Daily Kos

Daily Kos https://www.dailykos.com News Community Action Copyright - Kos Media, LLC Fri, 03 Apr 2026 20:01:26 +0000 Fri, 03 Apr 2026 20:01:26 +0000 rsshelp@dailykos.helpscoutapp.com rsshelp@dailykos.helpscoutapp.com ‘You should be lynched,’ Florida Republican tells a Black man https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/4/3/2376214/--You-should-be-lynched-Florida-Republican-tells-a-Black-man?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= Republican Florida gubernatorial candidate James Fishback <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/moochcalucci.bsky.social/post/3mikzxufcy22m" target="_blank">told</a> a Black man who confronted him on the campaign trail that he should be lynched. Yes, you read that right. Lynching is the process of extrajudicial murder by mob, usually by hanging. Throughout U.S. history, Black people have been the<a href="https://naacp.org/find-resources/history-explained/history-lynching-america" target="_blank"> most frequent victims</a> of lynchings by white mobs. The comment occurred after Fishback was confronted<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/florida-school-gop-james-fishback-sexual-misconduct-allegations-rcna249963" target="_blank"> </a>about <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/florida-school-gop-james-fishback-sexual-misconduct-allegations-rcna249963" target="_blank">previous allegations</a> that he engaged in sexual misconduct with an underage girl in 2022, resulting in a Florida school district severing ties with him. Fishback has denied the allegations. As he berated the man for bringing up the allegations, Fishback repeatedly said, “You should be lynched.” <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block" data-bluesky-content="&lt;blockquote class="bluesky-embed" data-bluesky-uri="at://did:plc:nv6hf3fsbkcb6klm2jyddcmf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mikzxufcy22m" data-bluesky-cid="bafyreiauj5ocj2lvsyfhnves56eg6lyd4a27hl7os5uwmslzrm4iabsqna"&gt;&lt;p lang="en"&gt;Oops. Here comes the next ad for his Democratic opponent.&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; &lt;a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:nv6hf3fsbkcb6klm2jyddcmf?ref_src=embed"&gt;&amp;#34;Mooch&amp;#34; Calucci 🤞 (@moochcalucci.bsky.social)&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:nv6hf3fsbkcb6klm2jyddcmf/post/3mikzxufcy22m?ref_src=embed"&gt;2026-04-03T05:56:49.748Z&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:nv6hf3fsbkcb6klm2jyddcmf/app.bsky.feed.post/3mikzxufcy22m" data-bluesky-cid="bafyreiauj5ocj2lvsyfhnves56eg6lyd4a27hl7os5uwmslzrm4iabsqna">Oops. Here comes the next ad for his Democratic opponent.— <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:nv6hf3fsbkcb6klm2jyddcmf?ref_src=embed" target="_blank">"Mooch" Calucci 🤞 (@moochcalucci.bsky.social)</a> <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:nv6hf3fsbkcb6klm2jyddcmf/post/3mikzxufcy22m?ref_src=embed" target="_blank">2026-04-03T05:56:49.748Z</a></blockquote></div> This is not the first time that Fishback has made a comment like this. After the Trump administration<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/1/30/2366295/-Journalists-arrested-as-Trump-team-sets-fire-to-First-Amendment" target="_blank"> arrested journalist Don Lemon</a>—who is Black—for reporting on an anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement protest at a Minnesota church, Fishback praised the clear violation of the First Amendment. “Don Lemon should be lucky that he's not getting executed in the public square for his little stunt, his violence, his aggression,”<a href="https://www.peoplefor.org/rightwingwatch/james-fishback-says-don-lemon-lucky-hes-not-getting-executed-public-square" target="_blank"> </a>Fishback <a href="https://www.peoplefor.org/rightwingwatch/james-fishback-says-don-lemon-lucky-hes-not-getting-executed-public-square" target="_blank">told</a> the far-right American Family Association during a podcast. <figure class="image-captioned align-right"><img alt="FILE - Don Lemon attends the 15th annual CNN Heroes All-Star Tribute at the American Museum of Natural History, Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1522584/large/AP26022740283661.jpg?1769787069" title="FILE - Don Lemon attends the 15th annual CNN Heroes All-Star Tribute at the American Museum of Natural History, Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)"> <figcaption>Journalist Don Lemon was arrested for reporting on an anti-ICE protest in Minnesota, leading Fishback to declare that he “should be lucky he’s not getting executed.”</figcaption> </figure> Fishback has also<a href="https://floridapolitics.com/archives/773164-david-jolly-calls-out-james-fishback-for-racist-rhetoric-against-byron-donalds/" target="_blank"> made racist comments</a> about his fellow GOP gubernatorial candidate, Rep. Byron Donalds—who is Black—calling him a “slave” to donors, saying that his worldview is a “Section 8 ghetto,” and referring to him as “By’rone.” As part of his far-right campaign, Fishback<a href="https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/sin-tax-candidate-proposes-new-tax-for-onlyfans-creators-in-florida/3748988/" target="_blank"> </a>has also <a href="https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/sin-tax-candidate-proposes-new-tax-for-onlyfans-creators-in-florida/3748988/" target="_blank">gone after women</a> and has proposed a “sin tax” for OnlyFans creators. Fishback is the most prominent of a new and growing segment of the right that aligns itself with the antisemitic, racist, and misogynistic “groyper” movement. He is also a supporter of white supremacist podcaster Nick Fuentes,<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/18/2373754/-Nick-Fuentes-is-just-the-beginning-of-the-GOP-s-Nazi-problem" target="_blank"> who opposes</a> immigration, women’s rights, and free expression. Fishback is not an outlier. This far-right movement, which builds on the bigoted ideology of the Trump administration, continues to make inroads within the GOP. For example, newly appointed head of the College Republicans, <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/3/30/2375514/-New-College-Republicans-director-is-a-helluva-charmer" target="_blank">Kai Schwemmer</a>, is also a devoted Fuentes follower and has made pro-slavery comments and voiced opposition to women’s right to vote. A gubernatorial candidate telling a Black man that he should be lynched is just the latest example of what the future of right-wing politics looks like—and it looks eerily like the darkest parts of U.S. history. rss@dailykos.com (Oliver Willis) AntiSemitism Florida groyper JamesFishback Misogyny NickFuentes Racism _2376214 Fri, 03 Apr 2026 20:00:22 +0000 Republican sets bizarre goals for next attorney general https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/4/3/2376197/-Republican-sets-bizarre-goals-for-next-attorney-general?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= Republican Rep. Chip Roy of Texas was asked by the mouth breathers at Fox Business what the <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/4/3/2376068/-Bondi-s-out-Blanche-is-in-for-now" target="_blank">next U.S. attorney general</a>’s agenda should be. His answer made one thing clear: The <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/12/19/2292861/-Trump-trashes-weak-and-ineffective-GOP-congressman-over-spending-bill" target="_blank">pretend maverick</a> is now fully in line with the Trump administration—all the way down to <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/19/2373917/-Democrats-are-fed-up-with-DOJ-s-Epstein-files-shenanigans" target="_blank">covering up the Epstein files</a>. “We've got to deal with things like antifa,” Roy said. “We wanna see people who are affiliated with these Marxist networks funding antifa, creating all sorts of danger for the American people—we want them held accountable. We want the people who are harassing J6ers held accountable.” <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=MSte4p5PNP4" title="" data-frameborder="0" data-height="281" data-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MSte4p5PNP4" data-width="500">YouTube Video</a></div> </div> When Roy says “people” are “harassing J6ers,” is he referring to the law enforcement officers who <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/4/1/2375753/-Now-the-scumbag-Jan-6-insurrectionists-want-you-to-pay-them" target="_blank">arrested</a> the rioters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021—or someone else? And what does he make of the “J6ers” who, since being pardoned by President Donald Trump, have <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/5/20/2323359/-Another-insurrectionist-pardoned-by-Trump-has-been-rearrested" target="_blank">returned to committing crimes?</a> Roy doesn’t make that clear, either. What he is clear about, though, is wanting to punish people who had the temerity to investigate the Republican-led effort to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. “We want to know the truth on Arctic Frost,” Roy continued, referring to the codename for the federal investigation into that election-overturn effort. “My records were targeted under Arctic Frost and [former special counsel] Jack Smith. We wanna see heads roll. We wanna see [former CIA Director] John Brennan, who the Judiciary Committee referred to the Department of Justice, held accountable. And [former FBI Director] Jim Comey.” This past November, Roy had <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2025/11/18/texas-congress-vote-release-epstein-files/" target="_blank">a different interest</a>.  On the House floor, ahead of a vote to release the government’s files on Jeffrey Epstein, Roy said, “Today, a united Republican Party and a bipartisan super majority is going to pass a bill to increase transparency regarding the egregious abuses by Jeffrey Epstein.”  Where’s that interest nowadays? Maybe he <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/1/21/2364667/-Democrats-won-t-let-GOP-cover-for-Trump-on-Epstein-scandal" target="_blank">just forgot</a> about it. rss@dailykos.com (Walter Einenkel) AttorneyGeneral ChipRoy ConspiracyTheory EpsteinFiles ToddBlanche _2376197 Fri, 03 Apr 2026 19:30:06 +0000 Artemis II's moon-bound astronauts capture Earth's brilliant blue beauty as they leave it behind https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/4/3/2376195/-Artemis-II-s-moon-bound-astronauts-capture-Earth-s-brilliant-blue-beauty-as-they-leave-it-behind?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= The <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nasa-artemis-astronauts-moon-6ef3f195b4d4f8abcbfa908cacea6da6" target="_blank">Artemis II astronauts</a> have captured our blue planet’s brilliant beauty as they zoom ever <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXOScAb27mM&t=20s" target="_blank">closer to the moon</a>. NASA released the crew’s first downlinked images Friday, 1 1/2 days into the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nasa-artemis-moon-launch-055040ce0579ec238d0ec9fcb0278ed3" target="_blank" title="">first astronaut moonshot</a> in more than <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nasa-moon-artemis-astronauts-f3f49214618099a98338835715e4562a" target="_blank">half a century</a>. The first photo taken by commander Reid Wiseman shows a curved slice of Earth in one of the capsule’s windows. The second shows the entire globe with the oceans topped by swirling white tendrils of clouds. <div class="align-center"> <figure class="image-captioned width-xl"><img alt="This image taken from video provided by NASA shows the Artemis II crew, from left, Canadien astronaut and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen, Commander Reid Wiseman, mission specialist Christina Koch and pilot Victor Glover as they appear on a video conference from the moon's orbit Thursday, April 2, 2026. (NASA via AP)" class="width-xl" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1541214/large/AP26093108423147.jpg?1775230694" title="This image taken from video provided by NASA shows the Artemis II crew, from left, Canadien astronaut and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen, Commander Reid Wiseman, mission specialist Christina Koch and pilot Victor Glover as they appear on a video conference from the moon's orbit Thursday, April 2, 2026. (NASA via AP)"> <figcaption>This image taken from video provided by NASA shows the Artemis II crew, from left, Canadien astronaut and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen, Commander Reid Wiseman, mission specialist Christina Koch and pilot Victor Glover as they appear on a video conference from the moon's orbit on April 2.</figcaption> </figure> </div> As of midmorning Friday, Wiseman and his crew were 90,000 miles from Earth and were quickly gaining on the moon with another 168,000 miles to go. They should reach their destination on Monday. The three Americans and one Canadian will swing around the moon in their Orion capsule, hang a U-turn and then head straight back home without stopping. They fired Orion's main engine Thursday night that set them on their course. <div class="align-center"> <figure class="image-captioned width-xl"><img alt="This image provided by NASA shows a downlink image of Earth taken by NASAâ€™s Artemis II astronaut commander Reid Wiseman inside the Orion capsule on Friday, April 3, 2026. (NASA via AP)" class="width-xl" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1541213/large/AP26093499352707.jpg?1775230691" title="This image provided by NASA shows a downlink image of Earth taken by NASAâ€™s Artemis II astronaut commander Reid Wiseman inside the Orion capsule on Friday, April 3, 2026. (NASA via AP)"> <figcaption>This image provided by NASA shows a downlink image of Earth taken by NASA’s Artemis II astronaut commander Reid Wiseman inside the Orion capsule on April 3.</figcaption> </figure> </div> They're the first lunar travelers since Apollo 17 in 1972. <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/4/1/2375689/-NASA-is-shooting-for-the-moon-A-guide-to-the-Artemis-II-mission" title="" target="_blank">NASA is shooting for the moon. A guide to the Artemis II mission.</a> <hr> rss@dailykos.com (Associated Press) artemisII Astronauts NASA Space _2376195 Fri, 03 Apr 2026 19:00:10 +0000 Force of habit ... https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/4/3/2376079/-Force-of-habit?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= A cartoon by Mike Luckovich. <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/4/2/2376035/-Pam-Bondi-fired" title="" target="_blank">Pam Bondi fired</a> <hr> rss@dailykos.com (Mike Luckovich) Cartoon DOJ DonaldTrump EpsteinFiles MikeLuckovich PamBondi _2376079 Fri, 03 Apr 2026 18:59:12 +0000 The most transparent administration in history strikes again https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/4/3/2376175/-The-most-transparent-administration-in-history-strikes-again?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= Under President Donald Trump, the Department of Justice is attacking the real enemy: recordkeeping requirements.  Yes, Trump just got his pet at the Office of Legal Counsel,  T. Elliot Gaiser,  to whip up a very aggro <a href="https://www.justice.gov/olc/media/1434131/dl" target="_blank" title="">opinion</a> saying that the Presidential Records Act is unconstitutional. <figure class="image-captioned width-md align-right"><img alt="250826OLCElliotGaiserOfficialPortrait-20-MAT_0374.jpg" class="width-md" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1541175/large/250826OLCElliotGaiserOfficialPortrait-20-MAT_0374.jpg?1775224467" title="250826OLCElliotGaiserOfficialPortrait-20-MAT_0374.jpg"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> Such a great look to have a presidential appointee just baldly <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/04/02/trump-doj-presidential-records-act/" target="_blank" title="">declaring</a> that the law requiring the president to keep records is unconstitutional because Congress has no right to tell the president to keep records. It intrudes on his authority to make him do so, and there’s no legislative purpose, and it's burdensome, and on and on and on. This sort of thing was inevitable once the DOJ became fully captured by Trump. Not just that he would begin treating the OLC like his own personal legal opinion factory, there to spit out whatever he likes, regardless of actual law, but that he would go after the PRA specifically.  The<a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/44/chapter-22" target="_blank"> PRA</a> was enacted in the wake of Watergate and requires that presidential and vice-presidential records be available to the public. So, the president and vice president have to maintain records created during their tenure and leave them behind when they go, at which point they are transferred to the archivist.  During his first term, Trump<a href="https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/trumps-presidential-records-act-violations-short-and-long-term-solutions" target="_blank" title=""> routinely</a> violated the PRA by tearing up and throwing away records. Upon leaving office after his first term, he<a href="https://www.citizensforethics.org/news/analysis/donald-trump-is-lying-about-the-presidential-records-act/" target="_blank" title=""> insisted</a> that the PRA meant he could keep whatever presidential records he wanted, forever. You will note that is pretty much literally the opposite of what the law says.  <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/6/25/2330033/-Trump-says-executive-privilege-for-me-but-not-for-thee" title="" target="_blank">Trump says executive privilege for me—but not for thee</a> <hr> The only reason Trump wasn’t indicted for violating the PRA over squirreling away classified documents in his<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/6/13/2175093/-Trump-s-indictment-bathroom-photo-says-so-much-about-him" target="_blank"> fancy bathroom</a> at Mar-a-Lago is that the PRA is a civil, not criminal, statute. So he was indicted under different laws for that little escapade until Aileen Cannon <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/1/29/2299976/-DOJ-finishes-erasing-what-s-left-of-Trump-s-criminal-cases" target="_blank" title="">magicked</a> it away for him. <figure class="image-captioned width-xl align-right"><img alt="Cartoon by Mike Luckovich" class="width-xl" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1454202/large/lk070925dAPR.jpg?1752014993" title="Cartoon by Mike Luckovich"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> But of course, the PRA still had to go—and Gaiser was more than eager to do so. Sure, the Supreme Court already <a href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/433/425/#opinions" target="_blank">ruled</a> in Nixon v. Administrator of General Services that the PRA was not unconstitutional and did not infringe on Nixon’s rights, but per Gaiser, it’s totally different for… reasons. Gaiser is a handy guy to have at the OLC if you are Donald Trump. Gaiser is a <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/justice-department-says-trump-not-turn-presidential-records-rcna266434" target="_blank">true, true believer</a>. A 2012 Hillsdale College graduate who clerked for Justice Samuel Alito, Gaiser was part of Trump’s 2020 campaign team. During the investigations into January 6, Kayleigh McEnany named Gaiser as someone who was really trusted on “matters of election integrity” and that Gaiser had advised that the vice president had a “substantive” role in certifying elections. Translation: Gaiser thought it would be totally legal for Mike Pence to refuse to certify an election if doing so would make Trump sad. Keen legal mind there, dude. Speaking of keen legal minds, it probably bears mentioning that Gaiser <a href="https://hillsdalecollegian.com/2021/09/hillsdale-alumni-clerk-for-us-supreme-court-this-term/" target="_blank" title="">clerked for Alito</a> beginning in the fall of 2021. As in, after being a part of Trump’s merry band of election deniers and insurrection enthusiasts. Besides throwing out a major recordkeeping act, Gaiser was also happy to whip up a little<a href="https://www.justice.gov/olc/media/1424001/dl" target="_blank" title=""> opinion</a> saying that it’s unconstitutional to ban sending firearms through the U.S. mail. He was also eager to crank out <a href="https://www.justice.gov/olc/media/1421576/dl" target="_blank" title="">dozens of pages</a> striking down as unconstitutional nearly all programs the Department of Education managed that helped increase school enrollment and achievement for non-white students.  Dude probably waited his whole life for that, let’s be honest.  Gaiser’s opinions are denser and longer, but at root, they also hold the exact same legal authority as Trump’s executive orders do: absolutely none. If Trump wants the PRA to go away, he can get Congress to change the law, or he can bring a legal challenge to the law, perhaps, in his personal capacity. It isn’t like he has any qualms about maintaining a robust <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/7/4/2331536/-How-many-personal-lawsuits-does-Trump-have-going-right-now-anyway" target="_blank" title="">stack of private lawsuits</a> while president.  <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/7/4/2331536/-How-many-personal-lawsuits-does-Trump-have-going-right-now-anyway" title="" target="_blank">How many personal lawsuits does Trump have going right now, anyway?</a> <hr> This isn’t just about Trump not wanting the public to see what he’s doing. It’s about his belief that everything is his—the<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/30/2375542/-Dumb-and-disturbing-developments-in-Trump-s-ballroom-boondoggle" target="_blank" title=""> White House</a>, the<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/2/15/2368294/-Trump-wants-his-name-on-everything-Trump-voters-don-t" target="_blank" title=""> Kennedy Center,</a>  you name it. In his mind, his records belong to him, not us. He can toss or keep them as he pleases, but they’re not ours. It’s the exact opposite of democracy. rss@dailykos.com (Lisa Needham) DOJ OLC PRA TElliottGaiser _2376175 Fri, 03 Apr 2026 17:30:05 +0000 Fox News goes into fluff mode after US jet is downed in Iran https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/4/3/2376225/-Fox-News-goes-into-fluff-mode-after-US-jet-is-downed-in-Iran?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= A United States F-15E was <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-fighter-jet-shot-down-over-iran-search-underway-crew-us-official-says-2026-04-03/" target="_blank">shot down</a> in Iran on Friday, according to U.S. officials. Early <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/03/world/live-news/iran-war-us-trump-oil" target="_blank">reports</a> are that at least one of the two service members has been rescued and is receiving medical treatment.  Fox News, typically reliant on scripted monologues written in demon blood, went into overdrive trying to soften the blow of President Donald Trump’s costly Middle Eastern war. “For 50 years presidents have talked about doing this, and he's the first one to do it and face the scrutiny of instant gratification,” former Senate candidate <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/8/8/2261460/-Morning-Digest-A-perennial-GOP-candidate-in-Alaska-has-new-best-friends-the-Democrats" target="_blank">Tiffany Smiley</a> said. “But he understood that it was going to take risk and it was going to take some short-term hardships for a longer-term gain for our country—for my three boys' future, certainly. So I think this just shows that freedom is not free and things have to be fought for and earned, and we have the best and the brightest in this country that are prepared.”  <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=Py01O3Uhip8" title="" data-frameborder="0" data-height="281" data-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Py01O3Uhip8" data-width="500">YouTube Video</a></div> </div> If that jingoism didn’t make your brain melt, Fox contributor Emily Compagno gave an even more abstract defense. “I was asked the other day what fills in the gap between facts for me in the situation,” she said “And what fills in the gap is my faith in our commander-in-chief—the duly elected representative of the people—that he has prioritized, given voice back, given grace back, given priority back to the safety and security of our soldiers.”  <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=HNmOQY9YQVo" title="" data-frameborder="0" data-height="281" data-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HNmOQY9YQVo" data-width="500">YouTube Video</a></div> </div> There is no amount of <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/4/2/2376031/-Lara-Trump-lauds-death-and-destruction-in-Iran" target="_blank">cheerleading</a> or word-salad that will erase the <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/12/2372865/-Democrats-demand-probe-into-Trump-s-bombing-of-Iranian-school" target="_blank">innocent lives lost</a> and harmed because of Trump’s weak ego. rss@dailykos.com (Walter Einenkel) FoxNews Iran IranWar _2376225 Fri, 03 Apr 2026 18:17:11 +0000 In Trump's military, white male supremacy reigns https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/4/3/2376189/-In-Trump-s-military-white-male-supremacy-reigns?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= Executing on President Donald Trump’s vision of white male supremacy, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is personally blocking advancement of Black and female military leaders, undoing decades of progress in America’s armed services. NBC News <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/hegseth-intervened-military-promotions-dozen-senior-officers-rcna266062" target="_blank">reported</a> on Thursday that more than a dozen officers slated for promotion across all four branches of the military have been blocked by Hegseth. An anonymous official told the outlet, “There is not a single service that has been immune to this level of involvement by Hegseth.” Hegseth is also reportedly suppressing advancement of officials for not being Trump loyalists, valuing support for the unpopular president over sworn duty to the United States. Similarly, The New York Times<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/27/us/hegseth-promotion-list.html" target="_blank"> reported last week</a> that Hegseth has been pressuring Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll to remove the names of Black and female officers from an internal promotion list. Driscoll reportedly refused and cited their exemplary service records. In one incident, Hegseth chief of staff Ricky Buria<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/27/2375099/-Pete-Hegseth-turns-the-bigot-spigot-to-full-gush" title="" target="_blank"> reportedly clashed</a> with Driscoll’s plans to promote Maj. Gen. Antoinette R. Gant, a Black woman. Buria is said to have told Driscoll that Trump wouldn’t want to stand next to a Black female officer at military events. On Thursday, Hegseth <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/4/2/2376065/-Hegseth-asks-the-Army-s-top-uniformed-officer-to-step-down-while-US-wages-war-against-Iran?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=top_news_slot_7&pm_medium=web" title="" target="_blank">made the unusual decision</a> to fire Gen. Randy George, the Army’s top uniformed officer, even as the U.S. wages war against Iran. Officials told NBC that George recently asked for a meeting with Hegseth to discuss his purge of Black and female officers, but Hegseth has refused the request. <figure class="image-captioned width-xl align-right"><img alt="Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a news conference at the Pentagon, Thursday, June 26, 2025 in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)" class="width-xl" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1449659/large/AP25177459407283.jpg?1750949691" title="Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks during a news conference at the Pentagon, Thursday, June 26, 2025 in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)"> <figcaption>Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, shown in 2025.</figcaption> </figure> The attack on diversity within the military ranks comes after major advancements under former President Joe Biden. Biden <a href="https://www.legion.org/information-center/news/security/2021/january/lloyd-austin-makes-history-as-first-african-american-secretary-of-defense" target="_blank">picked</a> retired Gen. Lloyd Austin to serve as his secretary of defense, making him the first Black person to do so in American history. Biden<a href="https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Biographies/Display/Article/108485/charles-q-brown-jr/" target="_blank"> also selected</a> Gen. Charles Q. Brown to serve as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, becoming only the second Black person to hold the job, and<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-67304546" target="_blank"> picked Admiral Lisa Franchetti</a> to head the Navy, the first woman to hold the position. Hegseth<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/9/25/2345210/-Is-there-anything-Pete-Hegseth-doesn-t-consider-woke" target="_blank"> was picked</a> by Trump to become secretary of defense because of his years of advocacy against diversity during his time as a Fox News host and commentator. Hegseth has repeatedly railed against purported “woke” ideology in favor of putting straight white men in charge of the government and military. In 2024,<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/12/10/2291164/-Hegseth-runs-to-Hannity-to-spin-his-attacks-on-women-in-the-military" target="_blank"> Hegseth infamously</a> said, “We should not have women in combat roles,” adding that it “hasn’t made us more effective, hasn’t made us more lethal, has made fighting more complicated.” As secretary of defense, Hegseth has<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/3/19/2311306/-Inside-Trump-s-racist-crusade-to-erase-American-heroes-from-US-history" target="_blank"> pushed policies</a> that removed references to achievements made by women and non-white people. Trump has<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/12/2347752/-Trump-s-purging-of-black-officials-makes-latent-racism-official-policy" target="_blank"> put in place</a> executive orders and other directives meant to reverse decades of advances in diversity, not just in the military but across the American government. The attack on military diversity is especially devastating since the armed services historically played a vital role in advancing America toward racial equality. In 1948, then-President Harry Truman<a href="https://www.thenmusa.org/articles/executive-order-9981/" target="_blank"> signed Executive Order 9981</a> which officially abolished racial discrimination within the military. The order sent shockwaves through American society that added fuel to the growing Civil Rights Movement that fundamentally changed the nation. The Trump administration triggered war in Iran, adding to global destabilization and chaos. But within the military, they are at war with diversity and equality—and unfortunately winning. rss@dailykos.com (Oliver Willis) DonaldTrump Military peteHegseth Racism _2376189 Fri, 03 Apr 2026 15:30:11 +0000 Trump official tells tall tale about how the economy is great now https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/4/3/2376192/-Trump-official-tells-tall-tale-about-how-the-economy-is-great-now?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett appeared on Fox News to defend President Donald Trump’s anxiety-producing economy, claiming that the previous night at a restaurant, he asked “every” server in the restaurant what they made in tips. “Last night, I was in a restaurant, and I asked every waiter, ‘How much money did you make now that they're doing their taxes because of the no tax on tips?’” he said. “The lowest answer was $3,000 last year, and the highest was $10,000, which was, they had kids.” <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=lHplb0a43uU" title="" data-frameborder="0" data-height="281" data-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lHplb0a43uU" data-width="500">YouTube Video</a></div> </div> It is fair to wonder what the wine list is like at a place where Hassett eats. Apparently, it’s a place where Trump’s <a href="https://www.epi.org/blog/no-tax-on-tips-will-harm-more-workers-than-it-helps-proposals-in-congress-and-now-20-states-could-encourage-harmful-employer-practices-and-lead-to-tip-requests-in-virtually-every-co/" title="" target="_blank">half-baked “no tax on tips” policy</a> actually makes a difference, despite experts saying the policy wouldn’t benefit low-wage tipped workers.  Hassett is also the guy who has spent the past 15 months giving you greatest hits such as <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/11/10/2353147/-Inflation-is-way-down-Trump-team-lays-a-rotten-egg" title="" target="_blank">“inflation is way down,”</a> the stagnation in the job market is due to the <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/6/2371961/-Trump-stooges-blame-abysmal-jobs-report-on-the-weather-yes-really" target="_blank">“weather,”</a> and unspecified “<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/1/30/2366322/-Trump-shill-blames-economic-malaise-on-dormant-mystery-machines" target="_blank">machines</a>” will be fixing the economy. During his latest Fox News appearance, when asked about skyrocketing gas prices due to Trump’s war in Iran, Hassett kicked the proverbial can a little further down the road.  “Our expectation is that this is going to last just a little bit longer, and then things will get back to normal much faster than you could expect,” Hassett said.  <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block" data-bluesky-content="&lt;blockquote class="bluesky-embed" data-bluesky-uri="at://did:plc:4llrhdclvdlmmynkwsmg5tdc/app.bsky.feed.post/3milu3zldbh2c" data-bluesky-cid="bafyreigjilagoqit5qnhovgf7n5vod7uzdqh25ecqd7ykcrrmfmbi5zcla"&gt;&lt;p lang="en"&gt;Hassett: &amp;#34;Our expectation is that this is gonna last just a little bit longer, and then things will get back to normal much faster than you could expect&amp;#34;&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; &lt;a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:4llrhdclvdlmmynkwsmg5tdc?ref_src=embed"&gt;Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com)&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:4llrhdclvdlmmynkwsmg5tdc/post/3milu3zldbh2c?ref_src=embed"&gt;2026-04-03T13:44:26.673Z&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:4llrhdclvdlmmynkwsmg5tdc/app.bsky.feed.post/3milu3zldbh2c" data-bluesky-cid="bafyreigjilagoqit5qnhovgf7n5vod7uzdqh25ecqd7ykcrrmfmbi5zcla">Hassett: "Our expectation is that this is gonna last just a little bit longer, and then things will get back to normal much faster than you could expect"— <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:4llrhdclvdlmmynkwsmg5tdc?ref_src=embed" target="_blank">Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com)</a> <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:4llrhdclvdlmmynkwsmg5tdc/post/3milu3zldbh2c?ref_src=embed" target="_blank">2026-04-03T13:44:26.673Z</a></blockquote></div> The only people left supporting the Trump administration's disastrous stewardship of the country are the MAGA faithful—very few of whom are likely to be allowed into the kinds of restaurants Hassett conducts his anecdotal, totally believable research. rss@dailykos.com (Walter Einenkel) Economy KevinHassett OnePercent taxontips _2376192 Fri, 03 Apr 2026 17:00:04 +0000 Pam Bondi's shoes https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/4/3/2376082/-Pam-Bondi-s-shoes?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= A cartoon by Clay Bennett. <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/4/2/2376035/-Pam-Bondi-fired" title="" target="_blank">Pam Bondi fired</a> <hr> rss@dailykos.com (Clay Bennett) Cartoon ClayBennett DepartmentofJustice DOJ DonaldTrump EpsteinFiles PamBondi ToddBlanche _2376082 Fri, 03 Apr 2026 15:29:20 +0000 Iranian TV channel claims US pilot ejected from aircraft over southwestern Iran https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/4/3/2376177/-Iranian-TV-channel-claims-US-pilot-ejected-from-aircraft-over-southwestern-Iran?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= A channel affiliated with Iranian state television claimed Friday that a U.S. fighter pilot ejected from their aircraft over <a href="https://apnews.com/live/iran-war-israel-trump-04-03-2026" target="_blank">southwestern Iran</a>. It was not clear what may have happened to the plane, including whether Iran was claiming it was shot down or there was another issue. If the claim is confirmed, it could lead to yet another dramatic escalation in the war, nearing the end of its fifth week. The U.S. did not respond immediately to requests for comment. The anchor on the Iranian channel urged residents to hand over any “enemy pilot” to police and promised a reward for anyone who did. The channel is in Kohkilouyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province, an intensely rural and mountainous region that spans over 15,500 square kilometers (5,900 square miles). <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/4/1/2375942/-Trump-addresses-nation-on-Iran-war-in-first-prime-time-speech-since-launching-strikes-4-weeks-ago" target="_blank" title="">Trump says US forces will 'finish the job' soon in first prime-time speech since starting Iran war</a> <hr> An on-screen crawl earlier urged the public to “shoot them if you see them,” referring to social media footage circulating of what appeared to be U.S. aircraft in the area. The channel showed metal debris in the back of a pickup truck while making the announcement but provided no other immediate details. Throughout the war, Iran has made a series of claims about shooting down piloted enemy aircraft that turned out not to be true. Friday was the first time that Iran went on television urging the public to look for a suspected downed pilot. U.S. Central Command, the Pentagon and the White House didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. <h3>Iran targets a desalination plant and a refinery</h3> The claim came as Iran fired on targets across the region, setting Kuwait’s Mina al-Ahmadi oil refinery one fire. The state-run Kuwait Petroleum Corp. said firefighters were working to control several blazes there. Kuwait also said that an Iranian attack caused “material damage” to a desalination plant. Such plants are responsible for most of the drinking water for Gulf states, and they have become a major target in the war. Tehran has kept the pressure on Israel and its Gulf Arab neighbors, despite U.S. and Israeli insistence that <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/iran" title="" target="_blank">Iran’s military capabilities</a> have been all but destroyed. Iran’s attacks on Gulf energy infrastructure and its <a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-hormuz-shipping-tolls-china-de5159966cde7de7b964b3c2c67eec07" title="" target="_blank">tight grip on the Strait of Hormuz</a>, through which a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas transits in peacetime, have roiled stock markets, sent oil prices skyrocketing, and threatened to raise the cost of many basic goods, including food. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/financial-markets-oil-prices-iran-trump-cbf38b67032e2fae95073f4fbcc0ca24" target="_blank">Spot prices of Brent crude</a>, the international standard, were around $109 Friday, up more than 50% since the start of the war, when Iran began restricting traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/4/1/2375858/-Trump-floats-quitting-NATO-after-it-won-t-endorse-his-warmongering" target="_blank">Trump floats quitting NATO after it won’t endorse his warmongering</a> <hr> Sirens also sounded in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia said it had destroyed several Iranian drones, and Israel reported incoming missiles. Authorities in the United Arab Emirates shut down a gas field after a missile interception reportedly rained debris on it and started a fire. Activists reported strikes around Tehran and the central city of Isfahan, but it wasn’t immediately clear what was hit. A day earlier, Iran said the U.S. hit a major bridge, which was still under construction, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-israel-trump-lebanon-april-2-2026-c41dbdb8148d02ce6561ea6bd4aa0da1" title="" target="_blank">killing eight people</a>. More than 1,900 people have been killed in Iran since the war began on Feb. 28 with U.S. and Israeli strikes. In a review released Friday, the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data, a U.S-based group, said they found that civilian casualties were clustered around strikes on security and state-linked sites “rather than indiscriminate bombardment” of urban areas. More than two dozen people have died in Gulf states and the occupied West Bank, while 13 U.S. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-war-american-casualties-wounded-troops-ea713e7850053d8670b062e6b11a6e39" title="" target="_blank">service members</a> have been killed, while 19 have been reported dead in Israel. More than 1,300 people <a href="https://apnews.com/article/lebanon-journalists-killed-israeli-airstrike-ali-shoeib-almayadeen-almanar-6e94c7ecc0366d1a8952c9b44f95c513" target="_blank">have been killed</a> and more than 1 million displaced in Lebanon, where Israel has launched a ground invasion in its fight with the pro-Iranian Hezbollah militant group. Ten Israeli soldiers have also died there. <h3>Iran’s former top diplomat suggests terms to end the war</h3> In a sign that part of Iran’s theocracy could be willing to negotiate, the country’s former top diplomat published a proposal for ending the conflict in an influential American magazine. Former Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif — a diplomat with long experience negotiating with the West who remains close to a pragmatic wing of Iran’s leadership — wrote on Friday that the time has come to end the suffering. “Prolonged hostility will cause a greater loss of precious lives and irreplaceable resources without actually altering the existing stalemate,” Zarif, who helped negotiate Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, wrote in Foreign Affairs magazine. The U.S. has presented Iran with a 15-point plan for a ceasefire that includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz, dismantling Iran’s nuclear facilities and limiting its missile production in exchange for sanctions relief. But no signs of progress were apparent in the diplomatic effort. <figure class="image-captioned align-right"><img alt="Cartoon by Mike Luckovich" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1536619/large/lk032026dAPR.jpg?1773956068" title="Cartoon by Mike Luckovich"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> Iran’s initial five-point counterproposal aired by hard-line state television included recognizing Iran’s sovereignty over the strait, the removal of U.S. bases from the region, compensation for war damage, and a guarantee against further aggression — all things likely unpalatable to the Trump administration. Zarif’s proposal included elements of both of the plans. Iran “should offer to place limits on its nuclear program and to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for an end to all sanctions — a deal Washington wouldn’t take before but might accept now,” he wrote. It’s not clear how much to read into Zarif’s proposal. While he has no official position in Iran’s government, he helped get reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian elected and would likely not have published such a piece without at least some authorization from senior leaders. Immediately after the piece came out, Zarif wrote he had been “torn” about it — a sign he may already face pressure at home. What’s more, it’s not clear how U.S. President Donald Trump will respond. He has vacillated between saying the U.S. is negotiating an end to the war and threatening to expand it. Thousands of U.S. Marines and paratroopers have been ordered to the region, raising speculation that there could be a ground offensive. rss@dailykos.com (Associated Press) Iran IranWar Military _2376177 Fri, 03 Apr 2026 15:00:21 +0000 Bondi's out, Blanche is in—for now https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/4/3/2376068/-Bondi-s-out-Blanche-is-in-for-now?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= Attorney General Pam Bondi <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/4/2/2376035/-Pam-Bondi-fired" target="_blank">is out</a>, baby. And now, it’s Todd time.  Todd Blanche, current deputy attorney general and now incoming acting attorney general, is—like so many others—one of President Donald Trump’s former criminal defense attorneys. He <a href="https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/press/dem/releases/durbin-questions-todd-blanche-trumps-nominee-to-be-deputy-attorney-general-during-senate-judiciary-committee-hearing" target="_blank" title="">represented</a> Trump in the classified documents case, the Jan. 6 case, and the hush money New York State case. That last one didn’t work out so well for Trump.  <figure class="image-captioned align-right"><img alt="FILE - Attorney General Pam Bondi listens as she testifies before a House Judiciary Committee oversight hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Feb. 11, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner, file)" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1532185/large/AP26049599567118.jpg?1772571503" title="FILE - Attorney General Pam Bondi listens as she testifies before a House Judiciary Committee oversight hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Feb. 11, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner, file)"> <figcaption>Attorney General Pam Bondi was ousted on April 2.</figcaption> </figure> And since being rewarded with a job at the Department of Justice, Blanche has really made a name for himself. Not a good name, but a name nonetheless. Let’s start with Blanche’s very normal and cool and lowkey view of federal judges. During the Federalist Society conference last year, Blanche <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/11/10/2353084/-Reagan-appointed-judge-resigns-to-lambast-Trump-s-corruption" target="_blank">declared</a> a “war” against the judiciary and called on baby lawyers to join him in fighting “activist judges.”  You see, Blanche doesn’t really believe that judges should be able to stop Trump—and that’s not hyperbole.  At the same conference, he complained about “what a travesty it is when you have an individual judge be able to stop an entire operation or an entire administrative policy that’s constitutional and allowed just because he or she chooses to do so.” That stupid Constitution with its stupid checks and balances, am I right? <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/4/2/2376035/-Pam-Bondi-fired" target="_blank">Pam Bondi fired</a> <hr> This is, suffice to say, a very unique view of the separation of powers. Essentially, what Blanche is saying is that Trump and the DOJ get to say whether something is constitutional, and if they do, judges can’t stop it.  Of course, the way it works in the real world is that only the judicial branch gets to interpret laws and determine their constitutionality. Lawyers learn that in their first week of law school when they read <a href="https://www.fjc.gov/history/cases/cases-that-shaped-the-federal-courts/marbury-v-madison" target="_blank" title="">Marbury v. Madison</a>. Maybe Blanche was sick that day? <figure class="image-captioned align-left"><img alt="FILE - Former President Donald Trump, left, standing with defense attorney Todd Blanche, speaks at the conclusion of proceedings for the day at his trial at Manhattan criminal court, May 14, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle, Pool, File)" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1432114/large/AP25132562810542.jpg?1747078983" title="FILE - Former President Donald Trump, left, standing with defense attorney Todd Blanche, speaks at the conclusion of proceedings for the day at his trial at Manhattan criminal court, May 14, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle, Pool, File)"> <figcaption>Todd Blanche, the new acting attorney general, was President Donald Trump’s criminal defense attorney in several cases.</figcaption> </figure> Blanche’s understanding of the First Amendment is similarly unique, and by “unique” I mean comically wrong. He’s <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/9/17/2344003/-Here-is-the-worst-First-Amendment-take-from-Trump-s-former-lawyer" target="_blank">convinced</a> that he could bring racketeering charges against people who protest Trump while he’s “trying to enjoy dinner and accost him with vile words.”  Okay … maybe Blanche was out sick for the entirety of law school? Blanche is also <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/1/30/2366386/-Trump-s-incompetent-DOJ-makes-a-mess-of-latest-Epstein-files-drop" target="_blank" title="">the face</a> of the DOJ’s “fuck you, make me” strategy in releasing the Epstein files. Well, he’s more the face of not releasing them. It was Blanche who went on Fox in January to blithely declare that the whole Epstein thing was done, leave him alone already. And, oh, by the way, they’re holding back 50%—3 million files!—because they’re not “responsive.”  Sure, the <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/4405" target="_blank">Epstein Files Transparency Act</a> doesn’t allow for that, but it isn’t like Blanche cares. He knows his job is to protect Trump, not to follow the law. So he <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/8/1/2336282/-Ghislaine-Maxwell-gets-big-upgrade-after-cooperating-with-Trump-team" target="_blank" title="">helpfully met</a> with Epstein associate and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell for a private little chat that somehow didn’t provide any meaningful information but did net Maxwell a move to a lower-security prison.  When he’s not running interference to make sure no one figures out how much his boss and former client is implicated in the Epstein files, he’s busy <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/30/2351261/-A-major-roadblock-to-Trump-s-legal-victories-Naked-cruelty" target="_blank" title="">orchestrating</a> vindictive prosecutions.  Kilmar Abrego Garcia was <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/8/25/2340186/-Trump-team-won-t-stop-tormenting-Kilmar-Abrego-Garcia" target="_blank" title="">mistakenly deported</a> to El Salvador in March 2025, but the Trump administration refused to bring him back despite <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/4/14/2316349/-Trump-tells-court-to-pound-sand-over-wrongfully-deported-Maryland-dad" target="_blank" title="">court orders</a> to do so. And when Abrego Garcia was finally returned, the DOJ indicted him on wildly inflated human trafficking claims.  <figure class="image-captioned align-right"><img alt="Cartoon by Mike Luckovich" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1541078/large/lk040326dAPR.jpg?1775167829" title="Cartoon by Mike Luckovich"> <figcaption>A cartoon by Mike Luckovich.</figcaption> </figure> The administration insisted that prosecutors in Tennessee coincidentally <a href="https://tennesseelookout.com/2026/02/26/kilmar-abrego-garcia-prosecutor-testifies-criminal-charges-were-not-vindictive/" target="_blank">decided</a> out of the blue to prosecute Abrego Garcia over a two-year-old traffic stop, so how could you possibly think the criminal prosecution was invented only after the court ordered his return? Well, maybe because Blanche literally went on Fox <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/30/2351261/-A-major-roadblock-to-Trump-s-legal-victories-Naked-cruelty" target="_blank">to boast</a> that the DOJ started criminally investigating Abrego Garcia only after a judge ruled that the administration couldn’t deport him.  Blanche also isn’t really into woke shit like ethics agreements or conflict-of-interest rules, which would explain why he had no problem <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/1/26/2365026/-Complaint-accuses-Trump-s-criminal-attorney-of-blatant-crypto-conflict-in-his-role-at-DOJ" target="_blank">ordering a shutdown</a> of DOJ crypto investigations while holding more than $150,000 in crypto—that he’d already signed an ethics agreement to dispose of.  That loose grip on morals is why it seems likely that Blanche will also happily <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/21/2349734/-Wait-Trump-is-demanding-how-much-from-the-government" target="_blank" title="">approve</a> Trump’s demand that the government give him $230 million for the pain and suffering he endured while being investigated for the crimes he committed—yes, the ones in the cases that Blanche represented. In short, Blanche is just a louder, taller, scowlier version of Bondi. Same as it ever was.  rss@dailykos.com (Lisa Needham) Constitution DepartmentofJustice DOJ DonaldTrump EpsteinFiles PamBondi ToddBlanche _2376068 Fri, 03 Apr 2026 13:30:07 +0000 Could a Democrat really replace Marjorie Taylor Greene? This retired Army general is trying. https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/4/3/2375685/-Could-a-Democrat-really-replace-Marjorie-Taylor-Greene-This-retired-Army-general-is-trying?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= During almost three decades of living in Georgia’s conservative northwest corner, Kimberly Seals got used to keeping her liberal opinions to herself. She suspected there were others who felt the same way, but she had no way to know for sure. So on a recent Saturday afternoon, she gazed in amazement at the crowd of hundreds who gathered in the town of Rome to hear <a href="https://apnews.com/article/kamala-harris-book-pete-buttigieg-22524d9b34034e17ba942ddfd4211389" target="_blank" title="">Pete Buttigieg</a> stump for long-shot Democratic congressional candidate Shawn Harris. “There’s a lot more people that think like us than we anticipated,” Seals said alongside her husband. Harris, a farmer and retired Army general, is running to replace conservative firebrand Marjorie Taylor Greene, who <a href="https://apnews.com/article/marjorie-taylor-green-congress-resigns-trump-maga-5f42d4893343babc8e87da1491a0de2b" target="_blank">resigned in January</a> after a falling-out with President Donald Trump. He's up against Republican candidate Clay Fuller, a district attorney, and faces slim chances in a runoff on April 7. <figure class="image-captioned width-xl align-right"><img alt="Republican candidate Clay Fuller speaks to people during an election night watch party for Georgia's 14th Congressional District, Tuesday, March 10, 2026, in Rome, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)" class="width-xl" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1540193/large/AP26069859044434.jpg?1774967520" title="Republican candidate Clay Fuller speaks to people during an election night watch party for Georgia's 14th Congressional District, Tuesday, March 10, 2026, in Rome, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)"> <figcaption>Republican candidate Clay Fuller speaks to people on March 10 in Rome, Ga.</figcaption> </figure> But as early voting begins on Monday, some Democrats are still <a href="https://apnews.com/article/debra-shigley-georgia-democrat-special-election-ca9db558e08bb4c962931150aab0de24" target="_blank" title="">feeling hopeful</a> after their party performed better than expected in <a href="https://apnews.com/article/democrat-emily-gregory-florida-legislative-seat-maralago-899016be8e87645f7776fa0cca94e1bc" target="_blank">recent special elections</a> leading up to <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-republicans-2026-midterms-iran-florida-loss-0354c2f58e7c75759aaafa8cca2cff5e" target="_blank">the November midterms</a>, which will determine control of Congress. “I believe that there is no such thing as a permanently red district or state or town," said Buttigieg, who served as <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden" target="_blank">President Joe Biden's</a> transportation secretary. A former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, he previously ran for the White House and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/buttigieg-democrats-michigan-senate-president-2026-2028-9be5c4c8e91437d6202b58c853bd8a08" target="_blank">might try again</a>. Speaking to reporters after his speech, Buttigieg insisted “things really are shifting in this country.” Harris is testing the limits of that theory with his second campaign for Georgia's 14th District, banking that nationwide Democratic enthusiasm and simmering <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-economy-election-democratic-wins-voter-discontent-e8e94eb6f2de702475875c1bbd80a89b" target="_blank" title="">discontent with Trump</a> could help him defy political gravity. <h3>Walking the streets</h3> <div class="align-center"> <figure class="image-captioned width-xl"><img alt="Democratic candidate Shawn Harris talks with a voter on Thursday, March 26, 2026 in Rome, Ga. (AP Photo/Charlotte Kramon)" class="width-xl" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1540195/large/AP26086653141977.jpg?1774967525" title="Democratic candidate Shawn Harris talks with a voter on Thursday, March 26, 2026 in Rome, Ga. (AP Photo/Charlotte Kramon)"> <figcaption>Democratic candidate Shawn Harris talks with a voter on March 26 in Rome, Ga.</figcaption> </figure> </div> Sporting blue jeans and well-worn orange sneakers last week, Harris zig-zagged down a residential street in south Rome, chatting with voters who recognized him immediately. Phoebe Johnson, 69, said it was the third time she saw Harris knocking on doors. He is “actually talking about the things that really matters,” she said, such as <a href="https://www.ap.org/news-highlights/spotlights/2025/the-vast-majority-of-us-adults-are-stressed-about-grocery-costs-an-ap-norc-poll-finds/" target="_blank">rising grocery prices</a> and the cost of <a href="https://apnews.com/article/tariffs-trump-investigations-trade-household-costs-2feaf769d770681dc95fef8dabd4f918" target="_blank">the Republican president's tariffs</a>. Unlike in 2024, when he lost to Greene, Harris said more people know him — as Shawn, rather than as Gen. Harris. He served in the military for 40 years, including time as an infantry commander in Afghanistan, before retiring as a brigadier general in the Army National Guard. He lives on his cattle farm in Rockmart. “I went right back to work with my hands and built a cattle farm that I live on every day,” Harris said. “That says to the hardworking people here in northwest Georgia that Shawn Harris works hard just like them out in the hot sun and I get the results.” He said a group of Republican veterans helping him put up fences on his farm were among the first people who pushed him to run for office, before they knew he was a Democrat. Harris said his background as a farmer and veteran resonate with working-class voters. Odell Battle, 76, said Harris “stands for the kind of lifestyle that I like and enjoy." "This man is here to serve the community,” Battle said after Harris gave him his cellphone number. “It’s not just to get into Washington and forget about us.” <h3>Republicans doubt Harris' chances</h3> <div class="align-center"> <figure class="image-captioned width-xl"><img alt="Republican Clay Fuller speaks to supporters after learning he would advance to a runoff election during an election night watch party, Tuesday, March 10, 2026, in Rome, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)" class="width-xl" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1540194/large/AP26070034195577.jpg?1774967520" title="Republican Clay Fuller speaks to supporters after learning he would advance to a runoff election during an election night watch party, Tuesday, March 10, 2026, in Rome, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)"> <figcaption>Republican Clay Fuller speaks to supporters after learning he would advance to a runoff election during an election night watch party on March 10 in Rome, Ga.</figcaption> </figure> </div> Harris finished first on the ballot in <a href="https://apnews.com/article/georgia-congress-house-marjorie-greene-special-election-76dd6570a5deef7036650530aed3be93" target="_blank" title="">the March 10 election</a>. But while he was the best-known Democrat, Republicans split their vote among several candidates. Consultants from both parties caution against extrapolating too much from special elections with limited turnout. “It’s just too solid a red district,” said conservative commentator and former state Rep. Buzz Brockway. “But it might be closer than it should.” Jay Morgan, former executive director of the Georgia Republican Party, said, if anything, the district could become even redder, and he described Fuller as “central casting.” "You have a guy who’s a stand-up law enforcement guy who is an extremely attractive candidate," he said. "To have somebody like that follow Marjorie Taylor Greene is just a huge boost for the party.” <figure class="image-captioned width-xl align-right"><img alt="Cartoon by Mike Luckovich" class="width-xl" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1496626/large/lk110925dAPR.jpg?1762473472" title="Cartoon by Mike Luckovich"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> Many Republicans were relieved to see Fuller make it to the runoff over former state Sen. Colton Moore, the brasher, more controversial far-right candidate whose style mirrors Greene’s. ”The people of Northwest Georgia stand with President Trump and Clay Fuller," Fuller campaign manager Dabriel Graham said. Floyd County Democratic Chair Vincent Mendes works as a chiropractor and said many of his Republican patients are considering voting for Harris. He believes Harris has a shot because the district is “tired of being a talking point.” "We’re ready for real representation,” Mendes said. “We had somebody who was mostly interested in chasing headlines for years.” Georgia Democratic Party Chair Charlie Bailey hopes that excitement will lift candidates across the state in the midterms, especially as Republicans attempt to oust Sen. Jon Ossoff. “This race is critical for Georgia’s 14th District, but it’s even bigger than that,” Bailey said. “Shawn is building momentum right now that will keep growing all the way through November, boosting Democrats at every level of the ticket in North Georgia and beyond.” rss@dailykos.com (Associated Press) ClayFuller Congress Elections Georgia MarjorieTaylorGreene ShawnHarris _2375685 Fri, 03 Apr 2026 13:00:03 +0000 Reality vs. delusion https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/4/3/2375532/-Reality-vs-delusion?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= A cartoon by David Horsey. <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/30/2375484/-Trump-wants-to-loot-Iran-while-committing-war-crimes" title="" target="_blank">Trump wants to loot Iran—while committing war crimes</a> <hr> rss@dailykos.com (David Horsey) Cartoon DavidHorsey DonaldTrump Iran War _2375532 Fri, 03 Apr 2026 12:30:02 +0000 Ron DeSantis continues pathetic quest to be a mini-Trump https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/4/2/2376055/-Ron-DeSantis-continues-pathetic-quest-to-be-a-mini-Trump?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= Anything Don can do, Ron can do smaller. Meet the <a href="https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/991/BillText/Filed/PDF" target="_blank">Florida SAVE Act</a>, the state’s version of President Donald Trump’s <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/24/2374641/-Even-Republicans-know-Trump-s-SAVE-Act-will-bite-them-in-the-ass" target="_blank">voter suppression bill</a>. But where Trump hasn’t landed enough GOP support, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis did—so he<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/gov-ron-desantis-signs-floridas-version-act-rcna265112" target="_blank"> signed the bill</a> on Wednesday. In the thinnest of silver linings, it doesn’t go into effect until after the midterms, unlike Trump’s absurd <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/31/2375795/-Trump-ramps-up-his-unconstitutional-crusade-against-mail-in-voting" target="_blank">executive order</a> purporting to completely change mail-in voting nationwide. <figure class="image-captioned align-right"><img alt="FILE - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a public event where he announced he would sign a bill banning the use of fluoride in public water systems, Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, file)" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1451182/large/AP25181544355075.jpg?1751307972" title="FILE - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a public event where he announced he would sign a bill banning the use of fluoride in public water systems, Tuesday, May 6, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, file)"> <figcaption>Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announces he would sign a bill banning the use of fluoride in public water systems on May 6, 2025.</figcaption> </figure> DeSantis seems to view his state as an opportunity to push through scaled-down versions of Trump’s worst ideas. It’s a pretty sad pick-me vibe from a guy who, well, <a href="https://www.floridapoliticalreview.com/whats-next-for-governor-ron-desantis/" target="_blank">wasn’t picked</a> for Trump’s Cabinet.  Come on, man. You ran against Trump—he’s not going to forget it.  Alas, DeSantis’ try-hard energy just got Florida stuck with an extremely repressive election law designed to make voting much, much harder. Florida’s SAVE Act apes the Trump version in nearly every way. And just like the Trump version, its ostensible intent is to stop non-citizens from voting, which already basically does not happen.  In 2025, a Florida Office of Election Crimes and Security <a href="https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/04/01/desantis-signs-bill-requiring-proof-of-citizenship-to-register-to-vote-voting-rights-group-sue/" target="_blank">review</a> found that out of the state’s 13 million voters, just 198 were “likely noncitizens who illegally registered and/or voted in Florida.”  That’s 0.0015% of the state’s voters.  And note the fuzzy language: these are “likely” noncitizens, and they might have only registered—not voted.   But, of course, while both Ron and Don’s versions of the SAVE Act are fueled by xenophobic, anti-immigrant hatred, that’s not the real goal here.  <figure class="image-captioned align-left"><img alt="FILE - President Donald Trump, Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and others, tour "Alligator Alcatraz," a new migrant detention facility at Dade-Collier Training and Transition facility, Tuesday, July 1, 2025, in Ochopee, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1485431/large/AP25274466003504.jpg?1759766759" title="FILE - President Donald Trump, Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and others, tour "Alligator Alcatraz," a new migrant detention facility at Dade-Collier Training and Transition facility, Tuesday, July 1, 2025, in Ochopee, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)"> <figcaption>Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis shows President Donald Trump “Alligator Alcatraz,” an immigration detention center in Ochopee, Florida, on July 1, 2025.</figcaption> </figure> Republicans aren’t going to stay in power by getting rid of 0.0015% of the electorate. No, these bills are designed to make voting harder for women, students, and people of color—all of whom skew left. Can’t have that, now can we? When Floridians register to vote, they will <a href="https://courthousenews.com/lawsuits-fly-as-florida-governor-signs-new-elections-law/" target="_blank">be required</a> to prove their citizenship with a birth certificate, passport, or REAL ID. If a voter changed their legal name—even through marriage—their birth certificate is no longer enough to prove their citizenship.  Good luck, married Republican ladies!  Also, students can <a href="https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/florida-senate-passes-own-version-of-anti-voting-save-america-act/" target="_blank">no longer use</a> their school IDs at the polls.  All new or updated voter registrations must be checked against Florida’s Department of Motor Vehicles records. Elections personnel must also review all of their voter rolls to confirm citizenship status, and anyone without citizenship information on file is allowed 30 days to prove that they are a citizen, or they will be unable to vote.  That last part is going to be a nightmare.  <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/26/2374906/-Florida-GOP-gets-cold-feet-about-rigging-House-map" target="_blank">Florida GOP gets cold feet about rigging House map</a> <hr> One Palm Beach County elections official told NBC News that all of their computer systems will have to be updated, as there’s no space in the voter file for citizenship status. Data has to be shared across agencies, and the systems don’t exist for that yet, so she will need to hire new people … except the bill doesn’t provide any funding.  Also, the rules regarding people proving their citizenship are unclear. Can people email a picture of their birth certificates? Do people have to do this if they’re just updating their registration? How will elections workers know if non-Florida birth certificates are fraudulent or not? <figure class="image-captioned align-right"><img alt="A cartoon by Clay Bennett." src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1266687/large/cbe240120c.jpg?1705932801" title="A cartoon by Clay Bennett."> <figcaption>A cartoon by Clay Bennett.</figcaption> </figure> It’s hard to tell if DeSantis wants to suck up to Trump or be Trump. Probably a bit of both. He tried so hard to do his own little <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/10/6/2347227/-Trump-may-have-Supreme-Court-mojo-but-his-minions-sure-don-t" target="_blank">immigration crackdown</a>, only for the federal courts to say that, no, that’s only something that the federal government can do. He also <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/11/14/2353831/-Ron-DeSantis-says-it-s-Florida-s-turn-to-rig-election-maps" target="_blank">raced</a> to rig election maps at Trump’s behest and was pathetically eager to sign a bill <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/30/donald-trump-palm-beach-airport-ron-desantis" target="_blank">renaming</a> the Palm Beach airport after Trump. DeSantis also helmed the deal that <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/11/2372696/-Where-did-all-of-Trump-s-library-bribes-go" target="_blank">netted Trump</a> one of the choicest pieces of land in downtown Miami—valued at more than $66 million—for a mere $10 to build his presidential library.  Er, “<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/31/2375676/-Trump-s-presidential-library-plans-would-make-even-Kim-Jong-Un-blush" target="_blank">library</a>.” Not ruling out <a href="https://www.governing.com/politics/ron-desantis-suggests-hes-open-to-another-presidential-run" target="_blank">another presidential run</a>, DeSantis somehow managed to ignore how patently unlikeable he is. Meanwhile, Floridians have to endure his audition.  This sizzle reel sucks. rss@dailykos.com (Lisa Needham) DonaldTrump Florida RonDeSantis SaveAct VoterSuppression Voting _2376055 Thu, 02 Apr 2026 23:01:08 +0000 Bondi gets the boot, and Springsteen makes Trump sad https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/4/2/2376019/-Bondi-gets-the-boot-and-Springsteen-makes-Trump-sad?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. <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/4/2/2375993/-Trump-ramps-up-his-war-on-Bruce-Springsteen?pm_source=ICYMI&pm_campaign=ICYMI04022026" target="_blank">Trump whines about Springsteen hours after Iran war speech flops</a> The Boss and the baby. <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/4/2/2376035/-Pam-Bondi-fired?pm_source=ICYMI&pm_campaign=ICYMI04022026" target="_blank">Pam Bondi fired</a> Wonder which sycophantic monster will replace her. 🤷‍♀️ <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/4/2/2376001/-GOP-senator-freaks-over-Supreme-Court-respecting-the-Constitution?pm_source=ICYMI&pm_campaign=ICYMI04022026" target="_blank">GOP senator freaks over Supreme Court respecting the Constitution</a> Republicans hate the Constitution—except when it conveniences them. <div class="align-center"> <figure class="image-captioned"><img alt="CjonesRGB04022026.jpg" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1540869/large/CjonesRGB04022026.jpg?1775139924" title="CjonesRGB04022026.jpg"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> </div> <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/4/2/2375995/-Bosom-blackmail?pm_source=ICYMI&pm_campaign=ICYMI04022026" target="_blank">Bosom blackmail</a> Justice for Cricket. <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/4/2/2375893/-Is-Hasan-Piker-the-leftist-influencer-Democrats-need-right-now?pm_source=ICYMI&pm_campaign=ICYMI04022026" target="_blank">Is Hasan Piker the leftist influencer Democrats need right now?</a> They’ve got to appeal to young voters somehow … <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/4/2/2376009/-Fans-boo-Trump-s-tariffs-in-pro-wrestling-s-latest-anti-MAGA-turn?pm_source=ICYMI&pm_campaign=ICYMI04022026" target="_blank">Fans boo Trump’s tariffs in pro wrestling's latest anti-MAGA turn</a> Trouble in paradise! <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/blogs/Comics?pm_source=ICYMI&pm_campaign=ICYMI04022026" target="_blank">Click here to see more cartoons.</a> rss@dailykos.com (Daily Kos Staff) BruceSpringsteen Constitution DonaldTrump MAGA PamBondi ProWrestling SCOTUS Tariffs TheRecap _2376019 Thu, 02 Apr 2026 18:30:11 +0000 Only the top https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/4/2/2376013/-Only-the-top?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= A cartoon by Tim Campbell. <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/31/2375737/-Judge-orders-Trump-administration-to-halt-White-House-ballroom-construction-unless-Congress-OKs-it" title="" target="_blank">Judge orders Trump to halt White House ballroom construction unless Congress OKs it</a> <hr> rss@dailykos.com (Tim Campbell) ballroom Cartoon DonaldTrump EpsteinFiles TimCampbell WhiteHouse _2376013 Thu, 02 Apr 2026 22:59:19 +0000 Macron won’t pardon Trump’s French https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/4/2/2376046/-Macron-won-t-pardon-Trump-s-French?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= President Donald Trump sure knows how to lose friends and alienate people—including French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife.  On Wednesday, Trump mocked the French family, saying, “I call up France, Macron, whose wife treats him extremely badly. Still recovering from the right to the jaw.” That was an apparent reference to a viral video from May 2025 in which Brigitte Macron appears to shove her husband in the face. In the clip, a shocked Macron quickly regained composure for the cameras, smiling and waving.   <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=yIM3NZd6Q2c" title="" data-frameborder="0" data-height="281" data-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yIM3NZd6Q2c" data-width="500">YouTube Video</a></div> </div> Trump dredged up the old dirt because he was upset with France’s refusal to aid the U.S. in its war against Iran. In the same comments, he said he asked Macro to “send the ships immediately” to the region but that Macron refused. Pulling out a French accent, Trump mimicked Macron, saying, “‘No, no, no, I cannot do that, Donald.’” But Macron responded Thursday, pushing back against Trump’s taunts.  “The words that I was able to hear, which you refer to, are neither elegant nor of a high standard. That’s it. So I’m not going to answer it, it doesn’t deserve an answer,” he <a href="https://www.mediaite.com/media/tv/macron-rebukes-trump-for-public-dig-at-his-wife-and-marriage-doesnt-deserve-an-answer/" target="_blank">said to reporters</a>. No amount of mocking has been able to help Trump garner support for his <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/8/2371462/-Trump-s-uniquely-unpopular-war-on-Iran" target="_blank">unpopular war</a>. And <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/4/2/2375985/-US-crude-tops-110-per-barrel-and-stocks-tumble-after-Trump-vows-to-escalate-attacks-on-Iran" title="" target="_blank">the Strait of Hormuz,</a> a key oil passageway, remains effectively closed due to Iranian control. At the very least, Trump isn’t <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/8/15/2337994/-This-far-right-influencer-is-too-crazy-even-for-Trump" target="_blank">claiming Brigitte Macron is a man</a> like other MAGA supporters are.  rss@dailykos.com (Alix Breeden) brigittemacron DonaldTrump EmmanuelMacron France Iran Oil _2376046 Thu, 02 Apr 2026 21:30:01 +0000 Hegseth asks the Army's top uniformed officer to step down while US wages war against Iran https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/4/2/2376065/-Hegseth-asks-the-Army-s-top-uniformed-officer-to-step-down-while-US-wages-war-against-Iran?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has asked the Army’s top uniformed officer, Gen. Randy George, to step down, the Pentagon said Thursday, as the United States wages a war against Iran. A Pentagon official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter, confirmed that George has been asked to take early retirement from the post of Army chief of staff, which he has held since August 2023. <figure class="image-captioned align-right"><img alt="FILE - Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George speaks during the POW/MIA National Recognition Day Ceremony at the Pentagon, Sept. 19, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, file)" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1541066/large/AP26092744580367.jpg?1775164832" title="FILE - Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George speaks during the POW/MIA National Recognition Day Ceremony at the Pentagon, Sept. 19, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, file)"> <figcaption>Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George</figcaption> </figure> The ouster of George is just the latest of more than a dozen firings of top generals and admirals by Hegseth since he first took office last year. CBS News was first to report the ouster. George is a graduate of West Point Military Academy and an infantry officer who served in the first Gulf War as well as Iraq and Afghanistan. He also served as Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s top military aide from 2021 to 2022, during the Biden administration, before taking on top leadership roles in the Army. George survived the initial round of firings last February, which saw the removal of top military leaders, including Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the Navy’s top uniformed officer, and Gen. Jim Slife, the No. 2 leader at the Air Force, by Hegseth. President Donald Trump also fired Gen. Charles “C.Q.” Brown, then the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at the same time. Since then, more than a dozen other top military generals and admirals have either retired early or been removed from their posts. Among these departures was George’s deputy, the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, Gen. James Mingus, who was in the post for less than two years when Trump suddenly nominated Lt. Gen. Christopher LaNeve for the position. LaNeve was then serving as Hegseth’s top military aide, having been plucked for that post from commanding the Eighth Army in South Korea after less than a year in the job. <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/4/1/2375942/-Trump-addresses-nation-on-Iran-war-in-first-prime-time-speech-since-launching-strikes-4-weeks-ago" target="_blank">Trump says US forces will 'finish the job' soon in first prime-time speech since starting Iran war</a> <hr> LaNeve will be stepping in as acting Army chief of staff, according to a Pentagon official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the move before it has been announced. It is a meteoric rise for an officer who was only a two-star general two years ago. A spokesman for George could not be immediately reached for comment. The shakeup comes as Army paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne division are <a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-war-us-troops-deployment-aircraft-carrier-7c015aa5156525fcc95c42897de52e0f" title="" target="_blank">heading to the Middle East</a> along with thousands of Marines and other assets. The Trump administration has avoided questions about whether or not the U.S. military will deploy ground troops against Iran. In a prime-time address Wednesday about the war, Trump offered <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-address-iran-war-takeaways-3a232cc5ae76436433bc62118a32b415" title="" target="_blank">no end date for the conflict</a> and few details on his strategy going forward but did forecast <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-iran-war-address-to-nation-patience-940c2cd13a8c45f9d6d35a4750b7b499" target="_blank">more military action</a>. “We are going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks,” <a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-transcript-address-iran-war-b5970011fe934dde84d95d650bda56a9" target="_blank">Trump said</a> of Iran, before adding that “we’re going to bring them back to the Stone Ages where they belong.” Hegseth echoed that sentiment after the speech, with a post on social media that simply read, “Back to the Stone Age.” Iran’s mission to the United Nations said on X that Trump’s comment “reflects ignorance, not strength,” noting that Iran’s civilization spans over 7,000 years. rss@dailykos.com (Associated Press) Army DonaldTrump Iran Military peteHegseth RandyGeorge War _2376065 Thu, 02 Apr 2026 21:23:40 +0000 Lara Trump lauds death and destruction in Iran https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/4/2/2376031/-Lara-Trump-lauds-death-and-destruction-in-Iran?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= Lara Trump, noted <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/10/2/2196899/-Lara-Trump-won-t-back-down-from-playing-victim-as-she-covers-Tom-Petty-classic" target="_blank">nepo-singer</a> and President Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law, was on Fox News Thursday to cheer on the destructive war in Iran—by marveling at its destruction. “You want to talk about what the United States of America can do? Take a look at this video,” <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/2/22/2225098/-Trump-daughter-in-law-We-get-ahead-and-succeed-by-merit-and-merit-alone" target="_blank">she said</a> over footage purporting to show a U.S. strike <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/live/c36r5p1l7w3t" target="_blank">on a bridge in Karaj</a>, Iran. “Take a look at all the videos he's posted of the bombs dropping, of the explosions, of us targeting something the size of basically a fingernail—our United States military. It is really impressive.”  <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=7nUfIkQqCFs" title="" data-frameborder="0" data-height="281" data-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7nUfIkQqCFs" data-width="500">YouTube Video</a></div> </div> “I just think it's so impressive because again we have never seen something like this happen,” she continued. “We've never had a president like this, willing to do this sort of thing. And hopefully, it's all for the best, you know, for the entire world.” Hopefully, you know? On social media, Donald Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116336091138489301" target="_blank">posted</a> the video his <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/2/20/2369584/-Lara-Trump-touts-most-transparent-president-as-he-kicks-out-press" target="_blank">daughter-in-law</a> was gushing over. Alongside the video, he wrote, “The biggest bridge in Iran comes tumbling down, never to be used again — Much more to follow! IT IS TIME FOR IRAN TO MAKE A DEAL BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE, AND THERE IS NOTHING LEFT OF WHAT STILL COULD BECOME A GREAT COUNTRY! President DONALD J. TRUMP.” Since the Iran war began on Feb. 28, at least 13 American service members have been killed. At the same time, Republicans are reportedly <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/30/2375473/-GOP-wants-to-cut-health-care-funding-to-pay-for-Iran-war" target="_blank">eyeing hundreds of billions</a> in health care cuts to help fund the war effort. rss@dailykos.com (Walter Einenkel) ForeignPolicy Iran laratrump Propaganda _2376031 Thu, 02 Apr 2026 20:30:07 +0000 Colorado court orders resentencing for former county clerk in election fraud scheme https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/4/2/2376036/-Colorado-court-orders-resentencing-for-former-county-clerk-in-election-fraud-scheme?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= A Colorado appeals court ruled Thursday that a former county clerk convicted in a scheme that sought to prove fraud in the 2020 presidential election should be resentenced because a judge wrongly punished her for statements protected as free speech. Tina Peters is serving a nine-year prison term after being <a href="https://apnews.com/article/tina-peters-election-computer-breach-8a171657321dd595dfd2dd81e0a0a848" target="_blank">convicted of state crimes</a> for sneaking in an outside computer expert to make a copy of her county's election computer system during a software update in 2021. A photo and video of confidential voting system passwords were later posted on social media and a conservative website. Calls for Peters’ release have become a cause celebre in the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/voting-machines-election-conspiracies-republicans-trump-f867ef5ed8d66f375066f8cbdb25cdf4" target="_blank">election conspiracy movement</a>. President Donald Trump has sought unsuccessfully to pardon Peters and pressured Colorado to set her free. <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/12/12/2358158/-Trump-grants-fake-pardon-to-infamous-election-denier" target="_blank">Trump grants fake pardon to infamous election denier</a> <hr> Judges on the Colorado Court of Appeals upheld her conviction in a 74-page ruling that rejected the notion that Trump has authority to pardon her state crimes. But they said a lower court judge should not have considered Peters’ continued promotion of election fraud conspiracies when he sentenced her in 2024. One of Tina Peters’ lawyers, John Case, said the court’s ruling affirmed the importance of free speech. “Tina Peters was punished for words that she used to criticize our insecure and illegal voting system,” Case said. “The decision affirms that people are free to speak what they believe in Colorado as well as the rest of the United States of America.” Case said he would likely ask at resentencing for Peters to receive the approximately 540 days she’s served already. That would allow her to be freed. Democratic Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, who has been considering granting clemency to Peters, praised the court’s decision for rejecting Trump’s pardon but upholding her free speech rights. “This case has been very challenging and a true test of our resolve as a state to have a fair judicial system, not just for people we agree with but a fair system for Coloradans that we vehemently disagree with,” Polis said in statement. Peters was the former clerk in Mesa County, in the far western part of Colorado, and convicted by jurors in the Republican stronghold that has supported Trump. <figure class="image-captioned align-right"><img alt="FILE - Mesa County, Colo., clerk Tina Peters talks on the west steps of the State Capitol Tuesday, April 5, 2022, in downtown Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1540988/large/AP26063861215988.jpg?1775153137" title="FILE - Mesa County, Colo., clerk Tina Peters talks on the west steps of the State Capitol Tuesday, April 5, 2022, in downtown Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)"> <figcaption>Tina Peters speaks on the west steps of the State Capitol in Denver in April 2022.</figcaption> </figure> She was unapologetic <a href="https://apnews.com/article/tina-peters-colorado-clerk-election-vote-fraud-b456ce4f80dc97f4b967eb6297311a51" target="_blank">when she was sentenced</a> by Judge Matthew Barrett and insisted that she tried to unearth what she believed was fraud for the greater good. He ripped into her, calling her a “charlatan” who had used her position to “peddle snake oil.” The appeals court found that Barrett violated her rights to free speech by punishing Peters for persistently alleging fraud in the 2020 election. They noted that because Peters is no longer serving as an election clerk, she can no longer engage in the conduct that led to her conviction. "The trial court obviously erred by imposing sentence at least partially based on Peters’ protected speech,” Judge Ted Tow wrote in Thursday's ruling. The court sent Peters’ case back to a lower court for a judge to issue a new sentence. Trump has threatened to take “harsh measures” against Colorado unless the state releases Peters. In February, Trump said Colorado was “suffering a big price” for refusing to release her. Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, a Democrat who is running for governor, has accused the Trump administration of waging a revenge campaign by <a href="https://apnews.com/article/duffy-colorado-commercial-drivers-licenses-immigrants-4ba055220e38bd4c208f20058d78282b" target="_blank">choking off funds</a> and ending federal programs over the state’s refusal to free Peters. Weiser said in response to the ruling that the original sentence had been “fair and appropriate.” “Whatever happens with her sentence, Tina Peters will always be a convicted felon who violated her duty as Mesa County clerk, put other lives at risk, and threatened our democracy. Nothing will remove that stain,” Weiser said in a statement. The Justice Department inserted itself into Peters’ bid to be released while her state appeal was considered. The federal Bureau of Prisons also <a href="https://apnews.com/article/colorado-trump-election-conspiracy-2020-prison-010cf75d32459f3a40a5fc4418dfc1fd" target="_blank">tried to get Peters moved</a> to a federal prison. After both efforts failed, Trump in December announced <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-pardon-tina-peters-colorado-43abc451b87ade3bd63b4b246f31edd4" target="_blank">a pardon</a> for Peters. <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/8/21/2339507/-Trump-demands-the-release-of-yet-another-criminal-who-worships-him" target="_blank">Trump demands the release of yet another criminal—who worships him</a> <hr> However, the appeals court judges said they could find no prior example of a president pardoning someone for a state crime. And they rejected her attorneys' claims that Peters actions had been carried out while “defending a federal interest.” “We have found no instance where the presidential pardon power has been stretched in such a way as to invade an individual state’s sovereignty,” they said, adding that the President’s pardon has “no impact” on the state’s case against Peters. The Associated Press left messages with the White House for comment. She was convicted of three counts of attempting to influence a public servant and one count each of conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation, first-degree official misconduct, violation of duty and failure to comply with the requirements of the secretary of state. Peters’ lawyers didn’t deny that she used the security badge of a local man she pretended to hire to allow the an associate of <a href="https://apnews.com/article/tina-peters-colorado-clerk-election-conspiracy-ddc433ca603cf9bce5f92f9449606e40" target="_blank">MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell</a> to make a copy of the Dominion Voting Systems election computer server during an annual software update in 2021. But they said she only wanted to preserve election data and find out whether any outside actor had accessed the system while ballots were being counted. They said she didn’t want the information made public. rss@dailykos.com (Associated Press) Colorado tinapeters _2376036 Thu, 02 Apr 2026 20:00:13 +0000 Republicans love to pretend they’re powerless when things go wrong https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/4/2/2376010/-Republicans-love-to-pretend-they-re-powerless-when-things-go-wrong?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= GOP Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania appeared on Newsmax Thursday, where he turned the tables on Democrats by claiming that they’re responsible for the <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/19/2373900/-House-Democrat-shreds-GOP-for-ongoing-government-shutdown" title="" target="_blank">government funding mess</a> under a GOP-controlled Congress. “Unfortunately, the future for [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] and Border Patrol—this is what it looks like under Democrat-led government or Democrat-participating government,” Perry blathered. <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=qTukJohTgXA" title="" data-frameborder="0" data-height="281" data-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qTukJohTgXA" data-width="500">YouTube Video</a></div> </div> He continued, “They won't fund law enforcement, and so we're going to have to find a way—at least for the duration of the Trump presidency—to fund Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement without any Democrat votes.”  The reason the GOP couldn’t force through funding for President Donald Trump’s gestapo-adjacent ICE is because its fascistic practices are <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/1/18/2363282/-Abolish-ICE-hits-record-high-support" title="" target="_blank">deeply unpopular</a>.  The Republican Party’s <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/1/26/2365628/-Watch-and-rage-as-Trump-s-propaganda-princess-spins-Alex-Pretti-killing" target="_blank">refusal to build</a> any framework to hold the overfunded goons accountable—coupled with moral <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/5/25/2323815/-Republicans-cave-on-disastrous-budget-after-Trump-s-demand-for-loyalty" title="" target="_blank">cowardice</a>—has resulted in inaction. On the bright side, Perry might not have to worry about spinning these lies for much longer. As <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/29/2374975/-What-will-it-take-for-Democrats-to-win-back-the-Senate" target="_blank">the midterms</a> approach, Americans seem increasingly <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/24/2374640/-A-blue-wave-might-be-heading-for-this-swing-state-in-November" target="_blank">fed up</a> with his party’s bullshit. rss@dailykos.com (Walter Einenkel) BorderPatrol DonaldTrump GovernmentShutdown ICE Midterms ScottPerry _2376010 Thu, 02 Apr 2026 19:30:02 +0000 Blessed are the peacemakers https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/4/2/2375774/-Blessed-are-the-peacemakers?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= A cartoon by Jack Ohman. <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/31/2375686/-Trump-and-Hegseth-scream-at-the-world-as-their-war-spirals" title="" target="_blank">Trump and Hegseth scream at the world as their war spirals</a> <hr> rss@dailykos.com (Jack Ohman) Cartoon Defense DonaldTrump Iran JackOhman peteHegseth War _2375774 Thu, 02 Apr 2026 19:29:17 +0000 Pam Bondi fired https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/4/2/2376035/-Pam-Bondi-fired?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= President Donald Trump<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-bondi-zeldin-justice-department-4b1bf39326d2d2c3fd41cadff91dd75b" title="" target="_blank"> has fired</a> Attorney General Pam Bondi after he was apparently displeased with her performance in using the Department of Justice to pursue his personal vendettas.   Trump is reportedly planning to replace her with current Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin, a Trump loyalist <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/2/13/2368593/-EPA-chief-says-climate-change-isn-t-a-hoax-it-s-a-con-job" target="_blank">known for pursuing</a> a <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/1/15/2363474/-Don-t-you-dare-cite-reports-from-the-EPA-says-the-EPA" target="_blank">pro-pollution agenda</a>. <figure class="image-captioned width-xl align-right"><img alt="President Donald Trump welcomes Pam Bondi before she is sworn in as Attorney General by Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)" class="width-xl" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1502222/large/AP25036594185714.jpg?1764110767" title="President Donald Trump welcomes Pam Bondi before she is sworn in as Attorney General by Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)"> <figcaption>President Donald Trump welcomes Pam Bondi before she is sworn in as attorney general on Feb. 5, 2025.</figcaption> </figure> Bondi wasn’t Trump’s first pick to serve as attorney general. The original plan<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/11/13/2285998/-The-Gaetz-of-hell-Trump-taps-accused-sex-trafficker-for-attorney-general" title="" target="_blank"> was to install</a> former Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, but a sex-trafficking scandal pushed him out, forcing Trump to pivot to Bondi. Under Bondi, attempts<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/12/5/2357059/-Trump-s-revenge-plot-unravels-as-another-grand-jury-shuts-him-down" title="" target="_blank"> have been made</a> to pervert the criminal justice system to go after Trump’s ideological enemies. Charges were filed against figures like New York Attorney General Leticia James—who successfully prosecuted Trump—and former FBI Director James Comey—who exposed Trump’s role in the pressure campaign that led to his first impeachment. But those cases have faced roadblocks from skeptical judges and juries who stand in the way of Trump using the court system as his plaything. Bondi has also been a disaster while serving as the most public face attached to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. Bondi touted Trump’s line early on, hinting that disclosures about the accused sex trafficker and his reported client list would be exposed. <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/5/2371788/-Kristi-Noem-commits-Trump-s-one-unforgivable-sin" title="" target="_blank">Kristi Noem fired</a> <hr> But Bondi<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/2/11/2368252/-Pam-Bondi-loses-her-sh-t-at-Epstein-hearing" target="_blank"> quickly became</a> the leader of Trump’s refusal to come clean about the lurid details of Epstein’s operation and his victims. Testifying before Congress, Bondi was repeatedly defiant about the administration’s efforts to hide the Epstein files from the public. Bondi<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/3/14/2310184/-Trump-attorney-general-makes-disturbing-threats-to-protect-Musk" target="_blank"> has operated</a> as a loyal foot soldier for Trump, pushing to silence his critics and rushing to defend his allies like racist billionaire Elon Musk. But like ousted Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem—<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/30/2375166/-Kristi-Noem-s-fall-from-grace-is-far-from-over" title="" target="_blank">another woman</a> in Trump’s Cabinet who has been pushed out—Bondi has apparently outlived her usefulness. House Oversight Committee Democrats<a href="https://bsky.app/profile/robertgarcia.house.gov/post/3mijptw4rps2n" title="" target="_blank"> issued a warning</a> to Bondi after news of her firing broke. <figure class="image-captioned width-xl align-left"><img alt="FILE - EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin attends a Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission Event in the East Room of the White House, May 22, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)" class="width-xl" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1484157/large/AP25273760667162.jpg?1759418385" title="FILE - EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin attends a Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission Event in the East Room of the White House, May 22, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)"> <figcaption>EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, who is reportedly being considered as Bondi’s replacement.</figcaption> </figure> “Attorney General Pam Bondi has been leading a White House cover-up of the Epstein files,” Rep. Robert Garcia, the highest-ranking Democrat on the committee, <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/oversightdemocrats.bsky.social/post/3mijpkib2fc2g" target="_blank">said in a statement</a>. Garcia said that Bondi weaponized the DOJ to protect Trump in the Epstein case, accusing her and Trump of putting survivors in harm’s way by exposing their identities. “She must answer for her mishandling of the Epstein files and the special treatment she has given [Epstein accomplice] Ghislaine Maxwell,” he added. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who was also Trump’s personal lawyer, will operate as interim attorney general. Blanche has<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/9/17/2344003/-Here-is-the-worst-First-Amendment-take-from-Trump-s-former-lawyer" target="_blank"> demonstrated his willingness</a> to use the publicly funded DOJ as a tool of Trump’s personal interests. Meanwhile, during his time in Congress, Zeldin<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-impeachment-inquiry/trump-s-defender-how-little-known-gop-lawmaker-became-point-n1076046" target="_blank"> was a zealous defender</a> of Trump. And after <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/11/09/1134203429/new-york-governor-election-results-kathy-hochul-lee-zeldin" title="" target="_blank">a failed bid</a> for New York governor, Zeldin was appointed to the EPA, where he<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/3/13/2309785/-EPA-chief-crows-about-killing-regulations-while-climate-change-worsens" title="" target="_blank"> has pushed</a> for relaxing rules meant to keep environmental resources clean—endangering the lives of millions of Americans. But whether he chooses Blanche, Zeldin, or another sycophant, Trump has made it clear that his priority is to bend the justice system to his will to continue his cover-ups and corruption. rss@dailykos.com (Oliver Willis) Corruption DOJ DonaldTrump EpsteinFiles LeeZeldin PamBondi ToddBlanche _2376035 Thu, 02 Apr 2026 18:19:07 +0000 Fans boo Trump’s tariffs in pro wrestling's latest anti-MAGA turn https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/4/2/2376009/-Fans-boo-Trump-s-tariffs-in-pro-wrestling-s-latest-anti-MAGA-turn?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= Fans attending an All Elite Wrestling event in Canada on Wednesday night made their displeasure with U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff policy loud and clear, chanting “Fuck the tariffs.” The outburst is the latest instance of the world of professional wrestling turning against Trump, despite his years of cultivating close ties with it. <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block" data-bluesky-content="&lt;blockquote class="bluesky-embed" data-bluesky-uri="at://did:plc:4llrhdclvdlmmynkwsmg5tdc/app.bsky.feed.post/3mijdgqoi3k25" data-bluesky-cid="bafyreihzv6vizaq7xfxyp5cpb4knbss2cdggs3fexx5ivccv35dflfegtq"&gt;&lt;p lang="en"&gt;AEW Dynamite was in Winnipeg last night, and the Canadian crowd broke into a &amp;#34;Fuck the tariffs!&amp;#34; chant 😆&lt;/p&gt;&amp;mdash; &lt;a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:4llrhdclvdlmmynkwsmg5tdc?ref_src=embed"&gt;Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com)&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:4llrhdclvdlmmynkwsmg5tdc/post/3mijdgqoi3k25?ref_src=embed"&gt;2026-04-02T13:40:53.374Z&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:4llrhdclvdlmmynkwsmg5tdc/app.bsky.feed.post/3mijdgqoi3k25" data-bluesky-cid="bafyreihzv6vizaq7xfxyp5cpb4knbss2cdggs3fexx5ivccv35dflfegtq">AEW Dynamite was in Winnipeg last night, and the Canadian crowd broke into a "Fuck the tariffs!" chant 😆— <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:4llrhdclvdlmmynkwsmg5tdc?ref_src=embed" target="_blank">Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com)</a> <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:4llrhdclvdlmmynkwsmg5tdc/post/3mijdgqoi3k25?ref_src=embed" target="_blank">2026-04-02T13:40:53.374Z</a></blockquote></div> The chant occurred during the “AEW Dynamite” broadcast airing from Canada Life Centre, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.<a href="https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3mijdgqoi3k25" target="_blank"> </a>On the <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3mijdgqoi3k25" target="_blank">live broadcast</a>, the crowd could be clearly slamming Trump’s trade policy. Attendees also booed wrestler MJF—an antagonist character known as a “heel” in wrestling terminology—who wore American-flag-themed wrestling attire while he taunted the crowd by saying, “God bless the United States of America.” For months, Canada has <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/2/11/2368332/-House-votes-to-slap-back-Trump-s-tariffs-on-Canada-in-rare-bipartisan-rebuke" target="_blank">been in the crosshairs</a> of Trump’s tariff policy. Trump has tried to extract concessions from the Canadian government by adding extra costs to Canadian goods. As a result, American consumers have been forced to pay more for goods from one of America’s closest allies. AEW’s events on U.S. soil have also been featured anti-Trump sentiment. At an AEW broadcast from Las Vegas in February,<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/2/13/2368447/-Is-Warner-Bros-sidelining-an-anti-ICE-wrestler" target="_blank"> the crowd erupted</a> in a “Fuck ICE” chant. AEW wrestler Brody King also sells an “Abolish ICE” line of merchandise on his website, with funds benefitting the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee. Outside of AEW, legendary wrestler and WWE Hall of Famer<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/12/16/2358724/-Wrestling-legend-quits-WWE-over-ties-to-incredibly-cruel-Trump" target="_blank"> Mick Foley announced</a> that he had quit the company in December. Foley cited close ties between WWE leadership and the Trump administration as the reason for his departure. Foley said he didn’t want to “represent a company that coddles a man so seemingly void of compassion as he marches our country towards autocracy.” In March, Foley<a href="https://youtu.be/7ssDFzesdn4" target="_blank"> released a video</a> calling on conservatives and right-leaning independents to break away from the MAGA movement. He cited the Trump-led movement’s support of fascism, bigotry, and misogyny in a video titled “WE ARE BETTER THAN THIS.” <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=7ssDFzesdn4" title="" data-frameborder="0" data-height="281" data-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7ssDFzesdn4" data-width="500">YouTube Video</a></div> </div> The wrestling world’s push against Trump hits at his core. Trump was once a part of WWE and is in the company’s <a href="https://www.wwe.com/superstars/donald-trump" target="_blank">hall of fame</a>. He is a close ally of WWE founder Vince McMahon, whose wife Linda McMahon, a former WWE CEO,<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/1/10/2362310/-Vouchers-patriotism-and-prayer-The-Trump-administration-s-plan-to-remake-public-education" title="" target="_blank"> has served</a> in both of Trump’s presidential administrations, including as his current education secretary. Former WWE star Triple H, now the company’s chief content officer, <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/12/23/2359656/-Top-WWE-official-shills-for-Trump-days-after-another-legend-fights-back" target="_blank">appeared with Trump</a> at the White House last year. And before his death, iconic wrestler and<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/1/7/2295656/-Not-today-brother-Trump-loving-Hulk-Hogan-booed-at-WWE-event" target="_blank"> notorious racist Hulk Hogan</a> endorsed Trump at the Republican Party’s 2024 national convention. Trump<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/20/2373901/-Trump-plans-UFC-birthday-fight-during-downtime-from-war?pm_source=ICYMI&pm_campaign=ICYMI03202026" target="_blank"> has been talking up</a> plans to host a UFC match on the White House lawn in June. UFC and WWE are both owned by entertainment company TKO Group Holdings Inc. The world of wrestling was once Trump’s domain. But he is<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/3/31/2375688/-Trump-s-support-is-dwindling-to-just-the-MAGA-die-hards" target="_blank"> losing support</a> across the board with the public, and the lusty boos of wrestling fans in two countries demonstrates that Trump is a loser in their world as well. rss@dailykos.com (Oliver Willis) AEW Canada DonaldTrump Tariffs Wrestling _2376009 Thu, 02 Apr 2026 17:30:02 +0000 GOP senator freaks over Supreme Court respecting the Constitution https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/4/2/2376001/-GOP-senator-freaks-over-Supreme-Court-respecting-the-Constitution?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin took his <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/2/12/2368409/-All-lies-Minnesota-attorney-general-shreds-Republican-senator" target="_blank">racist ideas</a> to Fox Business on Thursday, reacting to President Donald Trump’s <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/4/1/2375890/-Will-the-Supreme-Court-side-with-Trump-or-the-Constitution" target="_blank">rough showing</a> during the Supreme Court’s oral arguments regarding his challenge to birthright citizenship. “I was disappointed in the Supreme Court, the justices there,” Johnson <a href="https://x.com/atrupar/status/2039703798688399370" target="_blank">said</a>. “I mean, this is using the Constitution, you know, it's not a suicide pact, and unfortunately, the justices, they—maybe their ruling will be on the law and on the Constitution, but you have to look at the bigger picture here.” <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=S8GFoy8p2GY" data-frameborder="0" data-height="281" data-src="//www.youtube.com/embed/S8GFoy8p2GY" data-width="500">YouTube Video</a></div> </div> Johnson stumbled through the bogeyman argument that so-called “birthright-citizenship tourism”—traveling to the United States while pregnant to secure citizenship for a child—justifies doing away with our constitutional rights.  Even by the most generous estimates, birth “tourism” accounts for <a href="https://www.opb.org/article/2026/03/29/critics-of-birthright-citizenship-say-its-a-fraud-issue-is-it/" target="_blank">less than 2%</a> of U.S. births every year. Critics (see: rational human beings) argue that fixing the immigration system through comprehensive legislative policy would be more effective—and, notably, is the point of having a Constitution. But, as with the rest of the racist GOP immigration agenda, Republicans’ <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/4/2/2375718/-Trump-s-justice-department-dropped-23-000-criminal-investigations-in-shift-to-immigration" target="_blank">approach</a> tries to fix the system by <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/1/26/2365628/-Watch-and-rage-as-Trump-s-propaganda-princess-spins-Alex-Pretti-killing" target="_blank">bludgeoning it</a> to death. rss@dailykos.com (Walter Einenkel) birthrightcitizenship Constitution Immigration RonJohnson SCOTUS SupremeCourt _2376001 Thu, 02 Apr 2026 17:00:02 +0000 Secretaries of state discuss how the Trump administration could impact the 2026 midterms https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/4/2/2375990/-Secretaries-of-state-discuss-how-the-Trump-administration-could-impact-the-2026-midterms?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon and former Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill joined Votebeat editor-in-chief Carrie Levine on a virtual panel. By <a href="https://www.votebeat.org/authors/carter-walker" target="_blank">Carter Walker</a> for <a href="https://www.votebeat.org/national/2026/03/30/trump-federal-interference-2026-midterm-elections-votebeat-event-steve-simon-john-merril/" target="_blank">Votebeat</a> <hr> Election administration isn’t what it used to be. When Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon first took office in 2015, he used to have to explain to people what the duties of his office were. Not anymore, he says, thanks in large part to President Donald Trump. Simon, a Democrat, and former Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill, a Republican, joined Votebeat editor-in-chief Carrie Levine Wednesday to discuss the ways the Trump administration has been reshaping elections and what impact it could have on the 2026 midterms. <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=lDNUkBWhzqU" data-frameborder="0" data-height="281" data-src="//www.youtube.com/embed/lDNUkBWhzqU" data-width="500">YouTube Video</a></div> </div> If you missed it, you can <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDNUkBWhzqU" target="_blank" title="">catch a rerun of it here</a>, but one of the main takeaways was that, while ordinary citizens know a lot more about elections than they used to, the nuances of how they work — including the laws surrounding them, and the balance of priorities that running them well requires — aren’t at the forefront of the conversation as much as they should be. “That’s the most important thing that has happened, is that the president has brought what many had considered a mundane, almost perfunctory task into light,” Merrill said. Trump’s second term began much in the way his first term ended: with the president intent on reshaping electoral procedures to his liking. This time around, that’s taken the shape of his <a href="https://www.votebeat.org/2025/03/26/trump-executive-order-elections-mail-ballots-proof-of-citizenship/" target="_blank">March 2025 executive order</a> and his aggressive push to get Congress to <a href="https://www.votebeat.org/2026/02/06/republicans-congress-election-integrity-bills-trump-proof-of-citizenship-photo-voter-id/" target="_blank" title="">pass the SAVE America Act</a>, which seeks to implement aspects of the executive order that <a href="https://www.votebeat.org/2025/06/13/trump-executive-order-on-elections-proof-of-citizenship-injunction/" target="_blank" title="">courts have halted</a>, like requiring registering voters to provide proof of citizenship. Simon said Minnesota was one of a number of states that sued over the proof-of-citizenship requirement in the president’s executive order, and the states won by pointing out that — merits of the policy aside — the Constitution simply doesn’t give the president authority over elections. <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/2/18/2369139/-What-if-everyone-had-to-prove-their-citizenship-to-register-to-vote" target="_blank">What if everyone had to prove their citizenship to register to vote?</a> <hr> “Our Founding Fathers delegated the authority for elections at the state level to our individual member states,” Merrill said. “That’s where it should remain.” However, it may be that the White House understood the executive order was on shaky legal ground, Simon speculated, but is trying to test the limits of election law and the Constitution through these actions. And the executive order is not the only way the administration is trying to involve itself in how states are administering elections. The Justice Department has <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2026/02/26/doj-sues-5-more-states-for-access-to-voter-rolls-00802317" target="_blank">sued 29 states</a>, including Minnesota, for unredacted versions of their voter rolls, ostensibly to see if the states are properly complying with the Help America Vote Act, <a href="https://www.eac.gov/about/help_america_vote_act.aspx" target="_blank">a 2002 law</a> that overhauled voter registration and election administration. Many states, like Minnesota, are arguing that privacy laws prevent them from handing over the records. So far, no court has ordered a state to turn over its voter rolls, although one state (Oklahoma) last week <a href="https://oklahomavoice.com/2026/03/24/groups-sue-to-block-the-release-of-oklahoma-voter-data-sought-by-trump-administration/" target="_blank">consented to handing over the data</a> as part of a settlement agreement. Three of the cases <a href="https://www.votebeat.org/michigan/2026/02/10/trump-justice-department-lawsuit-voter-rolls-data-dismissed-judge-hala-jarbou-jocelyn-benson/" target="_blank">have been dismissed</a>, although appeals are <a href="https://www.votebeat.org/michigan/2026/03/14/michigan-voter-roll-case-doj-appeal-supreme-court/" target="_blank" title="">working their way up the court system</a>. The day after the Votebeat event, <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/minnesota-elections-office-subpoenaed-federal-criminal-probe-non-citizens-state-voter-rolls/" target="_blank" title="">CBS News also reported</a> that Simon’s office had received a subpoena from the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security ordering it to turn over the records of more than 125 Minnesota voters. But regardless of whether a proof-of-citizenship requirement is ultimately enacted or the Justice Department succeeds in its lawsuits, the federal government is already leaving its mark on how the 2026 midterm elections will be administered. States have followed Trump’s lead and passed their own proof of citizenship requirements (a new state, South Dakota, joined the rapidly growing list last week) and <a href="https://boltsmag.org/utah-legislation-ending-universal-vote-by-mail/" target="_blank" title="">rolled back mail voting options</a>. (Simon also noted that a lawsuit over the legality of mail ballots that arrive after Election Day, which the U.S. Supreme Court <a href="https://www.votebeat.org/national/2026/03/23/supreme-court-late-mail-ballots-election-day-mississippi-2026-midterm-elections/" target="_blank" title="">heard arguments in last Monday</a>, shared a lot of DNA with Trump’s executive order.) <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/31/2375795/-Trump-ramps-up-his-unconstitutional-crusade-against-mail-in-voting" title="" target="_blank">Trump ramps up his unconstitutional crusade against mail-in voting</a> <hr> States are also girding themselves for other ways the Trump administration may try to interfere in elections in ways that go beyond lobbying for the president’s preferred policies. Simon said election officials are always preparing themselves for a myriad of possible disruptive scenarios that may never materialize — everything from bomb threats to weather events. Now, part of that list is federal agents showing up at voting locations, a scenario he said had a “nonzero chance” of happening. “We’re gaming out what in our heads could that look like,” Simon said, adding that his office has been reviewing Minnesota laws regarding law enforcement at polling places and whether they apply to federal agents. “We believe the answer is yes and we’re prepared to enforce that.” <figure class="image-captioned width-xl align-right"><img alt="Cartoon by Jack Ohman" class="width-xl" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1534335/large/20260311edohc-a.jpg?1773270784" title="Cartoon by Jack Ohman"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> He isn’t alone. Responding to those same concerns, New Mexico recently <a href="https://stateline.org/2026/03/05/blue-states-push-to-ban-ice-at-the-polls-amid-federal-voter-intimidation-fears/" target="_blank" title="">passed a law</a> outright barring federal law enforcement from voting locations. But, as Simon noted, election officials are having to thread a needle. How do they prepare for this possible interference, and inform the public, without being alarmist and discouraging them from voting? “We want to call it out and name it and not avoid it but in the same breath tell people what the workarounds are,” he said. In general, it’s a positive that as a result of Trump more people are paying attention to election administration issues, Merrill said. But what’s missing from that conversation is knowledge. <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/2/8/2367494/-Trump-s-calls-to-nationalize-elections-has-local-officials-bracing-for-tumult" title="" target="_blank">Trump’s calls to 'nationalize' elections has local officials bracing for tumult</a> <hr> Merrill expressed frustration that some of the loudest voices weighing in on election administration issues have had no interaction with the electoral system other than as a voter. “They’ve never worked in the polls and they’ve never been part of the process and understanding how it’s set up, how it’s broken down, what the individual procedures are.” To fix that, people should contact their local officials and see the process for themselves, Merrill said. He’s found that, when people do that, they often see how well the system runs. There’s certainly no lack of need for election workers, and perhaps if more people followed Merrill’s advice, there would be less friction in the wheels of democracy. rss@dailykos.com (Votebeat) 2026midterms Elections States Voting _2375990 Thu, 02 Apr 2026 16:30:15 +0000 Bosom blackmail https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/4/2/2375995/-Bosom-blackmail?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= A cartoon by Clay Jones. <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/31/2375727/-Kristi-Noem-s-very-bad-month-takes-jaw-dropping-turn" target="_blank">Kristi Noem's very bad month takes a jaw-dropping turn</a> <hr> rss@dailykos.com (Clay Jones) Cartoon KRISTINOEM _2375995 Thu, 02 Apr 2026 16:29:06 +0000 Trump whines about Springsteen hours after Iran war speech flops https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/4/2/2375993/-Trump-ramps-up-his-war-on-Bruce-Springsteen?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= On Wednesday night, President Donald Trump delivered a poorly received national address about the global crisis he created by attacking Iran. And on Thursday morning, he followed up the speech by whining about international rock star Bruce Springsteen. “Bad, and very boring singer, Bruce Springsteen, who looks like a dried up prune who has suffered greatly from the work of a really bad plastic surgeon, has long had a horrible and incurable case of Trump Derangement Syndrome, sometimes referred to as TDS,” Trump<a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116334990675013056" target="_blank"> fumed on</a> his Truth Social account. In his rant about Springsteen, Trump lied and once again regurgitated the falsehood that his 2024 election win—in which he <a href="https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/national.php?year=2024&f=1&off=0" target="_blank">did not win a majority</a> of the popular vote—was a “Landslide” victory. He concluded by calling on MAGA supporters to boycott Springsteen’s “OVERPRICED CONCERTS, WHICH SUCK.” Trump’s latest celebrity-targeted meltdown was triggered by Springsteen’s outspoken opposition to Trump as well as the New Jersey-born icon’s refusal to keep silent despite earlier complaints from the unpopular president. Springsteen and the E Street Band<a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/music/music-news/bruce-springsteen-rallies-trump-tour-1236553596/" target="_blank"> kicked off</a> their “Land of Hope and Dreams American Tour” on Tuesday night in Minneapolis, Minnesota. <figure class="image-captioned align-right"><img alt="FILE - Bruce Springsteen performs at a campaign rally supporting Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, Oct. 28, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1538703/large/AP26085606362662.jpg?1774628796" title="FILE - Bruce Springsteen performs at a campaign rally supporting Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, Oct. 28, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)"> <figcaption>Bruce Springsteen performs in 2024.</figcaption> </figure> Springsteen told attendees, “We are here in celebration and defense of our American ideals, democracy, our Constitution, and our sacred American promise. The America that I love, the America that I’ve written about for 50 years, that’s been a beacon of hope and liberty around the world, is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent, racist, reckless, and treasonous administration.” The musician has long been an advocate of progressive causes and the Democratic Party. He co-authored a book with former President Barack Obama and<a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-live-bruce-springsteen-joins-harris-and-obama-for-campaign-rally-in-atlanta" target="_blank"> campaigned on</a> behalf of then-Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 election. In January, <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/1/28/2365969/-Bruce-Springsteen-releases-Minnesota-protest-song" target="_blank">he released</a> a protest song about federal immigration agents who killed U.S. citizens in Minnesota, and<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/2/17/2369182/--The-cavalry-is-coming-Springsteen-sticks-it-to-Trump-with-new-tour" target="_blank"> described</a> the American portion of his tour as “the cavalry” coming to rally Americans for democracy. Trump’s anti-Springsteen missive comes as he fumbles around for a win. His prime-time address about Iran<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/4/1/2375942/-Trump-addresses-nation-on-Iran-war-in-first-prime-time-speech-since-launching-strikes-4-weeks-ago" target="_blank"> contained no new information</a>, he continued to be unable to explain why America is at war, and he reiterated his threat to bomb Iran into the “stone age.” Soon after Trump’s speech concluded, the cost of a barrel of crude oil<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2026/04/02/oil-prices-today-wti-brent-trump-speech-iran-war-.html" target="_blank"> increased 13%,</a> reflecting the markets’ collective view that Trump has no plan to solve the problem he created.  Trump’s rant about Springsteen echoes<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/31/2375686/-Trump-and-Hegseth-scream-at-the-world-as-their-war-spirals" target="_blank"> his previous whining</a> about how the news media has accurately covered his failures. He and members of his administration, like Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, have tried to drown out concerns from millions with their complaints. It isn’t working. Things are bad, and pushing for boycotting Springsteen concerts isn’t going to fix a single thing. rss@dailykos.com (Oliver Willis) BruceSpringsteen DonaldTrump Iran Media Music _2375993 Thu, 02 Apr 2026 15:00:06 +0000 Artemis II's 'lunar loo' is working again to astronauts' relief after overnight fix https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/4/2/2376003/-Artemis-II-s-lunar-loo-is-working-again-to-astronauts-relief-after-overnight-fix?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= NASA’s <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nasa-artemis-moon-launch-055040ce0579ec238d0ec9fcb0278ed3" target="_blank" title="">moonbound astronauts</a> have reason to celebrate, and not just because <a href="https://apnews.com/photo-gallery/artemis-ii-launch-photos-b87b2d017672b6dd323ccf9c224c4909" target="_blank" title="">their launch went so well</a>. Their toilet is now working. The so-called lunar loo malfunctioned as soon as the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nasa-moon-artemis-astronauts-f3f49214618099a98338835715e4562a" target="_blank" title="">Artemis II crew</a> reached orbit Wednesday evening. Mission Control guided astronaut Christina Koch through some plumbing tricks and she finally got it going. The bad news is that it’s so cold inside the Orion capsule — 65 degrees Fahrenheit — that the four astronauts are digging into suitcases for long-sleeved clothes. Mission Control is trying to warm things up. <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=Tf_UjBMIzNo" title="" data-frameborder="0" data-height="281" data-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Tf_UjBMIzNo" data-width="500">YouTube Video</a></div> </div> The <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nasa-moon-artemis-crew-3a47786c3757f7d79154d96933aa5bd9" target="_blank" title="">three Americans and one Canadian</a> are on track to bust out of orbit around Earth on Thursday night and zoom to the moon for a lunar fly-around. It will be Mission Control’s first translunar injection since Apollo's swan song in 1972. Until then, the astronauts are savoring the views of Earth from tens of thousands of miles high. Koch told Mission Control that they can make out the entire coastlines of continents and even the South Pole, her old stomping ground. "It is just absolutely phenomenal," radioed Koch, who spent a year at an Antarctic research station before joining NASA. <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/4/1/2375689/-NASA-is-shooting-for-the-moon-A-guide-to-the-Artemis-II-mission" title="" target="_blank">NASA is shooting for the moon. A guide to the Artemis II mission.</a> <hr> The mission is due to end with a Pacific splashdown on April 10. NASA is counting on the test flight to kickstart the <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/national-aeronautics-and-space-administration" target="_blank" title="">entire Artemis program</a> and lead to a moon landing by two astronauts in 2028. Orion's toilet may need some design tweaks before that happens. Located in the floor with a door and curtain for privacy, the capsule's lone toilet is based on an experimental commode that launched to the International Space Station in 2020. That station potty barely saw any use and has been out of order for years. <figure class="image-captioned width-xl align-right"><img alt="NASA's Artemis II moon rocket lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39-B Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)" class="width-xl" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1540907/large/AP26092067803861.jpg?1775143197" title="NASA's Artemis II moon rocket lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39-B Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)"> <figcaption>Moments after Artemis II blasted off on April 1 for its 10-day mission around the moon.</figcaption> </figure> Known as the universal waste management system, the compact toilet uses air suction instead of water and gravity to remove waste, similar to earlier space toilets. It’s also designed to better accommodate female astronauts. Koch and her crewmates had to resort to a bag and funnel system for urinating until she got the toilet working overnight. Any toilet — even a fitful one — is better than none if you ask any of the six surviving Apollo astronauts. NASA's Apollo capsules were too small to accommodate a commode, so the all-male crews relied on bags to relieve themselves throughout the lunar journey. These so-called Apollo bags were repurposed during NASA's later space shuttle flights; they served as backup whenever the shuttle toilet acted up. rss@dailykos.com (Associated Press) Artemis Astronauts NASA Space _2376003 Thu, 02 Apr 2026 15:24:03 +0000 US crude tops $110 per barrel and stocks tumble after Trump vows to escalate attacks on Iran https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/4/2/2375985/-US-crude-tops-110-per-barrel-and-stocks-tumble-after-Trump-vows-to-escalate-attacks-on-Iran?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= Oil rose more than 10% and U.S. futures tumbled Thursday after President Donald Trump said in his <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-address-iran-war-takeaways-3a232cc5ae76436433bc62118a32b415" target="_blank">first national address</a> since the <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/iran" target="_blank">Iran war</a> began that the United States will escalate its campaign in the coming weeks. Futures for the S&P 500 tumbled 1.5% before the opening bell, while futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 1.4%. Nasdaq futures slid 2%. Thursday is the last day of trading this week due to the Good Friday holiday. Markets have not posted a weekly gain since the war began in late February. <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/4/1/2375942/-Trump-addresses-nation-on-Iran-war-in-first-prime-time-speech-since-launching-strikes-4-weeks-ago" target="_blank">Trump says US forces will 'finish the job' soon in first prime-time speech since starting Iran war</a> <hr> A spokesman for Iran’s military insisted Thursday that Tehran maintains hidden stockpiles of arms, munitions and production facilities. “The centers you think you have targeted are insignificant, and our strategic military productions take place in locations of which you have no knowledge and will never reach,” Lt. Col. Ebrahim Zolfaghari claimed. Just before Trump began his address — in which he said U.S. “core strategic objectives are nearing completion” — explosions were heard in Dubai as air defenses worked to intercept an Iranian missile barrage. Trump did not mention a looming deadline he set for Iran to open <a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-hormuz-shipping-tolls-china-de5159966cde7de7b964b3c2c67eec07" target="_blank">the Strait of Hormuz</a>, the critical waterway for global oil and gas transport, after he threatened Iran earlier with U.S. attacks on its energy infrastructure if the strait was not reopened. He did not offer a clear path to end the supply disruptions that have sent energy prices soaring. <figure class="image-captioned align-right"><img alt="Cartoon by Mike Luckovich" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1538233/large/lk032626dAPR.jpg?1774476957" title="Cartoon by Mike Luckovich"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> Oil prices shot sharply higher following Trump’s remarks. The price U.S. crude on Thursday actually shot higher than the type of crude that has been bottled up by the near closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Benchmark U.S. crude rose $10.11 to $110.24 a barrel outpacing Brent, the international benchmark. Brent jumped more than 8% to $109.38. “The market has shown disappointment because the speech President Trump made was far less than what the market expected,” said Takashi Hiroki, chief strategist at Monex in Tokyo. “There were no concrete details about the end of the hostilities with Iran.” “What the market wants is a clear outline for the ceasefire,” he said. In overnight equities trading, General Motors slid more than 2% after the automaker reported a nearly 10% decline in first quarter sales. That dragged most automakers lower early Thursday as several others prepare to post their latest results. At midday in Europe, Britain's FTSE 100 was down 0.6%, France's CAC 40 fell 1.3%, and Germany's DAX lost 2.4%. Asian shares closed lower. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 was down 2.4% to 52,463.27 on Thursday. South Korea’s Kospi lost 4.5% to 5,234.05, also after government data showed consumer prices in March rose 2.2% from a year earlier on soaring fuel costs. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 0.7% to 25,116.53, the Shanghai Composite index was down 0.7% to 3,919.29. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 dropped 1.1%, while Taiwan’s Taiex traded 1.8% lower. Gold and silver prices fell. Gold was down 3.9% to $4,627 per ounce, while silver lost 6.9% to $70.85. rss@dailykos.com (Associated Press) DonaldTrump Economy Iran Oil Stocks _2375985 Thu, 02 Apr 2026 14:30:07 +0000 Is Hasan Piker the leftist influencer Democrats need right now? https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/4/2/2375893/-Is-Hasan-Piker-the-leftist-influencer-Democrats-need-right-now?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= Guys, there’s no need to fight.  Some Democrats seem to be coming after political influencer Hasan Piker as the progressive commentator cozies up with the party’s candidates. But if you’re reading this and asking, “What is going on and who is this man on the internet <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DFQCDtyJ-lv/?img_index=1" title="" target="_blank">posting shirtless pics</a> alongside political hot takes,” then don’t worry—we’ve got the answers. <figure class="image-captioned width-xl align-right"><img alt="01-25-2024-mcfadden-915px.png" class="width-xl" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1540666/large/01-25-2024-mcfadden-915px.png?1775073126" title="01-25-2024-mcfadden-915px.png"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> Piker is a Twitch streamer who <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/27/style/hasan-piker-twitch-youtube.html" target="_blank" title="">rose to political prominence</a> among younger voters during the social media age and—to some Democrats’ dismay, it seems—has some controversial opinions.  The 34-year-old has apparently angered quite a few people and has been labeled “antisemitic” for some of his statements and <a href="https://x.com/hasanthehun/status/2009838155986600044?s=20" title="" target="_blank">views on the Gaza conflict</a>.  And in March, the Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/opinion/free-expression/democrats-are-too-cozy-with-hasan-piker-2ecee4cc?gaa_at=eafs&gaa_n=AWEtsqfblnaklEi6cnuSVyeUEBhsj1NsP-yJocrpL--EXbKSpaFFCM-9YVNZAgQCz9o%3D&gaa_ts=69c6dc16&gaa_sig=YLPhvTp28iEN5Z0k6Sb1tWhFlgfQ3O2WMV2Oc4abWdN3lf3LnVsSis_EM0wR_3sC008Lt_cJj2I1MKEZDUPQ2Q%3D%3D" title="" target="_blank">published an op-ed </a>by members of the self-described “<a href="https://www.thirdway.org/about" title="" target="_blank">radical centrist</a>” think tank Third Way saying that Piker’s “misogyny is indistinguishable from that of far-right influence.” “He believes ‘America deserved 9/11,’” the op-ed writers claim, linking to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSYVXXCFkAg&t=1s" title="" target="_blank">a blurb </a>from one of Piker’s livestreams.  Continuing, they wrote, “Mr. Piker is anti-American, anti-women, anti-Western, and antisemitic. No Democrat should engage with him. All should seek to push him to the fringe, where he belongs.” However, that doesn’t seem to reflect the sentiment of the entire Democratic Party.  As some are screaming for the Democrats to keep their distance, others are embracing Piker’s ability to rally the younger voter base through livestreams and social media.  In the past, Piker has interviewed left-wing figures such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Earlier this week, he<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DWY7u0tia7T/" title="" target="_blank"> stood alongside Sen. Bernie Sanders</a> at a Tax the Rich rally in the Bronx. Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/27/us/politics/elsayed-piker-michigan-rally-backlash.html" target="_blank" title="">has also embraced Piker’s candor</a>, inviting him to join upcoming campaign rallies.  In a time when Democrats are debating how to appeal to younger voters, it’s unclear whether ostracizing or embracing the influencer is the most effective approach.  <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/1/7/2361894/-Why-young-men-are-cooling-on-Trump" title="" target="_blank">Why young men are cooling on Trump</a> <hr> As for Piker, he says that it’s this disconnect that explains why his views are so popular in the first place. “I’m a megaphone, right?” Piker <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/28/hasan-piker-democrats-midterms-2028-00849453" title="" target="_blank">told Politico</a>. “There are a lot of Barbs and Deborahs out there in Minneapolis, for example, that have never encountered me, and yet they share that frustration with the failures of establishment liberalism all the same.” Daily Kos has contacted Piker and the DNC for comment. rss@dailykos.com (Alix Breeden) AlexandriaOcasio-Cortez BernieSanders Democrats DNC Hasanpiker ZohranMamdani _2375893 Thu, 02 Apr 2026 13:30:02 +0000 Trump’s DOJ dropped 23,000 criminal investigations in shift to immigration https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/4/2/2375718/-Trump-s-justice-department-dropped-23-000-criminal-investigations-in-shift-to-immigration?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= <div>By <a href="https://www.propublica.org/people/kenneth-morales-2" target="_blank">Ken B. Morales</a> and <a href="https://www.propublica.org/people/david-armstrong" target="_blank">David Armstrong</a> for <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-doj-immigration-bondi-declinations-criminal-investigations" target="_blank">ProPublica</a> <hr> In the first days after Pam Bondi was appointed attorney general last year, the Department of Justice began shutting down pending criminal cases at a record pace. The cases included an investigation into a Virginia nursing home with a recent record of patient abuse; probes of fraud involving several New Jersey labor unions, including one opened after a top official of a national union was accused of embezzlement; and an investigation into a cryptocurrency company suspected of cheating investors. </div> <div> In total, the DOJ quietly closed more than 23,000 criminal cases in the first six months of President Donald Trump’s administration, abandoning hundreds of investigations into terrorism, white-collar crime, drugs and other offenses as it shifted resources to pursue immigration cases, according to an analysis by ProPublica. The bulk of these cases, which were closed without prosecution and known as declinations, had been referred to the DOJ by law enforcement agencies under prior administrations that believed a federal crime may have been committed. The DOJ routinely declines to prosecute cases for any number of reasons, including insufficient evidence or because a case is not a priority for enforcement. <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/27/2375102/-Pam-Bondi-says-being-a-US-citizen-isn-t-a-right" target="_blank">Pam Bondi says being a US citizen isn't a 'right'</a> <hr> But the number of declinations under Bondi marks a striking departure not only from the Biden administration but also the first Trump term, according to the ProPublica analysis, which examined two decades of DOJ data, including the first six months of Trump’s second term. ProPublica determined the increase is not the result of inheriting a larger caseload or more referrals from law enforcement. In February 2025 alone, which included the first weeks of Bondi’s tenure, nearly 11,000 cases were declined, the most in a month since at least 2004. The previous high was just over 6,500 cases in September 2019, during Trump’s first administration. Some of the cases shut down were the result of yearslong investigations by federal agencies such as the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration. For complex cases, the DOJ can take years before deciding whether to bring charges. The shift comes as the DOJ has undergone an extraordinary overhaul under the Trump administration, with entire units shuttered, directives to abandon pursuit of certain crimes and thousands of lawyers quitting or, in some cases, being forced out of the agency. In doing so, the DOJ is retreating from its mission to impartially uphold the rule of law, keep the country safe and protect civil rights, according to interviews with a dozen prosecutors and an <a href="https://www.thejusticeconnection.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/An-Urgent-Message-from-Recent-DOJ-Alum.pdf" target="_blank">open letter from nearly 300 DOJ employees</a> who have left the department under Trump. The Trump DOJ, the employees wrote, is “taking a sledgehammer” to long-standing work to “protect communities and the rule of law.” <figure class="image-captioned align-right"><img alt="Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks to the media, Friday, June 27, 2025, in the briefing room of the White House in Washington, as President Trump looks on. (AP Photo/Manuel Ceneta)" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1458051/large/AP25178577209528.jpg?1752882884" title="Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks to the media, Friday, June 27, 2025, in the briefing room of the White House in Washington, as President Trump looks on. (AP Photo/Manuel Ceneta)"> <figcaption>Pam Bondi speaks to the media in June 2025 at the White House in as Donald Trump looks on.</figcaption> </figure> The change in priorities was outlined in a series of memos sent to attorneys early last year. Trump’s DOJ <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/speech/head-criminal-division-matthew-r-galeotti-delivers-remarks-sifmas-anti-money-laundering" target="_blank">has said</a> it is “turning a new page on white-collar and corporate enforcement” and emphasizing the pursuit of drug cartels, illegal immigrants and institutions that promote “divisive DEI policies.” Trump, <a href="https://www.rev.com/transcripts/trump-speaks-at-doj" target="_blank">in an address last March</a> at the department, said the changes were necessary after a “surrender to violent criminals” during the past administration and would result in a restoration of “fair, equal and impartial justice under the constitutional rule of law.” The department prosecuted 32,000 new immigration cases in the first six months of the administration, which was nearly triple the number under the Biden administration and a 15% increase from the first Trump term. It has pursued fewer prosecutions of nearly every other type of crime — from drug offenses to corruption — than new administrations in their first six months dating back to 2009. The DOJ has also closed hundreds of cases involving alleged crimes that the administration has publicly emphasized as enforcement priorities. Even as the Trump administration unleashed Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency operatives to root out waste, fraud and abuse in the federal government, the DOJ declined over 900 cases of federal program or procurement fraud. About three times as many cases of major fraud against the U.S. were declined under Trump compared with the average of similar time periods under prior administrations. And while the Trump administration has promised to “<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/2025/01/president-trumps-america-first-priorities/" target="_blank">make America safe again</a>,” its DOJ has declined more than 1,000 terrorism cases, also more than prior administrations. Federal prosecutor Joseph Gerbasi had spent years in the department’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section helping build cases against major suppliers of fentanyl ingredients in India and China. After Bondi came in, he was left bewildered when his team was ordered to abandon its work. “All of the building blocks of what would become successful prosecutions were pulled out,” said Gerbasi, who retired as the section’s acting deputy chief for policy in March 2025 after 28 years with the department. The move had an “overwhelming deflating effect on morale,” he said. <h3>After Trump’s Inauguration, the Department of Justice Turned Down a Record Number of Cases</h3> The first quarter of 2025, and especially February of that year, saw the department declining to prosecute cases against thousands of defendants outside of its regular six-month review process. <div class="align-center"> <figure class="image-captioned"><img alt="Screenshot2026-03-31at10.12.11AM.png" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1540241/large/Screenshot2026-03-31at10.12.11AM.png?1774977133" title="Screenshot2026-03-31at10.12.11AM.png"> <figcaption>Source: DOJ data provided by TRAC</figcaption> </figure> </div> Barbara McQuade, who worked as a federal prosecutor in Michigan for two decades until 2017 during Republican and Democratic administrations, said it was not unusual for new administrations to come to office with a few “pet priorities” — such as a focus on violent crime or drug trafficking. But she said those changes usually involved modest adjustments in policy and that most of the decisions on what crimes to focus on were typically made at the local level by the district U.S. attorney in coordination with the FBI or other agencies. “We would revise those about every five years, not having anything to do with any administration, just because it made sense,” she said. A DOJ spokesperson, in an emailed response to questions about the spike in declinations, said that in “an effort to clean, remediate, and validate data in U.S. Attorneys’ case management system,” the department reviewed all pending criminal matters opened prior to the 2023 fiscal year, which included updating the status of closed cases. “This Department of Justice remains committed to investigating and prosecuting all types of crime to keep the American people safe, and the number of declinations is a direct result of our efforts to run the agency in a more efficient manner.” The agency did not respond to questions about the types of cases declined. The spike of declined cases began in February 2025 when the department ordered prosecutors to review every open case launched prior to October 2022 and determine whether to close it. Such a review would typically take months, according to one attorney tasked with reviewing cases. A memo, which was described to ProPublica reporters, ordered the review to be completed within 10 days. Former DOJ prosecutors told ProPublica that they typically reviewed caseloads every six months with supervisors and that closing out languishing cases wouldn’t ordinarily be cause for concern. They said the February directive, however, was unusual. None could recall a similar order. <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/18/2373616/-Trump-s-DOJ-is-still-in-disarray" target="_blank">Trump's DOJ is still in disarray</a> <hr> The directive came as higher-ups in the department had begun making frequent demands for data about specific types of cases and charging decisions, such as the outcome of fentanyl cases, according to former prosecutor Michael Gordon. Gordon, who helped prosecute Jan. 6 cases before moving to white-collar crime prosecutions, said the “fire drills” from officials in Washington became so regular that he grew used to the forlorn look on his supervisor’s face when he showed up at Gordon’s door, apologetically delivering yet another frantic request. “It was either ‘give us stats we can use to make ourselves look good’ or ‘give us the stats to show how bad things are in this area,’” Gordon said. “It was never productive fact-finding.” Though Gordon didn’t see the memo, he remembered getting the request to review all cases that had been open for more than two years and report back on their status, entering into a master spreadsheet basic information about any that he wanted to keep pursuing. “The office was pushing us to close everything by a certain date so that when they had to report up to D.C. they had a low number of open cases,” he said. “You really had to go to bat to keep open a case that was more than two years old.” Gordon said he was fired by the DOJ last June. He has filed a lawsuit alleging his termination was politically motivated. The department did not respond to questions about Gordon’s comments or his lawsuit. The government <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.283017/gov.uscourts.dcd.283017.17.1_1.pdf" target="_blank">filed a motion</a> to dismiss the case late last year, arguing that the federal court did not have jurisdiction over the matter. The court has not yet ruled on that motion, and the case is still pending. Investigations into individuals or corporations declined for prosecution are generally not reported to courts and usually only disclosed in summary form by the DOJ in annual reports. To conduct its analysis, ProPublica obtained declination data from the DOJ and the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, a center that obtains data through Freedom of Information Act requests. <div> <h3>The DOJ Declined a Slew of Cases Shortly After Pam Bondi Was Confirmed as Attorney General</h3> Nearly 11,000 criminal cases were declined during her first month in office. <div class="align-center"> <figure class="image-captioned"><img alt="Screenshot2026-03-31at10.13.40AM.png" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1540242/large/Screenshot2026-03-31at10.13.40AM.png?1774977238" title="Screenshot2026-03-31at10.13.40AM.png"> <figcaption>Source: DOJ data provided by TRAC</figcaption> </figure> </div> Here are some of the areas most impacted by the spike in declinations. <h3>Drugs</h3> As president, Trump has spoken frequently about the “<a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/12/15/trump-signs-executive-order-labeling-fentanyl-weapon-of-mass-destruction" target="_blank">scourge</a>” of drugs coming into the country. At the same time, the Justice Department has declined to prosecute nearly 5,000 cases of federal drug law violations, including trafficking and money laundering. The number of declinations were 45% higher than the average of the prior three new administrations. Gerbasi, the counternarcotics prosecutor, declined to comment on specific cases that might have been declined in his office. But, he said, once Bondi was appointed, the priority in the office became building cases against Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan group that the Trump administration has labeled a foreign terrorist organization. “Tren de Aragua was not anywhere close to the scale or impact of the cartels we were focused on,” Gerbasi said. “But we were told to generate those cases.” He said his office had to scramble to fly people to investigate local gangs in small towns that were reportedly affiliated with Tren de Aragua. “They never would have merited a full-scale federal investigation,” he said. “It told me that decisions were going to be based on political appearances and not based on the merits of where investigative resources should be placed.” The DOJ declined to comment on Gerbasi’s remarks. <div> <h3>Trump’s DOJ Has Rejected Far More Cases Than Previous Administrations Across a Wide Range of Categories</h3> Many of the dropped cases were in programs the DOJ has claimed were priorities. <div class="align-center"> <figure class="image-captioned"><img alt="Screenshot2026-03-31at10.15.12AM.png" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1540243/large/Screenshot2026-03-31at10.15.12AM.png?1774977324" title="Screenshot2026-03-31at10.15.12AM.png"> <figcaption>Source: TRAC, DOJ Note: “Other” primarily includes government regulatory offenses and theft. Comparison to average of past administrations only includes the first six months after a presidential administration change: Obama (2009), Trump (2017) and Biden (2021).</figcaption> </figure> </div> <h3>National Security</h3> Under Bondi, the DOJ declined more than 1,300 cases involving terrorism and national security, nearly twice what was typical at the start of the most recent new administrations. While domestic terrorism was the hardest-hit program, just over 300 cases involving charges of providing material support to foreign terrorist organizations were also dropped. The DOJ program handling matters relating to national internal security — which considers cases of alleged spy activity and the security of classified information — saw over 200 declinations, which is four times as many as typical in the first six months of a new administration. Some of the cases related to serving as an unregistered foreign agent, a charge <a href="https://www.justice.gov/ag/media/1388541/dl?inline" target="_blank">Bondi ordered prosecutors to stop pursuing</a> unless they involved “conduct similar to more traditional espionage by foreign government actors.” Jimmy Gurulé, a former federal prosecutor and George W. Bush appointee to the U.S. Treasury Department who investigated the financing of terrorism, said the decline in terrorism cases was troubling. “The Trump DOJ has been used as a political weapon,” he said. “It’s a question of prioritizing resources. Are they going to be used for national security threats or to prosecute his political enemies and critics?” The DOJ did not respond to a request for comment on Gurulé’s remarks. <h3>Labor</h3> The DOJ shut down over 60 union corruption and labor racketeering cases, 2.5 times the number in Trump’s first term. Nearly half of the cases turned down for those offenses were out of the New Jersey U.S. attorney’s office, which in the past has aggressively pursued alleged union corruption. All were noted as declined for insufficient evidence. Most of those cases had been opened by Grady O’Malley, an assistant U.S. attorney who oversaw several prosecutions of union corruption while working in the New Jersey office over four decades. He retired in 2023 and was disturbed to learn from former colleagues that the office was shutting down the open union probes. A Trump supporter, O’Malley said that while he doesn’t blame the president, he worries the decision to drop so many cases could embolden unions that he and his colleagues spent years working to hold accountable. “No one is assigned to do labor union cases, and the unions have every reason to believe no one is looking.” The New Jersey U.S. attorney’s office said it had no comment on the declination of labor cases. <h3>White-Collar Crime</h3> The Trump administration has pledged to root out <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2026/01/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-establishes-new-department-of-justice-division-for-national-fraud-enforcement/" target="_blank">“rampant” fraud</a> in federal benefit programs like food stamps and welfare. The controversial surging of federal agents to Minnesota in January began as a stated crackdown on noncitizens allegedly ripping off nutrition and child care programs. The DOJ, however, shut down more than 900 cases of federal program or procurement fraud in the first six months of the administration, including one targeting a mortgage lender accused by several state regulators of defrauding the Federal Housing Administration. The case was dropped due to “prioritization of federal resources and interests.” The U.S. attorney’s office for the Northern District of Alabama, which declined the case, did not reply to a request for comment. The number of fraud cases closed was about double that in the same time period of the Biden and first Trump administrations. The agency also closed over 100 health care fraud cases as a result of “prioritization of resources and interests” even though the Trump administration has said it is making this area of enforcement <a href="https://www.justice.gov/criminal/media/1400046/dl?inline" target="_blank">a priority</a>. Among other cases the DOJ determined weren’t a priority: the probe into the Virginia nursing home accused of abuse, as well as investigations in Tennessee into fraud at a national hospital chain and one of the largest Medicaid managed care companies. <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/1/24/2365019/-How-Bitcoin-Jesus-avoided-prison-thanks-to-one-of-the-Friends-of-Trump" target="_blank">How 'Bitcoin Jesus' avoided prison, thanks to one of the 'Friends of Trump'</a> <hr> The Western District of Virginia U.S. attorney’s office, through a spokesperson, declined to comment on the nursing home case. A spokesperson for the U.S. attorney in the Middle District of Tennessee said the office does not comment on investigations that do not result in public charges. The DOJ’s Antitrust Division, which focuses on preventing big businesses from creating harmful monopolies, also declined an unusually high number of cases in Trump’s second term. More than 40 cases were dropped within the first six months of Bondi’s tenure. That’s more than double the number declined in the same time period by the prior three new administrations. Despite the declinations, the department said it charged slightly more people with fraud in 2025 compared with the final year of the Biden administration, and those cases alleged larger financial losses. <h3>Promises Kept</h3> The DOJ under Bondi has also rapidly pursued many of the priorities laid out in Trump’s early executive orders and her own “first day” directives to staff. Trump in February 2025 issued an executive order pausing new investigations under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which prohibits citizens and companies from bribing foreign entities to advance their business interests. The order asked the attorney general to review and “take appropriate action” on any existing probes to “preserve Presidential foreign policy prerogatives.” <figure class="image-captioned align-right"><img alt="Cartoon by Clay Bennett" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1482267/large/20250927edcbc-a.jpg?1758931135" title="Cartoon by Clay Bennett"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> In the first six months, Bondi’s DOJ shut down 25 such cases, which is more than the combined number dropped by the prior three new administrations over the same time period. One of the cases declined for prosecution involved a major car manufacturer, which had reported possible anti-bribery violations to federal investigators involving a foreign subsidiary. The DOJ declined the case for prosecution last June, citing the “prioritization of federal resources and interests.” On her first day, Bondi <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25514428-bondi-memo-establishing-weaponization-working-group/" target="_blank">ordered a review</a> of criminal prosecutions under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances, or FACE Act, which prohibits people from illegally blocking access to abortion clinics and places of worship. The department dropped as many cases under the act in its first six months as the past three new administrations combined, over the same time frame. Bondi’s order focused on “non-violent protest activity,” although at least one of the closed cases was being investigated as a violent crime. The DOJ has since charged protesters against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and journalists in Minneapolis under the FACE Act. The defendants in the case have pleaded not guilty. The agency closed three times the number of cases alleging environmental crimes as the Biden administration did and one-and-a-half times as many as compared with Trump’s first term. The declinations came as the DOJ reassigned and cut prosecutors working on environmental cases. One-fifth of all of the dropped environmental protection cases were shut down for “prioritization of federal resources and interests.” <blockquote> <div> <h3>How We Tracked Declined Cases</h3> To quantify declined cases, ProPublica used data from the <a href="https://tracreports.org/tracfed/index/index.php?layer=cri" target="_blank">Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse</a>. The dataset consists of compiled <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao/resources/foia-library/national-caseload-data" target="_blank">FOIA responses</a> of the United States attorneys offices’ criminal division case management system from January 2004 to July 2025, the latest available through TRAC. The data contains nearly 4 million unique cases involving individuals or organizations. We supplemented case details in the TRAC data with data directly from the DOJ. We counted how many declinations were recorded in the first six months of Trump’s second term, compared with the same period of time for prior changes in presidential administration. That includes the first six months of the first Obama administration, the first Trump administration and the Biden administration. Cases can have multiple defendants. Prosecutors can and do decline to prosecute some defendants in a case while pursuing prosecution for others. We counted each defendant separately. Trump’s second administration inherited around 100,000 open criminal investigations, comparable to the number that Biden’s DOJ inherited. Under Trump, the DOJ declined 20% of these existing cases in its first six months, compared with Biden’s 11%. Referrals from law enforcement under Trump’s second administration were lower than the other incoming administrations in the data except for Biden, whose DOJ operated during the COVID-19 lockdown. When looking at inherited investigations, we included only cases that were open at the start of a new administration. We excluded any that had progressed to prosecution, as those would no longer be eligible for a declination. To understand which types of cases the DOJ was declining, we looked both at the area of the DOJ that was handling the case as well as the lead charge being considered. DOJ programs represent distinct areas of subject matter expertise within the department’s prosecution divisions. To further aggregate, we grouped together programs by subject matter, primarily relying on their categorization in the DOJ’s Offices of the United States Attorneys 2024 fiscal year <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao/resources/annual-statistical-reports" target="_blank">annual statistical</a> report. When reviewing cases by lead charge, sometimes referred to as the investigative charge, we considered them separately from the assigned DOJ program. According to the <a href="https://www.justice.gov/media/853686/dl?inline" target="_blank">DOJ’s documentation</a>, these are the “substantive statute that is the primary basis for the referral.” We used a large language model to help us identify charges of interest, which we then confirmed by hand by reviewing the statutes. About 2% of cases were sealed, with the DOJ program and lead charge information redacted. </div> </blockquote> <div> <div> <div> <a href="https://www.propublica.org/people/keri-blakinger" target="_blank">Keri Blakinger</a> and <a href="https://www.propublica.org/people/Raquel-Rutledge" target="_blank">Raquel Rutledge</a> contributed reporting. <a href="https://www.propublica.org/people/nat-lash" target="_blank">Nat Lash</a> contributed data reporting. </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> rss@dailykos.com (ProPublica) Immigration JusticeDepartment lawenforcement PamBondi _2375718 Thu, 02 Apr 2026 13:00:13 +0000 Tom the Dancing Bug’s Dementia Donnie and his ballroom and war https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/4/2/2375852/-Tom-the-Dancing-Bug-s-Dementia-Donnie-and-his-ballroom-and-war?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= <div style="text-align:start"> <ul> <li>Please join the team that makes it possible for your friendly neighborhood comic strip Tom the Dancing Bug to exist in this hostile Trumpverse! JOIN US FOR 2026 IN <a href="http://www.patreon.com/rubenbolling/membership" target="_blank">THE INNER HIVE</a>, and be the first kid on your block to get each week's Tom the Dancing Bug comic – before it's published anywhere.</li> <li>Sign up for the free weekly newsletter, <a href="https://tomthedancingbug.substack.com/" target="_blank">The Tom the Dancing Bug Review</a>! Not nearly as good as joining the Inner Hive, but it's free!</li> <li>Get yer Tom the Dancing Bug books!  <a href="https://tomdbug.wpcomstaging.com/tom-the-dancing-bug-store/" target="_blank">The Complete Tom the Dancing Bug Library</a> — get one, two or all eight volumes.</li> <li>You can follow @RubenBolling on <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/rubenbolling.bsky.social" target="_blank">Bluesky</a> and/or <a href="https://mastodon.social/web/@rubenbolling" target="_blank">Mastodon</a> and/or <a href="https://www.threads.net/@rubenbolling" target="_blank">Threads</a> and/or <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tom-the-Dancing-Bug/98855041884" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and/or <a href="https://www.instagram.com/rubenbolling" target="_blank">Instagram</a>and/or <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/tomthedancingbug/" target="_blank">Reddit</a>. <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/30/2375542/-Dumb-and-disturbing-developments-in-Trump-s-ballroom-boondoggle" target="_blank">Dumb and disturbing developments in Trump’s ballroom boondoggle</a> <hr> </li> </ul> </div> rss@dailykos.com (RubenBolling) Cartoon DonaldTrump _2375852 Thu, 02 Apr 2026 12:30:07 +0000 Will the Supreme Court side with Trump—or the Constitution? https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/4/1/2375890/-Will-the-Supreme-Court-side-with-Trump-or-the-Constitution?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= Torching the constitutional separation of powers, President Donald Trump showed up at the Supreme Court for arguments over one of his major policy goals: <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/31/2375585/-Trump-relies-on-the-scummiest-people-to-attack-birthright-citizenship" target="_blank">eradicating</a> birthright citizenship. Needless to say, he couldn’t be <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/01/us/politics/trump-supreme-court-visit.html" target="_blank">arsed</a> to stay for the whole thing.  Come on, a full two hours without being in front of a camera? Without being able to talk? He was never gonna make it. He stuck around only for the government’s argument, made by one of his many former criminal defense attorneys, Solicitor General John Sauer, a man who speaks with the soothing cadence of a Muppet with a crushed larynx: <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=wfqLWSx_4M0" title="" data-frameborder="0" data-height="281" data-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wfqLWSx_4M0" data-width="500">YouTube Video</a></div> </div> If Trump had any idea what was going on, he probably would have noticed that things weren’t going well for Sauer. He couldn’t answer Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/04/01/us/supreme-court-birthright-citizenship/c397e313-2560-5330-b51f-c877549e6afa?smid=url-share" target="_blank">question</a> about exactly how and when citizenship status would otherwise be determined: “Are you suggesting that when a baby is born, people have to have documents, present documents? Is this happening in the delivery room? How are we determining when or whether a newborn child is a citizen of the United States under your rule?”  Sauer flailed on about how Social Security numbers are generated, leading Jackson to have to say, essentially, No, dummy, the question is how someone proves their citizenship or intent to stay in the United States? What happens if a baby is mistakenly determined not to be a citizen?  Per Sauer, no problem! They can just sue after their baby is denied citizenship! One wonders if Sauer was unprepared or if he’s always been a bad lawyer. For instance, everyone knew that conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch, who<a href="https://www.scotusblog.com/2025/08/justice-gorsuch-and-what-is-owed-to-american-indians/" target="_blank"> prides himself</a> on being a supporter of tribal rights, would have a question about the citizenship status of Native Americans in Trump’s brave new world. “Do you think Native Americans today are birthright citizens under your test?” Gorsuch asked. “I think so,” Sauer replied, hesitating. Later, he added, “I’d have to think that through.” <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=lTB7g200gE0" data-frameborder="0" data-height="281" data-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lTB7g200gE0" data-width="500">YouTube Video</a></div> </div> Repeatedly, in his arguments, Sauer invoked the idea of<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/live-blog/trump-supreme-court-birthright-citizenship-dhs-shutdown-live-updates-rcna266114/rcrd106243?canonicalCard=true" target="_blank"> “domicile</a>.” In his mind, we shouldn’t look at the simple language of the 14th Amendment. Instead, we should base citizenship on the idea of where someone is domiciled, a word that does not appear in the amendment at all.  But when Justice Jackson asked, “Who is domiciled? I’m struggling to figure out who is domiciled,” Sauer could muster only, “Domiciliaries are people who are lawfully present and have an intent to remain permanently.” Sauer also flailed when conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett asked, “What if you don't know who the parents are?” Falling back on his fave word, he <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/live-blog/trump-supreme-court-birthright-citizenship-dhs-shutdown-live-updates-rcna266114#rcrd106254" title="" target="_blank">went</a> with: “Domicile is a constitutional standard in all kinds of other situations.” Predicting Supreme Court outcomes based on oral arguments alone is a fool’s errand, but the arguments didn’t look good for Sauer or Trump. Gorsuch didn’t seem pleased with the flailing around about the citizenship status of Native Americans, and Barrett didn’t seem satisfied with Sauer’s insistence that just yelling “domicile” answers everything. Chief Justice John Roberts called Sauer’s arguments “<a href="https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-supreme-court-considers-trumps-effort-limit-birthright-citizenship-2026-04-01/" title="" target="_blank">quirky</a>”—and not in a good way.  <figure class="image-captioned width-xl align-right"><img alt="Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito, left, and Clarence Thomas look on during the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (Chip Somodevilla/Pool Photo via AP)" class="width-xl" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1443131/large/AP25021033830337.jpg?1749684668" title="Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito, left, and Clarence Thomas look on during the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (Chip Somodevilla/Pool Photo via AP)"> <figcaption>Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito, left, and Clarence Thomas, shown in 2025.</figcaption> </figure> Justice Brett Kavanaugh, one of the most Trump-friendly justices, even lightly <a href="https://www.mediaite.com/media/tv/trump-appointed-scotus-justice-dunks-on-solicitor-generals-argument-not-seeing-the-constitutional-relevance/" target="_blank">mocked</a> Sauer for arguing that since other countries don’t have birthright citizenship, we shouldn’t either. “Why should we be … thinking about ‘Gee, European countries don’t have this, or most other countries, many other countries in the world don’t have this,’” Kavanaugh said. “I guess I’m not seeing the relevance as a legal constitutional interpretive matter necessarily, although I understand it’s a very good point as a policy matter.” Ouch.  Far-right Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito might back Trump’s goal here, but the math outside of them looks grim—which means it looks good for America. Sensing the direction this is blowing, Trump is already <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/116330362125395500" target="_blank">posting</a> through it, writing on social media, “We are the only Country in the World STUPID enough to allow ‘Birthright’ Citizenship! President DONALD J. TRUMP.” Actually, there are<a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/03/31/us-style-birthright-citizenship-is-uncommon-around-the-world/" target="_blank"> 32 other countries</a>, but who is counting, right? Now we all just have to wait and see how unhinged Trump will get before the court issues a decision. Maybe Sauer can enjoy a lozenge or a cup of hot tea to soothe that raggedy-ass voice of his. rss@dailykos.com (Lisa Needham) birthrightcitizenship JohnSauer SCOTUS SupremeCourt _2375890 Wed, 01 Apr 2026 23:01:05 +0000 Trump says US forces will 'finish the job' soon in first prime-time speech since starting Iran war https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/4/1/2375942/-Trump-addresses-nation-on-Iran-war-in-first-prime-time-speech-since-launching-strikes-4-weeks-ago?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= President Donald Trump said U.S. forces will “finish the job” in Iran soon as “core strategic objectives are nearing completion,” offering a full-throated defense of the war Wednesday night in his first national address since the conflict began more than a month ago. Trump got a wide audience and a chance to articulate clear objectives for the war after weeks of changing goals and often contradictory messages about whether he’s winding down or ready to escalate military operations — even as Iran kept up its attacks on Israel and Persian Gulf neighbors and <a href="https://apnews.com/live/iran-war-israel-trump-04-01-2026" target="_blank">airstrikes pounded Tehran</a>. But he spent much of his time repeating some of the same things he said in recent weeks, while also suggesting that the U.S. was close to meeting its major military objectives in Iran and his estimated timeline for concluding operations within two to three weeks. He promised U.S. forces would continue to hit Iran very hard. “For years, everyone has said that Iran cannot have nuclear weapons. But in the end, those are just words if you’re not willing to take action when the time comes,” Trump said. The president said, “In these past four weeks our armed forces have delivered swift, decisive, overwhelming victories on the battlefield” and slammed previous decades of U.S. policy, saying previous presidents “made mistakes and I am correcting them.” “The situation has been going on for 47 years and should’ve been handled long before I arrived in office,” he said. Trump also acknowledged rising oil prices and volatile financial markets, but insisted those would be temporary. Polling, meanwhile, show many Americans feel the U.S. military has gone too far in Iran — even as more American troops move into the region for a possible ground offensive. Trump opted not to deliver such an address closer to when the U.S. and Israel first launched attacks, and questions now remain about whether it is now too late for what he says to break through. Iranian missile fire targeted Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and Israel just before Trump’s speech. <h4>Trump says ‘we could just take the oil’ as Iran leader addresses the US public</h4> The president, in comments during a Easter lunch on Wednesday afternoon, said of Iran: “We could just take their oil. But you know, I’m not sure that the people in our country have the patience to do that, which is unfortunate.” <figure class="image-captioned align-right"><img alt="The Indian flagged LPG carrier Jag Vasant transporting liquefied petroleum gas, is seen at the Mumbai Port in Mumbai, India, after it arrived clearing the Strait of Hormuz, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1540760/large/AP26091327850646.jpg?1775093313" title="The Indian flagged LPG carrier Jag Vasant transporting liquefied petroleum gas, is seen at the Mumbai Port in Mumbai, India, after it arrived clearing the Strait of Hormuz, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)"> <figcaption>The Indian flagged LPG carrier Jag Vasant transporting liquefied petroleum gas, is seen at the Mumbai Port in Mumbai, India, after it arrived clearing the Strait of Hormuz on April 1.</figcaption> </figure> “Yeah, they want to see it end. If we stayed there, I prefer just to take the oil,” Trump said. “We could do it so easily. I would prefer that. But people in the country sort of say: ‘Just win. You’re winning so big. Just win. Come home.’ And I’m OK with that, too, because we have a lot of oil between Venezuela and our oil.” The media was not permitted to watch the president’s remarks at the lunch, but the White House uploaded video of the speech online before taking it down. The White House did not return requests for comment from The Associated Press on the video and why it was taken down. In a social media post earlier Wednesday, Trump maintained a belligerent tone, demanding that Iran <a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-israel-us-trump-pete-hegseth-centcom-airstrikes-missiles-drones-7b94d5de628bf8df2de6b728efff2285" target="_blank">stop blocking the Strait of Hormuz</a> — the waterway vital to global oil supplies — or the U.S. would bomb the Islamic Republic “back to the Stone Ages.” The president has also said the U.S. “will not have anything to do with” ensuring the security of ships passing through Hormuz, an apparent backtrack from a previous threat to attack Iran’s power grid if it didn’t open the strait by April 6. In the same Easter lunch, the president reiterated some of his complaints about NATO allies for their reluctance to get involved in securing the Strait of Hormuz while suggesting that China, Japan and South Korea could also step up to reopen the waterway. “Let South Korea, you know, we only have 45,000 soldiers in harm’s way over there, right next to a nuclear force -- let South Korea do it,” Trump said of efforts to reopen the strait. “Let Japan do it. They get 90% of their oil from the strait. Let China do it.” <figure class="image-captioned align-right"><img alt="People inspect the site of an Israeli strike amid debris and damaged vehicles in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1540763/large/AP26091217658507.jpg?1775093313" title="People inspect the site of an Israeli strike amid debris and damaged vehicles in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)"> <figcaption>People inspect the site of an Israeli strike amid debris and damaged vehicles in Beirut, Lebanon, on April 1.</figcaption> </figure> In another morning social media post, Trump wrote that “Iran’s New Regime President” wanted a ceasefire. It wasn’t clear to whom the U.S. president was referring since Iran still has the same president. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmail Baghaei, called Trump’s claim “false and baseless,” according to a report on Iranian state television. Speaking earlier to Al Jazeera, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi signaled Tehran’s willingness to keep fighting. “You cannot speak to the people of Iran in the language of threats and deadlines,” he said. “We do not set any deadline for defending ourselves.” Hours before Trump’s address, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian posted a lengthy letter in English on his X account appealing to U.S. citizens and stressing that his country had pursued negotiations before the U.S. withdrew from that path. “Exactly which of the American people’s interests are truly being served by this war?” he wrote. <h4>No signs of Iran relinquishing its grip on the Strait of Hormuz</h4> Since the war began on Feb. 28, Trump has <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-iran-objectives-one-month-1a32141f5ca2104af78625b3aa277421" target="_blank">offered shifting objectives</a> and repeatedly has said it could be over soon while also threatening to widen the conflict. Thousands of additional U.S. troops <a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-war-us-troops-deployment-aircraft-carrier-7c015aa5156525fcc95c42897de52e0f" target="_blank">are currently heading to the Middle East</a>, and speculation abounds about why. Trump has also threatened to attack Iran’s <a href="https://apnews.com/article/kharg-island-seize-ground-troops-oil-iran-4244166c19dd33689f8a59e96e1d7d5b" target="_blank">Kharg Island</a> oil export hub. And the U.S. could decide to send in military forces to secure <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/iran" target="_blank">Iran’s uranium stockpile</a> — a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-nuclear-uranium-enriched-trump-war-1fd6de24bd1e6c3a4945d58d3f777462" target="_blank">complex and risky operation</a>, fraught with radiation and chemical dangers, experts and former government officials say. Adding to the confusion is what role Israel — which has been bombing Iran alongside the U.S. — might play in any of these scenarios. Trump has been under growing pressure to end the war that has been pushing up <a href="https://apnews.com/article/gas-prices-4-gallon-iran-war-de8b7ccea254a1585cab86f336db57a6" target="_blank">the cost of gasoline</a>, food and other goods. The price of Brent crude, the international standard, is up more than 40% since the start of the war. <h4>It’s unclear where diplomatic efforts stand</h4> The U.S. has presented Iran with a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-war-us-talks-trump-israel-767a154363f4aed9c8af36966c4f701a" target="_blank">15-point plan</a> aimed at bringing about a ceasefire, including a demand for the strait to be reopened and for its <a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-israel-trump-lebanon-march-25-2026-be07c54139bcc70672bb33f0773ede6a" target="_blank">nuclear program to be rolled back</a>. Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful. And in a report last week by Iranian state TV's English-language broadcaster, an anonymous official was quoted as saying Iran had its own demands to end the fighting, including retaining sovereignty over the strait. In the interview with Al Jazeera, Araghchi acknowledged receiving direct messages from U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff. He insisted, however, that there were no direct negotiations and said Iran has no faith that talks with the U.S. could yield any results, saying “the trust level is at zero.” He warned against any U.S. attempt to launch a ground offensive, saying “we are waiting for them.” In a deal ostensibly to give diplomacy a chance, U.S. officials have given “clear assurances” that Araghchi and Iran's Parliamentary Speaker <a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-mohammad-bagher-qalibaf-us-israel-war-a5fdb9d743c3325155da0bc91458077d" target="_blank">Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf</a> won't be targeted, according to three officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they're not authorized to speak publicly about the matter. rss@dailykos.com (Associated Press) DonaldTrump Iran War _2375942 Thu, 02 Apr 2026 01:31:10 +0000 Who needs allies anyway, and why were Army helicopters visiting Kid Rock? https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/4/1/2375898/-Who-needs-allies-anyway-and-why-were-Army-helicopters-visiting-Kid-Rock?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/2026/4/1/2375858/-Trump-floats-quitting-NATO-after-it-won-t-endorse-his-warmongering?pm_source=ICYMI&pm_campaign=ICYMI04012026" title="" target="_blank">Trump floats quitting NATO after it won’t endorse his warmongering</a> He even name-checks his favorite dictator. <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/4/1/2375753/-Now-the-scumbag-Jan-6-insurrectionists-want-you-to-pay-them?pm_source=ICYMI&pm_campaign=ICYMI04012026" title="" target="_blank">Now the scumbag Jan. 6 insurrectionists want you to pay them</a> Hey, they were just trying to violently overturn an election. <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/4/1/2375868/-Hegseth-cool-with-Army-helicopter-stunt-at-Kid-Rock-s-house?pm_source=ICYMI&pm_campaign=ICYMI04012026" title="" target="_blank">Hegseth cool with Army helicopter stunt at Kid Rock's house</a> His response is especially infuriating. <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/4/1/2375859/-Republican-touts-amazing-Iran-war-despite-dead-troops-and-global-chaos?pm_source=ICYMI&pm_campaign=ICYMI04012026" title="" target="_blank">Republican touts 'amazing' Iran war, despite dead troops and global chaos</a> Those things are no big deal given how much we’ve gained in return. <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/4/1/2375499/-Mr-Johnson-no-Johnson?pm_source=ICYMI&pm_campaign=ICYMI04012026" title="" target="_blank">Mr. Johnson no Johnson</a> Flashbacks to that Jeffrey Epstein birthday note. <div class="align-center"> <figure class="image-captioned width-xl"><img alt="Cartoon by Clay Jones" class="width-xl" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1539972/large/CjonesRGB03292026.jpg?1774885485" title="Cartoon by Clay Jones"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> </div> <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/blogs/Comics?pm_source=ICYMI&pm_campaign=ICYMI03312026" title="" target="_blank">Click here to see more cartoons.</a> rss@dailykos.com (Daily Kos Staff) DonaldTrump KidRock NATO peteHegseth TheRecap _2375898 Wed, 01 Apr 2026 19:15:30 +0000 Someone, please, get this emperor some clothes ... https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/4/1/2375738/-Someone-please-get-this-emperor-some-clothes?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= A cartoon by Mike Luckovich. <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/30/2375484/-Trump-wants-to-loot-Iran-while-committing-war-crimes" title="" target="_blank">Trump wants to loot Iran—while committing war crimes</a> <hr> rss@dailykos.com (Mike Luckovich) Cartoon DonaldTrump Iran MikeLuckovich NoKings War _2375738 Wed, 01 Apr 2026 22:59:13 +0000 FEMA official insists he was teleported to a Waffle House https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/4/1/2375910/-FEMA-official-insists-he-was-teleported-to-a-Waffle-House?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= Decades from now, historians will be trying to figure out why a conspiracy theorist was put in charge of a critical disaster-relief office in the U.S. and why said conspiracy theorist claimed he had been involuntarily <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/20/politics/fema-official-gregg-phillips-violent-rhetoric-teleported-kfile" target="_blank">teleported</a> multiple times, including to a Waffle House 50 miles away. We live in the dumbest timeline. President Donald Trump tapped Mr. Teleportation, aka Gregg Phillips, for a high-level position at the Federal Emergency Management Agency based on his work with<a href="https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2025/12/gregg-phillips-trump-fema-pick-conspiracy-theories.html" target="_blank" title=""> True the Vote</a>, a die-hard group promoting the lie that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Trump. Or was it because Phillips reportedly claimed to have helped <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/ukraine-freedom-hospital-true-the-vote-phillips-engelbrecht" target="_blank">raise millions of dollars</a> for The Freedom Hospital, a mobile hospital in Ukraine that was never actually deployed?  Or was Phillips hired just for his apparent teleportation skills? Was the thought that he could  instantaneously zip down to disaster areas with the power of his mind? Because since CNN unearthed his original claims about teleportation, Phillips won’t let this stuff go.  He is mad that his comments about teleporting to a Waffle House and other sundry locations were taken “out of context,” as he <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@greggphillips/posts/116273997379618353" target="_blank">put</a> it in a Truth Social post. But what is the context that would make “teleported to a Waffle House” not sound unhinged? In his words, he teleported because: “I was dying of cancer and it was all part of my spiritual journey.” <figure class="image-captioned width-xl align-right"><img alt="Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks during a news conference at Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, in Washington. Behind Noem, from left, are Rodney Scott, commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Karen Evans, acting deputy administrator of FEMA, and Gregg Phillips, head of the Office of Response and Recovery at FEMA. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)" class="width-xl" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1540684/large/AP26024816644471.jpg?1775078314" title="Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks during a news conference at Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, in Washington. Behind Noem, from left, are Rodney Scott, commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Karen Evans, acting deputy administrator of FEMA, and Gregg Phillips, head of the Office of Response and Recovery at FEMA. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)"> <figcaption>On the far right, Gregg Phillips, head of the Office of Response and Recovery at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, stands with then-Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, far left, at a news briefing in January.</figcaption> </figure> Phillips is also convinced that Truth Social—yes, Trump’s social media platform—is<a href="https://www.mediaite.com/politics/trump-admin-official-accuses-truth-social-of-blocking-his-posts-after-claiming-he-teleported-to-a-waffle-house-50-miles-away/" target="_blank"> blocking</a> him from posting the good news about teleportation, even tagging Devin Nunes, chair of the President's Intelligence Advisory Board, in a <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@greggphillips/posts/116329244382003312" target="_blank">now-deleted</a> post, saying, “I’ve been trying to post a response to my friends on the most recent CNN hit on me. I’ve tried to post it six times. … Why are you blocking me and my ability to respond?” Take it<a href="https://www.wlox.com/2026/04/01/fema-official-says-hes-teleported-several-times-including-waffle-house/" target="_blank"> from Phillips</a>, though: Even with the power of Christ or whatever, teleporting is “no fun,” though it is an “incredible adventure.” Phillips has also <a href="https://www.wlox.com/2026/04/01/fema-official-says-hes-teleported-several-times-including-waffle-house/" target="_blank">shared</a> that on another occasion, he was riding along and his vehicle was “lifted up” and carried dozens of miles, only to be gently set down near a church. What isn’t clear, though, is whether that counts as teleportation or if Jesus just made Phillips’ car fly.  Luckily for him, Phillips’ FEMA gig does not require Senate confirmation. The administration seems to have realized that letting Phillips loose in front of a House hearing last week was a bad idea, because his name<a href="https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/key-fema-leader-doubles-down-insists-hes-experienced-teleportation" target="_blank"> was pulled</a> from the schedule.  Meanwhile, back on earth, hurricane season is fast approaching, but FEMA didn’t bother to send<a href="https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/weather/hurricane/2026/03/31/a-dozen-classes-cancelled-at-hurricane-conference-after-fema-a-no-show/89388165007/" target="_blank"> anyone</a> to the National Hurricane Conference, in Florida, because of the partial government shutdown. Well, likely also because Trump is trying to<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/1/7/2361729/-Inside-Trump-s-push-to-smother-FEMA" target="_blank"> destroy FEMA</a>, disaster relief being woke and all. There might not be money allocated to send someone to Florida due to the shutdown, but teleportation is presumably free, right? Couldn’t Phillips just close his eyes and click his heels and teleport down to Orlando? He could even teleport over to a Waffle House while he’s in Florida. Talk about government efficiency. rss@dailykos.com (Lisa Needham) DepartmentofHomelandSecurity FEMA GreggPhillips _2375910 Wed, 01 Apr 2026 22:00:08 +0000 Fox News blames rowdy teens on the Democratic Party https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/4/1/2375897/-Fox-News-blames-rowdy-teens-on-the-Democratic-Party?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= Teenagers are doing stupid things on spring break, and Fox News wants its audience to blame the Democratic Party. Specifically, Fox hosts are saying mayhem from rowdy teens is the fault of former President Barack Obama and former Vice President Kamala Harris. Somehow. On Wednesday’s edition of “Outnumbered,” the conservative network’s panel show formulated as a knockoff of “The View,” host Harris Faulkner brought up the topic of “teen takeovers.” They are a<a href="https://news.wttw.com/2026/03/30/teen-takeover-raises-questions-about-public-safety-spaces-young-people" target="_blank"> recent viral trend</a> in which teenagers advertise meetups at a certain location and often overwhelm those locations with large numbers of participants. Some of these events have gotten out of hand, requiring law enforcement to step in to respond to property damage and other destructive behavior. Local governments have been discussing how they should deal with the problem, which has popped up recently because many kids are out of school for spring break. But “Outnumbered” panelist Lisa Boothe had a simpler explanation for the problem: Democrats. <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=p2rmOIyiKfQ" title="" data-frameborder="0" data-height="281" data-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/p2rmOIyiKfQ" data-width="500">YouTube Video</a></div> </div> “I blame Democrats, full stop,” Boothe said. She then falsely said that “for decades,” the party has “been leading this breakdown of society.” Boothe argued that Democrats who have spoken out in opposition to police brutality, particularly the systemic violence that has been directed at Black Americans, are responsible for the purported outbreak of rowdy spring breakers. She also absurdly argued that the teenagers organizing stupid parties on social media are an outgrowth of Democrats supporting welfare programs, “punishing marriage,” encouraging “the breakdown of God,” and “mocking God, mocking the family unit.” Boothe singled out Obama and Harris—the two highest-ranking elected Black officials in U.S. history, by the way—and argued that their opposition to police violence “led to this degradation of society.” The rant is, of course, nonsensical. While communities certainly have to figure out a way to allow teens to enjoy their lives without causing mayhem, this disruptive behavior isn’t the fault of Democrats and certainly not Harris or Obama. <figure class="image-captioned width-xl align-right"><img alt="FILE - In this April 30, 2016 file photo, President Barack Obama speaks at the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner at the Washington Hilton in Washington. The annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner â€” traditionally the most-glittery night on the Washington social calendar, where A-list celebrities sprinkle their stardust as coveted guests of media organizations â€” will have a different vibe this year. So as opposed to last year, when guests at President Barack Obama's final dinner included Watson, Washington and Helen Mirren, this year's big stars seem to be Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein.(AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)" class="width-xl" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1518220/large/AP17118774531553.jpg?1768581437" title="FILE - In this April 30, 2016 file photo, President Barack Obama speaks at the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner at the Washington Hilton in Washington. The annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner â€” traditionally the most-glittery night on the Washington social calendar, where A-list celebrities sprinkle their stardust as coveted guests of media organizations â€” will have a different vibe this year. So as opposed to last year, when guests at President Barack Obama's final dinner included Watson, Washington and Helen Mirren, this year's big stars seem to be Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein.(AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)"> <figcaption>Former President Barack Obama, shown in 2016.</figcaption> </figure> In fact, there is a long tradition in America of worrying about what the kids are up to. In the 1950s, there<a href="https://socialdance.stanford.edu/Syllabi/fifties.htm" target="_blank"> was a full-blown panic</a> about “juvenile delinquency” as kids rebelled against the repressive dominant culture of the era. Later<a href="https://youtu.be/ltrMfT4Qz5Y" target="_blank"> movies like “Footloose”</a> mocked the constant worry that rock 'n' roll would lead teenagers into a life of sin. Many of those same black-jacket-wearing teens from the ‘50s and ‘60s are among the core audience of Fox viewers being told that Obama did something to the youth. Boothe’s rant is a symptom<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/20/2374021/-Fox-News-freaks-over-Democrats-revenge-agenda" target="_blank"> </a>of <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/20/2374021/-Fox-News-freaks-over-Democrats-revenge-agenda" target="_blank">Fox culture</a>, in which every bad thing in the world is laid at the feet of Democrats and liberalism. The network uses this strategy to motivate Republican voters and to pull their attention away from ongoing Republican failures, like President Donald Trump’s<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/4/1/2375859/-Republican-touts-amazing-Iran-war-despite-dead-troops-and-global-chaos" target="_blank"> unfurling disaster</a> in Iran. Figures like Trump<a href="https://www.aol.com/entertainment/donald-trump-ruthlessly-dubbed-inept-133940897.html" target="_blank"> play into these phony storylines</a> with rhetoric like his recent claim that Democrats are “terrorists.” In reality, high-profile incidents of crime are more likely to be traced back to Trump. After all, it was at Trump’s urging that hundreds of MAGA supporters broke into the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and it was Trump<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/4/1/2375753/-Now-the-scumbag-Jan-6-insurrectionists-want-you-to-pay-them" target="_blank"> who gave them pardons</a> so they could go on to commit further crimes. Instead of dealing with the fallout from the world it helped to create, Fox News wants its audience to believe dumb teenagers are a new invention brought about by their old enemy: Barack Obama. rss@dailykos.com (Oliver Willis) Crime FoxNews Journalism LisaBoothe Media _2375897 Wed, 01 Apr 2026 21:00:04 +0000 Alex Jones calls to dump Trump over busted brain and body https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/4/1/2375879/-Alex-Jones-calls-to-dump-Trump-over-busted-brain-and-body?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones told the viewers of his Tuesday broadcast that it is time to drop President Donald Trump as a leader of the conservative movement, citing failing health and mental decline. <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=OGfzBukuk3c" title="" data-frameborder="0" data-height="281" data-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OGfzBukuk3c" data-width="500">YouTube Video</a></div> </div> <a href="https://youtu.be/OGfzBukuk3c" target="_blank">Jones said</a> recent images showing Trump’s swollen ankles were evidence of “heart failure” and that “he does look sick.” “He does babble and sound like the brain’s not doing too hot,” Jones added. “We just cut bait on Trump, and we just mobilize against the Democrats.” After over a decade of hailing Trump as a conquering hero for the right and at times arguing that Trump has been God’s instrument on Earth, Jones said he has been a “minor figure” in a purported conservative awakening that has occurred. He added, “We need to be sad about Trump. This is not funny, this is not good, but he’s gone and that’s it.” Jones also argued that Trump was under “evil control” and urged his viewers to pray for him. <figure class="image-captioned width-xl align-right"><img alt="Redness is visible on the neck of President Donald Trump waves as he speaks with reporters before departing on Marine One from the South Lawn of the White House, Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)" class="width-xl" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1531976/large/AP26061691405838.jpg?1772488190" title="Redness is visible on the neck of President Donald Trump waves as he speaks with reporters before departing on Marine One from the South Lawn of the White House, Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)"> <figcaption>Redness is visible on President Donald Trump's neck while he speaks with reporters on the South Lawn of the White House on Feb. 27.</figcaption> </figure> The (apparent) radical change of heart on Trump by Jones comes as the decision to attack Iran has continued to spiral out of control. Gas prices have skyrocketed, adding to global economic instability still reeling from Trump’s tariff policies. Jones<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/2/2371301/-Trump-s-Iran-war-is-Alex-Jones-latest-humiliation" title="" target="_blank"> has had to reconcile</a> his position as a loud Trump cheerleader with his previous advocacy against military interventions. For months, there has been visual<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/2/2371288/-WTF-is-wrong-with-Trump-s-neck" title="" target="_blank"> evidence of</a> numerous physical ailments from Trump, including markings on his neck and hands. There have also<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/25/us/politics/trump-age-health.html" title="" target="_blank"> been multiple reports</a> of considerable mental deterioration by Trump, with signs of cognitive decline and other serious slippages. Jones’ decision to suddenly notice these ailments—just as the Iran situation continues to worsen—raises serious questions about how authentic the conspiracy theorist’s concerns are. <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/2/2371288/-WTF-is-wrong-with-Trump-s-neck" target="_blank">WTF is wrong with Trump's neck?</a> <hr> In Trump, Jones saw someone who shared his conspiratorial worldview achieve a level of prominence and influence never before seen. For instance, both men were prominent promoters of the racist birther conspiracy theory that alleged former President Barack Obama was born in Kenya and therefore ineligible for the presidency. Trump’s failures in office have significantly undermined the faith Jones has placed in him for years. In addition to Trump’s collapse, Jones is experiencing a series of major career failings. Just last month, during an apparently drunk appearance on fellow right-wing podcaster Tim Pool’s program,<a href="https://www.mediamatters.org/alex-jones/alex-jones-infowars-will-be-shutting-down-middle-next-month" target="_blank"> Jones said</a> that his conspiracy website Infowars would be shutting down soon. Jones<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/10/14/2129035/-Alex-Jones-mocks-1-billion-Sandy-Hook-verdict-but-his-fellow-conspiracy-theorists-freak-out" target="_blank"> is facing millions in legal fees</a> he has to pay out to the families and survivors of the Sandy Hook school shooting after he defamed them on his program. <figure class="image-captioned width-xl align-right"><img alt="Cartoon by Jack Ohman" class="width-xl" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1459440/large/20250722edohc-a.jpg?1753220130" title="Cartoon by Jack Ohman"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/10/14/2348533/-Alex-Jones-keeps-losing" target="_blank">Jones also lost</a> key collaborator Owen Shroyer in a major dust-up last year, saw the Trump Department of Justice pull back on efforts to investigate Jones’ enemies, and he had to contend with Trump continuing to play cover for accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Conservatives seeking out right-wing pundits peddling outrage have begun to shift to younger and openly antisemitic figures<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/3/18/2373754/-Nick-Fuentes-is-just-the-beginning-of-the-GOP-s-Nazi-problem" target="_blank"> like podcaster Nick Fuentes</a> over figures like Jones, who has been in broadcasting for decades. Jones could always pivot back to supporting Trump, because he has rarely held a consistent position on a host of topics. But his decision to call for a leadership change is a clear indicator of cracks in the core coalition that has been behind Trump for so long. rss@dailykos.com (Oliver Willis) AlexJones DonaldTrump Iran Media _2375879 Wed, 01 Apr 2026 20:00:12 +0000 Fox News celebrates ... diversity? https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/4/1/2375894/-Fox-News-celebrates-diversity?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= NASA’s <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/4/1/2375689/-NASA-is-shooting-for-the-moon-A-guide-to-the-Artemis-II-mission" target="_blank">Artemis II</a> lunar mission is set to launch Wednesday, and suddenly, the dopes over at Fox News are dialing back their <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/1/9/2296021/-Delusional-right-wing-media-blames-California-fires-on-DEI" target="_blank">usual anti-DEI racism</a> to celebrate the crew’s diversity. “Among the crew are the first woman, first person of color, and first Canadian on a lunar mission,” a Fox host gushed. “So there's a lot of firsts happening here, and all four astronauts will represent the best of humanity as they explore the benefit of all.”  <a href="https://youtu.be/3eQD0l7-7BE" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/3eQD0l7-7BE</a> They went on to highlight Victor Glover, who is set to be the first Black astronaut to fly near the moon.  “Victor Glover said that while he loves the fact that there may be kids of color who see him in themselves and say, ‘Oh wow, what is he doing? I can do that,’ he says that he looks forward to a day that people aren't talking about these firsts and that everyone is seen as just an astronaut there representing all of our hopes and dreams and working for the benefit of humanity,” another Fox personality said. Surprise, diversity is great again! At least in this context. If <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/5/7/2320891/-Transportation-chief-blames-DEI-and-Biden-for-ongoing-air-safety-woes" target="_blank">you are the bozo</a> running President Donald Trump’s Transportation Department or <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/27/2375099/-Pete-Hegseth-turns-the-bigot-spigot-to-full-gush" target="_blank">Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth</a>, then no, it’s still very bad. Astronauts Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, Jeremy Hansen, and Glover are set to embark on a 10-day journey around the moon and back. Tip your hat as they go into that wild blue yonder. rss@dailykos.com (Walter Einenkel) artemisII DEI Diversity FoxNews Space _2375894 Wed, 01 Apr 2026 20:55:05 +0000 Jeanine Pirro demands ‘retribution’ against children https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/4/1/2375872/-Jeanine-Pirro-demands-retribution-against-children?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro is <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/2/11/2368270/-Jeanine-Pirro-fails-to-get-Trump-critics-indicted" target="_blank">struggling</a>—one might say she can’t even get a jury to <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/story/2025/11/6/2352520/--Sandwich-Guy-triumphs-over-ham-fisted-charges" target="_blank">indict a ham sandwich</a>. However, she has a plan, and that plan is to complain to Fox News about how the law supposedly limits her ability to <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/8/7/2337290/-Top-DC-attorney-wants-to-lock-up-kids" target="_blank">prosecute children</a>. “The mentality in D.C. is that, you know, if you're less than 18 years of age, unless you kill somebody or do something really serious, it goes to the family court, where the purpose is simply what is in the best interest of the child,” Pirro <a href="https://x.com/atrupar/status/2039345624424800532" target="_blank">said</a> incredulously. “There is no punishment. There's no retribution. There is no deterrence. You can go to an ice cream social or yoga.”  <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=p6d5Dht9HiE" title="" data-frameborder="0" data-height="281" data-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/p6d5Dht9HiE" data-width="500">YouTube Video</a></div> </div> We’ll just gloss over her key contradiction that unless you do something really serious, you won’t meet Pirro’s perverse desire for “retribution.” She was not done. “This nonsense that your prefrontal lobe is not fully developed and therefore you should be able to do armed carjackings,” Pirro <a href="https://x.com/atrupar/status/2039346374509031723" target="_blank">continued</a>, invoking a nightmare fantasy of child anarchists running amok. “I can't even touch them. Last night, unrelated to a takeover, we had 16-year-olds involved in armed carjackings and robberies. I can't handle those cases. They're gonna go to an ice cream social.” <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=Pjm8PqPhr14" title="" data-frameborder="0" data-height="281" data-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Pjm8PqPhr14" data-width="500">YouTube Video</a></div> </div> Pirro’s claims are not only monstrous, they are also misleading. In Washington, 16-year-olds can be and <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/16-year-old-charged-adult-armed-carjackings-and-robberies-over-three-month-period" target="_blank">have been tried as adults</a> for serious offenses like armed carjackings.  Since taking office, Pirro has not stopped whining about her <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/8/13/2338209/-Hey-Jeanine-Pirro-DC-crime-facts-don-t-care-about-your-feelings" target="_blank">feelings-over-facts</a> approach to justice. And while President Donald Trump continues to <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/8/13/2338207/-Trump-s-delusional-DC-crime-fantasy-is-falling-apart" target="_blank">tout the myth</a> that his federal invasion of D.C. ended a nonexistent crime wave, his D.C. attorney continues to pretend crime is running rampant. rss@dailykos.com (Walter Einenkel) Children Crime JeaninePirro Justice lawandorder _2375872 Wed, 01 Apr 2026 19:30:11 +0000 Boots on the ground https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/4/1/2375593/-Boots-on-the-ground?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= A cartoon by Clay Bennett. <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/23/2374484/-Top-Republican-s-rationale-for-Iran-war-will-make-your-head-spin" title="" target="_blank">Top Republican's rationale for Iran war will make your head spin</a> <hr> rss@dailykos.com (Clay Bennett) Cartoon ClayBennett DonaldTrump Elections Iran Midterms War _2375593 Wed, 01 Apr 2026 19:29:16 +0000 Hegseth cool with Army helicopter stunt at Kid Rock's house https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/4/1/2375868/-Hegseth-cool-with-Army-helicopter-stunt-at-Kid-Rock-s-house?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= Imagine risking your Army career for a washed-up hack like Kid Rock. Because that’s apparently what two Apache helicopter crews decided was a terrific idea, and then they<a href="https://www.newschannel5.com/news/newschannel-5-investigates/u-s-army-suspends-apache-helicopter-flight-crews-involved-in-kid-rock-no-kings-flybys" target="_blank"> got suspended</a>— Wait a minute. We’re getting word that in the middle of a war, at a time when we are ostensibly engaged in high-stakes negotiations with Iran to bring things to a close, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made time to go on social media to let Kid Rock’s cool Army ‘copter friends know that spending your tax dollars on stunts like this isn’t just A-okay, it’s downright patriotic: <div class="dk-editor-embed center-block" data-twitter-content="&lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"&gt;&lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Thank you &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/KidRock?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@KidRock&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;a href="https://twitter.com/USArmy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@USArmy&lt;/a&gt; pilots suspension LIFTED. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;No punishment. No investigation.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Carry on, patriots. 🇺🇸 &lt;a href="https://t.co/Zqhv1Zx1iG"&gt;https://t.co/Zqhv1Zx1iG&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/PeteHegseth/status/2039109100282196436?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;March 31, 2026&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;"><div class="remove-embed-content">x</div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Thank you <a href="https://twitter.com/KidRock?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KidRock</a>.<a href="https://twitter.com/USArmy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@USArmy</a> pilots suspension LIFTED. No punishment. No investigation. Carry on, patriots. 🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/Zqhv1Zx1iG">https://t.co/Zqhv1Zx1iG</a>— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) <a href="https://twitter.com/PeteHegseth/status/2039109100282196436?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 31, 2026</a></blockquote></div> Let’s wind things back to see how we got to the place where some random dipshits in control of attack helicopters got away with nothing but an “attaboy” for taking a U.S. Army helicopter worth<a href="https://defensefeeds.com/military-tech/air-force/helicopters/ah-64-apache/#google_vignette" target="_blank"> tens of millions</a> of dollars to visit Kid Rock’s <a href="https://www.realtor.com/news/celebrity-real-estate/kid-rock-mini-white-house-revealed/" title="" target="_blank">knockoff White House</a> in Tennessee. Honestly, it sucks so much that we have to even type that sentence. Mad Libs-ass administration.  On Saturday, two Apache attack helicopters <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/military/army-suspends-aircrew-flying-helicopters-kid-rocks-home-rcna265999" target="_blank">flew over</a> a “No Kings” rally in the Nashville area before <a href="https://www.npr.org/2026/04/01/nx-s1-5769800/suspension-lifted-helicopter-pilots-kid-rock" target="_blank">zipping</a> over to Kid Rock’s house. We learned about this not only because folks attending “No Kings” posted pictures of the chopper flying overhead, but also because Mr. Rock, whose real name is Robert James Ritchie, simply couldn’t stop himself from<a href="https://x.com/KidRock/status/2037987671671292134" target="_blank"> posting</a> two <a href="https://x.com/KidRock/status/2037987740894015556" target="_blank">videos</a> of the visit on X. <figure class="image-captioned width-xl align-right"><img alt="FILE - A military helicopter flies over a No Kings protest Saturday, March 28, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)" class="width-xl" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1540627/large/AP26089768417695.jpg?1775060830" title="FILE - A military helicopter flies over a No Kings protest Saturday, March 28, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)"> <figcaption>A military helicopter flies over a “No Kings” protest on March 28 in Nashville, Tennessee.</figcaption> </figure> One would think that Apache helicopter crews are not typically assigned to just toodle on over to the Nashville-area mansion of a has-been rock star, even if he is a big Trump fan. One would also hope that said crews are also not typically assigned to drop down to <a href="https://www.newschannel5.com/news/newschannel-5-investigates/u-s-army-suspends-apache-helicopter-flight-crews-involved-in-kid-rock-no-kings-flybys" title="" target="_blank">only 625 feet</a> and make several passes over a peaceful protest.  When the news first broke, the Army tried to<a href="https://www.newschannel5.com/news/newschannel-5-investigates/u-s-army-opens-investigation-into-attack-helicopter-activities-at-kid-rocks-home-no-kings-protest" title="" target="_blank"> vague this up</a>, saying it was conducting an “administrative review” rather than an investigation of the incident. That eventually changed, likely when it became clear that the leaders of the 101st Airborne Division had no idea why their Apache crews were hitting up “No Kings” and Kid Rock. So the Army suspended the crews and opened an investigation—only to be promptly kneecapped by Hegseth.  Hegseth’s decision to bless this sophomoric behavior sends the same sorts of signals that Trump’s<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/12/9/2357661/-Trump-plays-dumb-about-drug-trafficker-he-pardoned" target="_blank"> pardons</a> do: The rules do not apply to our allies, and they will suffer no consequences.  In some ways, Hegseth’s actions here might be worse than Trump’s pardonpalooza. Where Trump’s pardons have largely sent an individual message to individual wrongdoers that his mercy is for sale to the highest bidder, Hegseth has functionally told the whole military that they need not follow command structure as long as their antics are sick, dude.  Of course, Kid Rock is a perfect avatar for the Trump era: his tacky replica White House, his faux-working-class vibe. All from a man who grew up on a 5.5-acre<a href="https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/macomb/2016/11/04/kid-rock-macomb-county-house/93299716/?gnt-cfr=1&gca-cat=p&gca-uir=false&gca-epti=z111501u112401e1141xxv111501&gca-ft=60&gca-ds=sophi" target="_blank"> estate</a>. He’s basically a skinnier, more strung-out-looking Trump.   Oh, god, please never let Kid Rock run for president. rss@dailykos.com (Lisa Needham) Apache Army KidRock peteHegseth _2375868 Wed, 01 Apr 2026 18:30:08 +0000 They protested at No Kings. Now they’re running for office. https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/4/1/2375857/-They-protested-at-No-Kings-Now-they-re-running-for-office?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= “Oftentimes, you’re the person you’re looking for,” said Leila Staton, an Iowa state House candidate. By <a href="https://19thnews.org/author/amanda-becker" target="_blank" title="">Amanda Becker</a> for <a href="https://19thnews.org/2026/03/no-kings-protest-women-running-for-office/" target="_blank" title="">The 19th</a> <hr> Kendra Sullivan was at her family’s cabin in the Allegheny Highlands region in late October “just planning on having a low-key country weekend.” But the cabin has internet, so messages kept coming in about her <a href="https://19thnews.org/2025/10/kendra-sullivan-no-kings-protest-rural-west-virginia/" title="" target="_blank">one-woman No Kings demonstration</a> the prior weekend in Beckley, West Virginia. “That weekend was crazy,” she said. “My dad, that morning, was like: ‘You’re on the news!’ Even though we were very isolated we were getting bombarded with: ‘Kendra is famous now!’” Her aunt in Anchorage even texted to let Sullivan know that news of her protest had reached Alaska. After a whirlwind three months, Sullivan filed paperwork in January to run for spots on the Democratic Party’s executive committees in West Virginia and in Harrison County, where she lives. Sullivan was one of nearly 7 million people who attended some 2,700 No Kings protests on October 18, 2025. Independent estimates confirmed it was the largest single-day protest in American history. No Kings organizers are hoping to break that record Saturday, when more than 3,000 events are planned across all 50 states and the District of Columbia, with a main event in Minneapolis. <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/28/2375134/-Open-thread-Time-to-declare-No-Kings-across-America-once-again" title="" target="_blank">Time to declare 'No Kings' across America once again</a> <hr> The No Kings movement is young and organized disproportionately by women. The October protest was the second national mobilization following <a href="https://19thnews.org/2025/06/older-women-front-and-center-in-no-kings-pro-democracy-movement/" title="" target="_blank">one in June</a>, when the main event in Philadelphia was one of 2,100 that drew more than 5 million to oppose President Donald Trump on his birthday. Since the No Kings days began, <a href="https://stateline.org/2026/03/26/as-no-kings-protests-grow-a-bigger-question-looms-what-comes-next/" target="_blank" title="">observers have questioned</a> <a href="https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2026/03/23/no-kings-protest-detroit-michigan-trump/89287749007/?gnt-cfr=1&gca-cat=p&gca-uir=false&gca-epti=z113101p116350l003050c116350u111701e1172xxv113101&gca-ft=8&gca-ds=sophi" target="_blank" title="">whether mobilizing people to protest</a> <a href="https://johnpavlovitz.substack.com/p/no-kings-day-is-coming-but-does-it" target="_blank" title="">in the streets</a> can lead to <a href="https://johnpavlovitz.substack.com/p/no-kings-day-is-coming-but-does-it" target="_blank" title="">lasting, societal change</a>. Early anecdotal evidence suggests that participating in No Kings events is motivating the women organizing them to think more about what they can do to support their country’s democracy. Some, like Sullivan, have decided to run for office: She will be on West Virginia’s May 12 primary ballots. It’s a similar, but amplified and geographically dispersed, dynamic to the influx of women who ran for office after the first Women’s March in early 2017. <figure class="image-captioned width-xl align-left"><img alt="Cartoon by Clay Jones" class="width-xl" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1539971/large/CjonesRGB03282026.jpg?1774885485" title="Cartoon by Clay Jones"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> “I’ve always been politically engaged to some degree, but I’d never considered running for elected office before,” Sullivan said. After The 19th’s <a href="https://19thnews.org/2025/10/kendra-sullivan-no-kings-protest-rural-west-virginia/" title="" target="_blank">story about her one-woman protest</a>, Sullivan got calls from party leaders. She spoke at a Democratic women’s meeting; then to a chapter of the group Drinking Liberally, part of the Living Liberally umbrella organization. She surveyed the political landscape to decide where she might make the biggest difference in a state where Trump won nearly 70 percent of the vote in 2024 and Republicans hold supermajorities in the state House and Senate. She settled on the party committees. “Having a role there would be a way to help regrow the Democratic Party and make sure there is a focus on families, working families and women, because even [among] the Democrats we have in the legislature right now, there are only two women,” explained Sullivan, an educator and mother of a 7-year-old son. <figure class="image-captioned width-xl align-right"><img alt="no-kings-women_1.jpeg" class="width-xl" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1540602/large/no-kings-women_1.jpeg?1775054211" title="no-kings-women_1.jpeg"> <figcaption>Katrina Manetta</figcaption> </figure> Amanda Litman, the co-founder and president of Run For Something, a group that recruits and supports young progressive candidates vying for state and local offices, said that even when compared with Trump’s first term, there has been a notable uptick in the number of people interested in running for office. “We had 80,000 sign up to run for office last year — that’s more than we had in the entirety of Trump’s first term. Then we had another 5,000 in the first 10 weeks of this year,” Litman said. While the largest numbers of candidates are in the most populous states, Litman said there have been “way more rural folks than we expected,” and it reflects a set of priorities among would-be Democratic candidates that has shifted since Trump’s first term. “The thing that we heard that was different is: ‘I’m sick and tired of the Democratic Party. I’m sick and tired of being told to wait my turn,’” Litman said. “We’re also hearing a lot of: ‘The Democrats haven’t been where I am, they don’t know what it’s like to be in my shoes.’” “Trump is the water they’re swimming in but he is not the bait,” she added. Run for Something is not affiliated with No Kings, but some of the organization’s endorsed candidates this year hail from the movement. Two are <a href="https://directory.runforsomething.net/candidate/869c3c12897cd405372405fa26d81e7e/manetta-katrina/" target="_blank" title="">Katrina Manetta in Michigan’s politically swingy Macomb County</a> and <a href="https://directory.runforsomething.net/candidate/44163e93768ab993597390a71b04df36/staton-leila/" target="_blank">Leila Staton in north central Iowa</a>, who both founded chapters of Indivisible, a national progressive movement started by former congressional staffers in 2016 to organize peaceful opposition to Trump’s presidency. Since Indivisible is a national partner in the leaderless No Kings movement, Manetta and Staton went on to organize No Kings events in their communities. Both are now running for seats in their respective state Houses. Manetta, a 31-year-old server who was born and raised in the district where she is running, told The 19th that she was “devastated” after the 2024 presidential election. She remembers googling “what now” and found an Indivisible meeting in a nearby community. She went, then co-founded a chapter in her own neighborhood. Their first meeting in a coffee shop drew five people — the number Indivisible suggests a would-be organizer initially aim to marshal. The second, in the basement of the house Manetta shares with her mother, drew 10. “Now, we consistently have over 100 people come to our meetings every month. It proves we understand what people are looking for: They want movement, they want action, they want a fight — and they don’t see that Democrats are currently fighting,” Manetta said. Manetta abandoned her plan to apply to law school and decided to run for office. She <a href="https://www.amazon.com/When-Were-Charge-Generations-Leadership/dp/1638931925" target="_blank" title="">read Litman’s book</a>. She was recruited by the <a href="https://www.glpa-lead.com/" target="_blank" title="">Great Lakes Leadership Academy,</a> which since 2013 has trained progressive candidates. She will likely get through Michigan’s August primary and in November face off against first-term GOP incumbent Rep. Ron Robinson, who flipped the district with 53 percent of the vote in 2024. <figure class="image-captioned width-xl align-right"><img alt="no-kings-women_2.jpeg" class="width-xl" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1540603/large/no-kings-women_2.jpeg?1775054211" title="no-kings-women_2.jpeg"> <figcaption>Leila Staton</figcaption> </figure> “Because of the work we’re doing, I know what it takes to win in this area, to make sure that Democrats show up at the polls to vote. I felt like I would be the best chance at flipping the seat this year,” she said. Staton, in Iowa, traversed a similar trajectory. The 22-year-old with a background advocating on behalf of childhood sexual assault victims said that after the 2024 elections she and her family were “really upset” about then-Vice President Kamala Harris’ loss to Trump. They had reached out to their local and state Democratic Party organizations asking how they might help — maybe doorknocking, or canvassing — but had not gotten a response. In the aftermath, they were “looking at things we could do to build a community of people who were like-minded and who just want better,” Staton said. Staton’s family came across Indivisible. They made it a goal to find five people and form a small group “just so we could talk about all of the bad things that were happening.” Within a couple of months, the Insufferable Wenches of Iowa, the group founded by Staton and her mother, swelled to 450 people. They often meet online so Iowans anywhere in the state can participate and run mutual aid programs benefitting their local communities. The cheeky Midwestern T-shirt purveyor Raygun has an “<a href="https://www.raygunsite.com/products/iowa-needs-insufferable-wenches?srsltid=AfmBOorLs5seMswr--8rdvrIZb6ALTyw53d_QuDMLBypMigA15VDvMxD" target="_blank" title="">Iowa Needs Insufferable Wenches</a>” shirt that raises money for their efforts. Staton realized when researching state legislation that her two-term Republican state representative, Joshua Meggers, ran unopposed. “Oftentimes, you’re the person that you’re looking for,” Staton said. “I decided I was going to do this last May and have knocked on doors every weekend since.” Staton is running unopposed in the Democratic primary — but she knows that come November, prevailing in counties where Trump won by 35 to 40 points in 2024 will be tough for a Democratic newcomer just two years later. When she first decided to try, she “didn’t think there would be any chance at success,” she said. “But after getting more and more involved in my community and listening to people and what they’re worried about, I’ve come to the summarization that everyone is worried about the same things, the Republican or Democrat after your name doesn’t matter,” she said. “I don’t really concern myself with how Republicans have won in the district; I think now is the time when people are looking for something different, because this isn’t working,” Staton added. rss@dailykos.com (The19th) Elections NoKings Protests Women womeningovernment womeninpolitics WomenRunningforOffice _2375857 Wed, 01 Apr 2026 18:00:04 +0000 Republican touts 'amazing' Iran war, despite dead troops and global chaos https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/4/1/2375859/-Republican-touts-amazing-Iran-war-despite-dead-troops-and-global-chaos?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= Republican Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota heaped praise on President Donald Trump’s war in Iran—you know, despite the dead American soldiers and all that. “This has been an incredibly successful mission in spite of the tragedy of losing 13 of our service men and women,” Emmer <a href="https://x.com/atrupar/status/2039343106177311092" target="_blank">effused</a> during a Wednesday interview on CNBC. “This is an amazing, amazing mission—and guess what, if you watch the news in this country, you'd think we were losing.” <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=_ODS6KI7hi0" title="" data-frameborder="0" data-height="281" data-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_ODS6KI7hi0" data-width="500">YouTube Video</a></div> </div> Despite Emmer’s insinuations, few major media outlets, if any, are suggesting America is losing the war. Much of what is being debated in the news is instead whether the war should have been started at all, and what “winning” in Iran would even look like.  So far, Trump has successfully <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/9/2372351/-Trump-s-war-spikes-gas-prices-and-gets-Iran-a-worse-leader" target="_blank">destabilized the region</a> and shocked the <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/12/2372835/-Energy-secretary-struggles-to-spin-Trump-s-oil-crisis" target="_blank">global oil markets</a>, sending gas prices through the roof, while <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/9/2372429/-Trump-crony-blames-oil-crisis-on-Biden-because-of-course-he-does" target="_blank">enriching adversaries</a> like Russia. And now, five weeks into the war, Trump is talking about <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/04/01/2375858/-" target="_blank">leaving NATO</a>. Last month, Emmer was sent to CNBC to try and finesse Trump’s disastrous foreign imperialism, describing the war in Iran as a “<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/9/2372352/-GOP-lawmaker-says-Trump-s-Iran-war-is-just-a-short-term-experience" target="_blank">short-term experience.”</a> Shortly after that, <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/20/2374007/-Trump-team-reportedly-extends-Iran-war-timeline-amid-public-backlash" target="_blank">reports</a> indicated that Trump’s team was already stretching out their timeline. It might not be losing, but it sure isn’t winning. rss@dailykos.com (Walter Einenkel) Economy ForeignPolicy Iran Oil strawman TomEmmer _2375859 Wed, 01 Apr 2026 17:30:03 +0000 Trump’s hunt for undocumented Medicaid enrollees yields few violators https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/4/1/2375851/-Trump-s-hunt-for-undocumented-Medicaid-enrollees-yields-few-violators?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= By <a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/author/phil-galewitz/" target="_blank" title="">Phil Galewitz</a> for <a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/medicaid-undocumented-enrollees-review-few-violators/" target="_blank" title="">KFF</a> <hr> Last August, as part of the federal government’s crackdown on people in the country illegally, the Trump administration <a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/trump-hhs-medicaid-eligibility-reviews-states-cms-immigrants/" target="_blank" title="">sent states the names</a> of hundreds of thousands of Medicaid enrollees with orders to determine whether they were ineligible based on immigration status. <div> But seven months later, findings from five states shared with KFF Health News show that the reviews have uncovered little evidence of a widespread problem. Only U.S. citizens and some lawfully present immigrants are eligible for Medicaid, which covers health care costs for people with low incomes and disabilities, and the closely related Children’s Health Insurance Program. Both programs are administered by states. <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/1/30/2365040/-ICE-is-using-Medicaid-data-to-find-out-where-immigrants-live" title="" target="_blank">ICE is using Medicaid data to find out where immigrants live</a> <hr> Spokespeople from Pennsylvania’s and Colorado’s Medicaid agencies said, as of March, the states had found no one who needed to be terminated from Medicaid. That was after checking a combined 79,000 names. Texas has reviewed records of more than 28,000 Medicaid enrollees at the Trump administration’s request and terminated coverage for 77 of them, according to Jennifer Ruffcorn, a spokesperson for the Texas Department of Human Services. Ohio has checked 65,000 Medicaid enrollees, of which 260 people were disenrolled from the program, said Stephanie O’Grady, a spokesperson for the Ohio Department of Medicaid. In Utah, 42 of the 8,000 enrollees identified by the Trump administration had their Medicaid coverage terminated, said Becky Wickstrom, a spokesperson for the state’s Department of Workforce Services. In announcing the reviews, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said: “We are tightening oversight of enrollment to safeguard taxpayer dollars and guarantee that these vital programs serve only those who are truly eligible under the law.” <figure class="image-captioned width-xl align-right"><img alt="Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appears during a budget hearing before a House Appropriations, Subcommittee at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)" class="width-xl" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1437423/large/AP25134575618153.jpg?1748378972" title="Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appears during a budget hearing before a House Appropriations, Subcommittee at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)"> <figcaption>Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appears during a budget hearing at the U.S. Capitol on in May 2025.</figcaption> </figure> Leonardo Cuello, a research professor at Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families, said the reviews ordered by the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services were unneeded because states check immigration status when people sign up. “It is entirely predictable that all of these burdensome reviews that the federal government is forcing upon states would yield no pay dirt,” Cuello said. “The states had already done the reviews once, and CMS was just making them reverify the same information they had already checked. Making states go through the same bureaucratic process twice is incredibly wasteful and inefficient.” <div> CMS spokesperson Chris Krepich said in a statement to KFF Health News that the ongoing checks are verifying eligibility “for certain enrollees whose status could not be confirmed through federal data sources.” “CMS provides states with regular reports for follow-up review, and states are responsible for independently verifying eligibility and taking appropriate action consistent with federal requirements,” he said. But the findings shared with KFF Health News also suggest that many of the enrollees whose eligibility the Trump administration said it could not confirm are indeed U.S. citizens. O’Grady said Ohio found that, of the 65,000 names referred by the federal government, the state already had information on 53,000 confirming them as citizens and an additional 11,000 showing appropriate immigration status for Medicaid. Caseworkers then worked on the remaining 1,000 names to review their information or reach out for more details, she said. CMS did not answer questions about the findings from the states sampled by KFF Health News or provide information about responses it received from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, which were instructed to perform verification checks. The agency also did not respond to a question about whether it’s forwarding the names of those whose Medicaid coverage was terminated to federal immigration officials. <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/11/5/2351921/-Trump-s-HHS-orders-state-Medicaid-programs-to-help-find-undocumented-immigrants" title="" target="_blank">Trump’s HHS orders state Medicaid programs to help find undocumented immigrants</a> <hr> In June, advisers to Kennedy ordered CMS to share information about Medicaid enrollees with the Department of Homeland Security, prompting a lawsuit by some states alarmed that the administration would use the information for its deportation campaign against residents living in the U.S. without authorization. A federal judge <a href="https://apnews.com/article/medicaid-data-hhs-rfk-sharing-immigration-trump-30784ce01a403a16aca504980e4c7bc9" target="_blank">ruled in December</a> that Immigration and Customs Enforcement workers could access information only about people in the country unlawfully in the Medicaid databases of the states that sued. <figure class="image-captioned width-xl align-right"><img alt="Cartoon by Mike Luckovich" class="width-xl" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1484290/large/lk100525dAPR.jpg?1759444341" title="Cartoon by Mike Luckovich"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> CMS continues to send states lists of names at least every few months, though state officials say the numbers have declined since the first batch last summer. People without legal status are ineligible for federally funded health coverage, including Medicaid, Medicare, and plans through the Affordable Care Act marketplaces. Medicaid does reimburse hospitals for providing emergency care to people without legal status if they meet income and other program requirements. Seven states and the District of Columbia provide health coverage regardless of immigration status, funding the programs with their own money. In March 2025, CMS began financial reviews of those programs. “CMS has identified over $1.8 billion in federal funds that are being recouped through voluntary returns and deferrals of future federal Medicaid payments,” Krepich said. He did not answer how much has been collected so far or from which states. Medicaid’s overall spending topped $900 billion in fiscal year 2024. </div> </div> rss@dailykos.com (KFF) HealthCare Immigration Medicaid RobertF.KennedyJr _2375851 Wed, 01 Apr 2026 17:00:23 +0000 Mr. Johnson no Johnson https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/4/1/2375499/-Mr-Johnson-no-Johnson?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= A cartoon by Clay Jones. <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/17/2373565/-Looking-for-proof-of-voter-fraud-So-is-Mike-Johnson" title="" target="_blank">Looking for proof of voter fraud? So is Mike Johnson.</a> <hr> rss@dailykos.com (Clay Jones) Cartoon ClayJones Congress Currency DonaldTrump MikeJohnson _2375499 Wed, 01 Apr 2026 16:59:09 +0000 Trump floats quitting NATO after it won’t endorse his warmongering https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/4/1/2375858/-Trump-floats-quitting-NATO-after-it-won-t-endorse-his-warmongering?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= President Donald Trump is once again floating the idea of the United States abandoning the long-standing NATO alliance, this time because several U.S. allies have refused to aid his war against Iran. In an interview<a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/01/donald-trump-strongly-considering-pulling-us-out-of-nato/" title="" target="_blank"> with The Telegraph</a> published on Wednesday, Trump was asked if he would reconsider American membership in the alliance, and he responded, “Oh yes, I would say [it’s] beyond reconsideration.” Trump added, “I was never swayed by NATO. I always knew they were a paper tiger, and [Russian dictator Vladimir] Putin knows that too, by the way.” Trump told the paper that he thought NATO nations would be “automatic” in helping him to wage war against the Iranian people, a conflict he is <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/20/2374007/-Trump-team-reportedly-extends-Iran-war-timeline-amid-public-backlash" title="" target="_blank">unable to clearly justify</a> to the American public despite weeks of bombing. <figure class="image-captioned width-xl align-right"><img alt="Monica Crowley, White House chief of protocol, from left, greets NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte upon arriving to meet with President Donald Trump and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Monday, Aug. 18, 2025, at the South Portico of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)" class="width-xl" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1469078/large/AP25230590562438.jpg?1755552205" title="Monica Crowley, White House chief of protocol, from left, greets NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte upon arriving to meet with President Donald Trump and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Monday, Aug. 18, 2025, at the South Portico of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)"> <figcaption>From left, Monica Crowley, White House chief of protocol, greets NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte upon arriving to meet with President Donald Trump in August 2025.</figcaption> </figure> The newest complaints<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/31/2375686/-Trump-and-Hegseth-scream-at-the-world-as-their-war-spirals" target="_blank"> come a day after Trump</a> fumed at the leadership of the United Kingdom and France, which joined other nations, like Spain and Italy, in refusing to help America bomb Iran. On his social media account, Trump wrote that the U.K. wasn’t “there for us” in the conflict. Underscoring why these nations are reluctant to march in lockstep with an unpopular American president,<a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116329512466946656" target="_blank"> </a>Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116329512466946656" target="_blank">said</a> on Wednesday that “we are blasting Iran into oblivion or, as they say, back to the Stone Ages!!!” He<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/30/2375484/-Trump-wants-to-loot-Iran-while-committing-war-crimes" target="_blank"> has also advocated</a> for stealing Iran’s resources and sabotaging civilian infrastructure, which would likely constitute war crimes. Trump has discussed leaving NATO before, but<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/11/08/trump-nato-congress-courts-00188426" target="_blank"> a provision of</a> the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, signed into law by then-President Joe Biden (and co-authored by now-Secretary of State Marco Rubio), doesn’t make it easy. The provision requires a NATO exit to be authorized by a two-thirds Senate vote or an act of Congress, not just a presidential decree. NATO<a href="https://www.iwm.org.uk/learning/nato-the-origins-of-a-political-and-military-alliance" target="_blank"> was formed</a> in the aftermath of World War II and at the height of the Cold War as an institution designed to preserve global peace and to serve as a check on the Soviet Union. The alliance<a href="https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/short-history/firstgulf" target="_blank"> worked to remove</a> Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein from Kuwait after he tried to invade that nation in the 1990s, and<a href="https://www.nato.int/en/what-we-do/operations-and-missions/nato-operations-and-missions" target="_blank"> has served</a> in a peacekeeping role in multiple global hotspots. The United States has long been the key to the NATO alliance. But Trump has sought to sabotage the group,<a href="https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/in-depth-research-reports/report/toplines-deterring-putins-aggression-against-nato/" target="_blank"> fulfilling the dreams</a> of Putin. Putin has complained about NATO opposition to his regional power grabs, including his attempt to take over Ukraine. The NATO alliance is not perfect, but it has worked for decades—until Trump created<a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/30/2375473/-GOP-wants-to-cut-health-care-funding-to-pay-for-Iran-war" target="_blank"> an international disaster</a> and demanded that someone else clean up his mess. rss@dailykos.com (Oliver Willis) DonaldTrump Iran NATO _2375858 Wed, 01 Apr 2026 15:30:24 +0000 Stopgap measures aren't enough to halt rising gas prices as the world scrambles for more oil https://www.dailykos.com/story/2026/4/1/2375848/-Stopgap-measures-aren-t-enough-to-halt-rising-gas-prices-as-the-world-scrambles-for-more-oil?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source= <div> <div> <div> <div id="P_body"> Global leaders have been scrambling to contain the rising cost of oil and gasoline since the start of the Iran war, which took a record amount of oil off the market when tankers full of crude were stranded in the Persian Gulf and military strikes damaged refineries, pipelines and export terminals. Hoping to ease some pain for consumers, President Donald Trump and other heads of state have been pulling on various levers, launching more oil on the market in a bid to calm the chaos. A group of 32 nations that are members of the International Energy Agency began <a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-oil-europe-reserve-release-eaf0cf9988cd7e06f0dc2a8ee800762e" target="_blank">releasing the largest volume of emergency oil reserves</a> in its history: 400 million barrels. Trump is tapping into oil from the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-iran-oil-strategic-petroleum-reserve-f94657cbef74c0c682f5cc6472bfb3cb" target="_blank">Strategic Petroleum Reserve</a> while lifting sanctions on <a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-oil-sanctions-iran-war-hormuz-d131631be94766f50a5b1888b2aad778" target="_blank">Russian</a> and Iranian crude and temporarily waiving the Jones Act, a maritime law that requires ships carrying goods between U.S. ports to be U.S.-flagged. But despite those maneuvers, crude oil surpassed $100 a barrel and gasoline is <a href="https://apnews.com/article/gas-prices-4-gallon-iran-war-de8b7ccea254a1585cab86f336db57a6" target="_blank">selling for $4.06</a> a gallon on average in the U.S. While the stopgaps are helping, they're not adding up to enough oil to replace what's stranded, experts say. “They're all incremental,” said Mark Barteau, professor of chemical engineering and chemistry at Texas A&M University. "You’re talking about these different patches being at the level of maybe 1 to 2 million barrels a day each, and you’ve got to get to 20, so it’s hard to see those actually adding up to the numbers that are needed. And then the question is, how long can you sustain those?” <h3>Trapped oil</h3> Before the war began, roughly 15 million barrels of crude oil and 5 million barrels of oil products passed daily through the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/strait-hormuz-iran-energy-war-5b60e82ef2fc68e2b43aa570a32404dd" target="_blank">Strait of Hormuz</a>, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, amounting to about 20% of global oil consumption, according to the International Energy Agency. In addition to that loss, some oil producing nations in the Middle East have halted oil production because they can't ship fuel out of the Gulf and their storage tanks are full. That's taken about 10 million more barrels per day off the market, the IEA said. <figure class="image-captioned width-xl align-right"><img alt="A worker collects engine oil as he works at a degassing station in Zubair oil field, whose operations have being reduced due to the Mideast war triggered by the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran, near Basra, Iraq, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)" class="width-xl" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1540586/large/AP26087465366212.jpg?1775049873" title="A worker collects engine oil as he works at a degassing station in Zubair oil field, whose operations have being reduced due to the Mideast war triggered by the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran, near Basra, Iraq, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)"> <figcaption>A worker at the Zubair oil field, whose operations have being reduced due to the Mideast war triggered by the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran, near Basra, Iraq, on March 28.</figcaption> </figure> Then there are the eight countries around the Persian Gulf that together hold about 50% of global oil reserves. Under normal circumstances, they coordinate closely to raise or lower their output to keep prices steady, said Jim Krane, energy research fellow at Rice University’s Baker Institute. Usually Saudi Arabia steps in to bring spare oil to market and calm things down, he said. “But all of that spare capacity is also bottled up inside the Persian Gulf right now and it can’t get to market either,” Krane said. “So the main emergency response system that we have is also blocked.” The IEA said in its recent report that “the resumption of transit through the Strait of Hormuz is the single most important action to return to stable oil and gas flows and reduce the strains on markets and prices.” Barring that, world leaders are grasping for ways to free up more oil. <h3>Limitations of short-term fixes</h3> Some nations have found workarounds to move oil out of the Gulf. Saudi Arabia is using its East-West pipeline, which stretches from the Persian Gulf to the Red Sea, to transfer about 5 million barrels per day out of the Gulf, said Michael Lynch, distinguished fellow at Energy Policy Research Foundation, a non-partisan institution focused on energy and economics. But the nation was already using that pipeline to transport oil, so it doesn’t have a lot of spare room to move oil from stranded tankers. Trump also temporarily <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-iran-war-oil-sanctions-troops-contradictions-eb10ac163be642ad4d738bab9f0ae2a6" target="_blank">lifted sanctions</a> on approximately 140 million barrels of Iranian oil that was already in transit. But that didn’t add oil to the market — it just widened the pool of potential buyers, said Daniel Sternoff, senior fellow at the Columbia Center on Global Energy Policy. <figure class="image-captioned width-xl align-right"><img alt="A sign shows the price of gas at a store, Tuesday, March 31, 2026, in Freeport, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)" class="width-xl" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1540584/large/AP26090550345496.jpg?1775049866" title="A sign shows the price of gas at a store, Tuesday, March 31, 2026, in Freeport, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)"> <figcaption>A sign shows the price of gas at a store on March 31 in Freeport, Maine.</figcaption> </figure> Typically, most Iranian oil was bought by private refiners in China, who purchased it at a steep discount, Sternoff said. But with sanctions lifted, others could scramble to buy the oil, which in turn raises its price to the benefit of Iran, he said. “As soon as you are moving to waive sanctions on your adversary with whom you’re fighting a military conflict, to do something in their benefit, it just shows you that you are running out of options to try to prevent a rise in the price of oil,” Sternoff said. The decision to lift sanctions on Russian oil could have more impact, because Russia had been storing unpurchased oil in tankers, Sternoff said. “By waiving sanctions, it will allow those barrels to clear.” Trump’s temporary <a href="https://apnews.com/article/jones-act-trump-trade-abcac596db839bff3679b3117d2e81b2" target="_blank">waiver of the Jones Act</a> to allow foreign ships to temporarily transport goods between U.S. ports could potentially help ease natural gas prices by enabling companies to more efficiently ship liquefied natural gas from the Gulf Coast to New England. But experts don’t expect the waiver to significantly impact the price of oil or gasoline. “It’s helpful, but not a game changer,” Lynch said. <h3>Why U.S. oil production can't solve the problem</h3> The <a href="https://apnews.com/article/oil-gasoline-iran-war-inflation-1a1b7c3e5fbd735aa87c43ac664501cb" target="_blank">U.S. is a major oil producer,</a> and exports more oil than it imports. But like any other oil producing nation, it can't just ramp up production instantly to fill the void. “If the U.S. were to try to make up the global shortfall, we would need to nearly double our production,” Barteau said. “We couldn’t drill wells that fast even if we wanted to.” Increasing domestic production by even 1 million barrels per day, a feat the U.S. accomplished during the shale boom, would be hard to duplicate, Lynch said. “If we run every drilling rig right now, what happens a week from now when the war is over and the price goes back down $20?” Lynch asked. “People don’t want to develop long-term production based on a short-term price spike.” <hr> Related | <a href="https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/24/2374614/-Trump-spiked-gas-prices-The-GOP-will-pay" target="_blank">Trump spiked gas prices. The GOP will pay.</a> <hr> Halting exports and using that oil within the U.S. wouldn't bring down gasoline prices either, experts say. For one, oil is traded on a global market, so events happening halfway around the globe impact prices for everyone. <figure class="image-captioned align-right"><img alt="Cartoon by Clay Bennett" src="https://cdn.prod.dailykos.com/images/1534579/large/20260313edcbc-a.jpg?1773355025" title="Cartoon by Clay Bennett"> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> In addition, the U.S. doesn't produce enough of the type of oil its refineries process. It produced about 13.7 million barrels per day of oil at the end of 2025, according to the Energy Information Administration. And refineries processed about 16.3 million barrels per day that year, relying on imports to fill in the gaps, according to the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM), a trade association. That's because nearly 70% of U.S. refineries are set up to process heavy, sour crude, according to AFPM. But much of the oil produced in the U.S. is light, sweet crude, which was unlocked during the shale revolution. “They need different crudes than the ones that are being produced right next to them now,” Krane said. As a result, just 60% of the crude oil processed in U.S. refineries is extracted domestically, according to the AFPM. And retooling domestic refineries would cost billions of dollars, the group said. It also would require shutting down the refinery for a period of time, which generally raises gasoline prices. “A lot of people like the IEA are making the point that this is the biggest oil crisis ever, which is partly true, partly an exaggeration, depending on how you count things,” Lynch said. “A lot of it has to do with how long does this last ... if it goes on for another six weeks we get to be in some serious trouble.” </div> </div> </div> </div> rss@dailykos.com (Associated Press) Economy GasPrices Oil _2375848 Wed, 01 Apr 2026 15:00:15 +0000