https://t.co/L6POe5lNDm">https://t.co/L6POe5lNDm</a>— 🇺🇸 Mike Davis 🇺🇸 (@mrddmia) <a href="https://twitter.com/mrddmia/status/1982524632633864404?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 26, 2025</a></blockquote></div> Shhh, nobody tell him that no matter how you slice and dice the government’s <a href="https://fns-prod.azureedge.us/sites/default/files/resource-files/snap-FY23-Characteristics-Report.pdf" target="_blank">own data</a>, white people are the largest racial demographic of SNAP recipients. Definitely don’t tell him that <a href="https://www.cbpp.org/research/food-assistance/snap-provides-critical-benefits-to-workers-and-their-families" title="" target="_blank">the majority</a> of SNAP recipients who can work do work.  Withholding SNAP funds is nothing but abject cruelty toward some of the most vulnerable people in America. Meanwhile, when it comes to <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/22/2349849/-Trump-uses-his-shutdown-to-give-his-fascist-minions-a-little-treat" target="_blank">Immigration and Customs Enforcement goons</a> or the military, the cash flows freely. The administration is making its priorities crystal clear. rss@dailykos.com (Lisa Needham) Shutdown SNAP USDA _2350612 Mon, 27 Oct 2025 16:00:09 +0000 Trump insists he is smart after spending weekend showing he is not https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/27/2350650/-Trump-is-so-smart-that-he-can-name-three-animals?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= After a weekend filled with incoherent rants, President Donald Trump declared on Monday that he is smart and does not have dementia.  "They have [Texas Rep.] Jasmine Crockett, a low-IQ person. They have—AOC’s [New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez] low IQ. Give her an IQ test. Have her pass the exams that I decided to take when I was at Walter Reed,” Trump <a href="https://x.com/atrupar/status/1982784060079341938" target="_blank">said</a> on Air Force One, likely referring to the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, a simple test to determine whether someone is cognitively impaired. “Those are very hard—they're really aptitude tests, I guess, in a certain way. But they’re cognitive tests. Let AOC go against Trump. Let Jasmine go against Trump," he continued. "The first couple of questions are easy—a tiger, an elephant, a giraffe, you know. When you get up to about five or six, and then when you get up to 10 and 20 and 25, they couldn't come close to answering any of those questions.” <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content"><a class="new_iframe_placeholder" href="#">x</a></div> <a class="iframe_placeholder youtube dk-embed" href="//youtube.com/watch?v=zpXqIhyuqkE" data-frameborder="0" data-height="281" data-src="//www.youtube.com/embed/zpXqIhyuqkE" data-width="500">YouTube Video</a></div> </div> The comments are especially ludicrous following Trump’s especially unhinged weekend. On Saturday, he announced a new 10% tariff on Canadian imports because the government of Ontario <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/24/2350203/-Watch-the-ad-driving-Trump-mad" target="_blank">aired an anti-tariff ad</a> during the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/25/world/canada/trump-tariffs-reagan-ad.html" target="_blank">first World Series game</a>. That ad accurately quoted former President Ronald Reagan’s general stance against the kind of idiotic economy-harming tariffs that Trump has been chaotically imposing since he retook office in January. "Ronald Reagan LOVED Tariffs for purposes of National Security and the Economy, but Canada said he didn’t!" Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115436697060819133" target="_blank">wrote</a> in a Truth Social post on Saturday, misconstruing Reagan's feelings on trade. "Their Advertisement was to be taken down, IMMEDIATELY, but they let it run last night during the World Series, knowing that it was a FRAUD. Because of their serious misrepresentation of the facts, and hostile act, I am increasing the Tariff on Canada by 10% over and above what they are paying now. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" Besides being largely false, Trump admits in his post that he is levying a new tariff because he’s mad about an ad—and it could <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/trumps-dramatic-rhetoric-tariffs-ramps-pressure-supreme-court-rcna238207" target="_blank">hurt</a> his <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/27/us/politics/trump-tariffs-supreme-courts-major-questions-doctrine.html" target="_blank">case before the Supreme Court</a>. He’s asking the Trump-bootlicking justices to allow him to impose tariffs based on national emergencies. And it’s hard to see how a president being mad about a TV commercial amounts to a national emergency. That wasn’t the only insane thing Trump posted to social media over the weekend. Earlier on Saturday, Trump also <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115432378654253078" target="_blank">claimed</a> that former FBI Director Christopher Wray, “Deranged” former special counsel Jack Smith, former Attorney General Merrick Garland, former Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, and other “crooked lowlifes from the failed Biden Administration ... cheated and rigged the 2020 Presidential Election.”  “These Radical Left Lunatics should be prosecuted for their illegal and highly unethical behavior!" Trump wrote on Truth Social. <figure class="image-captioned align-right"><img alt="FILE - FBI Director Christopher Wray speaks during a hearing of the Senate Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill, March 11, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1377695/large/AP24346693221521.jpg?1734097675" title="FILE - FBI Director Christopher Wray speaks during a hearing of the Senate Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill, March 11, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)"> <figcaption>Former FBI Director Christopher Wray, shown in 2024.</figcaption> </figure> Of course, no one from the Biden administration could have rigged the 2020 election because they were not in their roles during the election. Neither was Jack Smith, who was appointed special counsel after Trump lost in order to investigate Trump’s traitorous efforts to remain in power despite his clear defeat. On top of that, Wray was appointed to lead the FBI by Trump in his first term. On Monday, he also ruled out using a hypothetical loophole to serve an unconstitutional third term. The loophole supposes that Trump could run as vice president in 2028, then if his ticket were to win, the Republican leading the ticket could resign on their first day in office, thereby making the vice president—Trump—become president. “I’d be allowed to do that,” Trump <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/27/donald-trump-third-term-vice-president" target="_blank">told</a> reporters on Air Force One, regarding the scheme. When a reporter asked if he was ruling out running for an unconstitutional third term, he added, “Am I not ruling it out? I mean you’ll have to tell me.” Given Trump’s demonstrated incoherence, it’s worth taking a longer look at the <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/health/mental-health/trump-cognitive-test-what-montreal-cognitive-assessment-exam-n1234762" target="_blank">Montreal Cognitive Assessment</a> that <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/nexstar_media_wire/5549703-whats-on-trumps-cognitive-tests/" target="_blank">Trump took</a> and claimed on Monday is “very hard.” On one question, the <a href="https://championsforhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/MOCA-8.1.8.2-English.pdf" target="_blank">test</a> asks patients to draw a picture of a clock that depicts a certain time—something that is often taught in first grade. (I should know—my 6-year-old daughter is learning this now.) It also asks patients to name that day’s date, identify images of animals, recall a short list of words the test proctor had previously recited, and say as many words as the patient can that begin with a certain letter.  Again, Trump considers this test to be “very hard.” But please, everyone, pat him on the back for knowing his animals, numbers, letters, and the date. What a big, smart boy! rss@dailykos.com (Emily Singer) AlexandriaOcasioCortez Canada Dementia DonaldTrump JackSmith JasmineCrockett LisaMonaco MerrickGarland Tariffs _2350650 Mon, 27 Oct 2025 14:44:33 +0000 What’s the point of the military if not to torment immigrants? https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/27/2350299/-What-s-the-point-of-the-military-if-not-to-torment-immigrants?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= The government is shut down, but you’d never know it from how much <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/22/2349849/-Trump-uses-his-shutdown-to-give-his-fascist-minions-a-little-treat" target="_blank">money is spent</a> to terrorize immigrants and—let’s be honest—anyone who supports immigrants.  As if President Donald Trump’s abusive <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/10/2347802/-Trump-s-secret-police-get-even-more-secret" target="_blank">secret police</a> weren’t enough, the administration is <a href="https://newrepublic.com/post/202229/donald-trump-navy-immigration-detention" title="" target="_blank">now tapping</a> the Navy to help build tent prisons for immigrant detainees. This is being <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/24/politics/navy-building-ice-detention-facilities" title="" target="_blank">described</a> as the Department of Homeland Security “funneling $10 billion through the Navy,” which is apparently how we do government spending now—just moving money around wherever it can most efficiently be used to attack immigrants. Now, if it’s for anything else like, say, <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/10/24/gov-shutdown-snap-payments-emergency-funds" title="" target="_blank">feeding people</a>, then it’s <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-live-trump-holds-luncheon-for-senate-republicans-facing-democrats-over-budget-shutdown" target="_blank">whoopsie, shutdown</a>. <figure class="image-captioned width-xl align-right"><img alt="Military personnel in uniform, with the Texas National Guard patch on, are seen at the U.S. Army Reserve Center, Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, in Elwood, Ill., a suburb of Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)" class="width-xl" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1486613/large/AP25280655661631.jpg?1760108871" title="Military personnel in uniform, with the Texas National Guard patch on, are seen at the U.S. Army Reserve Center, Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, in Elwood, Ill., a suburb of Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)"> <figcaption>Texas National Guard members are seen near Chicago on Oct. 7 to assist in President Donald Trump’s military takeover of the city.</figcaption> </figure> As soon as next month, the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security will be using the Naval Supply Systems Command to contract with private companies to build and maintain more immigrant detention centers.  Did I mention these are just going to be tents? Or, as CNN euphemistically put it, “soft-sided facilities.” One source told CNN that the plan is for each facility to hold up to 10,000 people, likely in Louisiana, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Utah, and Kansas. In addition to using local jails, ICE currently has funding for roughly 41,000 beds, but “border czar” and <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/8/2347583/-Democrats-push-for-probe-of-shady-border-czar-s-alleged-bribe-scandal" target="_blank">bribe enthusiast</a> Tom Homan wants that doubled.   However, DHS has had difficulty quickly lining up contracts, particularly because of that wee little problem where government contracts have to be competitively bid. But ICE has $45 billion in new federal money for immigrant prisons that it’s dying to spend. Theoretically, using the Navy—which already has relationships with eligible federal contractors—will speed up the process and result in facilities that are less slapdash. But there’s <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/7/14/2333365/-Florida-built-a-black-site-and-other-red-states-are-sure-to-follow" title="" target="_blank">no reason to believe</a> that the Trump administration is actually interested in making these facilities safe for immigrants.  <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/24/2350226/-Democrats-are-fed-up-with-ICE-traumatizing-kids-at-schools" title="" target="_blank">Democrats are fed up with ICE traumatizing kids at schools</a> <hr> There’s also likely another reason to partner with the Navy, which is that the administration <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/13/2348366/-Vance-hints-at-expansion-of-Trump-s-police-state" title="" target="_blank">desperately wants</a> to deploy troops to U.S. cities—whether they’re necessary or not. It’s not as if deploying a few hundred troops <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/9/2/2341455/-ICE-official-says-Chicago-s-next-on-Trump-s-military-takeover-list" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/9/29/2346077/-Portland-stands-up-to-Trump-s-latest-military-invasion" target="_blank">there</a> will actually move the needle in terms of truly bringing blue cities to heel. But the mere presence of military members roaming the streets not only normalizes it, but it also serves as an all-purpose way to terrorize immigrants and enforce the regime.  So having the Navy step in makes a lot of sense. Tap into that sweet federal money, get it over to some defense contractors, and make it clear that the government’s one job is to build cages for immigrants.  rss@dailykos.com (Lisa Needham) DepartmentofHomelandSecurity DonaldTrump ICE Immigrants Immigration Military Navy _2350299 Mon, 27 Oct 2025 13:30:06 +0000 These cases could give the Supreme Court an opening to reshape election law https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/27/2350291/-These-cases-could-give-the-Supreme-Court-an-opening-to-reshape-election-law?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= The justices are revisiting some arguments on redistricting that appeared settled just two years ago. By <a href="https://www.votebeat.org/authors/carrie-levine" target="_blank">Carrie Levine</a> for <a href="https://www.votebeat.org/2025/10/20/supreme-court-election-cases-voting-rights-act-louisiana-v-callais/" target="_blank">Votebeat</a> <hr> Election officials and voters preparing for next year’s midterm elections face disruptions on multiple fronts, including President Donald Trump’s efforts to influence voting procedures, a rare midcycle redistricting push in several state legislatures, and activity in the U.S. Supreme Court, whose election-related docket could have a big impact. This month, the justices heard arguments in two cases with potentially profound implications for elections and redistricting — and at least two more significant election-related cases are seeking a spot on the court’s docket. <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/7/15/2333509/-Supreme-Court-further-endorses-Trump-as-king" target="_blank">Supreme Court further endorses Trump as king</a> <hr> The highest-profile case, Louisiana v. Callais, was <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2025/24-109_feah.pdf" target="_blank">before the justices this week</a> for a rare reargument. It’s a complex and long-running dispute over political maps in Louisiana, and voting rights advocates have warned it could allow the conservative majority to erode or strike down Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, further limiting the use of race as a factor in redistricting as a remedy for past discrimination. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/15/upshot/supreme-court-voting-rights-gerrymander.html" target="_blank">Most analyses</a> have found striking down Section 2 would give Republicans a path to solidifying control of the U.S. House. How the justices will rule remains unpredictable — even the timing of the ruling could affect whether states can redraw maps before the 2026 midterm elections if they have to. After oral arguments Wednesday, <a href="https://electionlawblog.org/?p=152536" target="_blank">at least some experts said</a> some of the justices’ questions suggested that Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act is in trouble. <div class="align-center"> <figure class="image-captioned"><img alt="FILE - Members of the Supreme Court sit for a new group portrait following the addition of Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, at the Supreme Court building in Washington, Oct. 7, 2022. Bottom row, from left, Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts, Associate Justice Samuel Alito, and Associate Justice Elena Kagan. Top row, from left, Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett, Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch, Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, file)" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1492146/large/AP24159601266818.jpg?1761337622" title="FILE - Members of the Supreme Court sit for a new group portrait following the addition of Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, at the Supreme Court building in Washington, Oct. 7, 2022. Bottom row, from left, Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts, Associate Justice Samuel Alito, and Associate Justice Elena Kagan. Top row, from left, Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett, Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch, Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, file)"> <figcaption>Members of the current Supreme Court sit for a group portrait in Oct. 2022.</figcaption> </figure> </div> <div> <div style="text-align:left"> <div style="text-align:left"> Federal law allows lawmakers to use race-based criteria in drawing political maps to remedy past patterns of discrimination against minority groups and to ensure that their political power isn’t unfairly diluted. Some conservative justices have long favored prohibiting this practice, but as recently as two years ago, a majority of these justices <a href="https://www.votebeat.org/2023/6/26/23771295/redistricting-milligan-alabama-native-american-voting-rights-supreme-court/" target="_blank" title="">reaffirmed the law</a> in another case, Allen v. Milligan. Justice Brett Kavanaugh, viewed as a key vote in the Louisiana case, voted with the majority in the Allen case, <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/22pdf/21-1086_1co6.pdf" target="_blank">but signaled</a> then that he was open to considering in the future whether race-based redistricting should be subject to a time limit. He picked up on that thread during the argument Wednesday, saying “race-based remedies are permissible for a period of time, sometimes for a long period of time,” but should not be indefinite. Other pending cases could also reshape election rules. Earlier this month, the Supreme Court heard arguments in an Illinois case involving candidates’ legal right to challenge election laws in court. Civil rights groups, including the League of Women Voters and the American Civil Liberties Union, <a href="https://www.lwv.org/sites/default/files/2025-07/24-568%20Bost%20v%20Illinois%20State%20Board%20of%20Elections%20et%20al%20Brief%20of%20Amici%20Curiae.pdf" target="_blank">urged the justices to find that candidates do</a> have the standing to sue. Such a ruling that could open the door to more election lawsuits. In a case out of North Dakota, Native American plaintiffs sued over state legislative maps they said diluted Native American voting power, and a federal court ruled in their favor. But the state appealed, and the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that private citizens cannot file lawsuits under Section 2 of the federal Voting Rights Act, going against decades of precedent. In July, the <a href="https://campaignlegal.org/sites/default/files/2025-07/25A62%20Order.pdf" target="_blank">Supreme Court stayed the 8th Circuit decision</a>, and lawyers for the tribes have <a href="https://campaignlegal.org/document/turtle-mountain-petition-certiorari" target="_blank" title="">petitioned the court</a> to take the case. <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/6/27/2330474/-A-bleak-end-to-a-bleak-Supreme-Court-term" target="_blank">A bleak end to a bleak Supreme Court term</a> <hr> A case <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?filename=/docket/docketfiles/html/public/24-1260.html" target="_blank">from Mississippi</a> concerns whether to reinstate a five-day grace period for mail ballots arriving after Election Day that a federal appeals court struck down. In an executive order on elections issued in March, Trump cited that decision and told the U.S. Justice Department to enforce a ballot receipt deadline of Election Day. He also ordered the U.S. Election Assistance Commission to withhold federal funds from states that did not comply with it. A group of states challenged provisions of the executive order and a federal judge <a href="https://www.votebeat.org/2025/06/13/trump-executive-order-on-elections-proof-of-citizenship-injunction/" target="_blank" title="">blocked that provision</a> in June, but the Justice Department is appealing. <figure class="image-captioned width-xl align-right"><img alt="Cartoon by Drew Sheneman" class="width-xl" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1492059/large/20251022edshe-b.jpg?1761322844" title="Cartoon by Drew Sheneman"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> The Supreme Court’s docket is the ultimate destination for more and more of these election law cases, but even the justices appear to be wrestling with how hard it is to settle some questions once and for all. “A couple of years ago when we decided Milligan, the party there, the state there, made several arguments that we specifically rejected,” <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2025/24-109_feah.pdf" target="_blank">Justice Elena Kagan said</a> to Louisiana’s solicitor general, Ben Aguiñaga, during oral arguments Wednesday. “And in the answers that you just gave to me, it seems to me that you repeated each and every one of those arguments that we rejected.” Just two years after the decision in Allen v. Milligan, the justices are again grappling with similar questions. This time, the answers may be different, and they may end up reshaping how Americans vote. </div> </div> </div> rss@dailykos.com (Votebeat) Elections SupremeCourt Voting _2350291 Mon, 27 Oct 2025 13:00:02 +0000 Cartoon: Status report https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/27/2350408/-Cartoon-Status-report?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= LAST CALL: The Kickstarter for my new book, <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tomorrow/our-long-national-nightmare-by-tom-tomorrow/" target="_blank">OUR LONG NATIONAL NIGHTMARE</a>, ends in three days (Thursday at noon). This is a compilation of the last five years in cartoon form, and will not be available in bookstores or on Amazon. I’ve had some bad luck with traditional publishers in recent years and decided to do this one myself, and it’s obviously gone very well — but the whole point of this is to get the book in as many hands as possible, and the window for that is rapidly closing. If you want a copy, please be sure to back the campaign before it’s over! rss@dailykos.com (Tom Tomorrow) Cartoon DonaldTrump _2350408 Mon, 27 Oct 2025 12:29:14 +0000 1 in 4 Americans believes in witches. What the devil? https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/26/2346283/-1-in-4-Americans-believes-in-witches-What-the-devil?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/tags/SurveySays" target="_blank">Survey Says</a> is a weekly series rounding up the most important polling trends or data points you need to know about, plus a vibe check on a trend that’s driving politics or culture. <hr> From vaccine quackery and Tylenol panic to climate change denial and the erosion of the nation’s public health apparatus, the Trump administration may be the most aggressively anti-science in modern American history. But the sad truth is, large portions of America have long rejected science in favor of believing in some of the most absurd things you can imagine. Like witches.  In May, Gallup polled the public’s belief in eight paranormal phenomena, and while Americans are most skeptical about the existence of witches, <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/692738/paranormal-phenomena-met-skepticism.aspx" target="_blank">only 60% don’t believe in them</a>. Meanwhile, 1 in 4 adults believes that witches exist, and another 15% aren’t sure if they do. On top of that, roughly half of Americans believe in or are not sure about the existence of various far-fetched mental abilities, like being able to predict the future, communicate telepathically, and hear and/or talk with the dead. Over 2 in 5 believe in or aren’t sure about astrology. And Americans are split on the existence of ghosts, with 39% believing in them, 42% disbelieving, and 19% not being sure.  <hr> <div class="dk-editor-embed dk-datawrapper-embed center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <a class="iframe_placeholder datawrapper dk-embed" href="//datawrapper.dwcdn.net/feSDf/1/" data-frameborder="0" data-height="388" data-src="//datawrapper.dwcdn.net/feSDf/1/" data-width="757">Datawrapper Content</a></div> <hr> Two other beliefs have a more direct tie to religious faith. Forty-nine percent believe in or aren’t sure about reincarnation. And 48% believe in psychic or spiritual healing, while 19% aren’t sure and only 32% don’t buy it. Gallup finds that 34% of Americans believe in at least three of these paranormal phenomena, and among that 34%, the average person believes in five. But while the data firm downplays these findings with the headline “Paranormal Phenomena Met With Skepticism in U.S.,” the data actually shows the public is largely open to believing in things with zero scientific basis. <figure class="image-captioned align-right"><img alt="" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1491362/large/master-pnp-cph-3a40000-3a49000-3a49400-3a49425u.png?1761147927"> <figcaption>Only 42% of Americans don’t believe in ghosts, according to Gallup.</figcaption> </figure> This speaks to a larger issue of Americans discarding science.  For instance, Gallup finds that <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/355427/americans-concerned-global-warming.aspx" target="_blank">only 62% of Americans</a> believe humans are driving climate change, despite there being <a href="https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2021/10/more-999-studies-agree-humans-caused-climate-change" target="_blank">overwhelming evidence of that fact</a>. Much of that doubt is tied to a larger societal distrust of experts. For instance, only 29% of Americans place “a great deal” of trust in climate scientists to give full and accurate information on climate change, according to <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2023/08/09/why-some-americans-do-not-see-urgency-on-climate-change/" target="_blank">a 2023 Pew study</a>. Meanwhile, 45% trust those experts only “some,” “a little,” or not at all. The odd thing is, despite the Democratic Party’s platform being more grounded in science and despite their <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2024/11/14/public-trust-in-scientists-and-views-on-their-role-in-policymaking/" target="_blank">overall higher trust in scientists</a>, Democrats are about as likely as Republicans to believe in the paranormal, according to Gallup. <a href="https://d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net/documents/Paranormal_Experiences_poll_results.pdf" target="_blank">Other surveys</a> find Republicans slightly more likely to believe in some paranormal entities, such as ghosts or demons, but when it comes to paranormal abilities, even those surveys find the parties with similar levels of belief. However, in Gallup’s data, independents are slightly more likely than either Democrats or Republicans to believe in paranormal phenomena. And that holds across all eight types that Gallup asked about, though some results are within the margin of error. <hr> <div class="dk-editor-embed dk-datawrapper-embed center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <a class="iframe_placeholder datawrapper dk-embed" href="//datawrapper.dwcdn.net/BcYUr/1/" data-frameborder="0" data-height="378" data-src="//datawrapper.dwcdn.net/BcYUr/1/" data-width="757">Datawrapper Content</a></div> <hr> Still, if independents are a little more prone to believing in the paranormal, it could help explain why they <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/08/23/as-rfk-jr-exits-a-look-at-who-supported-him-in-the-2024-presidential-race/" target="_blank">made up the base of support</a> for Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s independent bid for president 2024. Kennedy, now the health secretary, has long been a rabid conspiracy theorist. Most known for his anti-vaccine activism, he’s also endorsed ideas as batty as the <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/17/2348886/-It-s-a-bird-It-s-a-plane-It-s-a-chemtrail-New-conspiracy-theory-takes-wing-at-Kennedy-s-HHS" target="_blank">chemtrails conspiracy</a>, which falsely claims airplane contrails are really chemicals the government is releasing to poison us and/or control our minds. RFK Jr.’s anti-science positions just might not have turned off many of those voters. That said, a candidate can still go too far. And in 2010, one did. That year, Christine O'Donnell, a tea-party Republican, ran to fill Joe Biden’s Senate seat after he was elected vice president. During the campaign, TV host Bill Maher <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/News/christine-odonnell-dabbled-witchcraft/story?id=11671277&page=1" target="_blank">unearthed footage</a> of O'Donnell appearing on his 1990s talkshow and declaring she had “dabbled” in witchcraft. “I never joined a coven. But … I dabbled into witchcraft,” she said in the footage. “I hung around people who were doing these things. I'm not making this stuff up. I know what they told me they do.” After this resurfaced, she released a jaw-dropping campaign ad in which she declares, speaking directly to camera, “I’m not a witch.” <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content"><a class="new_iframe_placeholder" href="#">x</a></div> <a class="iframe_placeholder youtube dk-embed" href="//youtube.com/watch?v=tGGAgljengs" data-frameborder="0" data-height="281" data-src="//www.youtube.com/embed/tGGAgljengs" data-width="500">YouTube Video</a></div> </div> About a month later, in an election that saw Democrats got routed up and down the ballot, she <a href="https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?year=2010&fips=10&f=1&off=3&elect=0&class=2" target="_blank">lost her race</a> to Democrat Chris Coons by over 16 percentage points But perhaps she was telling the truth in the 1990s. Perhaps her dabblings in witchcraft imbued her with the ability to predict the future, because the very next year she released a memoir whose title presaged our entire political moment. “Troublemaker: Let's Do What It Takes to Make America Great Again.” <h3>Any updates?</h3> <ul> <li> There was too much paranormal polling to fit into the article above, so here are some other interesting findings: Only 83% of Americans say <a href="https://d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net/documents/Paranormal_Experiences_poll_results.pdf" target="_blank">vampires and werewolves</a> don’t exist; 7% claim they’ve personally seen a demon, with another 9% not sure if they have; 4 in 10 think some UFOs that have been spotted <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/350096/americans-believe-ufos.aspx" target="_blank">were alien spacecraft</a>; and 51% think those selling a home should be legally required to disclose if they believe the house is haunted.  </li> <li> Millions <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/18/2349253/-Enjoy-millions-of-Americans-saying-No-Kings-to-our-dumb-president" target="_blank">turned out</a> for last weekend’s <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/20/2349490/-The-right-quite-literally-loses-its-sh-t-over-No-Kings" target="_blank">“No Kings” protests</a> against President Donald Trump’s authoritarian agenda, and despite the GOP’s <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/18/2348920/-GOP-won-t-stop-spewing-bullsh-t-about-No-Kings-protests" target="_blank">lie-filled messaging campaign</a>, 48% of Americans <a href="https://today.yougov.com/topics/society/survey-results/daily/2025/10/20/1672c/1" target="_blank">approve of the protests</a>, according to YouGov. That even includes 14% of Republicans. Meanwhile, just 32% disapprove of the protests, with most disapproval coming from the right (67% of Republicans disapprove). </li> <li> Bad news for people who <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/20/2349495/-US-accused-of-murder-in-latest-sign-of-faltering-global-ties" target="_blank">dislike extrajudicial killings</a>: A plurality of Americans (48%) support the Trump administration lethally striking boats suspected of smuggling drugs, according to the <a href="https://d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net/documents/econTabReport_yAo1neA.pdf" target="_blank">latest YouGov/Economist poll</a>. Thirty-eight percent oppose the strikes. </li> <li> If Democrats <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/12/1/2285696/-How-Democrats-can-win-back-the-Senate" target="_blank">somehow beat the odds</a> and retake the Senate next year, it may be because of one traditionally red state: Alaska. A new poll from Alaska Survey Research finds <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/alaskasurvey.bsky.social/post/3m3njvjgfjc2z" target="_blank">Democrat Mary Peltola leading incumbent Republican Dan Sullivan</a>, 48% to 46%, among likely voters. Peltola, a former congresswoman, has not announced a run, but she is being <a href="https://alaskabeacon.com/2025/07/15/dems-are-salivating-over-a-peltola-bid-for-senate-but-alaska-governor-race-could-be-wide-open/" target="_blank">courted by national Democrats</a>. And hey, if our second-newest state gives Democrats a vote in the Senate, maybe the party will finally recognize its best path to correcting the chamber’s conservative bias is to <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/1/1/2291618/-This-one-weird-trick-could-fix-the-Senate" target="_blank">create even more new states</a>.  </li> </ul> <h3>Vibe check</h3> To keep with our spooky theme, let’s talk horror movies—and not the one playing at the White House. (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koFWh25eIuw" target="_blank">Rimshot, cymbal</a>.) No, we’re talking masked killers, possessed children, psychopathic cannibals—you know, fun stuff. Americans are relatively averse to horror films, with <a href="https://d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net/documents/Horror_Movies_poll_results.pdf" target="_blank">only 50% saying they “like” or “love” them</a>—a lower share than for any other genre of film—according to data from YouGov. Horror is by far the most polarizing genre, with equal shares (22%) saying they “love” and “hate” scary movies. It’s about three times as polarizing as science fiction, fantasy, and western films, which are tied for the second-most polarizing, according to the Daily Kos Movie-Genre Polarization Index.™️(Like our <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/8/17/2338258/-Thank-you-for-your-attention-to-Trump-s-weird-new-tic" target="_blank">Food Polarization Index</a>,™️ the methodology for this can be found in the chart’s footnote.) <hr> <div class="dk-editor-embed dk-datawrapper-embed center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <a class="iframe_placeholder datawrapper dk-embed" href="//datawrapper.dwcdn.net/kV2xb/1/" data-frameborder="0" data-height="530" data-src="//datawrapper.dwcdn.net/kV2xb/1/" data-width="757">Datawrapper Content</a></div> <hr> That said, <a href="https://d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net/documents/Horror_Movies_poll_results_JeNMXKq.pdf" target="_blank">67% of Americans say they watch</a> horror, according to other YouGov data.  About 2 in 3 Americans have seen the five most-viewed films: “The Exorcist,” “The Silence of the Lambs, “Halloween,” “Frankenstein,” and “Friday the 13th.” And “The Silence of the Lambs” earns the top marks, with 42% of Americans saying they “love” it and another 43% saying they “like” it—almost universal acclaim. <hr> <div class="dk-editor-embed dk-datawrapper-embed center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <a class="iframe_placeholder datawrapper dk-embed" href="//datawrapper.dwcdn.net/kyYay/1/" data-frameborder="0" data-height="837" data-src="//datawrapper.dwcdn.net/kyYay/1/" data-width="757">Datawrapper Content</a></div> <hr> The most polarizing film in YouGov’s survey is “The Blair Witch Project,” a personal favorite of mine. “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” comes in a close second. So, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9Fy-XBW3FA" target="_blank">what’s your favorite scary movie</a>? rss@dailykos.com (Andrew Mangan) DonaldTrump Halloween RFKJr Science SurveySays Vaccines _2346283 Sun, 26 Oct 2025 23:00:06 +0000 Cartoon: Danger zone https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/26/2350089/-Cartoon-Danger-zone?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= A cartoon by Jack Ohman. <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/21/2349734/-Wait-Trump-is-demanding-how-much-from-the-government" title="" target="_blank">Wait, Trump is demanding how much from the government?</a> <hr> rss@dailykos.com (Jack Ohman) Cartoon Corruption DOJ DonaldTrump Grift JackOhman taxpayers _2350089 Sun, 26 Oct 2025 22:54:05 +0000 Close friend of JD Vance skirts normal channels to take over key environmental health research https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/26/2350281/-Close-friend-of-JD-Vance-skirts-normal-channels-to-take-over-key-environmental-health-institute?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= Despite a federal hiring freeze, the Trump administration just appointed a scientist who calls Vance one of his “closest friends” to head the nation’s key environmental health research arm. By <a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/profile/liza-gross/" target="_blank">Liza Gross</a> for <a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/news/21102025/jd-vance-friend-kyle-walsh-takes-over-nih-environmental-health/" target="_blank">Inside Climate News</a> <hr> Employees at the National Institutes of Health learned in an email this month, in the midst of a hiring freeze, that their prestigious environmental health sciences research center has a new director. There was no job announcement, no search committee to identify top candidates, no interviews or reference checks. The position to lead the nation’s premier environmental health research institute wasn’t even open. Yet Jay Bhattacharya, a political appointee who oversees the 27 institutes and centers under NIH, named Kyle Walsh, an associate professor in neurosurgery at Duke University, director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). <figure class="image-captioned align-right"><img alt="UNITED STATES - NOVEMBER 10: Dr. Jay Bhattacharya speaks during a roundtable discussion with members of the House Freedom Caucus on the COVID-19 pandemic at The Heritage Foundation on Thursday, November 10, 2022. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP Images)" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1388432/large/AP22315707846175.jpeg?1737061993" title="UNITED STATES - NOVEMBER 10: Dr. Jay Bhattacharya speaks during a roundtable discussion with members of the House Freedom Caucus on the COVID-19 pandemic at The Heritage Foundation on Thursday, November 10, 2022. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP Images)"> <figcaption>Dr. Jay Bhattacharya with members of the House Freedom Caucus at The Heritage Foundation in Nov. 2022.</figcaption> </figure> In an email dated Oct. 17, Bhattacharya informed NIH employees, who were told they may periodically check their emails for updates about the shutdown, that Walsh’s appointment was effective Oct. 10. The email called Walsh a leader in neuro-epidemiology whose research bridges laboratory and population-based science to understand how genetics and environment interact to shape brain health, cancer risk and aging. Bhattacharya said that the previous director, Richard Woychik, had accepted a senior appointment within the NIH Office of the Director, where he will focus on advancing the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiatives. The NIH director—who <a href="https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-president-elect-donald-j-trump-announcing-the-nomination-jay-bhattacharya" target="_blank">President Donald Trump said</a> would work with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to restore the agency to “a Gold Standard of Medical Research”—did not mention that Walsh calls Vice President JD Vance “one of his closest friends” or that Vance officiated at his wedding. <div style="text-align:start"> <div> Walsh has never led a major research institute, though he has won scientific awards and honors after earning his doctorate in 2011. Woychik had overseen the research and management of NIEHS as deputy director for nearly a decade before he was tapped to run it. His predecessor, world-renowned toxicologist Linda Birnbaum, had spent nearly 20 years in top leadership roles at the largest division of <a href="https://19january2017snapshot.epa.gov/aboutepa/about-national-health-and-environmental-effects-research-laboratory-nheerl_.html" target="_blank">environmental health research</a> at EPA before she was picked to lead NIEHS in 2009. It is unprecedented to appoint someone at such an early stage of their career who lacks the type of leadership experience required to manage a major research institution, current and former federal scientists say. And all directors of NIH institutes, except for the director of the National Cancer Institute, who is a political appointee, go through a rigorous screening and vetting process after an open search. </div> </div> If there had been an open search in this case, several scientists told Inside Climate News, Walsh wouldn’t have made the first cut. Scientists fear this is the start of a trend. “This is entirely cronyism,” said biochemist Jeremy Berg, former director of the NIH’s National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) and previous editor-in-chief of Science magazine. Woychik had just been reappointed to another five-year term, Berg said, so Walsh’s hire didn’t have anything to do with the sitting director’s performance. “The fact that he was appointed without any sort of search is worrisome,” he said, adding that “his main credentials seem to be his connections with JD Vance.” <figure class="image-captioned align-right"><img alt="Kyle Walsh, an associate professor in neurosurgery at Duke University, was named the director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. " src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1492105/large/Kyle-Walsh_Duke.jpg?1761329870" title="Kyle Walsh, an associate professor in neurosurgery at Duke University, was named the director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. "> <figcaption>Kyle Walsh, an associate professor in neurosurgery at Duke University, was named the director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. </figcaption> </figure> Vance has been buddies with Walsh since they attended Yale University, and he stayed at Walsh’s house when he was finishing up his book, “Hillbilly Elegy.” Walsh said Vance is “one of my closest friends” in an <a href="https://sontagfoundation.org/grantee_story/kyle-walsh-phd/" target="_blank">interview with a charity</a> that supported his brain cancer research. Birnbaum, now a scholar in residence at Duke, heard rumors before Trump’s inauguration in January that Walsh was going to be picked to head NIEHS, she said. “Many people at Duke and elsewhere seemed to know about it.” Walsh has been telling his colleagues and others at Duke for almost a year that he would be getting this job, a scientist at NIEHS, who requested not to be named for fear of retaliation, told Inside Climate News. While the appointment was a surprise to the scientific community, the scientist said, “this was apparently a pre-planned thing.” Neither Walsh nor the Duke press office responded to requests for comment. HHS press secretary Emily Hilliard said Walsh brings broad experience in environmental and neuro-epidemiologic research from his leadership roles at Duke University. Hilliard did not respond to questions about Walsh’s experience leading a major research institute with hundreds of employees, or charges that he was hired due to his political connections. The vice president’s office did not respond to a request for comment. <h3>“A Slap in the Face”</h3> The NIEHS director oversees a $900-million-plus annual budget, funding scientists within and outside the agency who study the health effects of exposures to environmental chemicals. Studies funded by the agency have formed the basis of landmark environmental protections. Research by NIEHS-funded scientists, for example, laid the groundwork for <a href="https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/air-pollution" target="_blank">EPA’s air pollution rules</a> and showed that the pesticide chlorpyrifos poses unacceptable neurodevelopmental risks to children, prompting EPA to conclude that the insecticide is <a href="https://www.niehs.nih.gov/sites/default/files/2025-04/Understanding_Pesticide_Toxicity_508.pdf" target="_blank">not safe for use on food</a>. But now the Trump administration is reconsidering the chlorpyrifos decision. And scientists have seen highly competitive applications denied funding due to their focus on climate and environmental justice. The person who had been hired to lead an <a href="https://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/programs/geh/geh_newsletter/2024/8/geh-at-niehs/nih-climate-change-and-health-initiative-launches-new-website" target="_blank">NIEHS program</a> on climate change and health, Birnbaum said, “was fired immediately” after Trump returned to office. And anything that had to do with equity was cut from NIEHS programs and research grants, she said, even though disadvantaged populations are most impacted by environmental hazards. While it’s unclear “what Walsh’s marching orders are,” Birnbaum said, she hopes they include maintaining the agency’s strengths as the largest funder of environmental health research in the world. Even though Walsh’s appointment is “out of the normal,” Birnbaum said, “hopefully the environmental health community will be able to work with Dr. Walsh to continue to conduct the top research that they’re so well-known for.” Some scientists fear that’s unlikely. As a scientist who focuses on the genetics of brain cancer, Walsh has “no scientific qualification to head an institute that is focused on environmental chemicals and disease,” said Jerry Heindel, who spent decades at NIEHS, where he led the agency’s Division of Extramural Research and Training until he retired in 2016. Heindel reviewed the scientific research Walsh published and could find no papers on environmental chemicals. <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/9/2346577/-Despite-Trump-administration-s-best-efforts-to-suppress-it-climate-science-is-alive-and-well-online" target="_blank">Despite Trump administration’s best efforts to suppress it, climate science is alive and well online</a> <hr> NIEHS is unique among the National Institutes of Health, in that it is the only one that’s focused on environmental chemicals, said Heindel, who now directs the nonprofit Healthy Environment and Endocrine Disruptor Strategies. “To bring in somebody who has no experience and likely no interest in environmental chemicals as the director is just a slap in the face.” The primary NIH center that best aligns with Walsh’s background focuses on cancer and genetics, but it is based in Maryland. The main campus of NIEHS is in Durham, North Carolina, not far from Walsh’s previous position at Duke. Several scientists told Inside Climate News they suspect Walsh did not want to move. “If you’re buddy-buddy with JD Vance, you get to pick whatever you want,” said the NIEHS scientist who spoke on condition of anonymity. For Berg, the former NIGMS director, it’s not just Walsh’s lack of qualifications that are worrisome. “The administration has certainly been pretty direct about their feelings about climate change and its potential consequences, and the reality of it occurring at all,” Berg said. “If you don’t study potential environmental hazards, then you can’t do anything about them.” <figure class="image-captioned align-right"><img alt="Cartoon by Clay Bennett" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1307681/large/cbe240604c.jpg?1717512498" title="Cartoon by Clay Bennett"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> With at least 11 NIH agencies currently being led by interim directors, some scientists worry the positions, once occupied by the nation’s most accomplished scientists, will go to unqualified political appointees. That means that decisions about what the United States funds in biomedicine will be made by political appointees, not scientists, they fear. “Everybody’s worried they’re going to come down and close us, because this administration seems very hostile to environmental health and environmental issues,” said the NIEHS scientist. “Anything having to do with the environment and environmental health has been absolutely obliterated by this administration.” If people care about making America healthy again, the words and actions of this administration are not matching that goal, the scientist said. “They’ve gutted the EPA, they’ve gutted the CDC, they’ve gutted the FDA. Are they going to gut us next?” rss@dailykos.com (Inside Climate News) Environment JDVance NationalInstitutesofHealth Science _2350281 Sun, 26 Oct 2025 21:00:04 +0000 Spineless Republicans defend Trump's ballroom debacle https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/26/2350070/-Spineless-Republicans-defend-Trump-s-ballroom-debacle?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/tags/congressionalcowards" target="_blank">Congressional Cowards</a> is a weekly series highlighting the worst Donald Trump defenders on Capitol Hill, who refuse to criticize him—no matter how disgraceful or lawless his actions. <hr> Congressional Republicans this week bent over backward to defend President Donald Trump's unilateral decision to <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/21/2349673/-Trump-orders-federal-workers-to-shut-up-about-White-House-demolition" title="" target="_blank">raze the entire East Wing of the White House</a> to make way for his <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/23/2350018/-Americans-have-300-million-reasons-to-hate-Trump-s-ballroom?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=top_news_slot_5&pm_medium=web" title="" target="_blank">hideously gaudy $300 million ballroom</a>. Republicans mocked Democrats, who are outraged that Trump decided to <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/trump-administration-demolishing-entire-east-wing-white-house-add-new-rcna239018" title="" target="_blank">demolish an entire segment of the White House</a> to build a ballroom <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/22/2349884/-White-House-demolition-is-getting-funded-by-tech-bribes" title="" target="_blank">corruptly funded</a> by <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/15/us/politics/trump-white-house-dinner-ballroom-donors.html" target="_blank">donors who have business before the federal government</a>. "He put up some of his own money," House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) <a href="https://x.com/atrupar/status/1981006893708386705" target="_blank">said</a> of the project, even though we have no idea how much Trump—who notoriously stiffs his contractors—actually gave to the project. "You would think, 'Well gee whiz, at least they could agree to that, it's not even taxpayer money, it's gonna be a permanent renovation that will enhance the White House for all future presidents." <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content"><a class="new_iframe_placeholder" href="#">x</a></div> <a class="iframe_placeholder youtube dk-embed" href="//youtube.com/watch?v=limBLKrD9gE" title="" data-frameborder="0" data-height="281" data-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/limBLKrD9gE" data-width="500">YouTube Video</a></div> </div> Unfortunately for Scalise, Americans do not agree with that assessment, with just 23% of adults saying they think the ballroom will have a positive impact on the White House, <a href="https://today.yougov.com/topics/travel/survey-results/daily/2025/10/21/99c80/1" target="_blank">according</a> to a YouGov survey. But Scalise continued his whiny tirade. "They say no to everything he does," Scalise said. "Because they just are angry about the results of the election from last year." Yes, we are angry. But it's because every day Trump does something so <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/21/2349734/-Wait-Trump-is-demanding-how-much-from-the-government" title="" target="_blank">egregiously corrupt</a> and <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/2/10/2302780/-Trump-seems-to-think-he-can-just-ignore-court-orders-he-doesn-t-like" title="" target="_blank">illegal</a> that it’s leading this country into banana republic territory. "Presidents have routinely renovated and expanded the White House over the last century. The faux outrage from the Left is a deflection from the Schumer Shutdown," Trump bootlicker Rep. Andy Biggs <a href="https://x.com/RepAndyBiggsAZ/status/1981383705361813738" target="_blank">wrote</a> in a post on X. "Leftists are severely afflicted with Trump Derangement Syndrome," the Arizona Republican claimed. Of course, those projects had approval from Congress, input from historic preservation boards, and were not funded by a corrupt pay-to-play scheme. But okay. <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/21/2349734/-Wait-Trump-is-demanding-how-much-from-the-government" title="" target="_blank">Wait, Trump is demanding how much from the government?</a> <hr> Sen. Mike Lee of Utah also mocked Democrats' outrage. "I’m shaking right now. The humanity!" he <a href="https://x.com/BasedMikeLee/status/1981172985953239224" target="_blank">wrote</a> in a sarcastic post on X that featured images from past White House renovations. And in his haste to defend Trump, Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee wrote an idiotic post on X in which he posted an image of the White House being demolished along with the text, "Someone needs to stop the <a href="https://x.com/realDonaldTrump" target="_blank">@realDonaldTrump</a> administration from destroying the <a href="https://x.com/WhiteHouse" title="" target="_blank">@WhiteHouse</a>. Oh wait this was during the basketball court construction during the Obama administration. <a href="https://x.com/hashtag/nevermind?src=hashtag_click" target="_blank">#nevermind</a>" Of course, the photo Burchett posted was NOT from Obama's basketball court "construction"—which actually wasn't construction at all but rather converting an existing tennis court so that he could shoot some hoops while Republicans painted him out to be the antichrist because his skin wasn't white. Burchett ultimately <a href="https://x.com/Cocogrey2015/status/1981333576609386777" target="_blank">deleted the post</a> and put in the <a href="https://x.com/timburchett/status/1981332334973485168" title="" target="_blank">correct time the photo took place</a>, which was during the Truman administration. But that still doesn't make the point he thinks he's making, as Truman had to renovate the White House because it was structurally unsound. And he did so in conjunction with historic preservation boards that worked to <a href="https://www.whitehousehistory.org/galleries/the-white-house-is-falling-down" title="" target="_blank">reuse existing decorative elements</a> in the new building, and with <a href="https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/trump-destroying-entire-white-house-east-wing-feed-ego-rcna238970" title="" target="_blank">congressional approval and funding</a>. <figure class="image-captioned width-xl align-right"><img alt="Cartoon by Pedro Molina" class="width-xl" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1491522/large/20251022edpmc-a.jpg?1761173613" title="Cartoon by Pedro Molina"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> <a href="https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/sites/default/files/WhiteHouserenovation.pdf" title="" target="_blank">According</a> to the Truman presidential library, "The Truman renovation retained the original walls, the third floor and the roof, while removing, and then reinstalling, the interiors within a skeleton of steel structural beams on a new concrete foundation." Trump, meanwhile, took a literal excavator to the structure—and is now <a href="https://x.com/jimsciutto/status/1981394960185512318" title="" target="_blank">blocking the press from seeing the destruction</a> as it unfolds. Only one Republican had the sense to say that, actually, razing a major portion of the White House to build a gilded ballroom amid a shutdown when many federal workers aren't getting paid is not a great look. “We’re in the middle of a shutdown," North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis <a href="https://www.rawstory.com/thom-tillis-2674219806/#" target="_blank">said</a>. "Got a couple of other things going on that we should probably focus on ahead of a building project.” Of course, Tillis is <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/6/30/2330927/-Trump-s-tax-bill-forces-key-GOP-senator-to-bail-on-reelection" title="" target="_blank">retiring</a>, so he no longer has to lick Trump's boots like his fellow GOP colleagues, who are afraid that speaking out against Dear Leader will cost them their seats in Congress—or worse. Because, say it with me now: They're all cowards. rss@dailykos.com (Emily Singer) AndyBiggs ballroom congressionalcowards DonaldTrump MikeLee SteveScalise TimBurchett WhiteHouse _2350070 Sun, 26 Oct 2025 19:00:10 +0000 Cartoon: Wrong kind of mule https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/26/2350138/-Cartoon-Wrong-kind-of-mule?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= A cartoon by Mike Luckovich. <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/23/2350114/-We-re-going-to-kill-them-Trump-brags-about-bombing-boats" title="" target="_blank">‘We’re going to kill them’: Trump brags about bombing boats</a> <hr> rss@dailykos.com (Mike Luckovich) Bombings Cartoon DonaldTrump MikeLuckovich Military SouthAmerica _2350138 Sun, 26 Oct 2025 18:54:14 +0000 Domestic violence nonprofits are winning against the Trump administration in court https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/26/2350308/-Domestic-violence-nonprofits-are-winning-against-the-Trump-administration-in-court?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= A series of lawsuits has, at least temporarily, blocked the administration from putting ideological demands on groups that combat domestic violence and sexual assault. By <a href="https://19thnews.org/author/mel-leonor-barclay" target="_blank">Mel Leonor Barclay</a> and <a href="https://19thnews.org/author/jasmine-mithani" target="_blank" title="">Jasmine Mithani</a> for <a href="https://19thnews.org/2025/10/domestic-violence-nonprofits-trump-courts/" target="_blank" title="">The 19th</a> <hr> Nonprofits working to combat domestic violence and sexual assault have notched a string of legal wins as they push back against efforts by the Trump administration to put restrictions on work that goes against the administration’s views. A series of lawsuits has, at least temporarily, blocked the administration from enforcing restrictions on millions of dollars of funding for upcoming grants and forced it to return grants it took away from some nonprofits working with LGBTQ+ victims. Domestic violence groups and the broader network of gender-based violence nonprofits have been on high alert since the Trump administration issued a series of executive orders — followed by a <a href="https://19thnews.org/2025/02/trump-funding-freeze-domestic-violence-nonprofits/" target="_blank" title="">temporary federal freeze</a> in late January — to end federal funding for programs or organizations out of step with the administration’s ideology. The funding, advocates say, is essential to providing life-saving services to vulnerable victims, who are more likely to be women. <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/9/8/2342412/-Shocker-Trump-thinks-domestic-violence-isn-t-really-a-crime" title="" target="_blank">Shocker: Trump thinks domestic violence isn't really a crime</a> <hr> Through agency rules, the administration is actively trying to restrict the use of federal grants to fund what it calls “illegal” diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility activities and “gender ideology extremism.” It is also trying to restrict federal grants from organizations that in any way express support for abortion and that serve immigrants without permanent legal status in the country.   The restrictions go even further: Nonprofits that want to continue to receive federal funding from the Office on Violence Against Women, part of the U.S. Department of Justice, are <a href="https://19thnews.org/2025/06/domestic-violence-nonprofits-sue-trump/" target="_blank" title="">not allowed</a> to “frame domestic violence or sexual assault as systemic social justice issues rather than criminal offenses.” Trump, who has been <a href="https://19thnews.org/2023/10/donald-trump-associates-sexual-misconduct-allegations/" target="_blank" title="">found liable for sexual assault</a>, last month <a href="https://19thnews.org/2025/09/trump-speech-domestic-violence/" target="_blank" title="">downplayed the seriousness of domestic violence crimes</a> in a speech. “If a man has a little fight with the wife, they say this was a crime,” Trump said. <h3>The lawsuits</h3> In June, 17 state-level coalitions that support victims of domestic and sexual violence, represented by Democracy Forward and the National Women’s Law Center, <a href="https://19thnews.org/2025/06/domestic-violence-nonprofits-sue-trump/" target="_blank" title="">sued the administration</a> over such restrictions on Violence Against Women Act grants awarded by the Justice Department. The following month, in a separate lawsuit filed by Democracy Forward, many of the same state coalitions sued over similar rules attached to grants from the departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Housing and Urban Development (HUD). In early August, Judge William Smith of the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.rid.59889/gov.uscourts.rid.59889.34.0.pdf" target="_blank" title="">issued a preliminary injunction</a> blocking the administration from enforcing the new restrictions on Justice Department grants as the case progresses. The judge agreed that the nonprofits face an impossible choice between accepting conditions that will harm the core services they provide or going without essential funding. The judge cited two examples: Complying with the rules would bar the organizations from providing the same quality of services to transgender victims and could also prevent organizations counseling victims from doing anything other than calling law enforcement. “These examples are simply two of many activities that the coalitions engage in that they reasonably fear will now subject them to loss of grant funding,” Smith wrote. “The Office’s assurances that … the office will be reasonable in its interpretation of the conditions is cold comfort.” <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/5/15/2322506/-Sexual-assault-victims-are-being-abandoned-just-as-Trump-ordered" target="_blank">Sexual assault victims are being abandoned—just as Trump ordered</a> <hr> A similar preliminary injunction came down in mid-October in the HHS and HUD case, blocking the rollout of restrictions on those agencies’ grants as the case continues. In her ruling, District Judge Melissa DuBose, also of the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island, said the administration <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.rid.60055/gov.uscourts.rid.60055.72.0_2.pdf" target="_blank" title="">didn’t provide a “satisfactory explanation”</a> the new slew of restrictions, finding that Trump officials “engaged in a baseless and arbitrary process” that didn’t consider the “harmful impact their decision would have on the coalitions and the vulnerable populations they serve.” Litigation in both cases will likely stretch into 2026. Advocates against domestic violence and sexual assault celebrated the two rulings, which are part of a broader effort that also includes challenges to rules trying to strip funding from groups that work with LGBTQ+ and immigrant victims. “This injunction provides immediate relief to survivors, and it allows us and our programs to continue our life-saving work without the threat of restrictive, harmful policies that would have undermined our ability to support those who need it most,” Mike Waterloo of the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence said of the August ruling. “This is not a permanent solution, and we still have work to do.” A coalition of states working with Democracy Forward called the ruling on health and housing grants “a relief and a win that gives us breathing room to continue this vital work.” <h3>LGBTQ+ victims</h3> One of the Trump administration’s first targets was funding that supported groups working with LGBTQ+ people. Lambda Legal, an LGBTQ+ civil rights advocacy group, <a href="https://19thnews.org/2025/02/lgbtq-domestic-violence-services-federal-funds-trump/" target="_blank" title="">helmed an early lawsuit</a> on behalf of nine nonprofits that receive federal funding, several working in the intimate partner violence field. The organizations argue that the Trump administration’s executive orders, including the order calling for the end of federal funding for activities that promote “gender ideology extremism,” amount to “an existential threat to transgender people.” Forcing the organizations to comply violates the groups’ free speech, due process and equal protection rights, they say. In June, a federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cand.444946/gov.uscourts.cand.444946.87.0.pdf" target="_blank" title="">issued a preliminary injunction</a> in the case that favored the nonprofits, saying that their case was likely to succeed in court. The judge’s ruling reinstated canceled grants and voided instructions hindering new applications and instructions for funding, including one from the Office of Violence Against Women stating that “that no LGBTQ+ related content should be submitted.” <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/7/30/2335803/-Trump-administration-steps-up-its-heinous-war-on-trans-people" title="" target="_blank">Trump administration steps up its heinous war on trans people</a> <hr> The administration <a href="https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71063107/san-francisco-aids-foundation-et-al-v-trump-et-al/?order_by=desc" target="_blank" title="">appealed the decision</a> to the U.S Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit in August. The case continues to move through the courts. LGBTQ+ Americans, with the exception of gay men, are more likely to have experienced domestic violence, partner abuse or dating violence than cisgender and heterosexual people. Queer women are significantly more likely to have experienced intimate partner violence in their lifetime than straight women, according to <a href="https://www.hrc.org/resources/understanding-intimate-partner-violence-in-the-lgbtq-community" target="_blank">an analysis of federal survey data</a> by the Human Rights Campaign. Fifty-four percent of respondents to the <a href="https://transequality.org/sites/default/files/docs/usts/USTS-Full-Report-Dec17.pdf" target="_blank" title="">2015 U.S. Trans Survey</a> said they have experienced intimate partner violence, and 47 percent reported being sexually assaulted. <a href="https://forge-forward.org/impact-of-funding-terminations/" target="_blank">FORGE</a>, one of the plaintiffs, is among the only organizations in the country focused specifically on transgender victims of violence. The 30-year-old organization relies on federal grants for 90 percent of its funding. <h3>Legal services for immigrant victims</h3> A coalition of Democratic attorneys general <a href="https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2025/attorney-general-james-leads-lawsuit-defending-critical-services-sexual-assault#:~:text=%E2%80%9CSexual%20assault%20and%20domestic%20violence,%2C%E2%80%9D%20said%20Attorney%20General%20James." target="_blank">filed a lawsuit</a> in early October challenging a new rule from the Justice Department that could restrict the use of federal grants to pay for legal services for immigrant victims of domestic and sexual violence. The <a href="https://www.ojp.gov/doj-financial-guide-2024" target="_blank">upcoming rule</a> says states and the local nonprofits they fund are barred from providing some legal services to survivors who don’t have legal status to be in the country. The lawsuit argues that the Violence Against Women Act — which authorized a part of the funding in question — includes a broad list of allowable legal services that include divorce, parental rights, child support, employment-related lawsuits, housing, civil rights and more. The Justice Department’s new rule does allow states to pay for restraining and custody orders, legal action dealing with human trafficking and legal services to obtain <a href="https://19thnews.org/2025/09/u-t-visas-victims-violence-immigrants-women/" target="_blank" title="">U and T visas</a>, as required by other laws. <figure class="image-captioned width-xl align-right"><img alt="Cartoon by Clay Bennett" class="width-xl" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1482267/large/20250927edcbc-a.jpg?1758931135" title="Cartoon by Clay Bennett"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> The states argue that it’s unclear how exactly they and the organizations that use the funding will be able to comply with the order: Which immigrants are restricted? What legal services are not allowed? They also argue that the order would force them to violate the law, including the Violence Against Women Act, which says that services for victims are “not dependent on the victim’s immigration status.” “With this cruel attempt to dictate which survivors deserve access to legal supports, DOJ is endangering families, silencing survivors, and threatening public safety. I will not stand idly by while the federal government unjustly attacks people seeking protection from violence,” said New York Attorney General Letitia James, whose office is taking the lead on the lawsuit. (James, who has led more than a dozen lawsuits against the Trump administration, is a <a href="https://19thnews.org/2025/10/letitia-james-james-comey-trump/" target="_blank">political target of Trump</a>; the president’s Justice Department is pursuing federal mortgage fraud charges against James related to a house she owns in Virginia.) “We are asking the court to block this illegal rule before it takes effect, immeasurably harming survivors.” The administration notified states of the new rule in August. It is expected to take effect in November. <div style="text-align:start"> <div> <ul> </ul> </div> </div> rss@dailykos.com (The19th) DOJ DomesticViolence LGBTQ TrumpAdministration _2350308 Sun, 26 Oct 2025 17:00:05 +0000 Blame this familiar orange ghoul for spooky high Halloween candy prices https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/26/2350118/-Blame-this-familiar-orange-ghoul-for-spooky-high-Halloween-candy-prices?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= Not to get spooky, but has anyone else felt a chill while walking down the Halloween candy aisle?  Unfortunately, it might not be unseen ghosts causing a shudder, but the price of chocolate. The cost of the popular sweets has been on the rise for quite some time, and this past year was no exception. According to research conducted by<a href="https://financebuzz.com/halloween-candy-inflation-study?utm_source=chatgpt.com" title="" target="_blank"> Finance Buzz,</a> the price tag of 100-piece candy bags rose on average by about $2 this year compared to 2024. And those who have been buying the big bags every Halloween to hand out candy or just eat it on the couch might remember an even more affordable time.  Since 2020, there has been a 78% increase in the price of the 100-piece bags of goodies. On average, that accounts for an approximate $7 increase for the treats over the past five years. <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/20/2349547/-Americans-feel-the-pain-of-Trump-s-economic-wrecking-ball" title="" target="_blank">Americans feel the pain of Trump's economic 'wrecking ball'</a> <hr> Chocolate as a whole has been facing a cost crisis. And when President Donald Trump’s chaotic tariffs <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/7/24/2334940/-Sorry-kids-Trump-s-tariffs-are-coming-for-your-Halloween-cand" title="" target="_blank">came for major cocoa exporters </a>like Brazil, West Africa, and Ecuador over the summer, people clutched their favorite cacao confections.  Trump issued an exemption for cocoa products <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/indonesia-says-us-agrees-tariff-exemption-its-palm-oil-cocoa-rubber-2025-08-26/" title="" target="_blank">coming out of Indonesia</a> in August, with talks of issuing a sweeping exemption for cocoa exporters given that the product cannot be made domestically outside of a small portion that comes from Hawaii.  Daily Kos tried to reach the Office of the United States Trade Representatives to confirm these details, but given <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/23/2350036/-Watch-Mike-Johnson-s-latest-and-saddest-GOP-shutdown-excuse?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=top_news_slot_9&pm_medium=web" title="" target="_blank">the ongoing shutdown</a>, phone lines were unattended and emails did not get a response. <figure class="image-captioned width-xl align-right"><img alt="President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump, give candy to children during a Halloween trick-or-treat event at the White House, Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)" class="width-xl" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1491870/large/AP18301830865911.jpg?1761259772" title="President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump, give candy to children during a Halloween trick-or-treat event at the White House, Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)"> <figcaption>President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump give candy to children during a Halloween event at the White House on Oct. 28, 2018.</figcaption> </figure> And while <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/20/2349547/-Americans-feel-the-pain-of-Trump-s-economic-wrecking-ball" title="" target="_blank">Trump’s tariffs</a> might make a simple scapegoat for rising prices, major chocolate producers in the U.S. are saying that it’s more nefarious than that.  A representative for Hershey explained that the “unprecedented” rising cost of cocoa has put a strain on their production costs, ultimately resulting in a need to increase the prices of some of their chocolate goods.  Nestlé, which manufactures the beloved KitKat and Butterfinger brands, did not respond to Daily Kos’ request for comment.  But it’s climate change that’s emerging as the major challenge for chocolatiers trying to keep prices low.  Major cocoa exporters like West Africa have been <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/west-africa-facing-10-drop-cocoa-output-202526-industry-sources-say-2025-07-09/" target="_blank">hit hard </a>by increasingly tumultuous weather patterns. And with dwindling supply—well, you know how it goes.  The spookiest part of all of this geopolitical chocolate talk is that the Trump administration has been doing its part to ensure cocoa—and all other crops—might never see their glory days again.  Environmental Protection Agency Secretary Lee Zeldin has <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/7/29/2335801/-Here-s-how-Trump-s-crappy-EPA-chief-is-lying-to-you-now" title="" target="_blank">dismantled programs studying climate change</a> while proudly <a href="https://www.wsj.com/opinion/lee-zeldin-epa-ends-the-green-new-deal-aa81de06?gaa_at=eafs&gaa_n=ASWzDAjkACjm7rh__b3Orhng-a0VAT16K1jWc7SImxVbj_f7CxuPaifoTDPX1TULxcU%3D&gaa_ts=688932cc&gaa_sig=xaZmuYFyl0sGIPBqVa93a5WavP0TttKh4nlHsOv6Z3e1UBQHhCE0-p2h3cD0zuKgN1KGz7bRDv3TLeMuABZyqQ%3D%3D" title="" target="_blank">announcing</a> he was prepared to “drive a dagger through the heart of climate change religion.” To make matters worse, Zeldin has openly said that he <a href="https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/epa-lee-zeldin-carbon-dioxide-climate-crisis-rcna220868" title="" target="_blank">no longer believes</a> in the harmful effects of greenhouse gases.  <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/7/29/2335801/-Here-s-how-Trump-s-crappy-EPA-chief-is-lying-to-you-now" title="" target="_blank">Here’s how Trump’s crappy EPA chief is lying to you now</a> <hr> In other words, don’t expect the U.S.—a major producer of environmental damage by way of massive corporations—to help make your candy bars any cheaper.  As we look ahead to bare-bones environmental regulations and nonexistent studies on climate change, deducing the culprit behind the cocoa industry’s struggle is hardly a whodunit. rss@dailykos.com (Alix Breeden) Chocolate cocoa Halloween Hershey LeeZeldin Nestle Tariffs _2350118 Sun, 26 Oct 2025 15:00:11 +0000 Black Music Sunday: Prepping for Halloween https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/26/2347720/-Black-Music-Sunday-Prepping-for-Halloween?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source=  <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/tags/BlackMusicSunday" target="_blank" title="">Black Music Sunday</a> is a weekly series highlighting all things Black music, with over<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/tags/BlackMusicSunday?filter=stories" target="_blank" title=""> 280 stories</a> covering performers, genres, history, and more, each featuring its own vibrant soundtrack. I hope you’ll find some familiar tunes and perhaps an introduction to something new. <hr> As we approach Halloween next Saturday, it’s time to get our spooky musical playlists in order and there are plenty of tunes across genres from jazz, blues, R&B, and reggae that are about spooky and scary things! It’s become a tradition here at Black Music Sunday for me to do a Halloween post. In case you missed them, check out stories and music from  <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2021/10/31/2049227/-They-put-a-spell-on-us-Black-musicians-and-spooky-tunes-for-Halloween" target="_blank">2021</a>, <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/10/30/2131636/-Black-Music-Sunday-Halloween-is-the-the-perfect-time-to-enjoy-these-spooky-tunes" title="" target="_blank">2022</a>, <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/10/29/2201096/-Black-Music-Sunday-Tricking-and-treating-to-the-Zombie-Jamboree-for-Halloween" target="_blank">2023</a>, and <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/10/27/2276551/-Black-Music-Sunday-Let-s-get-spooky-for-Halloween" target="_blank">2024</a>. Readers of those stories contributed lots of music I hadn’t covered in the comments sections (thank you!) and I’m going to feature some of them in today’s post.  In the jazz genre, one of my all time favorites was rendered by Nina Simone, which was first recorded by<a href="https://www.bear-family.com/hawkins-screamin-jay/?srsltid=AfmBOorfvQgpzwNlCQmmufJR9HmUXXGTPzAVUgmR2oA-TXYW2Eq1iWhi" target="_blank"> Screamin’ Jay Hawkins</a>. “I Put A Spell on You”: <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <a class="iframe_placeholder youtube dk-embed" href="//youtube.com/watch?v=WCjzNfJLHa0" data-frameborder="0" data-height="315" data-src="//www.youtube.com/embed/WCjzNfJLHa0?si=7IBqy4NcxjHEHsfx" data-width="560">YouTube Video</a></div> The jazz vocalese trio <a href="https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/lambert-hendricks-ross/" target="_blank">Lambert, Hendricks & Ross</a> performing “Halloween Spooks” is something I play every year: <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <a class="iframe_placeholder youtube dk-embed" href="//youtube.com/watch?v=7adiWXwPCqU" data-frameborder="0" data-height="315" data-src="//www.youtube.com/embed/7adiWXwPCqU?si=XOYNOjtVTOeuSMIA" data-width="560">YouTube Video</a></div> In the jazz instrumentalist genre,<a href="https://www.joshuaredman.com/full-bio" target="_blank"> Joshua Redman</a> recorded a haunting “Ghost”: <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <a class="iframe_placeholder youtube dk-embed" href="//youtube.com/watch?v=bvSjAe9CRrk" data-frameborder="0" data-src="//www.youtube.com/embed/bvSjAe9CRrk?si=kyFNqMeH1Qu2hj2D">YouTube Video</a></div> <div> <div><a href="https://jazz.fm/halloween-jazz-playlist/" target="_blank">Adam Feibal at JazzFM </a>wrote:</div> <blockquote> <div>This ghostly instrumental appeared on Joshua Redman’s 2009 trio album Compass. His playing on the sax is thoroughly eerie; meanwhile, Larry Grenadier’s bass line sounds like it’s creeping through the darkness and Brian Blade’s sparse percussion sounds like creaking floorboards and suddenly slammed doors. </div> </blockquote> <div>Jazz pianist and composer<a href="https://ahmadjamal.com/history" target="_blank"> Ahmad Jamal</a> alluded to a “Devil in My Den” in this 1996 instrumental:</div> <div> <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <a class="iframe_placeholder youtube dk-embed" href="//youtube.com/watch?v=NKK3BjVjAUU" data-frameborder="0" data-height="315" data-src="//www.youtube.com/embed/NKK3BjVjAUU?si=rQKMIXyLB9vka5S1" data-width="560">YouTube Video</a></div> Along more spooky lines, the late, great Louis Armstrong’s scene from the 1936 film “Pennies from Heaven,” is a classic. Ricky Riccardi, at dippermouth.blogspot<a href="https://dippermouth.blogspot.com/2008/06/skeleton-in-closet.html" target="_blank"> writes</a>: </div> <blockquote> <div>Armstrong gets one music number to himself in the film and it’s a great one.  “The Skeleton in the Closet” was written by Arthur Johnston and Johnny Burke, the same two men wrote the rest of the Pennies From Heaven score.  Filmed in California, Armstrong was seen leading a contingent of some of the finest west coast jazzmen, including trumpeter (and Armstrong disciple) Teddy Buckner, saxophonist Caughey Roberts, future Nat Cole bassist Wesley Prince and as already advertised, the grand reunion of Armstrong and Lionel Hampton.  </div> </blockquote> <div> <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <a class="iframe_placeholder youtube dk-embed" href="//youtube.com/watch?v=Ae5WtA_Oqfs" data-frameborder="0" data-height="315" data-src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Ae5WtA_Oqfs?si=d2of7lLC8qr5pMq4" data-width="560">YouTube Video</a></div> Shifting to blues,<a href="https://nmaahc.si.edu/lgbtq/bessie-smith" target="_blank"> Bessie Smith</a> took us into a haunted house with her “Haunted House Blues”: </div> </div> <div> <div> <div> <div></div> <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <a class="iframe_placeholder youtube dk-embed" href="//youtube.com/watch?v=4775nde3cLM" data-frameborder="0" data-height="315" data-src="//www.youtube.com/embed/4775nde3cLM?si=E6Hvsl6PzUdwuXdg" data-width="560">YouTube Video</a></div> <div>While Halloween isn’t until the end of the week, Monday is<a href="https://nationaltoday.com/national-black-cat-day/" target="_blank"> National Black Cat Day</a>. I’ve had wonderful black cats during this lifetime and don’t like the bad rap they’ve been given, but they’ve been the subject of some powerful music, like<a href="https://top40weekly.com/janet-jackson/" target="_blank"> Janet Jackson</a>’s 1989 “Black Cat.”</div> <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <a class="iframe_placeholder youtube dk-embed" href="//youtube.com/watch?v=qH-rPt1ftSo" data-frameborder="0" data-height="315" data-src="//www.youtube.com/embed/qH-rPt1ftSo?si=H_rbxDHaCqEfjPnW" data-width="560">YouTube Video</a></div> In the reggae vein, <a href="https://www.reggaeville.com/artist-details/ziggy-marley/about/" target="_blank">Ziggy Marley</a> shares a<a href="https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/ziggymarley/blackcat.html" title="" target="_blank"> good opinion of felines in his song “Black Cat</a>”: <blockquote> Black cat come visit me, I don't care what people say I saw your hazel eyes, sparkling in the moonlight Black cat one day things will change, I'm gonna wipe away your bad name my friend tells me you're no good, and I say hey I'm not afraid Black cat you're beautiful, why does everybody run away has anybody told you, I care has anybody told you, I love you </blockquote> <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <a class="iframe_placeholder youtube dk-embed" href="//youtube.com/watch?v=R04d5reL_WI" data-frameborder="0" data-height="315" data-src="//www.youtube.com/embed/R04d5reL_WI?si=bl7y6nYmkSekbJFk" data-width="560">YouTube Video</a></div> In the R&B world, two songs stand out for me—<a href="https://varietymatters.medium.com/how-michael-jacksons-thriller-changed-music-history-05a3b951788f" title="" target="_blank">Michael Jackson’s “Thriller</a>,” of course, and<a href="https://theconversation.com/dissecting-stevie-wonders-superstition-50-years-after-we-first-heard-its-infectious-grooves-189551" target="_blank"> Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition.”</a> But I’d rather play Stevie’s “Skeletons” and follow it up with Jackson’s mini-film, “Ghosts.” <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <a class="iframe_placeholder youtube dk-embed" href="//youtube.com/watch?v=XsUsj7YSjf4" data-frameborder="0" data-height="315" data-src="//www.youtube.com/embed/XsUsj7YSjf4?si=KAsPRryL2RZ6MZ-f" data-width="560">YouTube Video</a></div> <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <a class="iframe_placeholder youtube dk-embed" href="//youtube.com/watch?v=yfthWFa9cDo" data-frameborder="0" data-height="315" data-src="//www.youtube.com/embed/yfthWFa9cDo?si=GeOwPhHQLKgM0f-o" data-width="560">YouTube Video</a></div> Philly soul singers<a href="https://www.allmusic.com/artist/blue-magic-mn0000053428" target="_blank"> Blue Magic </a>contributed “Born on Halloween”: </div> </div> </div> <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <a class="iframe_placeholder youtube dk-embed" href="//youtube.com/watch?v=VkPO4k0XCG0" data-frameborder="0" data-height="315" data-src="//www.youtube.com/embed/VkPO4k0XCG0?si=n9b5N2ydn2vIYeUY" data-width="560">YouTube Video</a></div> Queen Bey <a href="https://thegrio.com/2024/10/14/beyonce/" title="" target="_blank">Beyoncé Knowles-Carter</a>’s “Ghost” and “Haunted,” released in 2013, aren’t usually associated with Halloween, but “Haunted” seems to fit into this exploration: <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <a class="iframe_placeholder youtube dk-embed" href="//youtube.com/watch?v=K4r4lysSgLE" data-frameborder="0" data-height="315" data-src="//www.youtube.com/embed/K4r4lysSgLE?si=nOhyvLgqG9DGOm4u" data-width="560">YouTube Video</a></div> Since Halloween evokes ghosts and goblins we can all join<a href="https://www.thelastmiles.com/interviews-ray-parker-jr/" target="_blank"> Ray Parker Jr.</a> and proclaim “I ain't 'fraid of no ghost” from 1984’s “Ghostbusters.” <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <a class="iframe_placeholder youtube dk-embed" href="//youtube.com/watch?v=Fe93CLbHjxQ" data-frameborder="0" data-height="315" data-src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Fe93CLbHjxQ?si=o_U2jqfAYkz3hDRP" data-width="560">YouTube Video</a></div> In the hip hop vein, I’ll close with<a href="https://www.hot1065fm.com/lsp/artist/bio/dj-jazzy-jeff-the-fresh-prince/" target="_blank"> DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince</a> singing their 1984 hit “A Nightmare on My Street”: <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <a class="iframe_placeholder youtube dk-embed" href="//youtube.com/watch?v=fVbaYFVUbLo" data-frameborder="0" data-height="315" data-src="//www.youtube.com/embed/fVbaYFVUbLo?si=XTx6DOgZnJV7d_TN" data-width="560">YouTube Video</a></div> Please join me in the comments section below where I hope you’ll post your favorite spooky tunes.   rss@dailykos.com (Denise Oliver Velez) AhmadJamal BessieSmith Beyonce BlackMusicSunday BlueMagic DJJazzyJeff&TheFreshPrince JanetJackson JoshuaRedman LambertHendricks&Ross LouisArmstrong MichaelJackson NinaSimone RayParkerJr StevieWonder _2347720 Sun, 26 Oct 2025 13:00:20 +0000 Cartoon: Whale oil! https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/26/2350252/-Cartoon-Whale-oil?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= A cartoon by David Horsey. <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/9/29/2346095/-In-Trump-s-America-your-tax-dollars-will-help-wreck-the-planet" target="_blank">In Trump's America, your tax dollars will help wreck the planet</a> <hr> rss@dailykos.com (David Horsey) Cartoon DavidHorsey DonaldTrump Energy Environment Whales _2350252 Sun, 26 Oct 2025 12:29:07 +0000 Why Republicans want you to die—and fast https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/25/2350097/-Why-Republicans-want-you-to-die-and-fast?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/tags/ExplainingTheRight" target="_blank" title="">Explaining the Right</a> is a weekly series that looks at what the right wing is currently obsessing over, how it influences politics—and why you need to know. <hr> In response to Democrats highlighting <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/18/2349111/-Meet-some-Trump-voters-who-voted-to-vamoosh-their-health-care" target="_blank">GOP opposition</a> to Affordable Care Act subsidies on which millions of Americans rely, Republicans have once again been forced to revisit their approach to health care.  <h3>The current crisis</h3> GOP Sen. <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/9/23/2345056/-GOP-senator-tops-Trump-s-Tylenol-tirade" target="_blank">Ron Johnson</a> of Wisconsin argued that losing critical health care subsidies is not a serious issue, even as families <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/why-millions-of-americans-are-facing-a-spike-in-health-care-costs" title="" target="_blank">have been experiencing</a> sticker shock as their premiums increase. “I don't think this is going to be any kind of gut-wrenching problem if these enhanced subsidies just go away. We'll probably have the weather the lies told by the Democrats. Democrats say all sorts of things that are untrue,”<a href="https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3m3pde47uvo2a" target="_blank"> </a>he <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3m3pde47uvo2a" title="" target="_blank">told CNBC</a>. <figure class="image-captioned width-xl align-right"><img alt="Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin questions Dr. Mehmet Oz, President Donald Trump's pick to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, at Oz's confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)" class="width-xl" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1424374/large/AP25073584248930.jpg?1745351841" title="Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin questions Dr. Mehmet Oz, President Donald Trump's pick to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, at Oz's confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)"> <figcaption>GOP Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin</figcaption> </figure> Meanwhile, failed presidential candidate and current Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis<a href="https://floridapolitics.com/archives/761006-insurance-desantis-under-50/" title="" target="_blank"> questioned</a> whether people even need comprehensive coverage. “Most people, particularly under 50, what they really need is a catastrophic plan that’s affordable, where then they can pay whatever they’re doing out of a health savings account,” he argued.  DeSantis is a Navy veteran and has access to comprehensive coverage for himself and his family, by the way. In Congress, the subsidies have become a pivotal issue in the ongoing government shutdown. Republicans<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/21/obamacare-insurance-extension-shutdown-00616150" target="_blank"> have refused to pass</a> legislation that would fund the vital program, forcing a shutdown that has rippled through the economy. <h3>The right always hated health care</h3> Opposition to health care legislation runs deep within the Republican Party, which has opposed efforts to help families for decades. Back in the early 1960s, when he was transitioning from actor to politician, Ronald Reagan <a href="https://youtu.be/MCqA4QhfXHA" target="_blank">made a recording</a> that was sent out across the country warning about the dangers of “socialized medicine.”  <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content"><a class="new_iframe_placeholder" href="#">x</a></div> <a class="iframe_placeholder youtube dk-embed" href="//youtube.com/watch?v=MCqA4QhfXHA" title="" data-frameborder="0" data-height="281" data-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MCqA4QhfXHA" data-width="500">YouTube Video</a></div> </div> Before President Lyndon B. Johnson signed popular programs like Medicaid and Medicare into law as part of his “Great Society” policies, Reagan and company said that health care would be used to open the door to communism. Of course, that never happened. A little more than 30 years later, the Clinton administration made a push for health care reform. The right<a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/world/from-hillarycare-debacle-in-1990s-clinton-emerged-more-cautious-idUSKCN0YS0X2/" target="_blank"> railed against the plan</a>, which was shepherded by first lady Hillary Clinton, ultimately killing reform for more than a decade. <h3>Still fighting in the 21st century</h3> It took the crisis of the Great Recession and the overwhelming victory of President Barack Obama to make health care reform a possibility in 2009. The right mounted what was arguably its biggest smear campaign to frame the plan—which was modeled after Republican ideas executed in Massachusetts—as a socialist takeover of the health care system. <figure class="image-captioned width-xl align-right"><img alt="Affordable Care Act arguments at the Supreme Court, Day 2. March 2012. " class="width-xl" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/342090/large/7022831245_71a8de7c45_k.jpg?1482438357" title="Affordable Care Act arguments at the Supreme Court, Day 2. March 2012. "> <figcaption>People supporting the Affordable Care Act hold signs that read, “We [love] Obamacare,” and, “Protect the law.”</figcaption> </figure> The right-wing talking point that the legislation would create “death panels” of bureaucrats cutting off health care<a href="https://www.politifact.com/article/2009/dec/18/politifact-lie-year-death-panels/" target="_blank"> was dubbed</a> “lie of the year” by PolitiFact that year. Ultimately, the campaign was unsuccessful, and Obama signed the Affordable Care Act—which the right mocked as “Obamacare,” in 2010. After that, the right failed to challenge the legislation all the way to the Supreme Court, <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/Timeline_of_ACA_repeal_and_replace_efforts" target="_blank">spending many of the following years</a> voting over and over again in Congress to repeal the bill. In the heat of the fight over the ACA, conservative voters showed where they stood. In a 2011 Tea Party debate with presidential candidates,<a href="https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2011/09/tea-party-debate-audience-cheered-idea-of-letting-uninsured-patients-die" target="_blank"> </a>audience members <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2011/09/tea-party-debate-audience-cheered-idea-of-letting-uninsured-patients-die" target="_blank">cheered</a> on the notion that, instead of providing government-funded health care to a sick patient, it would be preferable to just “let him die.” But when the right wasn’t fighting against insurance reform and comprehensive coverage, they were attacking health care in other venues. For example, the late Sen. John McCain<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGZOyxfiNoU" target="_blank"> of Arizona slammed Democrats</a> for supporting abortion care when the “life of the mother” is at risk, using air quotes to sarcastically repeat the phrase during a debate against Obama in 2008. <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content"><a class="new_iframe_placeholder" href="#">x</a></div> <a class="iframe_placeholder youtube dk-embed" href="//youtube.com/watch?v=SGZOyxfiNoU" title="" data-frameborder="0" data-height="281" data-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SGZOyxfiNoU" data-width="500">YouTube Video</a></div> </div> More recently, the Trump administration has<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/8/8/2337430/-Veterans-face-dire-new-health-care-crisis-thanks-to-Trump" target="_blank"> pursued</a> numerous cuts and changes to health care for veterans. And ahead of the passage of health care cuts in the GOP’s “One Big, Beautiful Bill,” Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/5/30/2325080/-We-all-are-going-to-die-GOP-senator-harshly-dismisses-voters-fears" target="_blank"> argued in May</a> that it didn’t matter if people lose their health care because “we all are going to die.” <h3>Conservatives have no health care plans</h3> Right-wing figures like Trump have spent nearly a decade promising a policy solution to health care issues. Trump <a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/back-to-the-future-trumps-history-of-promising-a-health-plan-that-never-comes/" target="_blank">first promised</a> a health care plan that would provide “insurance for everybody” back in January 2017. It still hasn’t happened. What the right refuses to acknowledge is that the public—including many Republicans—backs government-supported health care. Programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and now Obamacare <a href="https://www.kff.org/affordable-care-act/kff-health-tracking-poll-public-weighs-political-consequences-of-health-policy-legislation/#197bb5de-d033-427b-b782-f06a07f06103--h-public-views-of-major-health-care-legislation" target="_blank">have significant support</a>.  It turns out that people would prefer to see doctors and have access to medication<a href="https://www.kff.org/affordable-care-act/kff-survey-of-consumer-experiences-with-health-insurance/#07cca391-07a6-4249-bd8a-0556765bef22--most-insured-adults-support-public-policies-to-make-insurance-work-better-for-people" target="_blank"> instead of relying</a> on the “free” market and the profit-driven whims of the insurance industry. Conservatives have devoted themselves to destroying and undermining government assistance on health care while failing to provide any real alternative. The right supports a world where health care is so nonexistent that the alternative is sickness, suffering, and death—and the quicker the better. rss@dailykos.com (Oliver Willis) DonaldTrump ExplainingTheRight HealthCare Republicans _2350097 Sat, 25 Oct 2025 23:00:08 +0000 Cartoon: Dancing with the devil https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/25/2350116/-Cartoon-Dancing-with-the-devil?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= A cartoon by Clay Bennett. <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/23/2350018/-Americans-have-300-million-reasons-to-hate-Trump-s-ballroom" title="" target="_blank">Americans have 300 million reasons to hate Trump's ballroom</a> <hr> rss@dailykos.com (Clay Bennett) Cartoon ClayBennett Corruption DonaldTrump EastWing Grift WhiteHouse _2350116 Sat, 25 Oct 2025 22:54:16 +0000 Unfettered and unaccountable: How Trump is building a violent, shadowy federal police force https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/25/2350288/-Unfettered-and-unaccountable-How-Trump-is-building-a-violent-shadowy-federal-police-force?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= By <a href="https://www.propublica.org/people/j-david-mcswane" title="" target="_blank">J. David McSwane</a> and <a href="https://www.propublica.org/people/hannah-allam" target="_blank">Hannah Allam</a> for <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-dhs-ice-secret-police-civil-rights-unaccountable" target="_blank" title="">ProPublica</a> <hr> When Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers stormed through Santa Ana, California, in June, panicked calls flooded into the city’s emergency response system. Recordings of those calls, obtained by ProPublica, captured some of the terror residents felt as they watched masked men ambush people and force them into unmarked cars. In some cases, the men wore plain clothes and refused to identify themselves. There was no way to confirm whether they were immigration agents or imposters. In six of the calls to Santa Ana police, residents described what they were seeing as kidnappings. “He’s bleeding,” one caller said about a person he saw yanked from a car wash lot and beaten. “They dumped him into a white van. It doesn’t say ICE.” One woman’s voice shook as she asked, “What kind of police go around without license plates?” And then this from another: “Should we just run from them?” During a tense public meeting days later, Mayor Valerie Amezcua and the City Council asked their police chief whether there was anything they could do to rein in the federal agents — even if only to ban the use of masks. The answer was a resounding no. Plus, filing complaints with the Department of Homeland Security was likely to go nowhere because the office that once handled them had been dismantled. There was little chance of holding individual agents accountable for alleged abuses because, among other hurdles, there was no way to reliably learn their identities. Since then, Amezcua, 58, said she has reluctantly accepted the reality: There are virtually no limits on what federal agents can do to achieve President Donald Trump’s goal of mass deportations. Santa Ana has proven to be a template for much <a href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/2025/10/05/congress-members-rally-south-shore-apartment-ice-raid" title="" target="_blank">larger raids</a> and even more <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/immigration-agents-become-increasingly-aggressive-in-chicago" target="_blank">violent arrests in Chicago</a> and <a href="https://projects.propublica.org/trump-ice-smashed-windows-deportation-arrests/" target="_blank">elsewhere</a>. “It’s almost like he tries it out in this county and says, ‘It worked there, so now let me send them there,’” Amezcua said. <figure class="image-captioned width-xl align-right"><img alt="Protesters gather at the U.S. Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Prisons after federal immigration authorities conducted an operation on Friday, June 6, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)" class="width-xl" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1441977/large/AP25158000537732.jpg?1749483658" title="Protesters gather at the U.S. Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Prisons after federal immigration authorities conducted an operation on Friday, June 6, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)"> <figcaption>Protesters gather at the U.S. Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Prisons after federal immigration authorities conducted an operation on June 6 in Los Angeles.</figcaption> </figure> Current and former national security officials share the mayor’s concerns. They describe the legions of masked immigration officers operating in near-total anonymity on the orders of the president as the crossing of a line that had long set the United States apart from the world’s most repressive regimes. ICE, in their view, has become an unfettered and unaccountable national police force. The transformation, the officials say, unfolded rapidly and in plain sight. Trump’s DHS appointees swiftly dismantled civil rights guardrails, encouraged agents to wear masks, threatened groups and <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/09/20/us-news/trump-administration-threatens-to-cut-federal-funding-legal-action-if-three-democratic-states-defy-ice/" target="_blank">state governments</a> that stood in their way, and then made so many arrests that the influx overwhelmed lawyers trying to defend immigrants taken out of state or out of the country. And although they are reluctant to predict the future, the current and former officials worry that this force assembled from federal agents across the country could eventually be turned against any groups the administration labels a threat. One former senior DHS official who was involved in oversight said that what is happening on American streets today “gives me goosebumps.” Speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation, the official rattled off scenes that once would’ve triggered investigations: “Accosting people outside of their immigration court hearings where they’re showing up and trying to do the right thing and then hauling them off to an immigration jail in the middle of the country where they can’t access loved ones or speak to counsel. Bands of masked men apprehending people in broad daylight in the streets and hauling them off. Disappearing people to a third country, to a prison where there’s a documented record of serious torture and human rights abuse.” The former official paused. “We’re at an inflection point in history right now and it’s frightening.” <div class="align-center"> <figure class="image-captioned width-xl"><img alt="Federal law enforcement officers stand guard in the open gate of the fence built on Beach Street outside the Broadview ICE processing facility in suburban Broadview, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)" class="width-xl" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1488871/large/AP25288236212535.jpg?1760715657" title="Federal law enforcement officers stand guard in the open gate of the fence built on Beach Street outside the Broadview ICE processing facility in suburban Broadview, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. (Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)"> <figcaption>Federal law enforcement officers stand guard outside the Broadview ICE processing facility near Chicago on Oct. 14.</figcaption> </figure> </div> Although ICE is conducting itself out in the open, even inviting conservative social media influencers to accompany its agents on high-profile raids, the agency operates in darkness. The identities of DHS officers, their salaries and their operations have long been withheld for security reasons and generally exempted from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. However, there were offices within DHS created to hold agents and their supervisors accountable for their actions on the job. The Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, created by Congress and led largely by lawyers, investigated allegations of rape and unlawful searches from both the public and within DHS ranks, for instance. Egregious conduct was referred to the Justice Department. The CRCL office had limited powers; former staffers say their job was to protect DHS by ensuring personnel followed the law and addressed civil rights concerns. Still, it was effective in stalling rushed deportations or ensuring detainees had access to phones and lawyers. And even when its investigations didn’t fix problems, CRCL provided an accounting of allegations and a measure of transparency for Congress and the public. The office processed thousands of complaints — 3,000 in fiscal year 2023 alone — ranging from allegations of lack of access to medical treatment to reports of sexual assault at detention centers. Former staffers said around 600 complaints were open when work was suspended. <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/23/2350052/-Looks-like-ICE-recruits-are-a-hot-mess" title="" target="_blank">Looks like ICE recruits are a hot mess</a> <hr> The <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/homeland-security-crcl-civil-rights-immigration-border-patrol-trump-kristi-noem" target="_blank">administration has gutted</a> most of the office. What’s left of it was led, at least for a while, by a 29-year-old White House appointee who helped craft Project 2025, the right-wing blueprint that broadly calls for the curtailment of civil rights enforcement. Meanwhile, ICE is enjoying a windfall in resources. On top of its annual operating budget of $10 billion a year, the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill included an added $7.5 billion a year for the next four years for recruiting and retention alone. As part of its hiring blitz, the agency has dropped age, training and education standards and has offered recruits signing bonuses as high as $50,000. “Supercharging this law enforcement agency and at the same time you have oversight being eliminated?” said the former DHS official. “This is very scary.” Michelle Brané, a longtime human rights attorney who directed DHS’ ombudsman office during the Biden administration, said Trump’s adherence to “the authoritarian playbook is not even subtle.” “ICE, their secret police, is their tool,” Brané said. “Once they have that power, which they have now, there’s nothing stopping them from using it against citizens.” <div class="align-center"> <figure class="image-captioned width-xl"><img alt="A protester in a frog costume stands in front of a line of federal law enforcement officers outside a United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Portland, Ore., Monday, Oct. 6, 2025. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)" class="width-xl" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1487750/large/AP25280648233577.jpg?1760387001" title="A protester in a frog costume stands in front of a line of federal law enforcement officers outside a United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Portland, Ore., Monday, Oct. 6, 2025. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)"> <figcaption>A protester in a frog costume stands in front of a line of federal law enforcement officers on Oct. 6 outside of an ICE facility in Portland.</figcaption> </figure> </div> Tricia McLaughlin, the DHS assistant secretary for public affairs, refuted descriptions of ICE as a secret police force. She called such comparisons the kind of “smears and demonization” that led to the recent attack on an <a href="https://www.dhs.gov/news/2025/09/24/dhs-issues-statement-targeted-attack-dallas-ice-facility" title="" target="_blank">ICE facility in Texas</a>, in which a gunman targeted an ICE transport van and shot three detained migrants, two of them fatally, before killing himself. In a written response to ProPublica, McLaughlin dismissed the current and former national security officials and scholars interviewed by ProPublica as “far-left champagne socialists” who haven’t seen ICE enforcement up close. “If they had,” she wrote, “they would know when our heroic law enforcement officers conduct operations, they clearly identify themselves as law enforcement while wearing masks to protect themselves from being targeted by highly sophisticated gangs” and other criminals. McLaughlin said the recruiting blitz is not compromising standards. She wrote that the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center is ready for 11,000 new hires by the beginning of next year and that training has been streamlined and boosted by technology. “Our workforce never stops learning,” McLaughlin wrote. White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson also praised ICE conduct and accused Democrats of making “dangerous, untrue smears.” “ICE officers act heroically to enforce the law, arrest criminal illegal aliens and protect American communities with the utmost professionalism,” Jackson said. “Anyone pointing the finger at law enforcement officers instead of the criminals are simply doing the bidding of criminal illegal aliens and fueling false narratives that lead to violence.” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, the Trump pick who fired nearly the entire civil rights oversight staff, said the move was in response to CRCL functioning “as internal adversaries that slow down operations,” according to a DHS spokesperson. <figure class="image-captioned width-xl align-right"><img alt="U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, center, stands on the roof of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Portland, Ore., Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)" class="width-xl" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1485994/large/AP25280744717324.jpg?1759946105" title="U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, center, stands on the roof of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Portland, Ore., Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)"> <figcaption>Kristi Noem stands on the roof of an ICE facility in Portland on Oct. 7.</figcaption> </figure> Trump also eliminated the department’s Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman, which was charged with flagging inhumane conditions at ICE detention facilities where many of the apprehended immigrants are held. The office was resurrected after a lawsuit and court order, though it’s sparsely staffed. The hobbling of the office comes as the White House embarks on an aggressive expansion of detention sites with an eye toward repurposing old jails or building new ones with names that telegraph harsh conditions: “Alligator Alcatraz” in the Florida Everglades, built by the state and operated in partnership with DHS, or the “Cornhusker Clink” in Nebraska. “It is a shocking situation to be in that I don’t think anybody anticipated a year ago,” said Erica Frantz, a political scientist at Michigan State University who studies authoritarianism. “We might’ve thought that we were going to see a slide, but I don’t think anybody anticipated how quickly it would transpire, and now people at all levels are scrambling to figure out how to push back.” <h3>“Authoritarian Playbook”</h3> Frantz and other scholars who study anti-democratic political systems in other countries said there are numerous examples in which ICE’s activities appear cut from an authoritarian playbook. Among them was the detention of Tufts University doctoral student <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/rumeysa-ozturk-best-friend-inside-story-tufts-trump-louisiana-ice" title="" target="_blank">Rümeysa Öztürk</a>, who was apprehended after co-writing an op-ed for the campus paper that criticized the school’s response to the war in Gaza. ICE held her incommunicado for 24 hours and then shuffled her through three states before jailing her in Louisiana. <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content"><a class="new_iframe_placeholder" href="#">x</a></div> <a class="iframe_placeholder youtube dk-embed" href="//youtube.com/watch?v=lNNmCJOjmt4" title="" data-frameborder="0" data-height="281" data-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lNNmCJOjmt4" data-width="500">YouTube Video</a></div> </div> “The thing that got me into the topic of ‘maybe ICE is a secret police force’?” said Lee Morgenbesser, an Australian political science professor who studies authoritarianism. “It was that daylight snatching of the Tufts student.” Morgenbesser was also struck by the high-profile instances of ICE detaining elected officials who attempted to stand in their way. Among them, New York City Comptroller <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/17/nyregion/brad-lander-immigration-ice.html" title="" target="_blank">Brad Lander was detained</a> for demanding a judicial warrant from ICE, and U.S. Sen. <a href="https://calmatters.org/politics/2025/06/alex-padilla-handcuffed/" title="" target="_blank">Alex Padilla was forcibly removed</a> from a DHS press conference. And David Sklansky, a Stanford Law School professor who researches policing and democracy, said it appears that ICE’s agents are allowed to operate with complete anonymity. “It’s not just that people can’t see faces of the officers,” Sklansky said. “The officers aren’t wearing shoulder insignia or name tags.” <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/4/19/2317189/-Inside-R-meysa-zt-rk-s-journey-from-scholar-to-Trump-target-in-Louisiana-cell" title="" target="_blank">Inside Rümeysa Öztürk’s journey from scholar to Trump target in Louisiana cell</a> <hr> U.S. District Judge William G. Young, a Ronald Reagan appointee, recently pointed out that use of masked law enforcement officers had long been considered anathema to American ideals. In a blistering ruling against the administration’s arrests of pro-Palestinian protesters, <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mad.282460/gov.uscourts.mad.282460.261.0.pdf" target="_blank">he wrote</a>, “To us, masks are associated with cowardly desperados and the despised Ku Klux Klan. In all our history we have never tolerated an armed masked secret police.” The Trump administration has said it will appeal that ruling. <h3>Where the Fallout is Felt</h3> The fallout is being felt in places like Hays County, Texas, not far from Austin, where ICE apprehended 47 people, including nine children, during a birthday celebration in the early morning of April 1. The agency’s only disclosure about the raid in Dripping Springs describes the operation as part of a yearlong investigation targeting “members and associates believed to be part of the Venezuelan transnational gang, Tren de Aragua.” Six months later, the county’s top elected official told ProPublica the federal government has ignored his attempts to get answers. “We’re not told why they took them, and we’re not told where they took them,” said County Judge Ruben Becerra, a Democrat. “By definition, that’s a kidnapping.” <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/13/2348423/-Trump-team-recruits-influencers-to-push-lies-about-lawless-cities" title="" target="_blank">Trump team recruits influencers to push lies about ‘lawless’ cities</a> <hr> In the raid, a Texas trooper secured a search warrant that allowed law enforcement officers to breach the home, an Airbnb rental on a vast stretch of land in the Hill Country. Becerra told ProPublica he believes the suspicion of drugs at the party was a pretense to pull people out of the house so ICE officers who lacked a warrant could take them into custody. The Texas Department of Public Safety did not respond to a request for comment. The Trump administration has yet to produce evidence supporting claims of gang involvement, said Karen Muñoz, a civil rights attorney helping families track down their relatives who were jailed or deported. While some court documents are sealed, nothing in the <a href="https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/7132e4dbd13cca894d1029435d6ab188/Combined_search_warrant_and_order_sealing_search_warrant_affidavit.pdf" title="" target="_blank">public record</a> verifies the gang affiliation DHS cited as the cause for the birthday party raid. “There’s no evidence released at all that any person kidnapped at that party was a member of any organized criminal group,” Muñoz said. McLaughlin, the DHS spokesperson, did not respond to questions about Hays County and other raids where families and attorneys allege a lack of transparency and due process. <h3>In Plain Sight</h3> Months after ICE’s widely publicized raids, fear continues to envelop Santa Ana, a majority-Hispanic city with a large immigrant population. Amezcua, the mayor, said the raids have complicated local policing and rendered parents afraid to pick up their children from school. The city manager, a California-born citizen and Latino, carries with him three government IDs, including a passport. Raids of car washes and apartment buildings continue, but the community has started to “push back,” Amezcua said. “Like many other communities, the neighbors come out. People stop in the middle of traffic.” With so few institutional checks on ICE’s powers, citizens are increasingly relying on themselves. On at least one occasion in nearby Downey, a citizen’s intervention had some effect. <figure class="image-captioned width-xl align-right"><img alt="Cartoon by Mike Luckovich" class="width-xl" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1457612/large/lk072025dAPR.jpg?1752781706" title="Cartoon by Mike Luckovich"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> On June 12, Melyssa Rivas had just started her workday when a colleague burst into her office with urgent news: “ICE is here.” The commotion was around the corner in Rivas’ hometown, a Los Angeles suburb locals call “Mexican Beverly Hills” for its stately houses and affluent Hispanic families. Rivas, 31, the daughter of Mexican immigrants, belongs to Facebook groups where residents share updates about cultural festivals, church programs and, these days, the presence of Trump’s deportation foot soldiers. Rivas had seen posts about ICE officers sweeping through LA and figured Downey’s turn had come. She and her co-worker rushed toward the sound of screaming at a nearby intersection. Rivas hit “record” on her phone as a semicircle of trucks and vans came into view. She filmed at least half a dozen masked men in camouflage vests encircling a Hispanic man on his knees. Her unease deepened as she registered details that “didn’t seem right,” Rivas recalled in an interview. She said the parked vans had out-of-state plates or no tags. The armed men wore only generic “police” patches, and most were in street clothes. No visible insignia identified them as state or federal — or even legal authorities at all. “When is it that we just decided to do things a different way? There’s due process, there’s a legal way, and it just doesn’t seem to matter anymore,” Rivas said. “Where are human rights?” <div> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/100011737901844/videos/998520518802320/" target="_blank">Video footage</a> shows Rivas and others berating the officers for complicity in what they called a “kidnapping.” Local news channels later reported that the vehicles had chased the man after a raid at a nearby car wash. <div class="dk-editor-embed facebook-embed-responsive center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <a class="iframe_placeholder facebook dk-embed" href="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https://www.facebook.com/100011737901844/videos/998520518802320/&width=500&show_text=false&height=889&appId" title="" data-frameborder="0" data-height="889" data-src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2F100011737901844%2Fvideos%2F998520518802320%2F&width=500&show_text=false&height=889&appId" data-width="500">Facebook Content</a></div> “I know half of you guys know this is fucked up,” Rivas was recorded telling the officers. Moments later, the scene took a turn. As suddenly as they’d arrived, the officers returned to their vehicles and left, with no apology and no explanation to the distraught man they left on the sidewalk. Through a mask, one of them said, “Have a good day.” </div> rss@dailykos.com (ProPublica) CivilRights ICE Immigration lawenforcement TrumpAdministration _2350288 Sat, 25 Oct 2025 21:00:02 +0000 DHS wants to attack journalists, and UVA's deal with the devil https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/25/2349993/-DHS-wants-to-attack-journalists-and-UVA-s-deal-with-the-devil?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/tags/InjusticeforAll" title="" target="_blank">Injustice for All</a> is a weekly series about how the Trump administration is trying to weaponize the justice system—and the people who are fighting back. <hr> Sure, President Donald Trump started literally tearing down the White House this week, but don’t sleep on all of the other terrible things happening. Gotta be well-rounded, right?  This week, we’ve got one of Justice Neal Gorsuch’s former clerks showing off along with one of Trump’s former personal lawyers having a really bad time at the Third Circuit. Also, the Department of Homeland Security thinks it is really unfair to tell them they can’t attack journalists and the University of Virginia makes a dumb deal with the devil.    <h3>Mike Davis says the quiet part out loud</h3> Mike Davis, who was ostensibly<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/11/8/2284353/-Wannabe-Trump-attorney-general-threatens-Letitia-James-with-prison" title="" target="_blank"> in the running</a> to be attorney general for Trump’s second term but somehow didn’t land any job in the administration, couldn’t help himself from<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-10-22/trump-ally-pushing-conspiracy-case-says-grand-jury-review-coming" target="_blank"> bragging</a> that he still knows things, man. However, in his zeal to go on “The Charlie Kirk Show” and show off, Davis likely revealed a little too much. Davis was asked about an investigation into a “grand conspiracy” against Trump and popped off about how “my buddy,” U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Jason Reding Quiñones, is empaneling a grand jury that “should be fully up and running by January.” There are indeed<a href="https://www.flsd.uscourts.gov/sites/flsd/files/adminorders/2025-74.pdf" title="" target="_blank"> two new grand juries</a> set to be empaneled on Jan. 12, 2026, but there’s no information whatsoever about what those are for, which means that either a sitting U.S. attorney is illegally feeding confidential information to someone with no role in the government or Davis is lying.  In a normal world, it would most likely be the latter. These days, it’s probably the former. Sigh. <h3>Another rough week for Alina Habba</h3> If the Department of Justice thought things would go any better at the Third Circuit Court of Appeals than they did at the lower court regarding their frantic attempts to keep Alina Habba in a job she has no business being in as the top federal prosecutor in New Jersey, they were<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/20/alina-habba-us-attorney-case-arguments-00615489" title="" target="_blank"> disabused of</a> that notion at oral argument.  A lower court had ruled<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/8/21/2339577/-Whoopsie-Alina-Habba-isn-t-legal" title="" target="_blank"> back in August</a> that Habba, one of Trump’s innumerable former personal attorneys, was not legally in her position as U.S. attorney for New Jersey despite the administration’s attempt to keep her there via a string of temporary appointments.  <figure class="image-captioned width-xl align-right"><img alt="Alina Habba, a former defense lawyer for President Donald Trump who has been named interim U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, speaks to members of the media, Monday, March 24, 2025, outside the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)" class="width-xl" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1412433/large/AP25083562059397.jpg?1742841196" title="Alina Habba, a former defense lawyer for President Donald Trump who has been named interim U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, speaks to members of the media, Monday, March 24, 2025, outside the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)"> <figcaption>Alina Habba, a former defense lawyer for President Donald Trump who has been named interim U.S. Attorney for New Jersey.</figcaption> </figure> The lower court’s decision was stayed pending this appeal, which means at the moment, federal judges in New Jersey have to deal with figuring out whether Habba can prosecute cases during the stay.  At oral argument in front of the Third Circuit, the DOJ attorney, Henry Whitaker, insisted that the government “colored inside the lines here.”  Sure, yes, it is very normal to (1) name your former personal attorney with no prosecutorial experience as an interim U.S. attorney; (2) pull her nomination from the Senate after the district court judges in New Jersey refused to keep her in the job; and (3) have Habba quit her job as interim U.S. attorney. And then (4) have the attorney general appoint Habba as both a special attorney and a first assistant U.S. attorney and (5) say that when Habba resigned as interim, that meant the U.S. attorney position was vacant. So Habba has now ascended to the top job from the first assistant role.  When asked if he<a href="https://abovethelaw.com/2025/10/alina-habbas-questionable-designation-as-u-s-attorney-seems-to-stump-even-her-lawyer/" title="" target="_blank"> could provide</a> any other examples of U.S. attorney appointments like this, Whitaker went with “Well, I guess, I cannot.” Aww, cheer up, pal! The lower court in Nevada<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/21/2349626/-Trump-s-new-favorite-prosecutor-is-flubbing-it-big-time" target="_blank"> disqualified</a> another of Trump’s terrible picks, Sigal Chattah, over a similar type of temporary appointment nonsense, and Lindsey Halligan may soon face the same thing in the Eastern District of Virginia. So you do have a few examples! Too bad they are all equally illegal.  <h3>“C’mon, bro. Just let us attack journalists a little bit, as a treat!”</h3> That was pretty much the argument the Department of Homeland Security tried in front of U.S. District Judge Hernán Vera, asking him to stay his preliminary injunction barring federal agents from using indiscriminate force against journalists and observers in Los Angeles.  DHS tried to tell the court that the plaintiff journalists weren’t at risk of any immediate harm, so they didn’t have standing to sue.  Yeah, about that. The court<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cacd.975245/gov.uscourts.cacd.975245.74.0.pdf" target="_blank"> noted</a> that these journalists continue to attend and cover protests where DHS uses indiscriminate force on, well, everyone, and have “fired on Plaintiffs even when they were far from the center of protest activity.” Seems like a pretty immediate danger! And in case you’re confused, this is a different case from the<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.ilnd.487571/gov.uscourts.ilnd.487571.66.0.pdf" title="" target="_blank"> one in Chicago</a>, where DHS was also ordered not to do this, and did it anyway. <h3>Biden appointee will force the military to do a DEI</h3> After Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered libraries at military-run K-12 schools to purge books about any “divisive concepts” such as race and gender and demanded curriculum changes to make sure there was no forbidden diversity, a group of 12 students and their families<a href="https://www.militarytimes.com/education-transition/2025/04/16/students-sue-defense-department-over-book-bans-in-military-schools/" target="_blank"> sued</a>.  <figure class="image-captioned width-xl align-right"><img alt="United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth addresses a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025 (AP Photo/Omar Havana)" class="width-xl" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1488909/large/AP25288500484824.jpg?1760720600" title="United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth addresses a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025 (AP Photo/Omar Havana)"> <figcaption>Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth</figcaption> </figure> On Monday, U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.vaed.572223/gov.uscourts.vaed.572223.58.0_4.pdf" target="_blank"> granted</a> the plaintiffs’ request for a preliminary injunction and ordered the Department of Defense Education Activity, which oversees the schools, to immediately restore the<a href="https://www.aclu-ky.org/app/uploads/2025/10/EK-v-DoDEA-List-of-Books-Removed.pdf" target="_blank"> 596 books</a> to the five schools attended by the plaintiffs. Turns out there are cases that say pesky things like “school boards can’t remove books just because they don’t like them.” How dare she. How are we going to build the next generation of warfighters now?  <h3>Oh, Virginia. Why would you do it?</h3> The University of Virginia has<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2025/10/22/university-of-virginia-trump-administration-settlement/" target="_blank"> decided to</a> bend the knee to stop the Trump administration's sham investigations into whatever it comes up with.  Well, not so much “stop” as “pause until the government feels like starting again.” Sure, UVA doesn’t have to give the administration money and sure, they don’t have to submit to external monitoring, so in that regard it is a better deal than what<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/7/24/2334965/-Columbia-caves-to-Trump-setting-dangerous-precedent-for-higher-ed" title="" target="_blank"> Columbia</a> agreed to, but it is still exceedingly not great.  The<a href="https://federalinfo.virginia.edu/sites/federalinfo/files/2025-10/US-University-of-Virginia-Standstill-Agreement-20251022.pdf" title="" target="_blank"> agreement</a> requires UVA to certify its compliance quarterly, and then the government  “may make such inquiries as it deems necessary to verify the accuracy of such certification.” So, basically, the administration can put UVA through the wringer quarterly.  Oh, and also, if at any time, the government decides UVA isn’t in compliance, they get 15 days to show appropriate progress and if the government doesn’t agree, “the United States may terminate this Agreement and may pursue enforcement actions, monetary fines, or grant or funding terminations as appropriate, and may resume all Investigations held in abeyance during the pendency of this Agreement.”  See? Pause, not stop. The investigations remain hanging over the school and the government can restart them whenever.  There’s no certainty for UVA in this agreement, but at least they did agree to follow so-called “<a href="https://www.justice.gov/ag/media/1409486/dl?inline=&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery" title="" target="_blank">federal guidance</a>” by eliminating any diversity initiatives and throwing trans students under the bus. All of that bigotry for literally no actual protection from the administration. Good job. rss@dailykos.com (Lisa Needham) AlinaHabba DepartmentofHomelandSecurity InjusticeforAll MikeDavis peteHegseth _2349993 Sat, 25 Oct 2025 19:00:17 +0000 Cartoon: It's called 'renovation' https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/25/2350244/-Cartoon-It-s-called-renovation?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= A cartoon by Mike Luckovich. <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/23/2350018/-Americans-have-300-million-reasons-to-hate-Trump-s-ballroom" title="" target="_blank">Americans have 300 million reasons to hate Trump's ballroom</a> <hr> rss@dailykos.com (Mike Luckovich) Cartoon DonaldTrump EastWing MikeLuckovich WhiteHouse _2350244 Sat, 25 Oct 2025 18:54:14 +0000 Represent This: Drastic times and drastic measures come to California https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/25/2350270/-Represent-This-Drastic-times-and-drastic-measures-come-to-California?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= Many Black leaders see Proposition 50 as necessary to neutralize a GOP power grab that endangers bedrock civil rights. By <a href="https://capitalandmain.com/the-arc-column" target="_blank">Erin </a><a href="https://capitalandmain.com/the-arc-column" target="_blank" title="">Aubry Kaplan</a> for <a href="https://capitalandmain.com/represent-this" target="_blank">Capital & Main</a> <hr> California voters are days away from deciding on Proposition 50, the ballot initiative that would redraw the state’s congressional map to hand more seats to Democrats. The measure is meant to counter President Trump’s ongoing campaign to get other, Republican-led states to blatantly create new maps that will favor the GOP in next year’s midterms. As the Nov. 4 special election gets closer and the stakes of the outcome get higher I keep thinking: What would John Lewis say? <div> Lewis, the longtime Georgia congressmember and civil rights icon who died in 2020, deeply believed in voting and fair representation as the bedrock of racial justice, and of justice for all. Alarmed by the GOP attacks on voting and elections, which began in earnest after the Supreme Court <a href="https://apnews.com/article/courts-voting-race-and-ethnicity-racial-injustice-laws-871be7654df041549cf74eb1a1d377ca" target="_blank">tossed out a key provision</a> of the 1965 Voting Rights Act more than a decade ago, Lewis fought back. The Voting Rights Advancement Act, first introduced and co-sponsored by Lewis in 2015 (later renamed for Lewis after his death), sought to restore the protections, known as preclearance, cut from the 1965 Voting Rights Act. It also sought to prohibit gerrymandering — the practice of carving up congressional districts in a way that advantages one political party or group. Though always a bipartisan practice, gerrymandering was used historically, chiefly in the South, to suppress or dilute the voting power of Black people and other people of color and deny them representation of their choice. While still in play, Lewis’ bill has yet to make it into law after multiple attempts to overcome opposition from Republicans, and a few Democrats. <hr> <div> <div> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/8/2347548/-Republicans-know-they-re-losing-the-California-redistricting-fight" target="_blank">Republicans know they’re losing the California redistricting fight</a> <hr> We are now at a point that not even Lewis could have imagined, with Trump, 10 months into his second term, facilitating a full-on gerrymandering war between the states. It began with the president’s demand earlier this year that the GOP in Texas rewrite maps and create five more congressional seats he says Republicans are “<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/05/trump-texas-redistricting-00493624" target="_blank">entitled to</a>” in order to boost the party’s chances of winning the 2026 midterm elections. Texas lawmakers obliged. <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/north-carolina-state-partisan-redrawing-congressional-maps/story?id=126513569" target="_blank">Other red states</a> are in various stages of <a href="https://apnews.com/article/redistricting-gerrymander-trump-missouri-936e8daecadb32556fcfbd2eb9f7457b" target="_blank">following suit</a>. It all prompted outrage from California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who decided that Democrats in the nation’s most populous blue state couldn’t stand by and watch the GOP gerrymander their way to a point where elections might not matter at all. So he and other California Democrats quickly devised what became known as the Election Rigging Response Act and fast-tracked it onto the ballot. <a href="https://voterguide.sos.ca.gov/proposition/50/" target="_blank">Proposition 50</a> temporarily sets aside current congressional maps drawn by the state’s independent redistricting commission and replaces them with new maps designed to give California five more Democratic districts. It’s gerrymandering, to be sure, but with the specific intention of neutralizing the GOP gerrymandering that many say isn’t just another power grab, but a clear and coordinated undermining of democracy itself. Newsom and others have called Prop. 50 fighting fire with fire, though it’s important to note that the same thing does not fuel the fires. Other Democratic-led states, such as New York and Maryland, are answering Newsom’s call to arms by looking into redrawing their own congressional maps, though no plans for change have been finalized, either legislatively or through state propositions. California voters seem so far to be siding with Newsom: A recent <a href="https://emersoncollegepolling.com/california-2025-poll-majority-support-proposition-50-in-november-special-election/" target="_blank">Emerson College poll</a> shows that 51% plan to vote for the measure, while 34% plan to vote no. <div class="dk-editor-embed dk-datawrapper-embed center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <a class="iframe_placeholder datawrapper dk-embed" href="//datawrapper.dwcdn.net/YAkRL/1/" data-frameborder="0" data-height="312" data-src="//datawrapper.dwcdn.net/YAkRL/1/" data-width="757">Datawrapper Content</a></div> </div> </div> <div> Black support is key. Because the GOP gerrymandering spree Prop. 50 is designed to offset is more than just a power grab; at its core, it’s a serious undermining of racial justice that took generations to build. It’s no accident that <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2025/07/30/texas-redistricting-congressional-maps-house-republicans/" target="_blank">the redrawn maps in Texas</a> redistribute Black representation of significantly Black districts; among the losers are prominent Black Democrats, including Rep. Jasmine Crockett, known for speaking out against Trump and the GOP in videos that frequently go viral, and the equally outspoken Rep. Al Green. <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/9/22/2344854/-Most-California-voters-are-lining-up-behind-Newsom-to-fight-Trump" target="_blank">Most California voters are lining up behind Newsom to fight Trump</a> <hr> Lots of Black Californians, including those whose families arrived during the Great Migration last century, have roots in Texas; they include State Assemblymember Isaac Bryan, one of many members of the Legislative Black Caucus who supports the proposition. For many Black people the gerrymandering fight is not only personal and political, but deeply rooted in history. At stake is not just reining in Trumpian overreach, but thwarting white supremacy and preserving the civil rights gains people like Lewis fought hard for and in some cases died for (Lewis himself almost met his end on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in 1965, beaten severely by police as he and others attempted to march to Selma for voting rights.)   State Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson, who chairs the California Legislative Black Caucus, invoked that battle in a press conference with Newsom earlier this month, calling Prop. 50 “our weapon,” and noting that representation “is not some abstract concept,” but power that affects funding for essentials such as housing, education, criminal justice and health care. <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/23/2350026/-Obama-shreds-Trump-s-attempt-to-steal-midterm-elections" target="_blank">Obama shreds Trump's attempt to steal midterm elections</a> <hr> Congressmember Lateefah Simon, who represents parts of the Bay Area, said the new Texas map recalls the loss of Black voting rights and representation in the South that happened after Emancipation. The potential loss of civil rights and the erosion of democracy is also the message that Black figures beyond California, including former president Barack Obama and former attorney general Eric Holder, are sending in their own support of Prop. 50. The endorsement from Holder is especially significant given that he’s spent years fighting the discriminatory effects of gerrymandering as chairman of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee. But he’s said the moment leaves him, and the country, no choice. <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block" data-bluesky-content="&lt;blockquote class="bluesky-embed" data-bluesky-uri="at://did:plc:5c6cw3veuqruljoy5ahzerfx/app.bsky.feed.post/3m3swki3xcs2i" data-bluesky-cid="bafyreihvtnzzze2opzvbpzh5xsibrc55zhvxfbbjylqamya4qpdjw3m2qi"&gt;&lt;p lang="en"&gt;We have just over two weeks to pass Prop 50. And when we do, it will send a message of hope across the country, that change is possible if we do the work. So, let’s get to it. linktr.ee/cadem&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; &lt;a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:5c6cw3veuqruljoy5ahzerfx?ref_src=embed"&gt;Barack Obama (@barackobama.bsky.social)&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:5c6cw3veuqruljoy5ahzerfx/post/3m3swki3xcs2i?ref_src=embed"&gt;2025-10-22T22:49:26.175Z&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;script async src="https://embed.bsky.app/static/embed.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;"><div class="remove-embed-content">x</div><blockquote class="bluesky-embed" data-bluesky-uri="at://did:plc:5c6cw3veuqruljoy5ahzerfx/app.bsky.feed.post/3m3swki3xcs2i" data-bluesky-cid="bafyreihvtnzzze2opzvbpzh5xsibrc55zhvxfbbjylqamya4qpdjw3m2qi">We have just over two weeks to pass Prop 50. And when we do, it will send a message of hope across the country, that change is possible if we do the work. So, let’s get to it. linktr.ee/cadem— <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:5c6cw3veuqruljoy5ahzerfx?ref_src=embed" target="_blank">Barack Obama (@barackobama.bsky.social)</a> <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:5c6cw3veuqruljoy5ahzerfx/post/3m3swki3xcs2i?ref_src=embed" target="_blank">2025-10-22T22:49:26.175Z</a></blockquote></div> Trena Turner, a pastor and a member of California’s independent redistricting commission in 2020, came to the same conclusion. In <a href="https://calmatters.org/commentary/2025/09/prop-50-california-defend-democracy/" target="_blank">a commentary for CalMatters</a> last month, Turner wrote that the GOP threat has to be met in real time, and that indeed called for meeting fire with fire. This doesn’t mean that supporters of Prop. 50 become complicit in weakening democracy, as some opponents of the measure have claimed. Opponents also warn that Prop. 50 will disempower Black voters in some parts of the state, though that’s refuted by several analyses of the measure, including one by the nonpartisan <a href="https://www.ppic.org/blog/how-would-the-prop-50-redistricting-plan-affect-racial-and-geographic-representation/" target="_blank">Public Policy Institute of California</a>. For Turner and others, the big picture is the most urgent. “To stand by and allow more of the same is to surrender to authoritarianism in slow motion,” Turner wrote. “The safeguards we once believed would protect us simply aren’t holding” (safeguards that include the Voting Rights Act that is likely to be dismantled entirely by the Supreme Court in the coming months). Turner added: “If reversing course is what it takes to protect representation, equity and democracy itself, then we must act.” <figure class="image-captioned align-right"><img alt="Cartoon by Mike Luckovich" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1466780/large/lk081325dAPR.jpg?1755035406" title="Cartoon by Mike Luckovich"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> Within the strong Black support of Prop. 50 are some notes of caution. In an <a href="https://lasentinel.net/black-vote-will-play-a-crucial-role-in-the-passage-of-proposition-50.html" target="_blank">August article</a> in the Los Angeles Sentinel, a historically Black newspaper, chairman and executive publisher Danny J. Bakewell Jr. applauded the initiative but warned the Democratic party <a href="https://lasentinel.net/black-vote-will-play-a-crucial-role-in-the-passage-of-proposition-50.html" target="_blank">not to take the Black vote for granted</a>, as it has in the past. The paper pointed out that Black voter turnout in the November presidential elections dropped significantly between 2020 and 2024 as it did for all Californians. And there is a long history of California propositions turning out badly for Black folks, from the voters’ 1996 approval of anti-affirmative action Prop. 209 (strategically described by proponents as a “civil rights initiative”) to their overwhelming support for last year’s Prop. 36, which recriminalized certain misdemeanors as felonies in a dramatic swing back to law and order. Black Californians have long known that a state famous for being progressive is often anything but. <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/9/2/2341494/-Gavin-Newsom-isn-t-holding-back-in-his-war-against-GOP-gerrymandering" target="_blank">Gavin Newsom isn’t holding back in his war against GOP gerrymandering</a> <hr> </div> <div> <div> There’s no doubt that Prop. 50 is a unique move born of necessity, a product of the urgency of this moment created by Donald Trump’s relentless march toward authoritarianism that isn’t even a year old. Drastic times have produced a drastic measure, with more likely to follow. I don’t know what John Lewis would have said about what brought us to this brink, and what it says about the state of the nation. I’m sure he would have been heartbroken. And then he would have fought back. </div> </div> </div> rss@dailykos.com (Capital and Main) California Gerrymandering proposition50 Redistricting _2350270 Sat, 25 Oct 2025 18:00:12 +0000 Clips of the week: Trump wrecks the White House, and GOP fails at everything https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/25/2350095/-Clips-of-the-week-Trump-wrecks-the-White-House-and-GOP-fails-at-everything?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= The week kicked off with the president of the United States <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/20/2349490/-The-right-quite-literally-loses-its-sh-t-over-No-Kings" title="" target="_blank">posting an AI-generated video</a> of himself dropping feces on the American public—literally. Then the GOP spent the rest of the week yelling about “No Kings” demonstrators and their pesky First Amendment rights, all while failing to fund the government.  And it’s all on video! <hr> <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/20/2349507/-Mike-Johnson-is-fine-with-Trump-pooping-on-America" title="" target="_blank">Mike Johnson is fine with Trump pooping on America</a> <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content"><a class="new_iframe_placeholder" href="#">x</a></div> <a class="iframe_placeholder youtube dk-embed" href="//youtube.com/watch?v=sZd30deAuYA" title="" data-frameborder="0" data-height="281" data-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sZd30deAuYA" data-width="500">YouTube Video</a></div> </div> During one of his daily GOP shutdown press conferences, House Speaker Mike Johnson was asked about President Donald Trump's<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/20/2349490/-The-right-quite-literally-loses-its-sh-t-over-No-Kings" title="" target="_blank"> grotesque reaction</a> to mass protests against him and his administration over the weekend.  <hr> <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/20/2349544/-There-is-a-king-House-Republican-loses-the-thread" title="" target="_blank">'There is a king': House Republican loses the thread</a> <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content"><a class="new_iframe_placeholder" href="#">x</a></div> <a class="iframe_placeholder youtube dk-embed" href="//youtube.com/watch?v=INuYEW14CrE" title="" data-frameborder="0" data-height="281" data-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/INuYEW14CrE" data-width="500">YouTube Video</a></div> </div> During one of this week’s GOP<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/14/2348516/-Mike-Johnson-admits-he-has-no-plan-to-end-GOP-s-government-shutdown" title="" target="_blank"> government shutdown</a> pressers, Rep. Chip Roy of Texas delivered a dog-whistle-laden rant filled with Christian nationalist boogeymen in a bizarre attack on the<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/20/2349490/-The-right-quite-literally-loses-its-sh-t-over-No-Kings" title="" target="_blank"> No Kings protests</a> that took place over the weekend. <hr> <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/22/2349857/-Bet-you-can-t-understand-this-Republican-s-excuse-for-Trump-s-invasion" title="" target="_blank">Bet you can’t understand this Republican's excuse for Trump’s invasion</a> <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content"><a class="new_iframe_placeholder" href="#">x</a></div> <a class="iframe_placeholder youtube dk-embed" href="//youtube.com/watch?v=snfdGhSbGCs" title="" data-frameborder="0" data-height="281" data-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/snfdGhSbGCs" data-width="500">YouTube Video</a></div> </div> GOP Sen.<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/9/4/2341883/-GOP-senator-shows-he-s-an-absolute-dumbass-about-vaccines" target="_blank"> Markwayne Mullin</a> of Oklahoma<a href="https://x.com/atrupar/status/1981016495862800669?s=12" target="_blank"> appeared on Fox News</a>, where he suggested that peaceful, nationwide protests<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/22/2349822/-Most-Americans-agree-Trump-is-a-dictator-destroying-the-country" title="" target="_blank"> opposing</a> Trump’s very unpopular<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/10/2347802/-Trump-s-secret-police-get-even-more-secret" title="" target="_blank"> secret police</a> warrant the same federal response as during the Civil Rights Movement. <hr> <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/22/2349836/-Even-Republicans-want-House-speaker-to-do-his-damn-job" title="" target="_blank">Even Republicans want House speaker to do his damn job</a> <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content"><a class="new_iframe_placeholder" href="#">x</a></div> <a class="iframe_placeholder youtube dk-embed" href="//youtube.com/watch?v=T8Jr3EG08tg" title="" data-frameborder="0" data-height="281" data-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/T8Jr3EG08tg" data-width="500">YouTube Video</a></div> </div> GOP Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota suggested that Johnson should call Congress back into session—if only to give the impression of doing its job. <hr> <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/23/2350026/-Obama-shreds-Trump-s-attempt-to-steal-midterm-elections" title="" target="_blank">Obama shreds Trump's attempt to steal midterm elections</a> <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content"><a class="new_iframe_placeholder" href="#">x</a></div> <a class="iframe_placeholder youtube dk-embed" href="//youtube.com/watch?v=6tVfuTBdIXY" title="" data-frameborder="0" data-height="281" data-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6tVfuTBdIXY" data-width="500">YouTube Video</a></div> </div> Former President Barack Obama called out Trump’s <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/23/2349925/-Why-gerrymandering-might-not-be-enough-to-save-the-GOP?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=top_news_slot_1&pm_medium=web" target="_blank">push to gerrymander</a> congressional districts ahead of the 2026 midterms and endorsed the California ballot initiative to counter Trump’s power grab. <hr> <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/22/2349892/-Fox-News-Trump-s-White-House-demolition-is-fine-because-Obama" title="" target="_blank">Fox News: Trump’s White House demolition is fine because Obama</a> <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content"><a class="new_iframe_placeholder" href="#">x</a></div> <a class="iframe_placeholder youtube dk-embed" href="//youtube.com/watch?v=tv2iUQJOMXY" title="" data-frameborder="0" data-height="281" data-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tv2iUQJOMXY" data-width="500">YouTube Video</a></div> </div> Fox News defended Trump’s<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/21/2349673/-Trump-orders-federal-workers-to-shut-up-about-White-House-demolition" target="_blank"> demolition</a> of the White House’s East Wing, pointing to minor changes Obama made to turn a tennis court into a basketball court while he was in office. <hr> For more video content, check out <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@DailyKos" target="_blank">Daily Kos on YouTube</a>. rss@dailykos.com (Walter Einenkel) ClipsOfTheWeek DonaldTrump GovernmentShutdown MikeJohnson NoKings _2350095 Sat, 25 Oct 2025 17:00:04 +0000 Are Democrats fumbling their best chance at a Senate pickup? https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/25/2350201/-Are-Democrats-fumbling-their-best-chance-at-a-Senate-pickup?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= For a moment, it looked like Democrats in Maine had it all lined up. Marine veteran and oyster farmer Graham Platner<a href="https://mainemorningstar.com/2025/08/28/the-oysterman-trying-to-oust-susan-collins-raised-1-million-in-nine-days/" target="_blank"> jumped into</a> the U.S. Senate race in August, aiming to take down Republican incumbent Susan Collins. Then Democratic Gov. Janet Mills—twice elected statewide—<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/14/2348505/-Can-Maine-s-governor-topple-Susan-Collins" target="_blank">decided to run</a>, too. What started as a promising field quickly turned into a clash of generations and ideology. Platner ran on a populist, anti-billionaire message that energized progressives and<a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5567431-planter-tattoo-social-media-controversy/" target="_blank"> earned an early nod</a> from Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. Some even nicknamed him “<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/maines-mamdani-maine-gop-chief-issues-warning-about-new-challenger-looking-oust-susan-collins" target="_blank">Maine’s Mamdani</a>.” (Depending on who’s saying it, that could be a compliment.) Mills, meanwhile, became the establishment favorite. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and national Democrats had<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/14/janet-mills-enters-crowded-maine-senate-race-00597876" target="_blank"> aggressively recruited</a> her, believing that her moderate record and broad appeal made her the one who could finally unseat Collins. On paper, Mills looked like the ideal recruit for <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/12/1/2285696/-How-Democrats-can-win-back-the-Senate" target="_blank">one of the few Senate seats Democrats can realistically flip</a> next year. (They’ll need four for a majority.) <figure class="image-captioned align-right"><img alt="Democratic Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner speaks at a town hall in Ogunquit, Maine, Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1492139/large/AP25295844730965.jpg?1761336323" title="Democratic Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner speaks at a town hall in Ogunquit, Maine, Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)"> <figcaption>Democratic Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner speaks at a town hall in Ogunquit, Maine, on Oct. 22.</figcaption> </figure> So how did Democrats in Maine manage to blow things up so fast? A seat <a href="https://centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/senate-rating-change-maine-moves-from-leans-republican-to-toss-up/" target="_blank">considered a toss-up</a> could easily stay red—and mainly because Democrats can’t seem to get out of their own way. One problem is Collins. She’s managed to <a href="https://www.natesilver.net/p/is-susan-collins-toast" target="_blank">overcome electoral headwinds</a> that <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-political-survival-of-susan-collins/" target="_blank">toppled other Republicans</a>. To win, Democrats need an unusually strong candidate. Mills isn’t a weak one. Despite her<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/maine-gov-janet-mills-launches-senate-run-democrats-top-2026-target-rcna233220" target="_blank"> generally progressive record</a>, her recruitment by Schumer and other national leaders instantly branded her as the “centrist” in a race with a very left-leaning challenger. But if elected, she would begin her six-year Senate term at age 79. And partly because of that, she has said she’d<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/keller-at-large-older-politicians-janet-mills-susan-collins-maine/" target="_blank"> serve only</a> a single term. Mills has also taken positions that have irked progressives. She recently told reporters she supports keeping the filibuster in place, breaking with most of the Senate Democratic Caucus. “I would certainly want to retain the filibuster,” Mills<a href="https://www.bangordailynews.com/2025/10/16/politics/elections/janet-mills-support-keeping-senate-filibuster-n6hjn1me0n/" target="_blank"> said</a> recently, according to the Bangor Daily News. “When it comes to Trump appointing 200 judges with very questionable qualifications, I would want to have a say in those judgeships, for instance,” she added, seemingly unaware that the filibuster is <a href="https://www.senate.gov/about/powers-procedures/nominations/judicial-nominations-overview.htm" target="_blank" title="">largely not in place for judicial nominees</a>. <figure class="image-captioned align-right"><img alt="FILE - Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, greets lawmakers prior to delivering her State of the State address, Jan. 30, 2024, at the State House in Augusta, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, FIle)" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1492136/large/AP25287456103932.jpg?1761336324" title="FILE - Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, greets lawmakers prior to delivering her State of the State address, Jan. 30, 2024, at the State House in Augusta, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, FIle)"> <figcaption>Democratic Gov. Janet Mills greets lawmakers in 2024 at the State House in Augusta, Maine.</figcaption> </figure> Some Democrats have also quietly bristled at the Schumer-Mills dynamic. The image of the 74-year-old Senate minority leader coaxing a 77-year-old governor into running has drawn inevitable comparisons to President Joe Biden’s 2024 run—and raised questions about stamina, optics, and how much appetite voters have left for another older nominee. But Platner’s candidacy is now awash in scandals. When he entered the race, his rugged resume—Marine veteran, oyster farmer, outsider—helped him catch fire. His left-wing populism and focus on Maine’s cost-of-living problems<a href="https://wgme.com/news/local/race-for-senate-millions-in-election-funding-flowing-into-maine-graham-platner-susan-collins-democrats-republicans-janet-mills-jordan-wood" target="_blank"> fueled more than</a> $4 million in fundraising,<a href="https://www.penbaypilot.com/article/graham-platner-draws-large-midcoast-crowd-rockport-pizza-house-outlines-goals-serve-us" target="_blank"> large crowds</a> across the state, and<a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/5553961-democratic-youth-focused-groups-endorse-graham-platner-maine-senate-race/" target="_blank"> endorsements</a> from progressive groups and<a href="https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/10/15/congress/platner-endorsements-00609196" target="_blank"> labor unions</a>. He quickly carved out an identity as the insurgent everyman—everything Mills is not. Then came the baggage. CNN’s KFile<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/16/politics/kfile-graham-platner-maine-senate-candidate-deleted-reddit-posts" target="_blank"> uncovered</a> a series of inflammatory Reddit posts from Platner’s pre-politics days, mainly between 2020 and 2021. In since-deleted comments, he wrote, “I got older and became a communist,” and said that “all” cops were bastards. Elsewhere,<a href="https://www.mainepublic.org/politics/2025-10-16/democratic-u-s-senate-candidate-graham-platner-disavows-series-of-deleted-social-media-posts" target="_blank"> </a>in response to a thread titled “White people aren’t as racist or stupid as Trump thinks,” <a href="https://www.mainepublic.org/politics/2025-10-16/democratic-u-s-senate-candidate-graham-platner-disavows-series-of-deleted-social-media-posts" target="_blank">he replied</a>, “Living in white rural America, I’m afraid to tell you they actually are.” Then his scandals got even worse. In 2007, during a night he was driving and in the Marines, Platner got a tattoo that <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/maine-democrat-platner-on-defense-over-tattoo-takes-page-from-trump-playbook-to-keep-up-senate-bid" target="_blank">resembles a prominent Nazi emblem</a>. After the <a href="https://x.com/PodSaveAmerica/status/1980436997669061072" target="_blank">story broke</a>, Platner hastily got it covered with another tattoo. He claims he did not know the original tattoo’s Nazi ties until recently. Soon after the tattoo came to light, The Advocate <a href="https://www.advocate.com/politics/graham-platner-homophobic-posts" target="_blank">discovered more of Platner’s Reddit posts</a>, which involved anti-LGBTQ+ stories and homophobic slurs. <figure class="image-captioned align-right"><img alt="In this photo provided by WGME, Graham Platner, a democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, shows a cover-up tattoo that had previously been an image recognized as a Nazi symbol, during an interview on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025, in Portland, Maine. (WGME via AP)" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1492135/large/AP25295716679292.jpg?1761336318" title="In this photo provided by WGME, Graham Platner, a democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, shows a cover-up tattoo that had previously been an image recognized as a Nazi symbol, during an interview on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025, in Portland, Maine. (WGME via AP)"> <figcaption>In this photo provided by WGME, Graham Platner, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, shows a cover-up tattoo that had previously been an image recognized as a Nazi symbol, on Oct. 22.</figcaption> </figure> He’s apologized for all of it, insisting those comments don’t reflect who he is now. “That was very much me fucking around the internet,” he told CNN, regarding the Reddit posts. “I don’t want people to see me for who I was in my worst internet comment—or even, frankly, who I was in my best internet comment. … I don’t think any of that is indicative of who I am today, really.” The fallout was swift. Platner’s political director, former state Rep. Genevieve McDonald,<a href="https://wgme.com/news/local/political-director-resigns-as-platner-faces-backlash-over-controversial-social-media-posts" target="_blank"> resigned last week</a>, writing that<a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/maine-democrat-running-unseat-susan-collins-stay-race-126694921" target="_blank"> his remarks</a> “were not known to me when I agreed to join the campaign, and they are not words or values I can stand behind in a candidate.” All of which gives Mills’ campaign some breathing room—though her age and electability questions haven’t gone anywhere. If she were to beat both Platner and Collins, she’d become<a href="https://www.courthousenews.com/maine-governor-janet-mills-enters-senate-race-tees-up-intraparty-battle/" target="_blank"> the oldest freshman</a> senator in U.S. history. After a presidential election <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/6/1/2324966/-Why-Biden-s-decline-matters-to-Democrats-future" target="_blank">defined by concerns over age and fitness</a>, Mills will have to prove she’s up for six years in the Senate—and that her party, often divided against itself, can still rally behind a candidate strong enough to take down Collins. For now, that remains an open question. A new University of New Hampshire poll<a href="https://scholars.unh.edu/survey_center_polls/897/" target="_blank"> released Thursday</a> shows Platner leading Mills in the primary, 58% to 24%. The survey was conducted Oct. 16-21, which only partly overlaps with the first reports of his scandals. Whether Platner can hold that lead depends on how well he weathers the backlash—and whether there’s more waiting to surface, which seems to be a decent bet. Maine Democrats have a complicated choice ahead. And for a party that badly needs a win, it’s not a great look that one of their best pickup opportunities may once again slip through their fingers. rss@dailykos.com (Alex Samuels) GrahamPlatner JanetMills Maine SusanCollins _2350201 Sat, 25 Oct 2025 15:00:02 +0000 Caribbean Matters: Trump's murder binge continues https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/25/2349374/-Caribbean-Matters-Trump-s-murder-binge-continues?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/tags/CaribbeanMatters" target="_blank" title="">Caribbean Matters</a> is a weekly series from Daily Kos. Hope you’ll join us here every Saturday. If you are unfamiliar with the region, check out<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2021/9/28/2052768/-Caribbean-Matters-Getting-to-know-the-countries-of-the-Caribbean" target="_blank" title=""> Caribbean Matters: Getting to know the countries of the Caribbean</a>. <hr> The Trump regime continues its patently illegal provocations in the Caribbean, which critics and even some media sources aren’t afraid to call “murder.” We covered this topic in “<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/9/6/2341297/-Caribbean-Matters-Extrajudicial-murder-in-the-Caribbean" title="" target="_blank">Caribbean Matters: Extrajudicial murder in the Caribbean?</a>” in September and sadly President Donald Trump has continued to escalate the situation with more boat bombings targeting alleged drug traffickers. <a href="https://theintercept.com/2025/10/17/caribbean-boat-strike-survivors-prisoners-war-navy/?utm_content=buffere5ebd&utm_medium=buffer&utm_source=bsky&utm_campaign=theintercept" target="_blank">The Intercept’s Nick Turse </a>delved into the quagmire with an article titled “Two Boat Strike Survivors Become First Known Prisoners in Trump’s War on “Narcoterrorists”:       <blockquote> The Navy is holding two survivors of a U.S. attack on a suspected drug smuggling boat in the Caribbean, according to two government officials. The two survivors were on board a boat that the U.S. military attacked on Thursday, according to the two officials who spoke to The Intercept on the condition of anonymity. They are being held on a warship and are believed to be the first prisoners of the Trump administration’s undeclared war against undisclosed “narcoterrorist” groups.<a href="https://theintercept.com/2025/10/19/chicago-schools-ice-national-guard-trump/" target="_blank"> </a> </blockquote> <div> Charlie Savage at The New York Times wrote “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/21/us/trump-attacks-venezuela-boats.html?unlocked_article_code=1.vU8.2kwo.3MC_sGUN-gZm&smid=url-share" title="" target="_blank">U.S. Attacks More Boats as Tensions With Venezuela Rise: What’s Happened So Far</a>”: </div> <blockquote> Why is Trump taking military action in the Caribbean? The Trump administration has justified the boat attacks as a matter of national self-defense at a time of high overdose deaths in the United States. But the surge in overdoses has been driven by fentanyl, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/03/world/americas/venezuela-drug-boat-trump-us.html" target="_blank">which comes from Mexico.</a> South America is instead a source of cocaine, much of which originates in Colombia. The administration has moved a large amount of naval firepower into the Caribbean — far greater than is commensurate with the task of destroying small boats — and is weighing an operation to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/29/us/politics/maduro-venezuela-trump-rubio.html" target="_blank" title="">remove Mr. Maduro</a>, whom it calls a drug cartel leader. The proponents of a regime-change push include <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/12/us/politics/rubio-trump-drugs-venezuela.html" target="_blank" title="">Marco Rubio</a>, the secretary of state and national security adviser, and the C.I.A. director, John Ratcliffe. </blockquote> Unsurprisingly, Trump has lashed out against criticism from Colombian President Gustavo Petro. CNN reported “<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/19/politics/colombia-trump-petro-subsidies" title="" target="_blank">Trump escalates back-and-forth with Colombia’s president, announcing end of US payments to country”:  </a>  <blockquote> <div>      </div> President Donald Trump announced Sunday he would end all US payments and subsidies to Colombia, marking a dramatic escalation in his back-and-forth with the country’s president, Gustavo Petro.     Trump said in a <a href="https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftruthsocial.com%2F%40realDonaldTrump%2Fposts%2F115400895783278217&data=05%7C02%7Cisabelle.dantonio%40cnn.com%7Cdec90e916dcd47644fbc08de0f323ff8%7C0eb48825e8714459bc72d0ecd68f1f39%7C0%7C0%7C638964905650352237%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=H5w6iryMrtgDpwmUNoGcEOdNP7d0sM4QLZ1ndhUGAbM%3D&reserved=0" target="_blank">post</a> to social media that Petro “does nothing to stop” the production of drugs in his country, “despite large scale payments and subsidies from the USA that are nothing more than a long term rip off of America.”      “As of today, these payments, or any other form of payment, or subsidies, will no longer be made to Colombia,” the president said in all caps.     </blockquote> Instead of just reporting a body count, The Guardian put human faces to what is being perpetrated. <div> <div> Journalists Kejan Haynes in Las Cuevas and Natricia Duncan in Kingston reported “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/oct/17/trump-caribbean-venezuela-trinidad-boat-strikes" title="" target="_blank">‘Trump is killing poor people’: Caribbean village mourns victim of US strike</a>.” <blockquote> Relatives of two men from Trinidad believed to have been killed in a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/us-military" target="_blank">US military</a> strike on a boat in the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/caribbean" target="_blank">Caribbean</a> have accused <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/donaldtrump" target="_blank" title="">Donald Trump</a> of “killing poor people” without due process and are demanding justice. Chad “Charpo” Joseph and Rishi Samaroo, from the fishing village of Las Cuevas in northern Trinidad, are thought to be among <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/oct/16/airstrike-venezuela-trinidad-us-death-investigation" target="_blank" title="">six people killed in a US airstrike </a>on a boat allegedly transporting drugs from <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/venezuela" target="_blank">Venezuela</a>. </blockquote> There have been numerous articles and social media posts speculating on the underlying reasons for Trump’s new war. </div> </div> <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block" data-bluesky-content="&lt;blockquote class="bluesky-embed" data-bluesky-uri="at://did:plc:2ge3mny5mdjpmo3ukdsknpoa/app.bsky.feed.post/3m3jklt7i222e" data-bluesky-cid="bafyreie4bj7jvbmfci6u2ds2ufv4aqrfmr2jamyf3ko3elj4csfjlferaa" data-bluesky-embed-color-mode="system"&gt;&lt;p lang="en"&gt;Follow the grift behind Trump’s attack on Venezuela&lt;br&gt;thedemlabs.org/2025/10/18/f...&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:2ge3mny5mdjpmo3ukdsknpoa/post/3m3jklt7i222e?ref_src=embed"&gt;[image or embed]&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Ed Hirsch (&lt;a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:2ge3mny5mdjpmo3ukdsknpoa?ref_src=embed"&gt;@edhirsch.bsky.social&lt;/a&gt;) &lt;a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:2ge3mny5mdjpmo3ukdsknpoa/post/3m3jklt7i222e?ref_src=embed"&gt;October 19, 2025 at 1:21 AM&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;"><div class="remove-embed-content">x</div><blockquote class="bluesky-embed" data-bluesky-uri="at://did:plc:2ge3mny5mdjpmo3ukdsknpoa/app.bsky.feed.post/3m3jklt7i222e" data-bluesky-cid="bafyreie4bj7jvbmfci6u2ds2ufv4aqrfmr2jamyf3ko3elj4csfjlferaa">Follow the grift behind Trump’s attack on Venezuela thedemlabs.org/2025/10/18/f... <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:2ge3mny5mdjpmo3ukdsknpoa/post/3m3jklt7i222e?ref_src=embed" target="_blank">[image or embed]</a>— Ed Hirsch (<a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:2ge3mny5mdjpmo3ukdsknpoa?ref_src=embed" target="_blank">@edhirsch.bsky.social</a>) <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:2ge3mny5mdjpmo3ukdsknpoa/post/3m3jklt7i222e?ref_src=embed" target="_blank">October 19, 2025 at 1:21 AM</a></blockquote></div> <div> <div> <div></div> </div> </div> Also disturbing are the Trump cabal’s attempts to involve other countries in the Caribbean, like Grenada.  Bert Wilkenson at The Amsterdam News reported “<a href="https://amsterdamnews.com/news/2025/10/16/us-wants-to-setup-radar-in-granada-to-monitor-venezuela/" title="" target="_blank">U.S. wants to set up military radar in Grenada to monitor Venezuela</a>”: <blockquote> Maybe only the top officials at the White House and Pentagon know the exact plans for possible military action against Venezuela, but Washington appears to be soliciting the help of several reluctant Caribbean Community (Caricom) nations in its ambitions against the South American nation. In the past week, the Trump administration formally asked the Eastern Caribbean nation of Grenada to allow the U.S. to establish a military radar base at Grenada’s main international airport, presumably to monitor activities in Venezuela, just 100 miles to the south of the island. Grenada’s Dickon Mitchell administration had been given less than a week to make up its mind on the issue, even as local opposition to the idea simmered and the U.S. upped the pressure on authorities by sending Southern Commander Navy Admiral Alvin Holsey to Grenada and Antigua for urgent talks with top officials on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. </blockquote> This report was posted on Oct. 16, prior to the abrupt resignation of U.S. Southern Command chief Adm. Alvin Holsey. Jacqueline Charles at The Miami Herald detailed that shocking turn in “<a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/article312533907.html#storylink=cpy" target="_blank">Head of U.S. Southern Command steps down days after visit to Caribbean</a>”: <blockquote> “It’s been an honor to serve our nation, the American people and support and defend the Constitution for over 37 years,” Holsey, who was nominated by President Joe Biden, said in a statement posted on X. “Serving as your commander and deputy for the past 34 months has been a tremendous honor.” Holsey’s unexpected departure comes as the Pentagon faces a wave of high-profile dismissals and resignations, and amid growing controversy over the build up of U.S. military presence in the southern Caribbean off the coast of Venezuela to allegedly target drug traffickers. [...] It is unclear whether Hosley and Grenada officials discussed the proposal for the radar sites, but ahead of Hosley’s arrival in St. John on Monday, Antigua Prime Minister Gaston Browne left no doubt where he stood. Browne announced in an interview that his twin-island nation “has absolutely no interest in hosting any form of military assets here in the country.” </blockquote> Not surprisingly, there is open speculation about the reasons behind Holsey’s abrupt exit. <div> You may be wondering where<a href="https://caricom.org/" target="_blank"> CARICOM</a> stands on all this. Reaction from member nations is mixed. Caribbean Life’s Bert Wilkenson reported on how Trinidad and Tobago has supported Trump in “<a href="https://www.caribbeanlife.com/caricom-speaks-on-us-action-in-the-region-tt-begs-to-differ/" target="_blank">CARICOM speaks on US action in the region. T&T begs to differ</a>”: <blockquote> Caribbean Community leaders issued a statement at the weekend, urging a peaceful resolution to the crisis in the Southern Caribbean but as they united on the issue, one of its founding members made it clear it has a much different view of the situation. Trinidad and Tobago said it had adopted a much different attitude to the others in the 15-member grouping by throwing its full support behind the region, a point leaders ensured was recorded in their weekend statement on US military threats to Venezuela. “Heads of government CARICOM met and discussed various issues on the regional agenda including the increased security build up in the Caribbean and the potential impacts on member states.  Save in respect of Trinidad and Tobago who reserved its position, heads reaffirmed the principle of maintaining the Caribbean region as a zone of peace and the importance of dialogue and engagement towards the peaceful resolution of disputes and conflict. CARICOM remains willing to assist towards that objective,” the terse statement noted. The administration there has repeatedly stood behind the Trump administration in its ambitions on Venezuela with Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar calling on US soldiers to “kill them all violently,” referring to alleged drug traffickers trying to move large shipments of cocaine north to her nation and also to the US. She says such activities over the years have led to a spike in violent crime with murders averaging 600 annually, gangland violence and increases in felony crimes including drive-by shootings. </blockquote> <a href="https://www.guardian.co.tt/news/jamaica-gleaner-editorial-criticises-kamla-on-usvenezuela-stance-6.2.2428348.328e4e56b1" target="_blank">The Trinidad & Tobago Guardian newspaper however posted a critique written in Jamaica</a> which differed with Trinidad Prime Minister Kamla Persad Bissessar’s stance: <blockquote> The Jamaica Gleaner has criticised Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar for her government’s approach to the US naval build-up in the southern Caribbean and its threat of military action against Venezuela. In an editorial published Monday, the newspaper described it as “not clear what the Trinidad and Tobago government intended to signal by reserving its position” on CARICOM’s declaration that the region should remain a zone of peace. CARICOM had reaffirmed “the importance of dialogue and engagement towards the peaceful resolution of disputes and conflict” and expressed support for “the territorial integrity of countries in the region” and the right of citizens “to pursue their livelihoods in safety.” [...] The newspaper also criticised Persad-Bissessar’s earlier comments, saying she had given “full-throated support to the Americans, urging the United States to kill the alleged drug smugglers ‘violently’” and called the Caribbean as a zone of peace a “false ideal.” The editorial added that fears have grown, even in Jamaica, after reports that two Trinidadian fishermen were among those killed in US operations. </blockquote>   If you currently have sane elected representatives, contact them and urge them to push back against Trump’s murder spree. Please join me in the comments section below for more, and for the weekly Caribbean News Roundup. </div> rss@dailykos.com (Denise Oliver Velez) CaribbeanMatters CARICOM Colombia DonaldTrump Extrajudcialmurder KamlaPersadBissessar maduro Trinidad&Tobago Venezuela _2349374 Sat, 25 Oct 2025 13:00:01 +0000 Cartoon: Sincere apology https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/25/2350245/-Cartoon-Sincere-apology?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= A cartoon by Drew Sheneman. <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/21/2349712/-Racism-isn-t-the-only-legacy-Trump-passed-on-to-Young-Republicans" target="_blank">Racism isn’t the only legacy Trump passed on to Young Republicans</a> <hr> rss@dailykos.com (Drew Sheneman) Cartoon DonaldTrump DrewSheneman Nazis Racism YoungRepublicans _2350245 Sat, 25 Oct 2025 12:29:18 +0000 Trump's White House demolition is pissing off America https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/24/2350283/-Trump-s-White-House-demolition-is-pissing-off-America?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= President Donald Trump’s vision for a<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/22/2349884/-White-House-demolition-is-getting-funded-by-tech-bribes" target="_blank"> billionaire-backed ballroom</a> is coming to fruition. What used to be the East Wing, housing the first lady’s office and other historic sectors, is now an empty plot of land. Initially, White House staffers were <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/21/2349673/-Trump-orders-federal-workers-to-shut-up-about-White-House-demolition" target="_blank">told not to share photos</a> of the demolition. But satellite images <a href="https://apnews.com/photo-gallery/photos-east-wing-white-house-historic-archival-155cc7be1a8e9a3c1538795f165062be" target="_blank">released</a> Thursday reveal the full extent of the destruction. <div class="align-center"> <figure class="image-captioned"><img alt="This satellite image from Planet Labs PBC shows demolition of the East Wing of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1492128/large/AP25296649108066.jpg?1761336003" title="This satellite image from Planet Labs PBC shows demolition of the East Wing of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)"> <figcaption>This satellite image from Planet Labs PBC shows demolition of the East Wing of the White House on Oct. 23.</figcaption> </figure> </div> The photos stand in stark contrast to Trump’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ru9kvsvf5Ao" target="_blank">promise</a> that his new ballroom wouldn’t “interfere” with the integrity of the White House. Despite Trump and his team <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/24/2350103/-Meet-the-grifty-fundraiser-behind-Trump-s-gaudy-ballroom" target="_blank">raving about</a> it, Americans <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/23/2350018/-Americans-have-300-million-reasons-to-hate-Trump-s-ballroom" target="_blank">aren’t too pleased</a> with the vanity project, with a recent <a href="https://today.yougov.com/topics/travel/survey-results/daily/2025/10/21/99c80/3" target="_blank">YouGov survey</a> finding that 53% of Americans somewhat or strongly disapprove of the demolition. <figure class="image-captioned align-right"><img alt="FILE - The East Wing hallway of the White House is decorated for the holiday season, Nov. 29, 2016, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1492126/large/AP25294680378161.jpg?1761336000" title="FILE - The East Wing hallway of the White House is decorated for the holiday season, Nov. 29, 2016, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)"> <figcaption>The East Wing hallway of the White House is decorated for the holidays on Nov. 29, 2016.</figcaption> </figure> Meanwhile, Trump’s new gaudy ballroom has been staunchly defended by Trump’s very own <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/23/2350074/-Propaganda-princess-praises-Trump-s-latest-lawless-pardon" target="_blank">propaganda princess</a>, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. On Thursday, Leavitt <a href="https://ca.news.yahoo.com/cbs-reporter-spars-karoline-leavitt-205002484.html" target="_blank">snapped back</a> at a reporter who asked if Trump was allowed to tear down anything he wants, since the law requires permission for building new facilities on White House grounds. “The White House has explained that the reason you didn’t submit construction plans to the [National Capital Planning Commission] is because that commission, along with others, don’t have oversight over demolitions, but only over construction, and so far you haven’t built anything,” CBS reporter Weijia Jiang said. <figure class="image-captioned align-left"><img alt="FILE - Liz Carpenter, press secretary and staff director for first lady Lady Bird Johnson, poses for a photo in her office in the East Wing of the White House in Washington, D.C., Dec. 9, 1963. On the walls are her Theta Sigma Phi Headliner Award and two photos of Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson. (AP Photo/Harvey Georges, File)" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1492129/large/AP25294684159138.jpg?1761336006" title="FILE - Liz Carpenter, press secretary and staff director for first lady Lady Bird Johnson, poses for a photo in her office in the East Wing of the White House in Washington, D.C., Dec. 9, 1963. On the walls are her Theta Sigma Phi Headliner Award and two photos of Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson. (AP Photo/Harvey Georges, File)"> <figcaption>Liz Carpenter, press secretary and staff director for first lady Lady Bird Johnson, sits in her office in the East Wing in 1963.</figcaption> </figure> “That’s a legal opinion that’s been held by the NCPC for many years,” Leavitt said, adding that a submission wasn’t required for the destruction of the East Wing because it isn’t “vertical construction.” “So it sounds like the answer is, ‘Yes, he can tear down whatever he wants,’” Jiang responded. Trump has already <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/9/29/2346010/-Trump-brags-about-gilded-Oval-Office-as-Americans-struggle" target="_blank">left his gilded mark</a> all over the White House, completely <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/8/1/2336246/-Trump-seeks-to-leave-his-gold-plated-stain-on-the-White-House?pm_source=ICYMI&pm_campaign=ICYMI08012025" target="_blank">transforming the Oval Office</a> and <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/9/26/2345457/-Trump-s-Rose-Garden-Club-is-a-lavish-new-hangout-for-political-allies-and-business-elites" target="_blank">paving over</a> the Rose Garden. And while presidents are free to make updates to the White House, this is the largest demolition in recent history. <figure class="image-captioned align-right"><img alt="FILE - President Bill Clinton, flanked by Governors Ann Richards of Texas and Mario Cuomo of New York, watches the Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills play at the Super Bowl, with his daughter Chelsea and their cat Socks at the White House, Jan. 31, 1993, in the family theater in the east wing. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1492125/large/AP25296732119294.jpg?1761336000" title="FILE - President Bill Clinton, flanked by Governors Ann Richards of Texas and Mario Cuomo of New York, watches the Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills play at the Super Bowl, with his daughter Chelsea and their cat Socks at the White House, Jan. 31, 1993, in the family theater in the east wing. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)"> <figcaption>President Bill Clinton, Gov. Ann Richards of Texas, Gov. Mario Cuomo of New York, and Chelsea Clinton watch the 1993 Super Bowl in the East Wing’s family theater.</figcaption> </figure> And people are mourning the loss of such a significant portion of the White House. In <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/voices/2025/10/23/trump-east-wing-white-house-chelsea-clinton/86854489007/" target="_blank">an op-ed</a> for USA Today, Chelsea Clinton expressed her grief for the destruction of the East Wing. “The White House belongs to the American people, and that’s why we call it the People’s House,” she wrote. “A disregard for history is a defining trait of President Trump’s second administration.” “This is what happens when we take a wrecking ball to our heritage,” Clinton continued. “What was dismantled today isn’t just marble or plaster; it is a reflection of how easily history can be erased when power forgets purpose.” rss@dailykos.com (Alix Breeden) Corruption DonaldTrump EastWing Grift KarolineLeavitt WhiteHouse _2350283 Sat, 25 Oct 2025 00:01:12 +0000 Cartoon: White House renovations https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/24/2350200/-Cartoon-White-House-renovations?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= Support <a href="https://www.patreon.com/BrianMcFadden" target="_blank">my </a><a href="https://www.patreon.com/BrianMcFadden" target="_blank">Patreon</a> for early access and exclusives. Follow me on <a href="https://mastodon.social/@mcfadden" target="_blank">Mastodon</a>, <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/mcfadden.bsky.social" target="_blank">Bluesky</a>, or at <a href="https://brianmcfadden.org/" target="_blank" title="">my website</a>. <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/23/2350080/-Trump-team-goes-full-racist-with-timeline-of-White-House-history" title="" target="_blank">Trump team goes full racist with timeline of White House history</a> <hr> rss@dailykos.com (BrianMcFadden) ballroom Comics DonaldTrump ExtrajudicialMurder JeffreyEpstein WhiteHouse _2350200 Fri, 24 Oct 2025 21:50:08 +0000 Zohran Mamdani finally scores support from top House Democrat https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/24/2350289/-Zohran-Mamdani-finally-scores-support-from-top-House-Democrat?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= At long last, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Friday endorsed Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic candidate for New York City mayor, ending months of hand-wringing over whether the party establishment would finally get off the fence. The nod, first reported by<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/24/after-a-lengthy-wait-jeffries-to-endorse-mamdani-00621799" target="_blank"> Politico</a>, lands just ahead of early voting, which begins Saturday.  Jeffries had <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/nyc-mayors-race-adams-drops-out-reactions/" target="_blank">said earlier</a> he would weigh in “well before” the start of early voting. But as <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/24/nyregion/hakeem-jeffries-zohran-mamdani-endorsement.html" target="_blank">The New York Times</a> reported, the minority leader pushed the announcement back because of the ongoing <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/1/2346371/-It-s-simple-Republicans-have-the-votes-to-end-their-shutdown" title="" target="_blank">government shutdown</a>—a delay that only fueled speculation about his political calculus. The backing carries weight since Jeffries, a Brooklyn Democrat, is a<a href="https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/what-will-new-leadership-in-congress-mean-for-democrats/" target="_blank"> national party leader</a>, one of the city’s most visible Black politicians, and a<a href="https://www.cityandstateny.com/opinion/2023/10/commentary-hakeem-jeffries-socialist-problem/391233/" target="_blank"> long-time critic</a> of the Democratic Socialists of America, the group<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/07/01/zohran-mamdani-democratic-socialism-meaning-nyc/" target="_blank"> </a>Mamdani <a href="https://www.cityandstateny.com/politics/2024/07/dsa-assembly-member-zohran-mamdani-considering-run-nyc-mayor/398089/" title="" target="_blank">belongs to</a>. In his statement to The Times, Jeffries said he and Mamdani don’t see eye to eye on everything, but he made clear that the assemblyman had won a “free and fair” primary. He cast the endorsement as a call for Democrats to close ranks against what he called an “existential” threat posed by President Donald Trump. <figure class="image-captioned width-xl align-right"><img alt="House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., responds to reporters during his weekly news conference at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)" class="width-xl" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1377891/large/AP24341648198679.jpg?1734133870" title="House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., responds to reporters during his weekly news conference at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)"> <figcaption>House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, shown in December 2024.</figcaption> </figure> “Zohran Mamdani has relentlessly focused on addressing the affordability crisis and explicitly committed to being a mayor for all New Yorkers, including those who do not support his candidacy,” Jeffries wrote. “In that spirit, I support him and the entire citywide Democratic ticket in the general election.” The lead-up to Friday’s announcement<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/9/9/2342646/-Why-the-hell-won-t-New-York-Democrats-back-Mamdani" target="_blank"> was anything but smooth</a>. Jeffries met twice with Mamdani in Brooklyn and dodged repeated questions from reporters, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/stay-tuned-jeffries-repeatedly-dodges-mamdani-endorsement-self-imposed-deadline-looms" target="_blank">often deflecting</a> by advising them to “stay tuned.”  Jeffries’ office did not respond to Daily Kos’ request for comment.  Some moderates worry Mamdani’s progressive politics<a href="https://thedispatch.com/article/zohran-mamdani-democrats-new-york-city/" title="" target="_blank"> could hurt Democrats</a> in swing districts, even as Jeffries keeps his focus on <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/4/24/2318374/-Here-s-how-Democrats-can-take-back-the-House" target="_blank">reclaiming the House majority</a> in 2026. Even after Mamdani<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/7/1/2331170/-Zohran-Mamdani-s-win-just-got-a-little-sweeter" target="_blank"> trounced his primary opponents</a> in June, Jeffries kept the assemblyman at arm’s length—until now. His long-awaited endorsement now leaves Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer as the last major New York Democrat still sitting on the sidelines. Other New York Democrats, like New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/new-york-democrats-coalesce-zohran-mamdani-key-holdouts-remain-rcna231480" title="" target="_blank">appear unlikely</a> to jump in. Mamdani, 34, has <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/18/hochul-endorsed-mamdani-now-comes-the-hard-part-00570052" title="" target="_blank">won over</a> much of the party’s leadership, including New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. In September, Reps. Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Pat Ryan of New York<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/9/12/2343016/-It-s-about-time-Some-establishment-Democrats-finally-back-Mamdani" target="_blank"> also endorsed</a> him. But the question of Jeffries’ support has loomed over the race for months, with <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5486197-ocasio-cortez-mamdani-nyc-mayoral-race/" target="_blank">pressure mounting</a> from both local progressives and national Democrats mindful of the midterm stakes. “Assemblyman Mamdani has promised to focus on keeping every New Yorker safe, including the Jewish community that has confronted a startling rise in antisemitic incidents as well as Black and Latino neighborhoods that have battled deadly gun violence for years,” Jeffries told The Times. <figure class="image-captioned width-xl align-right"><img alt="Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, center, speaks during a mayoral debate with independent candidate former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, left, and Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis, Pool)" class="width-xl" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1492158/large/AP25289856044249.jpg?1761338121" title="Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, center, speaks during a mayoral debate with independent candidate former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, left, and Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani, Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis, Pool)"> <figcaption>Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, center, speaks during a mayoral debate with independent candidate former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, left, and Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani on Oct. 16 in New York City.</figcaption> </figure> Jeffries also faces potential political pressure at home. Forces aligned with Mamdani<a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/10/09/zohran-mamdani-ally-challenge-hakeem-jeffries" target="_blank"> could mount</a> a left-wing primary challenge in Jeffries’ central Brooklyn district—a prospect the congressman has said he would welcome. The endorsement is a blow to disgraced former Gov. Andrew Cuomo,<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/7/14/2333377/-Andrew-Cuomo-won-t-go-away" title="" target="_blank"> who is running</a> as a third-party candidate after losing the Democratic primary to Mamdani. Cuomo has tried to exploit party divisions to rally moderates, independents, and Republicans against Mamdani, but he remains a distant second in the polls.  Cuomo did pick up one <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/23/nyregion/adams-endorse-cuomo-nyc-mayor.html?partner=slack&smid=sl-share" target="_blank">notable backer</a> this week: Mayor Eric Adams, <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/9/29/2346030/-Eric-Adams-is-out-and-New-York-City-s-mayoral-race-just-got-messier" target="_blank">who dropped</a> his reelection bid amid scandals and low polling numbers. Adams warned that Mamdani’s ideology could put the city at risk. <a href="https://poll.qu.edu/poll-release?releaseid=3935" target="_blank">Public polling</a> shows Mamdani entering the race’s final stretch in a strong position. Cuomo’s path looks increasingly narrow as long as Republican Curtis Sliwa<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/nyc-mayors-race-curtis-sliwa-andrew-cuomo-zohran-mamdani/" target="_blank"> remains in the race</a>, siphoning off anti-Mamdani voters. On Friday, Jeffries emphasized Mamdani’s commitment to building more housing and lowering costs in “working-class neighborhoods of color that have been hurt by gentrification and housing displacement.” After months of delay, the political maneuvering is over. With Jeffries’ endorsement, the Democratic establishment is finally acknowledging what polls have long made clear: Mamdani is the frontrunner and likely the next mayor of New York City. rss@dailykos.com (Alex Samuels) Democrats HakeemJeffries NewYorkCity NYC-Mayor ZohranMamdani _2350289 Fri, 24 Oct 2025 23:00:04 +0000 President 'peace prize' really seems to want a war with South America https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/24/2350271/-President-peace-prize-really-seems-to-want-a-war-with-South-America?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-aircraft-carrier-latin-america-uss-gerald-ford/" target="_blank">announced</a> Friday that the military is sending an aircraft carrier to the coast of South America to help carry out President Donald Trump’s illegal <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/20/2349495/-US-accused-of-murder-in-latest-sign-of-faltering-global-ties" target="_blank">extrajudicial murders</a> of supposed "<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/23/2350114/-We-re-going-to-kill-them-Trump-brags-about-bombing-boats" target="_blank">narcoterrorists</a>." "In support of the President’s directive to dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) and counter narco-terrorism in defense of the Homeland, the Secretary of War has directed the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group and embarked carrier air wing to the U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) area of responsibility (AOR)," Defense spokesperson Sean Parnell <a href="https://x.com/SeanParnellASW/status/1981759934539985132" target="_blank">wrote on X</a>.  He continued, "The enhanced U.S. force presence in the USSOUTHCOM AOR will bolster U.S. capacity to detect, monitor, and disrupt illicit actors and activities that compromise the safety and prosperity of the United States homeland and our security in the Western Hemisphere. These forces will enhance and augment existing capabilities to disrupt narcotics trafficking and degrade and dismantle TCOs." <figure class="image-captioned align-right"><img alt="In this photo provided by El Salvador's presidential press office, prison guards transfer deportees from the U.S., alleged to be Venezuelan gang members, to the Terrorism Confinement Center in Tecoluca, El Salvador, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (El Salvador presidential press office via AP)" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1409836/large/AP25075583391147.jpg?1742223675" title="In this photo provided by El Salvador's presidential press office, prison guards transfer deportees from the U.S., alleged to be Venezuelan gang members, to the Terrorism Confinement Center in Tecoluca, El Salvador, Sunday, March 16, 2025. (El Salvador presidential press office via AP)"> <figcaption>Venezuelan immigrants are taken to the CECOT prison in El Salvador as part of President Donald Trump’s war on Tren de Aragua.</figcaption> </figure> Trump has ramped up his attacks—which are being done without congressional approval—on boats off the coast of South America, claiming that they’re bringing drugs to the United States. The attacks have killed many people, none of whom the Trump administration has proven were even carrying drugs. On Thursday night, Hegseth <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/24/us-military-strike-alleged-drug-boat-caribbean" target="_blank">announced</a> that the military carried out yet another boat strike, killing all six people who were onboard. He claimed that the boat was operated by Tren de Aragua, the gang Trump deemed a terrorist organization to justify <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/7/7/2331540/-Parents-of-men-illegally-sent-to-El-Salvador-beg-you-not-to-look-away" target="_blank">deporting Venezuelan immigrants</a> to El Salvador. "The vessel was known by our intelligence to be involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, was transiting along a known narco-trafficking route, and carrying narcotics," Hegseth <a href="https://x.com/SecWar/status/1981706596972372446" target="_blank">wrote on X</a>. "Six male narco-terrorists were aboard the vessel during the strike, which was conducted in international waters—and was the first strike at night. All six terrorists were killed and no U.S. forces were harmed in this strike." Foreign leaders have criticized Trump’s attacks, with Colombian President Gustavo Petro <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/20/2349495/-US-accused-of-murder-in-latest-sign-of-faltering-global-ties" target="_blank">saying</a>, “U.S. government officials have committed a murder and violated our sovereignty in territorial waters.” But Trump—who has long <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/8/14/2338451/-Trump-s-bid-for-a-Nobel-Peace-Prize-gets-even-more-pathetic" target="_blank" title="">whined</a> that he deserves a Nobel Peace Prize—has <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/23/2350114/-We-re-going-to-kill-them-Trump-brags-about-bombing-boats" target="_blank" title="">defended the killings</a>, saying that he has no plans to seek congressional approval. “Well, I don't think we're going to necessarily ask for a declaration of war. I think we're just going to kill people that are bringing drugs into our country, okay? We're going to kill them, you know? They're going to be, like, dead. Okay?” he <a href="https://x.com/atrupar/status/1981457316617580877" target="_blank">said</a> Thursday. <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content"><a class="new_iframe_placeholder" href="#">x</a></div> <a class="iframe_placeholder youtube dk-embed" href="//youtube.com/watch?v=zLCsXIEk2Qk" data-frameborder="0" data-height="281" data-src="//www.youtube.com/embed/zLCsXIEk2Qk" data-width="500">YouTube Video</a></div> </div> But even some Republicans aren’t on board with Trump murdering people without congressional approval or due process. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/rand-paul-condemns-military-strikes-venezuela-rcna238428" target="_blank">told NBC News</a> that Trump's boat strikes “go against all of our tradition.” “You have to present evidence,” he said. “So all these people have been blown up without us knowing their name, without any evidence of a crime.” rss@dailykos.com (Emily Singer) DefenseDepartment DonaldTrump Military peteHegseth SouthAmerica _2350271 Fri, 24 Oct 2025 22:00:11 +0000 'No fear!': Top Trump target stands defiant https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/24/2350280/--No-fear-Top-Trump-target-stands-defiant?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= New York Attorney General Letitia James <a href="https://x.com/cspan/status/1981752901468090793" title="" target="_blank">addressed</a> the public after <a href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/letitia-james-arraignment-10-24-25" title="" target="_blank">pleading not guilty</a> to the Justice Department’s embarrassing <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/9/2347816/-New-York-Attorney-General-Letitia-James-indicted-on-fraud-charge" title="" target="_blank">mortgage fraud case</a> on Friday. "I've heard from just about every jurisdiction in this nation who have said, 'Stand up and be tall and never, ever cow down or back down or break or bend,’” she said. “So there's no fear today. No fear! No fear! No fear! No fear! Because I believe that justice will rain down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream." <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content">x</div> <div class="dk-editor-embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9 center-block"> <div class="remove-embed-content"><a class="new_iframe_placeholder" href="#">x</a></div> <a class="iframe_placeholder youtube dk-embed" href="//youtube.com/watch?v=eu7ZdYtBdzs" title="" data-frameborder="0" data-height="281" data-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eu7ZdYtBdzs" data-width="500">YouTube Video</a></div> </div> rss@dailykos.com (Walter Einenkel) Courts DOJ DonaldTrump Fraud LetitiaJames NewYork _2350280 Fri, 24 Oct 2025 21:55:01 +0000