Trumpism part six

 


 

Trumpism

 

PART VI

 


 

“The First Hundred Days” by Barry Blitt

 

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THE POLITICAL SCENE

 

IS IT HAPPENING HERE?

 

 Other countries have watched their democracies 

slip away gradually, without tanks in the streets.

That may be where we’re headed—or where we already are.

  

By Andrew Marantz

April 28, 2025

 


 

Senator Elizabeth Warren

April 29, 2025

 

On 100th Day of Trump Admin, Senator Warren

Reads 100 Acts of Trump Corruption Into

Congressional Record

 


 

Congressman Dan Goldman

April 29, 2025

 

Goldman Blasts GOP for Using $300M in 

FEMA Money to Bankroll Trump’s Golf Trips

 


 

Letters from an American

 

April 29, 2025

 

Heather Cox Richardson

 

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt popularized the idea that the first 100 days of a presidency established an administration’s direction. As soon as he took office on March 4, 1933, he called Congress into special session to meet on March 9 to address the emergency of the Great Depression. Congress responded to the crisis by quickly passing 15 major bills and 77 other measures first to stabilize the economy and then to rebuild it. On July 24, 1933, FDR looked back at “the crowding events of the hundred days which had been devoted to the starting of the wheels of the New Deal.”

 

In a Fireside Chat broadcast over the radio, FDR explained that his administration had stabilized the nation’s banks and raised taxes to pay for millions in borrowing. That federal money was feeding starving people, as well as employing 300,000 young men to work in the Civilian Conservation Corps planting trees to prevent soil erosion, building levees and dams for flood control, and maintaining forest roads and trails. It was also funding a public works program for highways and inland navigation, as well as state-based municipal improvements. The government had also raised farm income and wages by regulating agriculture and abolishing child labor.

 

FDR was speaking on July 24 to urge Americans to get behind a program of shorter hours and higher wages to create purchasing power that would restart the economy. “It goes back to the basic idea of society and of the Nation itself that people acting in a group can accomplish things which no individual acting alone could even hope to bring about,” he said. “If I am asked whether the American people will pull themselves out of this depression, I answer, ‘They will if they want to.’”

 

Today is the 100th day of President Donald Trump’s second term in office. He marked it by delivering what amounted to a rally outside Detroit, Michigan, in which he claimed his had been “the most successful first 100 days of any administration in the history of our country, and that’s according to many, many people…. This is the best, they say, 100-day start of any president in history, and everyone is saying it. We’ve just gotten started. You haven’t even seen anything yet.”

 

In fact, Trump has signed just five measures into law: the Laken Riley Act, which Congress passed before he took office; a stopgap funding measure; and three resolutions overturning rules set by the Biden administration.

 

But Trump’s administration does parallel FDR’s in an odd way. Trump set out in his first hundred days to undo the government FDR established in his first hundred days. Trump has turned the nation away from 92 years of a government that sought to serve ordinary Americans by regulating business, providing a basic social safety net, promoting infrastructure, protecting civil rights, and stabilizing global security and trade. Instead, he is trying to recreate the nation of more than 100 years ago, in which the role of government was to protect the wealthy and enable them to make money from the country’s resources and its people.

 

Trump set out to destroy the modern American state, gutting the civil service and illegally shuttering federal agencies, as well as slashing through government programs. His team has withdrawn the U.S. from its global leadership and rejected democratic allies in favor of autocrats like Russia’s Vladimir Putin. At home he has imitated those autocrats, ignoring the rule of law and rendering migrants to prison in El Salvador without due process, and using the power of the state to threaten those he perceives as his enemies.

 

As is typical with autocratic governments, corruption appears to be running deep in this White House. The president and his family are openly profiting from his office. And it would be hard to find a better example of a government letting cronies profit off public resources than Interior Secretary Doug Burgum’s relinquishing of control over the department to a DOGE operative, or of a government permitting businesses to profit from ordinary Americans than billionaire Elon Musk’s apparent creation of a master database of Americans’ information.

 

Trump’s dismantling of the modern American state has been a disaster. Trump spoke tonight in Michigan to tout his hope that his new tariffs will center auto manufacturing back in the U.S., but the economic chaos his tariff policies have unleashed has turned what was a booming economy 100 days ago sharply downward. That economic slump, along with Trump’s illegal renditions of men to El Salvador and the gutting of services Americans depend on, has given Trump the lowest job approval rating after 100 days of any president in 80 years.

 

And that suggests another way to look at the first 100 days of a presidential term. For all that the 100-days trope focuses on presidents, the first 100 days of Trump’s second term have shown Americans, sometimes encouraged by their allies abroad, pushing back against Trump to restore American democracy.

 


 

60 Minutes Australia

April 29, 2025

 

Mastermind or madman? 

Inside Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office

 


 

ABC News

April 30, 2025

 

PRESIDENT TRUMP

THE FIRST 100 DAYS 

 

President Donald Trump discussed his first 100 days in office during an exclusive interview with ABC News anchor and senior national correspondent, Terry Moran, in the White House Oval Office. 

 


 

The Dworkin Report

April 30, 2025

 

Some Great News For Us 

After Trump’s 100 Days Of Absolute Failure

 

Featuring the lowest 100-day approval in modern times, impeachment, Joe Biden, Jasmine Crockett, Eric Swalwell, and more

 

By Scott Dworkin

 


 

Amanpour & Co.

April 30, 2025

 

Presidential Historian: Trump Has Tried to 

Introduce Fear in First 100 Days

 

President Trump, taking a victory lap to mark the first 100 days of his second term, said his success surpasses any in U.S. history, “according to many, many people.” Presidential historian Timothy Naftali places the Trump presidency in context for Walter Isaacson.

 


 

The Parnas Perspective

April 30, 2025

 

BREAKING: Donald Trump Threatens To Sue 

The New York Times

 

By Aaron Parnas

 

The threat to journalism in America has just risen — dramatically.

 

On Tuesday morning, President Donald Trump intensified his long-standing war on the media, directly targeting The New York Times with accusations of “likely unlawful behavior” over its coverage of his lawsuit against 60 Minutes, CBS, and Paramount. In a Truth Social post, Trump claimed the paper could be held liable for “tortious interference,” alleging that its reporting — which included sources calling the suit baseless — was part of a broader effort to sabotage the 2024 election.

 

“They just have a non-curable case of TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME,” the president wrote, warning that his legal team is “intently studying” the Times’ role in what he suggested was an organized campaign of electoral interference.

 


 

Channel 4 News

April 30, 2025

 

Trump is creating ‘very dangerous

super-presidency’ – Fareed Zakaria

 

Donald Trump has been delivering in spades on his inauguration pledge to produce the ‘most extraordinary first 100 days of any presidency in American history’, and, from Canada, to Russia and Ukraine, to Israel and Gaza, it’s fair to say it has been a consequential start to his second term as president.

 

So where does Fareed Zakaria place the first 100 and where does he see the next 100 going? He’s a journalist, political commentator and author who Henry Kissinger said ‘likes to say things that run against conventional wisdom.’

 

He joined Matt Frie in the latest episode of The Fourcast.

 


 

THE CONTRARIAN

May 1, 2025

 

The Trump Regime’s War on Working People

 

How Unions are Resisting Authoritarian Attacks on Workers’ Rights—and Why It Matters for Everyone

 

By Michael Podhorzer

 

Over the first hundred days of Donald Trump’s regime, observers and analysts rightly highlighted his administration’s alarming attacks on fundamental democratic institutions—the judiciary, law firms, universities, philanthropies, non-profit groups, and the media. These assaults were not only dangerous individually but crucially significant as components of authoritarian consolidation.

 

Yet, amid these well-documented threats, a similarly profound yet largely overlooked attack unfolded: Trump’s systematic assault on unions and working people. This assault, executed alongside allies like Elon Musk, demonstrates once again the fundamental truth articulated decades ago by Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis:

 

“We may have democracy, or we may have wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we cannot have both.”

 


 

RELIGION DISPATCHES

 

EXPERTS AGREE: WHAT TRUMP IS DOING IS FASCISM

 

By

 


 

Marianne Williamson

May 3, 2025

 

Has Trump read the Declaration of Independence?

 


 

NBC News

May 4, 2025

 

Full interview with President Trump

 

President Donald Trump joins Meet the Press for an exclusive and wide-ranging interview reflecting on the first 100 days of his second term and laying out his vision for the rest of his presidency – and the future of his political movement.

 


 

60 Minutes

May 4, 2024

 

How law firms targeted by Trump are 

responding to White House pressure

 

In recent weeks, President Trump has signed orders targeting several law firms. Some lawyers warn that the president’s assault on the legal profession threatens the rule of law itself.

 


 

60 Minutes Australia

May 4, 2025

 

John Bolton, whom Trump described as 

“a very dumb guy,” is worried about Taiwan

 

Donald Trump’s longest serving National Security adviser John Bolton shares his thoughts on the current White House, including the tariffs war, the Russia-China axis and the first 100 days of Trump’s second coming.

 


 

DEMOCRACY NOW!

May 5, 2025

 

Wisconsin Gov. Evers Pushes Back After 

Trump’s Border Czar Threatens to Arrest Him

 

We go to Wisconsin as the state’s Democratic Governor Tony Evers pushes back after Trump border czar Tom Homan says Wisconsin officials could be arrested over local policies that defy Trump’s mass deportation agenda. This comes after FBI agents arrested Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan. 

 

“I think what we’re seeing, in a broader sense, is just an absolute degradation of the rule of law,” says Lisa Graves, a former deputy assistant attorney general in the Department of Justice, now the director of the policy research group True North Research and co-host of the podcast “Legal AF.” Her forthcoming book is Without Precedent: How Chief Justice Roberts and His Accomplices Rewrote the Constitution and Dismantled Our Rights.

 


 

FRONTLINE PBS

May 6, 2025

 

Antidote (full documentary)

 

FRONTLINE presents the stories of an investigative journalist and a political activist putting their lives on the line to stand up to Russian President Vladimir Putin and the grave consequences they face for doing so.

 

“Antidote” chronicles the lives of Christo Grozev, a Bulgarian investigative journalist whose reporting has exposed Russian spies, assassins, and those involved in the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny; and Evgenia Kara-Murza, the wife of Vladimir Kara-Murza, a prominent political activist who was poisoned twice and sentenced to 25 years in a Russian prison. 

 

The documentary lays bare the grave consequences that come with speaking out against the Putin regime, revealing the threats Grozev, Kara-Murza and their families face as they seek to expose the actions of the Kremlin to the world. The film offers a stunning and immersive look at the cost of opposing Putin.

 


 

The 92nd Street Y, New York

May 6, 2025

 

Michael Wolff with Alec Baldwin 

on Donald Trump: All or Nothing

 

Published at breakneck speed, Michael Wolff’s insider account of the 2024 Trump campaign — undoubtedly the wildest, most unpredictable campaign in US history with its multiple criminal trials, assassination attempts and sudden switch of opponents — made waves before it was even published.

 

Through personal access to Trump’s inner circle, All or Nothing: How Trump Recaptured America takes readers on a journey accompanying Donald Trump on his return to power as only Michael Wolff can do it.

 

In this fly-on-the-wall account, the stakes could not be clearer: either the establishment destroys Trump, or he destroys the establishment. Painting an astonishing portrait of a man who has made one of the most remarkable comebacks in American political history — through what appeared to be an inescapable legal quagmire — this is not just a story about politics: It is a vivid expose of the demons, discord, and anarchy — the fire, fury, and future — of American life under Trump. 

 

Join Wolff to hear first-hand stories and insider revelations as he discusses the book with — who better? — the man whose SNL portrayal of Trump remains indelible: Alec Baldwin. 

 

Recorded March 14, 2025 at 92nd Street Y, New York.

 


 

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

May 7, 2025

 

Americans Are Protesting Against Trump 

In All 50 States – Rachel Maddow

 

Emmy-winner and bestselling author Rachel Maddow joins Stephen to talk about the first 100 days of President Trump’s second term and the demonstrations against his actions that are popping up in all 50 states on a daily basis. 

 

Stick around for two more segments with Rachel Maddow and grab her number-one bestselling book, Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism, available now in paperback.

 

2How Trump Is Consolidating Power At The Expense Of The Other Branches Of Government

 

3We’re Not Going To Be The Generation That Loses American Democracy 

 


 

MSNBC

May 9, 2025

 

‘Serious threat’: Trump admin pushes extreme 

deportation powers amid constitutional crisis warnings

 

Top Trump adviser Stephen Miller said the administration is “looking at” ways to end due process protections for unauthorized immigrants who are in the country. 

 

MSNBC’s Antonia Hylton is joined by Jelani Cobb, Dean of Graduate School of Journalism for Columbia University, and Julian Zelizer, history professor at Princeton. Plus, the panel discusses the arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka during a congressional visit to a New Jersey ICE facility.

 

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MSNBC

May 9, 2025

 

‘Never seen anything like it in my life’

 

New Jersey Congressman Robert Menendez, who was on the ground when the Mayor of Newark Ras Baraka was arrested, details what happened for Nicolle Wallace.

 

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MSNBC

May 9, 2025

 

‘This is un-American’

 

Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, who was present when Baraka was arrested, joins The Weeknight to share her eyewitness account. 

 


 

CNN

May 9, 2025

 

Newark mayor reacts to critics who 

say his arrest was a publicity stunt

 

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka joins CNN’s Kaitlan Collins to discuss his arrest at a federal immigration detention center and responds to claims made by acting U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, Alina Habba.

 


 

Lights On with Jessica Denson

May 10, 2025

 

Congressman to FORCE Trump Impeachment Vote

 

Congressman Shri Thanedar, who last week filed the first new articles of impeachment against Trump, breaks the news on Lights On that he will force an impeachment vote in the U.S. House of Representatives in the coming days.

 


 

60 Minutes Australia

May 11, 2025

 

‘Very, very dangerous’: China’s stark warning 

over Trump’s tariffs

 

How Donald Trump’s world tariff turmoil is already causing grief for Aussies.

 


 

Forbes Breaking News

May 13, 2025

 

Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-MI) Read Articles Of 

Impeachment Against President Donald Trump 

On The House Floor

 


 

Sen. Adam Schiff

May 14, 2025

 

Schiff Takes To Senate Floor to Lay Out 

Trump’s 10 Most Corrupt Acts So Far

 


 

TYT Sports

May 14, 2025

 

Donald Trump’s Most Humiliating Interview 

on ABC’s 20/20 Comes Back to Haunt Him

 

You should know by now that Donald Trump has a long, documented history of attacking the media and any journalist who dares to question his authority and narratives. This tense interview with Barbara Walters (Aug. 17, 1990) ended up being an ominous warning of things to come. Rick Strom breaks it down.

 

Watch the full interview HERE: Barbara Walters Interviews Donald…

 


 

The Seneca Project

May 14, 2025

 

Bruce Springsteen’s Message to America: 

A Protest. A Prayer. A Wake-Up Call.

 

Bruce Springsteen opened his new tour tonight not with fanfare—but with a warning. From a stage in Manchester, he sent a message home. Not of glory days—but of grief, resilience, and reckoning. Three songs. Three statements. A country in crisis. This is what it looks like when an artist holds a mirror to America.

 


 

Washington Post

May 15, 2025

 

How Trump has made billions as president

 

On this episode, The Washington Post’s Libby Casey, Rhonda Colvin, James Hohmann and JM Rieger break down how President Trump is trying to remake Washington in a MAGA image – from hanging huge photos of himself from federal buildings to taking over cultural institutions and firing people, in some cases, seemingly for their gender or skin color. 

 

Then, the crew breaks down Trump’s long history of financial conflicts of interest with the presidency, how he has ignored norms, how past presidents have divested from those conflicts of interest – and the vast amounts of money Trump has made in the early months of his second presidency. 

 

Plus, the crew reveals the weirdest gifts in presidential history – and whether or not presidents got to keep them.

 


 

PBS NewsHour

May 16, 2025

 

Trump business deals revive questions 

about his family profiting off the presidency

 

This week, President Trump visited three Middle Eastern nations where his family has deep business ties. Over the past month, billions of dollars have poured into Trump-owned companies. It has revived longstanding questions about whether the financial windfalls are influencing policy. White House correspondent Laura BarrĂłn-LĂłpez reports.

 


 

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

May 16, 2025

 

Not Moral Behavior – Sen. Sanders On The GOP’s 

Plan For Funding Trump’s Billionaire Tax Cuts

 

Senator Bernie Sanders calls out the greed of America’s billionaire class and expresses his disgust with Republicans who plan to cut life-saving assistance for the needy in order to fund tax cuts for those billionaires. Stick around for three more segments with Senator Sanders.

 

2Fear Of Retribution From AIPAC Keeps Many Democrats From Speaking Up About Gaza

 

3“If You Sit Back And Do Nothing, They Will Take It All.” – Sen. Sanders On America’s Oligarchy

 

4Why Sen. Sanders Urged Paramount Not To Settle With President Trump

 


 

Sen. Adam Schiff

May 16, 2025

 

We Need to Talk About Jeanine Pirro…

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Sen. Adam Schiff

May 23, 2025

 

We Need to Talk About Kristi Noem

 


 

MSNBC

REPORTS

May 17, 2025

 

Kristi Noem more interested in ICE ‘cosplaying’ 

than doing her job: Rep. Garcia tells DHS Secy. to resign

 

The Trump administration claims some parents who have been deported chose to bring their young U.S. citizen children with them, something the families dispute as they struggle to overcome hurdles to get their kids home. 

 

Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) joins Alex Witt to discuss the Trump administration’s immigration policies and a contentious hearing with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem this week.

 


 

60 Minutes

May 17, 2025

 

Interviews with Ukrainian President and his wife

 

From 2025, 2023 and 2022, Scott Pelley’s interviews with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy about the war with Russia. And from 2022, Pelley’s interview with Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska.

 


 

FIVE MINUTE NEWS

May 18, 2025

 

Clinical Psychologist John Gartner makes 

LIVE DIAGNOSIS of Trump’s Mental Illness

 

As Donald Trump’s mental acuity continues to decline, Dr John Gartner joins Anthony Davis on The Weekend Show to discuss the senile dementia, mental health and personality issues that the President clearly presents, and how his verbal gibberish is ignored by the corporate media who refuse to acknowledge the danger of his decision making.

 


 

Psychology Today

 July 18, 2024

 

Projection

Dealing With the Defense Mechanism of Projection

How to cope when someone accuses you of their behavior.

 

Stephanie A. Sarkis Ph.D. 

 

The Mechanics of Projection

Projection typically stems from the need to avoid conflict or discomfort. For example, someone angry about missing out on a promotion might accuse a coworker of being angry or hostile, shifting the emotional burden. For some, projection is an unconscious behavior that helps them deny those behaviors or thoughts. They may be utterly convinced that you are the one at fault. Others may purposefully use projection to confuse someone. This way, they are more likely to get away with problematic behavior. Whether projection is unconscious or purposeful, it’s crucial to remember that the person projecting is fully responsible for their behavior.

 

Signs of Projection

Recognizing when someone is projecting can be tricky, but there are signs:

  • Inconsistency: There is an inconsistency in the behaviors you are accused of in projection. The behaviors or thoughts someone accuses you of don’t match what you know about yourself or the feedback you receive from others.

  • Defensiveness: The projector might get highly defensive when you say that a behavior they falsely attribute to you is actually their behavior. They may fly into a rage and tell you that you are being abusive (another projection).  

  • Blame shifting: Frequent shifting of responsibility for one’s emotions or actions onto others is a common trait in projection. The person is putting the psychological burden on the other person. 

  • Changing the narrative: By using projection, a person successfully changes the topic of the conversation away from their inappropriate behavior. They have once again avoided identifying and taking responsibility for their behavior.

Being on the receiving end of projection can be emotionally draining and confusing. It can lead to self-doubt and concerns about your emotional well-being. Over time, this can strain relationships, especially if the projection is persistent and is part of other potentially abusive behaviors.

 


 

The New York Times

May 18, 2025

 

We’re Experts in Fascism. We’re Leaving the U.S. 

 

Legal residents of the United States sent to foreign prisons without due process. Students detained after voicing their opinions. Federal judges threatened with impeachment for ruling against the administration’s priorities.

 

In this Opinion video, Marci Shore, Timothy Snyder and Jason Stanley, all professors at Yale and experts in authoritarianism, explain why America is especially vulnerable to a democratic backsliding — and why they are leaving the United States to take up positions at the University of Toronto.

 

Professor Stanley is leaving the United States as an act of protest against the Trump administration’s attacks on civil liberties. “I want Americans to realize that this is a democratic emergency,” he said. 

 

Professor Shore, who has spent two decades writing about the history of authoritarianism in Central and Eastern Europe, is leaving because of what she sees as the sharp regression of American democracy. “We’re like people on the Titanic saying our ship can’t sink,” she said. “And what you know as a historian is that there is no such thing as a ship that can’t sink.” 

 

She borrows from political and apolitical Slavic motifs and expressions, arguing that the English language does not fully capture the democratic regression in this American moment.

 

Professor Snyder’s reasons are more complicated. Primarily, he’s leaving to support his wife, Professor Shore, and their children, and to teach at a large public university in Toronto, a place he says can host conversations about freedom. At the same time, he shares the concerns expressed by his colleagues and worries that those kinds of conversations will become ever harder to have in the United States.

 

“I did not leave Yale because of Donald Trump or because of Columbia or because of threats to Yale — but that would be a reasonable thing to do, and that is a decision that people will make,” he wrote in a Yale Daily News article explaining his decision to leave. 

 

Their motives differ but their analysis is the same: ignoring or downplaying attacks on the rule of law, the courts and universities spells trouble for our democracy.

 


 

MSNBC

DEADLINE | WHITE HOUSE

May 19, 2025

 

‘It’s not my first rodeo’: James Comey speaks out 

after controversial social media post

 

Former FBI Director James Comey joins Nicolle Wallace on Deadline White House for the first time since controversy erupted due to a social media post by James Comey, where he posted a photo of the numbers “8647” spelled out with shells on the beach. Comey has expressed regret for the post, spoken out against any and all political violence.

 


 

DEMOCRACY NOW!

May 20, 2025

 

Top U.S. & World Headlines

 


 

Forbes Breaking News

May 20, 2025

 

Jamie Raskin fires back at GOP lawmakers 

during a House Judiciary Committee Hearing on Tues.

 


 

Brian Tyler Cohen

May 20, 2025

 

Brian interviews Hakeem Jeffries about 

Trump’s budget lies

 


 

“Soft Landing” by Barry Blitt

 


 

CNN

May 20, 2025

 

Sources contradict Trump narrative 

about Qatar offering plane as ‘gift’

 

The Trump administration first approached Qatar to inquire about acquiring a Boeing 747 that could be used as Air Force One by President Donald Trump, four sources familiar with the discussions told CNN. That’s contrary to the narrative from the president that Qatar reached out and offered the jet as a “gift” to him.

 


 

FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul

May 20, 2025

 

Gov. Walz says ICE is ‘Trump’s modern-day Gestapo’

 

Gov. Walz is facing pushback from the Department of Homeland Security after he compared ICE to the Nazi police force the Gestapo while speaking at a University of Minnesota Law School graduation over the weekend.

 


 

THE NEW REPUBLIC

 

Breaking News

from Washington and beyond

 

 

Hafiz Rashid / May 20, 2025

 

Trump Spirals at Kennedy Center Dinner: “I’ll Shove It Up Their Ass”

 

The President of the United States, everyone

 

Donald Trump speaks at the Kennedy Center while standing behind a lectern with a gold eagle.

 

Donald Trump ranted and raved during a speech to Kennedy Center trustees Monday night, complaining about the 2020 election.

 

At the White House event, Trump bragged about bringing the upcoming Olympics and World Cup to the United States before segueing into the 2020 election.

 

“We got the Olympics, and then we got, through [FIFA head Gianni Infantino], he’s the boss, he’s a friend of mine, we got the World Cup,” Trump said. “I got them both, and I said, ‘Man, I won’t be president and they’re gonna forget that I got them. Nobody’s gonna mention it.’”

 

Then he went into his pet subject how the 2020 election was stolen from him.

 

“And then they rigged the election, and then I said, ‘You know what I’ll do? I’ll run again and I’ll shove it up their ass,’” Trump told the audience.

 


 

MEIDAS+

May 21, 2025

 

14 Exclusive Interviews on the GOP Tax Scam

 

By Ben Meiselas

 

Earlier, I told you that the MeidasTouch Network was assembling a team to go line-by-line through the GOP tax bill and that I had a dozen interviews lined up with Members of Congress to break it all down. Well… I underestimated. I ended up doing fourteen interviews today.

 


 

The Global Lens

May 21, 2025

 

10 U.S. States Considering a Move to Canada — 

Is Secession Inevitable?

 

What if some U.S. states, disillusioned with federal politics or drawn to Canada’s stability, decided to break away and join the Great White North? It may sound like a wild idea, but the ties between certain U.S. states and Canada are stronger than ever—and secession might not be as far-fetched as you think. 

 

In this thought-provoking documentary by The Global Lens, we explore 10 U.S. States Considering a Move to Canada – Is Secession Inevitable? From Michigan’s deep economic and cultural connections to Canada, to Vermont’s long-standing independence movement, and even Alaska’s strategic Arctic ties—discover why these states are rethinking their place in the Union. 

 

Why is this happening? From political polarization and economic instability to ideological alignment and environmental concerns, we analyze the reasons behind this quiet shift. Could a major crisis in the U.S. push these states toward independence—or toward Canada?

 


 

DEMOCRACY NOW!

May 21, 2025

 

Trump’s Brain Drain: Scientists Look to Move 

Abroad as DOGE Slashes Research Funding in U.S.

 

Cuts by the Trump administration are beginning to “chase” U.S.-based scientists at federal agencies and research institutions out of the country. “We’re draining our scientific talent,” says environmental journalist Robert Hunziker, who explains how China and European countries are offering positions for scientists laid off, fired or pushed out by Trump and DOGE’s mass culling of federal workers and funding. 

 

The massive U.S. “brain drain” is a “brain gain” for other countries, adds Hunziker, and comes as the Trump administration also cracks down on university curriculums and targets international students for its mass deportation initiative.

 


 

MSNBC

The BEAT

May 22, 2025

 

Ari Melber reports on one of the 

largest grifts in White House history

 

President Trump is raking in money and gifts for himself, while demanding sacrifice from most Americans paying higher prices for his trade war.

 


 

CNA

May 22, 2025

 

What does the Trump administration 

want from Harvard University?

 

The United States government has halted Harvard University’s ability to enroll international students and ordered existing international students at the university to transfer or lose their legal status. Alex Usher, president of education consultancy Higher Education Strategy Associates, shares his insights with CNA’s Asia First on the implications of the Trump administration’s move.

 


 

CNN

May 22, 2025

 

WH to Harvard: Enrolling international 

students ‘a privilege, not a right’

 

“Harvard can no longer enroll foreign students, and existing foreign students must transfer or lose their legal status,” the US Department of Homeland Security said in a statement. 

 

Kristi Noem ordered her department to terminate Harvard’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification, citing the university’s refusal to turn over the conduct records of foreign students requested by the DHS last month.

 


 

PBS NewsHour

May 22, 2025

 

Georgetown scholar says he was 

‘chained, shackled’ in ICE detention

 

In their first broadcast interview since his release from ICE detention, Georgetown scholar Badar Khan Suri and his wife, Mapheze Saleh, spoke to PBS News’ Laura BarrĂłn-LĂłpez about Khan Suri’s recent release after nearly two months in a detention facility in Texas. The Trump administration accused Suri of “spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting antisemitism on social media” — an accusation he denies. 

 

“One should, at this time, show courage, because courage is also contagious. We need to break the cycle of chilling effect,” Suri said when asked about why he’s speaking out now about his case. 

 

“This country promised me the right of free speech,” Saleh said when addressing why she speaks out about what is happening in Palestine — where she was raised. “If today it’s Palestine, then who’s next?”

 


 

Hawaii News Now

May 23, 2025

 

A U.S. military wife from Australia is sharing her story after she was detained by border officials at the Honolulu airport.

 


 

The Telegraph

May 23, 2025

 

Mary Trump on Donald Trump

Exclusive Interview with The Daily T 

 

In Part 2 of The Daily T’s exclusive deep-dive into the controversial legacy of Donald J. Trump, host Kamal sits down with Dr. Mary L. Trump — psychologist, best-selling author, and outspoken critic of her uncle, the 47th President of the United States. 

 

Mary Trump, daughter of Fred Trump Jr. (Donald Trump’s older brother), offers a rare, insider perspective on the deeply dysfunctional Trump family dynamic. She describes a toxic, misogynistic household where, as she puts it, “cruelty was currency.” Her insights shed light on the psychological forces that have shaped Donald Trump’s personality, leadership style, and political strategy. Labelling her uncle a “narcissist” and “the world’s most dangerous man,” Mary Trump delves into the lasting impact of generational trauma, emotional neglect, and the ruthless ambition that defines the Trump family legacy.

 

This powerful conversation also shifts to current political fallout, including Vice President Kamala Harris’s stunning loss in the 2024 U.S. presidential election. Mary Trump weighs in on President Joe Biden’s declining health, the disastrous debate performance that rocked the Democratic Party, and the path forward for Democrats hoping to reclaim the White House in 2028. 

 

Whether you’re a political analyst, psychology enthusiast, or just trying to make sense of America’s tumultuous political landscape, this episode provides a compelling look at one of the most polarising figures in modern history—from the family member who knows him best.

 


 

The Invisible Hand

May 23, 2025

 

Is This the Fall of the American Empire?

 


 

Al Jazeera English

May 23, 2025

 

“A new kind of coup”: Authoritarianism Historian 

Ruth Ben-Ghiat unpacks Trump’s playbook

 

US President Trump’s relentless attacks on institutions, the rule of law and the press have left many fearing for the future of American democracy. So is the United States sliding into authoritarianism?

 

This week on UpFront, Marc Lamont Hill speaks to one of the pre-eminent historians of fascism, Professor of History and Italian Studies at New York University, Ruth Ben-Ghiat.

 


 

Forbes Breaking News

May 24, 2025

 

Merkley tells Rubio his actions led to 

‘the death of hundreds of thousands of children’

 

At Wednesday’s Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) questioned Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

 


 

LBC

May 24, 2024

 

Harvard professor hits back at Trump administration

 

David Armitage, a History professor at Harvard University, has hit back at the Trump administration as it tries to remove the University’s ability to enrol foreign students. 

 

Speaking to Matt Frei on LBC, Armitage said the Trump administration has a ‘fear of critical thought, fear of a civil society that does not knuckle down to MAGA ideology’. 

 

Harvard has announced legal action against the US government over a ban on allowing foreign students. The legal action comes after the federal government revoked Harvard’s certification under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) and stripped the University of its authority to sponsor F- and J- visas for international students.

 

In a statement, Harvard’s President Alan M. Garber said: “The revocation continues a series of government actions to retaliate against Harvard for our refusal to surrender our academic independence and to submit to the federal government’s illegal assertion of control over our curriculum, our faculty, and our student body.” 

 

The statement condemned the “unlawful and unwarranted action”, and added: “We have just filed a complaint, and a motion for a temporary restraining order will follow. As we pursue legal remedies, we will do everything in our power to support our students and scholars.”

 

Harvard enrols almost 6,800 foreign students at its campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Most are graduate students and they come from more than 100 countries.

 


 

Forbes Breaking News

May 26, 2025

 

Cory Booker: These Are The Three Most Concerning 

Trump DOJ Moves That Demand Investigations

 

At Thursday’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) spoke about the threat of antisemitism and the continued flights of migrants to foreign nations.

 


 

THE NEW YORKER

 

THE POLITICAL SCENE

 

DONALD TRUMP’S

POLITICS OF

 PLUNDER 

 

The greed of the new Administration has

galvanized America’s aspiring oligarchs—and

their opponents.

 

May 26, 2025

 


 

MSNBC

DEADLINE | WHITEHOUSE

May 27, 2025

 

‘Utter and shameless transaction’: How Trump 

has normalized profiting off of the White House

 

Staff writer for The New Yorker, Evan Osnos, joins Nicolle Wallace to discuss Donald Trump’s pay-to-play attitude when it comes to the Oval Office.

 


 

Heather Cox Richardson

 

Politics Chat, May 27, 2025

 

In which I try to answer your questions about modern politics…

 


 

Firstpost News with Palki Sharma

May 28, 2025

 

LIVE: Former Russian President Threatens Trump 

with World War III Over Putin Comments | N18G

 

Russia’s former president Dmitry Medvedev has warned Donald Trump of World War III amid the US president’s public spat with Putin. On Tuesday, Trump had doubled down on his criticism against Putin, saying he was “playing with fire”. Is the Trump-Putin bromance over? How did Trump’s push for peace descend into warnings of a world war? 

 

#russia  #vladimirputin  #worldwar3

 


 

Jimmy Kimmel Live

May 28, 2025

 

Cory Booker on Trump Attacking Springsteen and 

Republicans Needing to Stand Up for What’s Right

 

Senator Cory Booker talks about the importance of artists and comedy, Trump insulting Bruce Springsteen, the issues going on at Newark Airport, Trump grifting over and over again, Republicans fearing him, the need to stand up for what’s right, and the dangers of Trump’s Big, Beautiful Bill.

 


 

MSNBC

The BEAT

May 28, 2025

 

Comic roasts Trump, Obama, McConnell & gets LOLs

from Obama to hosts at MSNBC and Fox

 

Comic Matt Friend brings the laughs with spot-on impressions of President Trump, JD Vance, Hakeem Jeffries, Barack Obama, and more in this special comedy interview on “The Beat.” Friend also talks about the importance of comedy in politics.

 


 

Caglecast

Feb. 22, 2025

 

TRUMP WANTS CANADA as the 51st STATE!

 

See 51 witty political cartoons by the best Canadian cartoonists about Donald Trump wanting to make Canada the 51st state! Canada is angry and the cartoonists are hilarious! Funny, sharp witted, brilliant Canucks take Trump down!

 


 

John D. Cundle

April 20, 2025

 

A Satirical Folk Ballad of Trump’s Fall

 

This satirical folk ballad chronicles the dramatic downfall of Donald Trump — from golden toilets to courtroom subpoenas. 

 

With haunting verses, dark humour, and biting historical irony, “The Night They Drove Old Donnie Down” is a protest anthem for the ages. From Mar-a-Lago delusions to Truth Social delusions, this song takes aim at the circus, the grift, and the fall of an American reality show turned real-life indictment tour.

 


 

Gravel Road Grooves

May 8, 2025

 

“You Can’t Fix Stupid” – Funny Country Song

 

From creek-jumping Fords to zoo-feeding daredevils, this hilarious country anthem celebrates life’s unfixable moments. “You Can’t Fix Stupid” is the ultimate ode to human… let’s call it character, with a toe-tapping beat that’ll have you laughing (and maybe crying) at the stubbornness of the world.

 


 

Truth Grooves

March 13, 2025

 

“Putin’s Puppet” (Country Music version)

 

A satirical music video looking at the relationship and admiration that Comrade Donald Trump has with Vladimir Putin. Russian asset Donald Trump seems to do Putin’s bidding to destabilize the west. Have you ever noticed that Donald Trump seems to admire Russia and Putin more than his allies and closest friends? Is it a bromance or something else? 

 

There weren’t any additional or retaliatory tariffs placed on Russia, so one has to wonder.

 

Truth Grooves is a music video parody, social commentary and satire channel. Truth Grooves is an Anti-Trump radio station playing Anti-Trump music videos and Trump protest songs. All Anti-Donald Trump music lyrics are written by humans. All Anti-Trump music is produced using AI. All Anti-Donald Trump videos and images are AI-generated.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Truth Grooves

May 15, 2025

 

“The 11th Province” – Pro-Canadian,

Anti-Trump Pop Song

 


 

Knotheadusc

May 27, 2025

 

“If Not You…” (Dr. Hook Parody)

 

I heard the old Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show song, “If Not You”, the other night. It inspired me to write a parody about our POTUS. I used AI comicbook images, actual headlines, and memes to make the video…

 


 

Mr. Newberger’s AI Funnies

May 28, 2025

 

NEW HIT SINGLE – “Taco, Taco, Taco”

 

Featuring street parades, hip-hop dancers, a giant inflatable chicken, Mexican celebrities, and a funky Latin-pop beat that slaps harder than a NAFTA renegotiation.

 


 

MEIDAS+

 

13 Best TACO Trump Memes

‘Trump Always Chickens Out’

 

Ron Filipkowski 

May 29, 2025

 

These were my favorite memes from social media on Trump’s new name.

 

If you missed my Bulletin on everything that happened in politics today, you can find it here.

 


 

The Humanist Report

with Mike Figueredo

May 29, 2025

 

Some Political Scientists Now Designate

America as an Authoritarian Regime

 

Donald Trump has pushed American democracy to its breaking point…but are we technically still a democracy? Have we officially crossed the line into authoritarianism? If so, can we revert back to democracy at some point? These questions are answered by political scientists and historians including Steven Levitsky, Lucan Way, Daniel Ziblatt, Timothy Snyder, Jason Stanley and Marci Shore. In this video we’ll discuss their expert opinions.

 

Sources: 

The Guardian – theguardian.com/commentis…

Politico – politico.com/news/2025/05…

Esquire – esquire.com/news-politics…

The New York Times – nytimes.com/2025/05/08/op…

Common Dreams – commondreams.org/opinion…

 


 

WASHINGTON WEEK with The Atlantic

May 30, 2025

 

Full Episode – Power & Profit

 

Most presidents wait until they leave the White House to cash in, but President Trump takes a different approach. If there’s a way to make money off the presidency, he’s on it. Join moderator Jeffrey Goldberg, Peter Baker of The New York Times, Leigh Ann Caldwell of Puck, and Stephen Hayes of The Dispatch, to discuss this and more.

 


 

HUFFPOST

June 2, 2025

 

‘Out Of His Mind’: Critics Aghast At Trump’s 

‘Detached From Reality’ New Message

 

The president shared a bizarre conspiracy theory about Joe Biden.

 

By 

 

President Donald Trump shares a lot of outlandish messages on his social media pages, but critics say a single repost over the weekend might be his most “unhinged” yet.

 

Trump on Saturday night reposted a message on Truth Social claiming that former President Joe Biden had been executed in 2020 and replaced by “clones doubles & robotic engineered soulless mindless entities.”

 


 

TYT Network

June 2, 2025

 

This Fascist Move by Trump’s DOJ

Should Terrify You

 

In a move that shocked legal experts and civil rights advocates alike, Trump’s Department of Justice deployed armed U.S. Marshals to the home of former pardon attorney Liz Oyer — just days before her scheduled congressional testimony. Her crime? Refusing to restore gun rights to actor Mel Gibson, a known Trump supporter, and speaking out about political interference within the DOJ. Jayar Jackson breaks it down.

 


 

BBC Newsnight

June 3, 2025

 

Trump “hell-bent” on “revenge against me and

my family” | White House whistleblower Miles Taylor

 

Miles Taylor, a Trump White House whistleblower, who worked under the President during his first term in office, tells Victoria Derbyshire about the impact of being put under an investigation order and being accused of “treason” by President Trump.

 


 

The CJ Werleman Show

June 5, 2025

 

Why Does Israel Suddenly 

Want President Trump Dead?

 


 

Stephen Woodford

June 5, 2025

 

Jon Stewart exposes ABC, CBS, Amazon 

ALL paying Trump “protection money”

 

Jon Stewart just exposed the most shocking political scandal of 2025 – America’s biggest corporations are paying Trump BILLIONS in protection money! I break down how ABC paid $15 million, Amazon dropped $40 million on a Melania documentary nobody wants, and CBS is being extorted for $25 million plus a public apology. 

 

This isn’t campaign donations – this is straight-up mob boss extortion while he’s President. Stewart revealed how these corporate cowards are funding democracy’s destruction one protection payment at a time. Law firms pledged nearly $1 BILLION in free services to Trump. Even Stewart himself might lose his show because Paramount would rather pay up than protect free speech. 

 

This is how democracies die – not in coups, but in conference rooms where executives decide conscience is too expensive.

 


 

The Daily Beast

June 5, 2025

 

Why Elon Threw The Epstein Bomb at Trump

 

Joanna Coles calls an emergency podcast for the biggest fall-out in political history: Donald Trump and Elon Musk. And it’s the perfect guest to explain EVERYTHING: Michael Wolff, the Trump biographer—who already predicted what would happen. He unpacks a “nuclear” break-up and why Musk has used the weapon Trump fears most: Jeffrey Epstein.

 

Wolff reveals his own extraordinary moment of interviewing Trump and what happened when he raised the pedophile financier. He talks about the predator and the president’s long friendship. And he explains why Musk is now Trump’s perfect enemy—bigger than Harvard and of course the Democrats.

 


 

DEMOCRACY NOW!

June 6, 2025

 

Musk vs. Trump? Quinn Slobodian

on the risks of Billionaire Rule

 

Is the Donald Trump-Elon Musk bromance finally over? President Trump is threatening to cut off billions of dollars in federal contracts with Musk after the two billionaires engaged in a dramatic online feud just days after Musk called Trump’s budget bill a “disgusting abomination.” 

 

Musk appeared to back the impeachment of Trump and claimed the president is named in the Jeffrey Epstein files. “They are people who always have their eye on the bottom line, but they also are, obviously, titanically sized egos,” says author Quinn Slobodian, professor of international history at Boston University, who is working on a new book about Elon Musk. “This is just a sign of how dangerous it is to put … the whole future of the American economy and the political scene in the hands of two sole human beings.”

 


 

MSNBC

ALL IN with Chris Hayes

June 6, 2025

 

‘Big bomb’: Trump’s Epstein ties 

thrust back into spotlight by Musk

 

Chris Hayes: The MAGA right has clung to the Epstein files as an anti-liberal Holy Grail. But Trump has been at the center of the scandal the whole time.

 


 

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics

June 6, 2025

 

Trump is the most corrupt president in history.

Here’s why.

 

President Trump is poised to be even more corrupt than he was in his first term. 

 

America’s founders were deeply concerned about presidential corruption—so much so that they put two provisions in the Constitution to guard against it. They would have been outraged about the ways Trump has funneled taxpayer money to his own businesses and made money from foreign governments. 

 

CREW Executive Director Donald Sherman breaks down Trump’s conflicts of interests, why they’re so dangerous and why they’re only getting worse.

 


 

moneycontrol

 

LIVE: Anti-Trump, anti-billionaire protest

disrupts Manhattan gala

 

Started streaming on June 6, 2025

 


 

Heather Cox Richardson

June 7, 2025

 

Who on Earth Is Curtis Yarvin?

 

From American Conversations, June 6, 2025 featuring Gil Duran. 

 

Duran was early in recognizing that the technology elite had a dystopian vision for human society. We’ll get to hear from him about dystopian blogger Curtis Yarvin, the idea of a “network state,” and what tech bros imagine for our future.

 


 

CNN

June 7, 2025

 

Scott Pelley: ‘You cannot have democracy

without journalism’

 

CNN’s Anderson Cooper speaks with “60 Minutes” anchor Scott Pelley about the importance of journalism and the First Amendment.

 


 

TIMES RADIO

June 8, 2025

 

Trump’s biographer reveals the real reason Musk 

fell out with the US president | David Cay Johnston

 

Superpowers: The future of global security

 


 

The Military Show

June 8, 2025

 

Still think Russia is winning?

 

Russia thought Ukraine would fall in 72 hours. Three years later, it’s lost nearly a million troops, crippled its econonmy, and still holds just 20% of Ukraine.

 


 

CNN

June 8, 2025

 

What does Ukraine’s drone attack on 

Russia say about the future of warfare?

 

CNN’s Fareed Zakaria talks with former NATO Supreme Allied Commander retired Adm. James Stavridis and military strategist Christopher Kirchhoff about the future of war.

 


 

DEMOCRACY NOW!

June 9, 2025

 

L.A. Under Siege: Trump Sends in National Guard

as Protests Continue over Militarized ICE Raids

 

In Los Angeles, mass street protests have broken out in response to immigration raids. Local police and Border Patrol are cracking down on protesters, while the Trump administration has called in the California National Guard. 

 

“They shot thousands of rounds of tear gas, of flashbang grenades, of all kinds of repressive instruments,” says Ron Gochez, community organizer with Union del Barrio who helped organize some of the protests. 

 

He notes many of the protests have also been successful at turning back immigration agents, preventing ICE arrests and detention. “If we organize ourselves, if we resist, we can defend our communities from ICE terror, from the Border Patrol or from any federal agency that wishes to separate our families.”

 


 

THE HILL

June 10, 2025

 

Trump says he will ‘liberate’ Los Angeles in speech

to mark the 250th anniversary of the Army

 

By Chris Megerian and Michelle L. Price, Associated Press

 

FORT BRAGG, N.C. (AP) — President Donald Trump called protesters in Los Angeles “animals” and “a foreign enemy” in a speech at Fort Bragg on Tuesday as he defended deploying the military on demonstrators opposed to his immigration enforcement raids and as he vowed to “liberate” the West Coast city.

 

Trump, in his most aggressive language yet regarding the protests, used a speech ostensibly supposed to be used to recognize the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army to denounce the protesters while repeating his false statements about the 2020 election being rigged and attacking the previous commander in chief, former President Joe Biden.

 

The Republican president, who sees the military as a critical tool for domestic goals, has used the recent protests in Los Angeles as an opportunity to deploy the National Guard and U.S. Marines over the objections of California’s Democratic governor. Protesters blocked a major freeway and set cars on fire over the weekend in Los Angeles, but the demonstrations in the city of 4 million people have largely been centered in several blocks of downtown.

 

“We will not allow an American city to be invaded and conquered by a foreign enemy. That’s what they are,” Trump said Tuesday.

 

Trump’s heated rhetoric came as he has left open the possibility of invoking the Insurrection Act, one of the most extreme emergency powers available to the president. It authorizes him to deploy military forces inside the U.S. to suppress rebellion or domestic violence or to enforce the law in certain situations.

 

Trump received plenty of cheers from the crowd, which laughed at the president’s jokes and delighted in his dancing to his campaign anthem of “ YMCA.” However, some members of the audience were uneasy with certain aspects of his remarks.

 


 

Senator Bernie Sanders

June 10, 2025

 

My thoughts on what’s going on in Los Angeles

 

Trump’s deployment of the National Guard in California is not about the protests. It is about expanding his never-ending grasp for more power. It is about moving this country toward authoritarianism. 

 

All Americans must stand together against this gross abuse of power.

 


 

TIMES RADIO

June 10, 2025

 

Trump deployed troops in LA to break America 

and become a dictator | Joe Walsh

 

“Trump is trying to break this country…burn the country down so that it can be remade in his image.” 

 

“President Trump is lying about the scale of unrest in Los Angeles to purposely incite violence and efforts to take authoritarian control of America,” says former Republican congressman Joe Walsh.

 


 

The Chris Hedges Report

June 10, 2025

 

American Concentration Camps

 

Once a regime starts to send people to concentration camps — including those in El Salvador — it creates a system of detention that eschews due process and disappears citizens into black holes.

 

Read the article here: chrishedges.substack.com/p/american-concentration-camps

 


 

DEMOCRACY NOW!

June 10, 2025

 
Chaos & Cruelty: Trump Deploys Thousands 

of Soldiers to Put Down Anti-ICE Protests in L.A.

 

President Trump has inflamed tensions over immigration raids in Los Angeles, which his top adviser Stephen Miller described as an insurrection. 

 

“They want protesters to react violently to distract from what is really happening, which is that families are being separated, our communities are being devastated, and the people of Los Angeles are standing up to say, ‘We will not stand for this,'” says Jean Guerrero, New York Times contributing opinion writer and author of Hatemonger: Stephen Miller, Donald Trump, and the White Nationalist Agenda.

 


 

John D. Cundle

June 10, 2025

 

A 9-Year-Old’s Letter to the President

“You Call This Great?” | Heartbreaking Protest Song

 


 

Charlie Angus

THE RESISTANCE

June 11, 2025

 

Indictment of Donald Trump

 

On Trump using the army against unarmed citizens and his plans to visit Canada as part of the G7 meetings. We need to be very clear about the threat posed to democracy, the rule of law and Canadian sovereignty.

 


 

The Atlantic

June 11, 2025

 

STEPHEN MILLER

TRIGGERS LOS ANGELES

 

The protesters gathered in downtown L.A. are a microcosm

of the Democratic coalition that has dominated the city for 

decades.

 

By Nick Miroff

Photographs by Robert LeBlanc

 

Two people hold hands in front of a police officer

 

During a lull in the chanting outside the federal building targeted by protesters in downtown Los Angeles this week, I walked up behind a hooded young man wearing a mask and carrying a can of spray paint. He began to deface the marble facade in big black letters. WHEN TYRANNY BECOMES LAW, REBELLION BECOMES DUTY—THOMAS JEFFERSON, he wrote, adding his tag, SMO, in smaller font.

 


 

MSNBC

DEADLINE | WHITE HOUSE

June 12, 2025

 

Nicolle Wallace calls out Kristi Noem’s lie over 

Sen. Alex Padilla’s handcuffing and forced removal

 

Ben Rhodes, former Deputy National Security Advisor joins Nicolle Wallace on Deadline White House with reaction to the incident involving California Senator Alex Padilla where he was forcibly removed from a press conference held by Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, and the lies being spewed about the incident by Noem and her department.

 


 

Forbes Breaking News

June 12, 2025

 

Trump Addresses Members Of Congress

At White House Congressional Picnic

 


 

MSNBC

The BEAT

June 12, 2025

 

‘Goons’: See top Dem erupt at Trump DHS

going ‘Putin’ in cuffing Senator

 

Democratic Senator Alex Padilla of California was forcibly removed and handcuffed after speaking up at Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s press conference. MSNBC’s Ari Melber and former California Senator Barbara Boxer discuss.

 


 

Forbes Breaking News

June 12, 2025

 

‘This Is What Dictatorships Look Like’: Van Hollen 

Decries The Removal Of Padilla From DHS Hearing

 

During remarks on the Senate floor on Thursday, Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) spoke about Sen. Alex Padilla’s (D-CA) removal from a DHS press briefing.

 


 

MSNBC

June 12, 2025

 

‘It’s all BS coming from Trump’: Sen. Padilla gets 

emotional after forcible removal from DHS presser

 

Watch the full interview Sen. Alex Padilla gave FIRST ON MSNBC where he talks about getting forcibly removed and hand-cuffed from a Department of Homeland Security press conference. Padilla breaks down the video of the incident and also reveals a meeting he had with DHS Secretary Kristi Noem after it. Padilla gets emotional talking about the treatment of immigrants from the Trump administration.

 


 

New York Times Podcasts

June 12, 2025

 

Gavin Newsom on the LA Protests, 

Trump’s Response and Why It’s a 

Defining Moment for Democracy

 

California’s Governor, Gavin Newsom, says that President Trump’s decision to send federal troops into Los Angeles is a “brazen abuse of power” and a defining moment for both the democratic party and American democracy. 

 

The Daily’s host, Michael Barbaro, sits down with the governor for a conversation about Trump, illegal immigration, the protests, and how he thinks that the standoff in LA has come to an end.

 


 

MSNBC

The LAST WORD

June 12, 2025

 

Leader Jeffries: Trump exposed for 

‘fraudulent’ ICE raids in Los Angeles

 

House Democratic Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries joins MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell to react to a federal judge granting a temporary restraining order halting Donald Trump’s deployment of the California National Guard and U.S. Marines to Los Angeles.

 


 

ABC7 News Bay Area

June 12, 2025

 

Trump can keep National Guard in LA 

for now after appeals court blocks order

 

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday temporarily blocked a federal judge’s order that directed President Donald Trump to return control of National Guard troops to California after he deployed them there following protests in Los Angeles over immigration raids.

 


 

CBS News

The TAKEOUT with Major Garrett

June 12, 2025

 

California mayor describes psychological 

impact of ICE raids on his community

 

The threat of ICE agents targeting workplaces is spreading fear across the U.S., according to the mayor of Montebello, California. Mayor Salvador Melendez joins “The Takeout” to discuss his community’s fears over the Trump administration’s deportation efforts.

 


 

TYT Investigates

June 12, 2025

 

19-Year-Old Shares Her Harrowing

ICE Detention Experience

 


 

Noam Chomsky Motivation

June 12, 2025

 

What’s Really Behind the LA ICE Protests

 

What’s fueling the protests in Los Angeles? In this compelling analysis, Noam Chomsky dives deep into the truth behind the LA ICE protests, exploring how immigration raids, media manipulation, and systemic control are shaping public reaction. As thousands take to the streets, Chomsky reveals how government actions and media silence work together to manufacture consent and suppress dissent. 

 

Are we seeing the consequences of unchecked power in a so-called democracy? Discover how militarized responses, economic anxiety, and disinformation are eroding civil liberties and fueling unrest in 2025. This video breaks down the hidden political and philosophical dynamics behind the chaos. A must-watch for anyone seeking truth in turbulent times.

 

Keywords: This video explores topics like LA ICE protests, immigration raids in Los Angeles, Noam Chomsky on media control, manufactured consent, protests in LA 2025, ICE operations, National Guard deployment, civil unrest, political philosophy, government surveillance, freedom of speech, social movements in America, media bias, and the militarization of public space.

 


 

DEMOCRACY NOW!

June 12, 2025

 

Ex-U.S. Diplomat: Biden Spokesperson 

Matthew Miller Has “Blood on His Hands”

 

Hala Rharrit was the Arabic-language spokesperson for the State Department before she resigned in 2024 to protest the Biden administration’s Gaza policy. She accuses her former colleague Matthew Miller of “careerism” after he recently admitted on a podcast that Israel has committed war crimes in Gaza, even though he regularly denied that while serving as a spokesperson for the State Department under Biden.

 


 

The Humanist Report

with Mike Figueredo

June 13, 2025

 

Trump Now Ushering in the Next Phase 

of Authoritarianism: Violent Repression

 

Donald Trump is ramping up repressive tactics against protesters and political opponents, and things could get even worse if he invokes The Insurrection Act. 

 

Progressive journalist Thom Hartmann warns that the emergency powers granted by The Insurrection Act could give him an excuse to “postpone” elections and officially solidify his status as a dictator. In this video we’ll talk about this new phase of Trump’s attempt to consolidate power and what it means going forward.

 


 

MSNBC

The LAST WORD

June 13, 2025

 

Protests demonstrate why, despite Trump’s actions, 

America is still a democracy

 

MSNBC’s Ali Velshi details how Donald Trump’s attempts to squash protest and dissent by deploying the military to Los Angeles — along with things like the handcuffing of a U.S. senator — are mobilizing protests against his agenda. M. Gessen joins to discuss the importance of not normalizing Trump’s unlawful actions in order to keep America a democracy.

 


 

John D. Cundle

June 13, 2025

 

“Stand For The Light” – Uplifting People-Powered 

Patriotic Protest Anthem

 


 

We Are True Patriots

June 14, 2025

 

“We Won’t Back Down”

 


 

Joan Baez: “With God On Our Side” (1965)

 


 

Playing For Change

April 30, 2014

 

“Words of Wonder” / Get Up, Stand Up”

 

This Song Around The World features Keith Richards in collaboration with Roberto Luti, Titi Tsira and a number of worldwide musicians on a rendition of his reggae song, “Words of Wonder,” off 1992’s Main Offender. 

 

This video also leads into a cover of Bob Marley’s “Get Up, Stand Up,” featuring Keb’ Mo’, Mermans Mosengo, Aztec Indians, Natalie Pa’apa’a of Blue King Brown, and Jamaican singer Sherita Lewis.

 


 

MSNBC

The 11th Hour

June 13, 2025

 

‘A sign of life’: Will 2,000 anti-Trump

protests have an impact?

 

Saturday is set to be an extraordinary day for our country as Americans take to the streets in all 50 states to protest the Trump administration. At the same time, Trump will be hosting an extravagant military parade that happens to fall on his birthday. Colonel Jack Jacobs, Anthony Fisher, Steve Liesman and Pablo Torre join Stephanie Ruhle for The 11th Hour Nightcap.

 


 

ABC News In-depth

June 13, 2025

 

Why Elon’s DOGE mission was doomed 

from the beginning | If You’re Listening

 

In news that basically everyone saw coming, the big beautiful bromance between Donald Trump and Elon Musk has finally come to an end.

 

Over the last week, there’s been a dramatic shift in Trump’s presidency – he’s publicly fighting with his former First buddy, judges are overruling his executive orders and there are protests in the streets of LA. 

 

So for the next two episodes, we’re going to take a look at what led to this sudden shift – Trump’s summer of discontent. How it started and what it means for the future of the administration.

 


 

Mary Trump Media

June 13, 2025

 

DONALD’S VANITY PARADE FACES

MOUNTING RESISTANCE

 

Resistance is mounting against Donald Trump’s $45 million military parade. No Kings rallies will take place during the event, and everyone from an unlikely billionaire, to the Pope, to his own allies are turning against him.

 


 

Amanpour & Co.

June 13, 2025

 

Gen. McCrystal on Trump’s Military Parade 

and the Need for National Character

 

President Trump is gearing up for a military parade this weekend to celebrate the 250th birthday of the U.S. Army. Trump was inspired by the pomp of a Bastille Day celebration he attended in France to stage something similar in the United States. But many — including Republicans — are skeptical about the event’s optics and cost. 

 

Retired four-star general Stanley McChrystal, who has a deep understanding of U.S. military culture, has written a new book, On Character: Choices That Define a Life. He spoke with Walter Isaacson before Israel’s strikes on Iran began.

 


 

DEMOCRACY NOW!

June 13, 2025

 

Rep. Ilhan Omar on Trump’s Authoritarianism

 

Democratic Congressmember Ilhan Omar of Minnesota joins Democracy Now! to discuss the increasing authoritarianism of the Trump administration, including its crackdown on anti-ICE protesters in Los Angeles, targeting of pro-Palestine students on college campuses and plans for a massive military parade coinciding with Trump’s birthday on June 14. 

 

“We are in the midst of the creation of a police state,” says Omar. “It will be a dark day if we do not stand up for ourselves, for our Constitution and for our republic.”

 


 

PBS NewsHour

June 14, 2025

 

WATCH LIVE: Trump’s military parade honoring Army’s 250th birthday rolls through Washington, D.C.

 

President Donald Trump’s military parade to mark the U.S. Army’s 250th birthday on Saturday will bring thousands of soldiers and dozens of massive military vehicles and aircraft to the National Mall. 

 

Military parades of this scale are uncommon in the U.S. The last was in 1991, to mark the end of the first Gulf War. 

 

Trump has heralded the celebration as a chance to celebrate the country and the “service and sacrifice” of soldiers. The president has also gotten political blowback over the parade, which will shut down roads and bridges around the city for days. Democrats have criticized the cost — up to $45 million — and accused Trump of making the day about himself. Veterans are divided over the event and a majority of Americans don’t feel like it’s a good use of money, according to an AP-NORC poll.

 


 

NO KINGS

 

IN AMERICA,

WE DON’T

DO KINGS

 

They’ve defied our courts, deported

Americans, disappeared people off the

streets, attacked our civil rights, and

slashed our services. The corruption has

gone too far. No thrones, No crowns,

No kings.

 


 

Scared Ketchup

June 14, 2025

 

“NO KINGS” Music Video

 


 

The Guardian

June 16, 2025

 

Trump administration

 

‘This is the looting of America’: Trump and Co’s extraordinary conflicts of interest in his second term 

  

Bitcoin, internet, EVs, private dinners for hire — the list of pay-for-play and quid quo pro goes on, and on … and on.

 

a man in a suit speaks into a microphone

Donald Trump speaks at a Bitcoin 2024 event in Nashville, Tennessee.

 


 

Channel 4 News

June 18, 2025

 

Isreal – Iran: how 46 years of proxy war

led to this conflict

 

The war between Israel and Iran has been building for decades and now it’s spiralling out of control – but how did we get to this point?

 

The new phase of this conflict began on June 13 with a huge wave of Israeli strikes on Iran, dealing damaging blows to Iran’s nuclear weapons program, and taking out key scientific and military personnel.

 

Iran’s response has been to fire missile and drone barrages, with some Israeli leaders speaking openly about regime change in Tehran. 

 

But the threat of war between Israel and Iran has hung over the Middle East for more than forty years. 

 

We take a closer look at the history between the two countries and some of the key events and alliances that help explain why Israel and Iran are at war, and why the outcome of the conflict ultimately comes down to Donald Trump and the USA.

 


 

MSNBC

REPORTS

June 18, 2025

 

‘These are Gestapo tactics’: NYC Comptroller 

Brad Lander on being arrested by ICE agents

 

New York City Comptroller and Mayoral Candidate Brad Lander joins Ana Cabrera to detail being detained by ICE agents while serving as an advocate for defendants in immigration court, saying all he wanted to do was “to make sure there was due process.”

 


 

TYT Sports

June 18, 2025

 

Teacher Fights Through Tears as

ICE Cruelty Reaches a New Low

 

The silence from major Los Angeles sports franchises like the Dodgers, Lakers, Kings, and others in the wake of massive anti-ICE protests, and the violence, brutality, and cruelty the protesters have been met with from law enforcement, one team, Angel City FC of the NWSL, has put the rest to shame with their powerful stance supporting the immigrant community while calling out the inhumanity of Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration. Rick Strom breaks it down.

 


 

MSNBC

The Briefing

June 18, 2025

 

Bad actors mimic masked ICE agents; Community 

outraged over snatchings by unidentified agents

 

Jen Psaki looks at the problems of federal immigration agents hiding their identities with masks and refusing to identify themselves as they conduct raids and carry people away in unmarked cars. NBC News correspondent David Noriega reports live from a protest in Pasadena, California where locals are upset that friends and neighbors are being disappeared without notification or information.

 


 

ABC7

June 19, 2025

 

2 car wash employees detained in 

another LA ICE raid, witnesses say

 

A car wash in Glendale was the latest business in Los Angeles County to be raided by ICE agents, according to several witnesses and an immigration attorney who were at the scene.

 

It happened Thursday morning at the Glendale Classic Car Wash on Colorado Street. AIR7 was above the scene and captured at least one person, seen wearing a red shirt, in handcuffs being placed into a silver SUV. 

 

Witnesses who spoke with Eyewitness News said the agents were in unmarked vehicles wearing masks and did not identify themselves. READ MORE: abc7.com/post/2-employees-detained-during-ice-raid-glendale-car-wash…

 


 

MSNBC

REPORTS

June 19, 2025

 

‘Really disturbing’: ICE detains man who

helped U.S. military in Afghanistan

 

Sayed Naser served as a civilian interpreter for the U.S. military in Afghanistan for three years. However, last week Naser was detained by ICE after a mandatory immigration parole hearing. Naser’s attorney Brian McGoldrick joins Katy Tur to share more about the case.

 


 

ABC News In-depth

June 20, 2025

 

How ICE protests wrecked Trump’s 

deportation plans | If You’re Listening

 

For the past week, we’ve seen violence on the streets of America as anti-ICE protesters push back hard against the Trump administration’s immigration policies.

 

In the early months of the Trump presidency it seemed like everything was going his way, but now that’s changing, and fast, as his executive orders are challenged in the courts.

 

When it comes to stopping mass deportations, Americans are learning that protests can actually work. 

 

These protestors aren’t backing down, but neither is Trump. So, what does that mean for undocumented immigrants across the country and the future of the Trump administration’s deportation plans?

 


 

Mr. Newberger’s AI Funnies

June 20, 2025

 

“Two Weeks” (Beatles Inspired)

 

Trump has a hard two weeks’ night ahead of him. While he takes his time, let’s reflect on his many promises of two weeks. Beatles style!

 


 

Forbes Breaking News

June 20, 2025

 

‘Trump Does Not Own Our Country’: Greg Casar 

Speaks At Bernie Sanders Rally In McAllen, Texas

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Forbes Breaking News

June 21, 2025

 

Man Directly Asks Bernie Sanders How Citizens

Can Stop Trump From Imposing Autocracy On The U.S.

 

At his “Fighting Oligarchy” rally in McAllen, Texas, on Friday, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) was asked how citizens can combat an autocracy.

 


 

MSNBC

REPORTS

June 21, 2025

 

Trump ‘should have put America first’: 

Top Dem condemns Iran bombing

 

Congressman Adam Smith, the Democratic leader of the House Armed Services Committee, condemns President Trump ordering U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Smith says Trump did not seek authorization from Congress and is concerned the bombings could further escalate tensions.

 


 

TIME

The Brief

June 22, 2025
 

Iran Delivers New

Furious Threat After

U.S. Strikes

 

“The warmongering and lawless Administration in

Washington is solely and fully reponsible for the

dangerous consequences and far-reaching

implications of its act of aggression.”

 

by Olivia-Anne Cleary

 


 

Mother Jones

July-August 2025 Issue

 

Politics

 

The 4chan-Coded Ideology

Behind Elon Musk’s War on

Normies

 

Musk thinks autism makes him superhuman. 

Just don’t call it that.

 

 

In September, Elon Musk amplified a post from Autism Capital—a pro-Trump X account that he often reposts—that read: “Only high T alpha males and aneurotypical people (hey autists!) are actually free to parse new information with an objective ‘is this true?’ filter. This is why a Republic of high status males is best for decision making. Democratic, but a democracy only for those who are free to think.” Musk called the claim, which originated on the infamous web forum 4chan, an “interesting observation.” His repost was viewed 20 million times.

 


 

Legal AF

June 22, 2025

 

Whistleblower John Dean sets the record straight 

on Trump’s CRIMINAL Acts

 

The Court of History’s Sidney Blumenthal and Sean Wilentz are joined by legendary Watergate witness John Dean, who reveals new, never-before-heard stories about what really happened. Dean makes the case that Trump is far worse than Nixon — and helps unmask Trump’s deepest impulses.

 


 

MSNBC

The 11th Hour

June 24, 2025

 

‘Damning allegation’: Trump ally at DOJ

suggested ignoring courts

 

A whistleblower complaint accuses Emil Bove of telling subordinates at the Justice Department that he was willing to ignore court orders to carry out the president’s aggressive deportation policies. Carol Leonnig and David Jolly join.

 


 

MSNBC

The LAST WORD

June 24, 2025

 

‘Fools, cowards, and liars’: Sen. Schiff on

Trump’s Justice Department

 

Emil Bove, who Donald Trump has nominated to fill a U.S. appeals court vacancy, suggested the Trump administration should defy court orders, according to a whistleblower complaint. Sen. Adam Schiff, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joins MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell ahead of Bove’s confirmation hearing to discuss the allegations against Bove.

 


 

Forbes Breaking News

June 25, 2025

 

Cory Booker Tells Emil Bove To His Face He Hopes 

Evidence Will Come Out Proving He Lied to Senate

 

At today’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) questioned Emil Bove, nominee to be United States Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit, and current Deputy AG.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Forbes Breaking News

June 25, 2025

 

‘Did You Suggest Telling The Courts F— You In Any

Manner?’: Schiff Gives Emil Bove The 3rd Degree

 

At today’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) questioned Emil Bove, nominee to be United States Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit, and current Deputy AG.

 


 

DEMOCRACY NOW!

June 25, 2025

 

“Inhumane”: Marine Veteran Calls for ICE to Release 

His Father as Video of Brutal Arrest Goes Viral

 

As ICE increases its raids on immigrant communities, footage of the arrest of one man, Narciso Barranco, shows seven federal agents — all masked — pinning the 48-year old gardener to the ground and repeatedly punching him in the head before pushing him into an unmarked vehicle. His son, Marine veteran Alejandro Barranco, recently visited him in an ICE detention center. “He looked beat up, he looked rough, he looked defeated. He was sad. It’s just not right,” he says. 

 

Barranco, whose three children have all served in the U.S. military, was arrested while working as a landscaper at an IHOP restaurant in Santa Ana. “We are seeing an extreme abuse of power on the screens of our phones,” says Santa Ana councilmember John Hernandez, who adds that Barranco is a “hardworking Santa Ana resident of over three decades, who has raised three children who have all decided to sacrifice their freedom for this country that we love.”

 


 

Jimmy Kimmel Live

June 26, 2025

 

Legendary Civil Rights Activist Dolores Huerta on 

Hope in Dark Times & What to Do If Detained by ICE

 


 

KPBS Public Media

July 1, 2025

 

ICE data reveals the truth about immigrant detention — Here’s how you can view it

 

Did you know that ICE, the federal agency that oversees immigration enforcement, publishes a public spreadsheet showing exactly who is being held in immigration detention?

 

It gives you an up-to-date picture of what is going on around the country, and is available for anyone to look up at any time. And you can download the data and view it yourself at ice.gov/detain/detention-management

 

KPBS San Diego’s border reporter Gustavo Solis is here to show you how to access it. Read more at kpbs.org/news/border-immigration/2025/07/01/federal-data-reveals-the-truth-about-immigrant-detention

 


 

Agent Flappy

June 29, 2025

 

The Worst Presidents in American History

 


 

CTV News

June 29, 2025

 

Donald Trump makes more remarks 

about Canada being the 51st state

 

Political commentator Tom Mulcair discusses Donald Trump’s latest remarks about Canada after ending trade talks.

 


 

DEMOCRACY NOW!

July 1, 2025

 

“Trying to Find Food Is a Death Sentence”: 

Palestinian Writer Muhammad Shehada on

Gaza Aid Massacres

 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is visiting the United States next week to meet with President Donald Trump and other top officials in the U.S. administration, supposedly to “capitalize on the success” of the 12-day war against Iran. 

 

This comes after nearly 21 months of Israel’s war on Gaza that has killed at least 56,000 Palestinians, with daily violence only increasing. “There’s basically an airstrike every other minute,” says Palestinian writer and analyst Muhammad Shehada. “There’s nonstop artillery fire, gunfire, machine gunfire, as well as Israeli quadcopter drones that are swarming Gaza and shooting people at random.” 

 

While there have been news reports of a possible ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, Shehada says “there are no negotiations,” and therefore no end in sight to the daily bloodshed.

 


 

MSNBC

The LAST WORD

July 1, 2025

 

What you’re feeling is the banality of cruelty 

from Trump and the Republican Party

 

At least 17 million Americans will lose healthcare coverage under Donald Trump’s budget bill. MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell says this is part of Donald Trump’s worldwide campaign of cruelty.

 


 

60 Minutes Australia

July 2, 2025

 

Donald Trump vs Elon Musk:

What does their fallout mean for the world?

 

When it comes to relationships, this one is complicated. Donald Trump and Elon Musk went from bros to foes in what seems like the blink of an eye – and it’s a feud that could have major global implications. Featuring exclusive insight from key insiders and global observers, including:

 

  • Ryan Mac, co-author of ‘Character Limit: How Elon Musk Destroyed Twitter’ and The New York Times technology reporter
  • Michael Wolff, Trump biographer and best-selling author of ‘All or Nothing’
  • Katie Drummond, Global Editorial Director of WIRED
  • James Fishback, an insider who knows both men, CEO of investment firm Azoria and architect of the DOGE Dividend proposal

 


 

Sky News

July 3, 2025

 

The Russian soldiers fleeing Putin’s army

 

Trapped in Putin’s war against Ukraine, Russian soldiers face a deadly choice – obey, die or flee. This documentary looks at one man’s fight for freedom and the underground movement that helped him vanish.

 

An estimated 50,000 Russian soldiers have deserted the frontline since the full-scale invasion began. The true figure may never be known.

 


 

MSNBC

The BEAT

July 3, 2025

 

They will ‘pay’: Dems on warpath vs. deficit-busting 

MAGA budget — that some in GOP ‘don’t like’

 

The House narrowly passed Republicans’ massive tax and spending bill to advance President Trump’s agenda. The Congressional Budget Office says the bill will add three trillion dollars to the deficit. 

 

MSNBC’s Ari Melber reports and is joined by Presidential Historian Douglas Brinkley and Pulitzer prize-winning columnist Eugene Robinson.

 


 

Forbes Breaking News

July 3, 2025

 

Rep. Mike Levin (D-CA) Reveals What Republicans 

Told Him Behind Closed Doors About Big Beautiful Bill

 


 

Katie Phang

July 3, 2025

 

Congressman Sounds The Alarm After

Trump’s DISASTER BILL Passes

 

Trump’s Big Bullshit Bill may have passed, but it’s only going to inspire more protest. Katie Phang and the new ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, Representative Robert Garcia, discuss how to fight back against fascism.

 


 

Mary Trump Media

July 4, 2025

 

Mary sits down to discuss what Independence Day means now as Trump continues his second term.

 

How do we celebrate Democracy when the people in power are doing everything in their power to dismantle it?

 

How do we celebrate our freedoms when Donald Trump and his enablers and his fellow travelers in the fascist Republican party want to make sure that the people they don’t like — people they disagree with — people who do not look like them or believe like them — no longer have any freedoms?

 


 

RAWSTORY

July 4, 2025

 

France unveils mural throwing shade

at America for July 4th

 

By

 

France unveils mural throwing shade at America for July 4th

 

“The Statue of Liberty’s Silent Protest” mural in Roubaix, France by Judith de Leeuw (Photo: Screen capture via Instagram video)

 

The U.S. Independence Day holiday motivated a new mural in France that shames America.

 

While France was once a key ally in the Revolutionary War against Britain, it is now shaming the U.S. with a massive mural of Lady Liberty covering her eyes with mortification. The Statue of Liberty was a gift from France after the U.S. Civil War, recalled the National Parks Service.

 

The mural is titled “The Statue of Liberty’s Silent Protest” and was created by Dutch artist Judith de Leeuw. In an interview, Leeuw revealed to Storyful that it is meant to reflect shame for the United States over President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, a USA Today video said.

 

A bronze plaque inside the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty reads, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,” from the sonnet “The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus (1849-1887).

 

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

 

Her poem was meant to help raise money to construct the pedestal for the statue. Lazarus was involved in helping bring Jewish refugees fleeing antisemitic pogroms from Eastern Europe to the U.S. at the time, and she saw the Statue of Liberty as an inspiration for migrants fleeing to the welcoming arms of the United States.

 

In a post on Instagram, Leeuw explained that the Statue of Liberty was a “celebration of friendship, and given in the name of Independence Day — a day meant to honor the right to freedom for all.”

 

“But today, that freedom feels out of reach. Not for everyone. Not for migrants. Not for those pushed to the margins, silenced, or unseen,” she continued. “In Roubaix — a city with one of France’s largest migrant populations — I painted her covering her eyes, because the weight of the world has become too heavy to witness. What was once a shining symbol of liberty now carries the sorrow of lost meaning. The project was finished on July 4th — Independence Day. A quiet reminder of what freedom should be.”

 

The mural took six days to complete and was unveiled the day before the United States’ Independence Day. However, the artist called the unveiling on July 3, a “meaningful coincidence.”

 

See the mural in the video from the artist below or at the link here.

 


 

THE NEW REPUBLIC

 

Trump Just Went Absolutely Nuclear in Screwing Over MAGA Voters

 

He has persuaded the media and many voters that he’s different from earlier Republicans on economics—but he’s now doubled-down on the GOP’s plutocratic agenda.

 

The New Republic and Greg Sargent | July 4, 2025
 

 

Trump at a press conference

 

For at least the last half-century in American politics, Republicans have employed three distinct scams to hide the deeply regressive nature of their priorities and agenda from the voters. Trumpism, in its idealized form, was supposed to represent a break with this way of doing politics and policy at a fundamental level. Yet now that Congress has passed President Trump’s big budget bill, all three cons are alive and well—and have even been supercharged into something more venal and deceptive.

 


 

Legal AF

July 5, 2025

 

Trump Lands in New Scandal

 as His WAR on LA Backfires

 

Attorney’s Brian Kabateck and Shant Karnikian expose the explosive federal class action lawsuit revealing how Trump’s ICE agents have turned Los Angeles into a constitutional dead zone with 3,000 daily arrest quotas. 

 

They break down the shocking allegations of os US citizens detained at gunpoint for walking through parks, workers grabbed at bus stops without warrants, and a woman literally kidnapped while being dropped off at work.

 


 

Charlie Angus

July 5, 2025

 

CONCENTRATION CAMP USA

 

Thoughts on Donald Trump going all in on Alligator Alcatraz. This is the American Dachau. We are now in a very dark time on a very dark slope.

 


 

DEMOCRACY NOW!

July 7, 2025

 

John Nichols on Trump’s Budget Law:

“Most massive transfer of wealth

upward in American history”

 

President Donald Trump and his allies are celebrating the passage of his sweeping tax and spending bill, which he signed into law on July 4 after a months-long effort to shepherd it through Congress. 

 

It makes the largest-ever cuts to food assistance benefits, could cause the closure of nursing homes and rural hospitals across the country, raises housing and energy costs, and supercharges the Trump crackdown on immigrants — all while delivering massive tax benefits for the wealthiest people in the country.

 


 

Brittany Page

July 8, 2025

 

Famous Psychiatrist to RFK:

Don’t Blame Vaccines, Blame Me.

 

Brittany is joined by Dr. Allen Frances to discuss his recent op-ed in The New York Times in which he appeals to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), Robert F. Kennedy Jr., to stop advancing anti-vaccine activism and harming the general public. 

 

Dr. Frances discusses his own role in contributing to the increase in autism diagnoses through expanding DSM criteria, how he responds to people who accuse Trump of being mentally ill, and how to avoid fads in psychology.

 


 

Amanpour & Co.

July 9, 2025

 

Gov Andy Beshear (D-KY) on Trump Bill: 

“A punch in the face of rural America”

 

President Trump’s sweeping domestic policy bill has been signed into law, impacting Americans across the country. Millions of people on Medicaid are set to lose their health coverage, a loss that is raising serious concern even in traditionally conservative states. Andy Beshear, two-term Governor of Kentucky, joins the show to talk about the bill’s real-life effect on rural communities, plus the future of the Democratic Party.

 


 

KTLA 5

July 10, 2025

 

Dozens detained during federal immigration

raid in Ventura County

 

Federal immigration agents, assisted by members of the National Guard, carried out raids at two cannabis farms in Ventura County, arresting dozens, including undocumented minors, in an operation that drew several hundred protestors who clashed with officers.

 

KTLA’s Mary Beth McDade and Lindsey Pena report.

 


 

The Atlantic 

July 10, 2025

  

Trump Loves ICE. Its Workforce 

Has Never Been So Miserable.

 

A “mission impossible” deportation campaign has left 

many employees burned out and morally conflicted.  

 

By Nick Miroff 

 

ICE occupies an exalted place in President Donald Trump’s hierarchy of law enforcement. He praises the bravery and fortitude of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers—“the toughest people you’ll ever meet,” he says—and depicts them as heroes in the central plot of his presidency, helping him rescue the country from an invasion of gang members and mental patients. The 20,000 ICE employees are the unflinching men and women who will restore order. They’re the Untouchables in his MAGA crime drama.

 

The reality of Trump’s mass-deportation campaign is far less glamorous. Officers and agents have spent much of the past five months clocking weekends and waking up at 4 a.m. for predawn raids. Their top leaders have been ousted or demoted, and their supervisors—themselves under threat of being fired—are pressuring them to make more and more arrests to meet quotas set by the Trump adviser Stephen Miller. Having insisted for years that capturing criminals is its priority, ICE is now shelving major criminal investigations to prioritize civil immigration arrests, grabbing asylum seekers at their courthouse hearings, handcuffing mothers as their U.S.-citizen children cry, chasing day laborers through Home Depot parking lots. As angry onlookers attempt to shame ICE officers with obscenities, and activists try to dox them, officers are retreating further behind masks and tactical gear.

 

“It’s miserable,” one career ICE official told me. He called the job “mission impossible.”

 


 

TIME

July 12, 2025

 

White House Speaks Out Amid Backlash 

Over Meme of Trump as Superman

 

By Olivia-Anne Cleary

 

The White House has responded after drawing ire and backlash over its recent memes, one of which included a fake movie poster depicting President Donald Trump as Superman

 

In a post shared across its core social media accounts on Friday night, the White House said: “Nowhere in the Constitution does it say we can’t post banger memes,” alongside a picture of an announcement board that read “OMG, did the White House really post this?” In response, one X user argued that such memes show “how unserious this Administration is.” The White House’s defiant stance was also shared across the official POTUS accounts on X, Instagram, and Facebook.

 

The White House earlier on Friday posted an AI-altered image of Rep. Jimmy Gomez of California, a Democrat, after he criticized an ICE raid at a marijuana farm. The post featured a doctored image of Gomez crying, labeling him “cryin’ Jimmy.” The upload was condemned by many, with one Instagram user asking: “Why is the official White House page making these kind[s] of comments?”

 


 

DAME

July 15, 2025

 

The Sane-Washing of

Mad King Trump

 

The more outlandish and dangerous his claims, the more determined is the press to normalize the increasingly delusional occupant of the Oval Office.

 

By

 

In a recent speech at the Iowa State Fairgrounds, Donald Trump claimed that, before he returned to the Oval Office, the U.S. was “close to death.”

 

He alleged to the crowd that he had “completely obliterated” Iran’s nuclear weapon capabilities. He said the only jobs lost under his administration were those held by illegal immigrants, and that he’s fighting “an illegal alien invasion.” He claimed that in June, the U.S. had had zero illegal border crossings in the past month.

 

In that same speech, Trump also repeatedly asserted he is a better president than both George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. (It’s a fixation of his.) Trump also said he hates Democrats.

 

“I really do. I hate them. I cannot stand them because I really believe they hate our country.” What he doesn’t hate is corn. But he accused the press of falsely claiming that he does: “You know, fake stories were put out there like I don’t like corn. I don’t like corn. I love corn. I just love it. But they give you fake news.”

 

Then he referred to bankers as “shylocks” — an antisemitic slur — and accused those bankers of cheating farmers out of their inheritances.

 


 

FRONTLINE PBS

July 15, 2025

 

Trump’s Power & the Rule of Law 

 

FRONTLINE goes inside the showdown between U.S. President Donald Trump and the courts over presidential power.

 

President Donald Trump’s allies, opponents and experts talk about how he is testing the extent of his power, the legal pushback and the impact on the rule of law.

 

 â€œTrump’s Power & the Rule of Law” is a FRONTLINE production with Kirk Documentary Group, Ltd. The director is Michael Kirk. The producers are Michael Kirk, Mike Wiser, Vanessa Fica and Philip Bennett. The writers are Michael Kirk & Mike Wiser. The reporters are Vanessa Fica and Brooke Nelson Alexander. The editor-in-chief and executive producer of FRONTLINE is Raney Aronson-Rath. 

 

Explore additional reporting on “Trump’s Power & the Rule of Law” on our website: pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/documentary…

 


 

FRONTLINE PBS

July 23, 2025

 

Trump’s Power & the Rule of Law:

David French 

 

David French is an opinion columnist for The New York Times and co-host of the podcast Advisory Opinions. He is also the author of Divided We Fall: America’s Secession Threat and How to Restore Our Nation. Previously, French wrote for The Atlantic and National Review and was a senior editor at The Dispatch, a conservative media company. 

 

The following interview was conducted by Mike Wiser for FRONTLINE on March 27, 2025. It has been annotated and edited for accuracy and clarity as part of an editorial and legal review. See a more complete description of our process here: pbs.org/wgbh/frontline…

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

FRONTLINE PBS

July 23, 2025

 

Trump’s Power & the Rule of Law:

Peter Keisler

 

Peter Keisler served as acting attorney general and assistant attorney general for the civil division in the Department of Justice under President George W. Bush. He also worked in the Office of Legal Counsel in the Ronald Reagan administration. He is a charter member of the Society for the Rule of Law. 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

FRONTLINE PBS

July 23, 2025

 

Trump’s Power & the Rule of Law:

Temidayo Aganga-Williams

 

Temidayo Aganga-Williams served as senior investigative counsel for the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol. Prior to that, he was an assistant U.S. attorney in the criminal division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. He is currently a partner at the law firm Selendy Gay. 

 

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FRONTLINE PBS

July 23, 2023

 

Trump’s Power & the Rule of Law:

Jane Mayer

 

Jane Mayer is the chief Washington correspondent for The New Yorker and is the author of Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right.

 


 

ABC News In-depth

July 15, 2025

 

The inside story of how the Wellness revolution and 

RFK took the White House | Foreign Correspondent

 

On Foreign Correspondent an exclusive interview with Donald Trump’s former wife, Marla Maples about the pivotal role she is playing in the wellness revolution now controversially reshaping America’s health system. 

 

When Robert F Kennedy Jr, a member of the famed Democrat dynasty and prominent vaccine sceptic, joined Donald Trump’s MAGA movement, many people were shocked. But in the online world of wellness, the partnership came as no surprise. 

 

Reporter Naomi Selvaratnam reveals the back story to the movement, born out of pandemic-era distrust, which has now grown into a potent political force. Powered by mothers, wellness influencers and alternative health advocates, it’s challenging Big Pharma, the food industry and government regulation. 

 

While America’s appalling health statistics tell a troubling story, not everyone believes Make America Healthy Again holds the answers. Naomi also meets the doctors and scientists who are worried the movement is cover for a growing anti-vax agenda and will do little to solve the real health problems the country faces.

 


 

Charlie Angus

July 17, 2025

 

MAGA’S THREAT TO OUR KIDS

 

We have talked about the attack on democracy and the rule of law. Perhaps the most frightening is the threat to our children’s health from rampant anti-vax disinformation. MAGA MAPLE has caused a medical disaster. Trump threatens even worse.

 


 

Senator Cory Booker

July 17, 2025

 

Trump’s Letter to Epstein, and Emil Bove’s Cover Up. 

Booker Speaks on Serious Threats to Democracy

 


 

Thom Hartmann Program

July 18, 2025

 

From Epstein’s Island to Musk’s Baby Farm  

How the Right Captured Men

 

Underneath the memes, podcasts, and tradwife fantasies lies a dangerous agenda: train young men to reject equality, fear women’s power, and embrace authoritarianism disguised as masculinity…

 

James Carville recently suggested that Democrats need to do more to reach out to young men, as though pandering to testosterone-fueled grievance and entitlement is the key to winning elections. Let’s be blunt: that’s a bullshit, dead-end strategy that risks ratifying the very worst elements of a crisis in masculinity that’s corroding our politics, poisoning our culture, and endangering our democracy. 

 

And it’s coming from the top, down. 

 

Donald Trump is an adjudicated rapist, according to the judge in his case. A New York jury found him liable for sexually assaulting E. Jean Carroll in a civil case, and he’s remained unapologetic. Then he moved straight to pardoning other men in his orbit, even convicted ones like Roger Stone and a rapper with a history of alleged sexual assault. And now he’s telling us to stop talking about Jeffrey Epstein. 

 

Epstein wasn’t an outlier: he was a prototype. A predator who operated in plain sight, protected by the powerful, and normalized by the elite. His crimes weren’t hidden; they were ignored, downplayed, and rationalized until they became impossible to deny. 

 

The recent revelations about the scope of his network, and the prominent men it touched, show how deeply entrenched rape culture is, not just at the fringes of politics but at its very core. 

 

Trump pardoned multiple anti-abortion criminals as well as Ross Ulrich, who ran the world’s most notorious market for illicit drugs (that some allege could also have been used for human trafficking); his administration apparently helped free Andrew and Tristan Tate, rightwing influencers accused of rape in Romania, from prison in that country so they could return to America to help promote the GOP to their young male followers. 

 

Rape culture isn’t just at the top; it’s everywhere, especially in the digital spaces young men inhabit. Pornography has become the de facto sex education for millions of boys. A ten‑year‑old with a smartphone has unfettered access to violent, misogynistic content that normalizes coercion and degradation. 

 

This isn’t just a parental issue, it’s a cultural emergency. This content is shaping how an entire generation understands sex, power, and consent.

 

And Trump’s “best friend” Epstein was an avatar of that twisted worldview. Trump and Epstein were reportedly best buds for years, partying together, traveling together on Epstein’s private jet, enjoying the same grotesque perks of unchecked wealth.

 


 

ABC News

Jan. 10, 2020

 

Truth & Lies: Jeffrey Epstein l PART 1

 

Maria Farmer began working for him shortly after the two met in 1995. She said he assaulted her at his home in Ohio and that she reported him to authorities afterward.

 

PART 2  *  PART 3  *  PART 4  *  PART 5

 


 

COURT TV

Oct. 23, 2020

 

Orgies, Sex Slaves & High-Powered Names:

Inside Jeffrey Epstein Case

 

A lengthy deposition given by Ghislaine Maxwell, the ex-girlfriend of Jeffrey Epstein in 2016 has been made public. In the 465-page deposition, Maxwell said accusations made by one of Epstein’s accusers were lies.

 


 

ABC News

June 26, 2021

 

Notorious: Ghislaine Maxwell l 20/20

PART 1

 

Ghislaine Maxwell grows up privileged before meeting Jeffrey Epstein. The daughter of a billionaire media mogul, she was given jobs in her father’s businesses, including a soccer team and newspapers he owned.

 

PART 2  *  PART 3  *  PART 4  *  PART 5

 


 

CBS Mornings

Dec. 7, 2021

 

Ghislaine Maxwell accuser shares new 

details of alleged torture in new book

 

The trial of Ghislaine Maxwell is underway and we’re hearing new details from one of her alleged victims. In her book, Silenced No More: Surviving My Journey to Hell and Back, Sarah Ransome writes about her time in Epstein’s orbit.

 


 

MeidasTouch

July 19, 2025

 

HIDDEN TRUMP VIDEOS FOUND BY MEIDAS

AS SECRETS SURFACE

 

Ben Meiselas reports on Donald Trump’s hidden tapes from his 1991 beauty pageant that MeidasTouch uncovered, and shows how Trump used his pageants for evil purposes.

 


 

CNN

July 20, 2025

 

Epstein’s ex-girlfriend alleges Trump

once groped her; Trump denies the claim

 

Stacey Williams, a former Sports Illustrated model who briefly dated Jeffrey Epstein speaks with CNN’s Brianna Keilar and describes Epstein’s relationship with Donald Trump. She also alleges Trump once groped her in 1993, but he denies the claim.

 


 

      Trump gave some private advice to a friend who had acknowledged some bad behavior toward women. Real power is fear. It’s all about strength. Never show weakness. You’ve always got to be strong. Don’t be bullied. There is no choice.

     â€œYou’ve got to deny, deny, deny and push back on these women,” he said. “If you admit to anything and any culpability, then you’re dead. That was a big mistake you made. You didn’t come out guns blazing and just challenge them. You showed weakness. You’ve got to be strong. You’ve got to be aggressive. You’ve got to push back hard. You’ve got to deny anything that’s said about you. Never admit.”

 

From FEAR: Trump in the White House  (p. 175)

 


 

MSNBC

The Last Word

July 23, 2025

 

Congress can subpoena Epstein birthday book 

from Epstein estate, Epstein victims’ lawyer says

 

In a Last Word exclusive interview, Bradley Edwards, an attorney who has represented over 200 survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse, reveals that he believes the Jeffrey Epstein birthday book with a letter bearing Donald Trump’s name, as reported first by The Wall Street Journal, is in possession of the Epstein estate. 

 

Edwards also reacts to the treatment of Epstein’s victims in the coverage of the Trump-Epstein scandal.

 


 

Charlie Rose

July 29, 2025

 

Michael Wolff on Epstein and Trump and Trump’s First Six Months

 

Michael Wolff is a New York writer whose books have been about media and power, Rupert Murdoch and Fox News and Donald Trump and the Presidency. His most recent is All or Nothing: How Trump Recaptured America.

 

Michael Wolff and James Truman, former Conde Nast Editor, co-hosted a podcast called Fire and Fury. 

 

At Jeffrey Epstein’s request, Michael Wolff also recorded many conversations between them for a possible book. Only a small portion of those tapes have been published. 

 

Our conversation comes at a moment of controversy involving the relationship between Jeffrey Epstein and President Trump, and his administration. 

 

My conversation also comes as the Trump administration marks the first six months of its second term.

 


 

MSNBC

The Briefing

July 22, 2025

 

TRUMP’S PLAN TO RIG ELECTION

is met with stalwart pushback in Texas

 

Texas State Rep. James Talarico talks with Jen Psaki about applying his Christian faith to modern American politics, the scourge of Christian nationalism, countering the influence of billionaires in politics, and what Texas Democrats can do to block Donald Trump’s plan to rig the 2026 election by gerrymandering Texas so it produces more Republican members of Congress to maintain his control. 

 


 

LBC

July 25, 2025

 

The Scotsmen who took on Donald Trump

 

David Milne is an Aberdeenshire local who lives beside Trump’s golf course. He won a bitter battle to stop Trump kicking him out of his home and famously raised a Mexican flag above the course during the President’s last visit.

 

Martin Ford was a councillor at the time and drew the future President’s ire by casting the deciding vote to block his course getting built there.

 

LBC’s Alan Zycinski went to speak to them to hear their stories and find out what it’s like to be an enemy of Donald Trump.

 


 

The Palm Beach Post

July 26, 2025

 

Donald Trump met with protests in 

Edinburgh, Aberdeen during Scotland golf visit

 

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the U.S. consulate in Edinburgh on Saturday (July 26) to protest President Donald Trump’s visit to Scotland.

 


 

CNN

July 27, 2025

 

Fareed’s Take: Trump could get burned by 

conspiracy theory fires he’s helped spread

 

“The challenge for Trump is that, having long fanned the flames of anti-statism and anti-elitism, he now sits in the White House running the state and its elites.”: Fareed Zakaria on how President Trump’s promotion of conspiracy theories may backfire. #CNN  #News

 


 

DAME

July 22, 2025

 

There Is a Name for MAGA’s Death Cult Policies

 

Our nation is quickly being destroyed by “necropolitics,” which dictates who has the right to live — and who the state may kill or dispose of at its whim.

 

By

 

 “Well, we are all going to die,” said Iowa Senator Joni Ernst to her constituents who were concerned about losing access to Medicaid. It’s a frightening way to talk to the people you represent, almost shocking in its complete indifference. But it’s an attitude that permeates every aspect of the GOP today: They’re trying to kill us. 

 

Vice-President J.D. Vance, a ghoul among ghouls, couldn’t wait to kick millions of Americans off Medicaid. Vance has tried to persuade constituents that immigrants are the main beneficiaries, his way of lessening the blow: “The thing that will bankrupt this country more than any other policy is flooding the country with illegal immigration and then giving those migrants generous benefits,” Vance said. “And therefore it must pass. Everything else — the CBO score, the proper baseline, the minutiae of the Medicaid policy — is immaterial compared to the ICE money and immigration enforcement provisions.” No matter that losing access to Medicaid means the GOP will most certainly have blood on its hands. MAGA is quite literally a death cult.

 

There’s a proper word for this form of dangerous politics: “necropolitics.” The term, coined by the Cameroonian philosopher Achille Mbembe — author of the 2019 book, Necropolitics — was created as a kind of counterpart to French philosopher Michel Foucault’s “biopolitics,” a study of power and how governments or others regulate health, reproduction, and bodily autonomy. But to Mbembe, biopolitics didn’t sufficiently explain what was happening to governments in the 21st century. In an era of growing militarism and democratic backsliding, Mbembe states that the ultimate form of power is “the ultimate expression of sovereignty resides, to a large degree, in the power and the capacity to dictate who may live and who must die.”

 

The idea that governments are intertwined with violence is nothing new. Sociologist Max Weber argued that what defines a state is that it has the sole legitimate use of violence. But necropolitics goes beyond a theoretical right to use violence against citizens. In effect, it dictates who has the right to live and who the state may kill or dispose of at its whim.

 


 

Amanpour Presents: The Ex Files

July 29, 2025

 

      Gaza Famine, A Palestinian State & Trump In The UK

 

What can end the famine in Gaza? Can President Trump get through to Benjamin Netanyahu? And an unprecedented Israeli report accuses Netanyahu’s government of committing genocide in the Palestinian territory. They’re just a few of the topics Christiane and Jamie discuss on this week’s episode, as Trump’s visit to the UK comes to an end and the starvation continues in Gaza.

 

They also look at the state of the ‘special relationship’ between Trump and Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and debate whether the UK still holds any sway over America when it comes to Middle East policy. 

 

Plus Christiane reports on the chances of a new nuclear deal with Iran after the Iranians returned to the negotiating table last week, and explains why Nato allies – including President Trump – appear to be finally running out of patience with Putin over the war in Ukraine.

 


 

Insight 50

July 29, 2025

 

Greenland Cuts U.S. Out of $3B Deal With Canada

 

Donald Trump thought he could claim Greenland. Instead, he triggered a geopolitical firestorm that united Denmark, Greenland, NATO — and even Canada — against the United States. 

 

While Trump publicly demanded control of Greenland, a quiet $3 billion mining deal between Canada, Greenland, and the EU permanently shifted the balance of power in the Arctic. 

 

In this exclusive Insight 50 report, we break down how Greenland’s government boldly asserted its autonomy, how NATO warned the U.S. to back off, and how Canada quietly secured control of rare earth resources the Pentagon desperately wanted. 

 

From U.S. defense delays to a stunning Arctic alliance — this is the real story behind one of the biggest diplomatic embarrassments of Trump’s second term.

 


 

The Economic Times

July 29, 2025

 

Senate confirms Trump ex-lawyer Emil Bove to 

federal court despite serious whistleblower claims

 

The Senate confirmed Emil Bove, a former Trump defense lawyer, to a lifetime seat on the Third Circuit Court, despite serious whistleblower allegations. 

 

Democrats and even two Republicans opposed the move, citing claims that Bove misled Congress and encouraged ignoring court orders. 

 

Senator Dick Durbin slammed the rushed confirmation. With multiple whistleblowers and DOJ resignations, Bove’s appointment is sparking major controversy.

 


 

Marc Lamont Hill

July 27, 2025

 

Trump Embraces Project 2025: Inside the 

Right-Wing Plan to Dismantle U.S. Democracy

 

Project 2025 is not just a policy plan; it’s a roadmap for reshaping America from the inside out. Created by the Heritage Foundation, it advocates for a comprehensive overhaul of the federal government, ranging from reducing agency budgets to expanding presidential authority. 

 

On Al Jazeera’s Upfront, Marc Lamont Hill sits down with Paul Dans, the former director of Project 2025, to ask the big questions: 

— Is Donald Trump following this plan? 

— Does it go against the Constitution? 

— What would America look like under Project 2025? 

 

As critics warn of creeping authoritarianism, Dans defends the agenda as restoring “constitutional order.” But is this really about freedom, or control?

 

Watch now for a rare, face-to-face debate on the future of U.S. democracy.

 


 

Sen. Adam Schiff

July 29, 2025

 

A Story You Should Know

 

Long before Project 2025 – there was a different playbook for turning a democracy into an autocracy.

 

Let’s talk about Viktor OrbĂĄn and Hungary.

 

 

ELECTORAL AUTOCRACY: Electoral autocracy is a hybrid regime, in which democratic institutions are imitative and adhere to authoritarian methods.

 


 

Psychology Today

July 31, 2019

Updated May 21, 2024

 

Pathocracy

 

When people with personality disorders gain power.

 

Steve Taylor Ph.D.

Out of the Darkness

 

justincase/flickr

 

The Polish psychologist Andrew Lobaczewski spent his early life suffering under the Nazi occupation of Poland, closely followed by the brutality of Soviet occupation after the war. His experience of these horrors led Lobaczewski to develop the concept of “pathocracy.” This is when individuals with personality disorders (particularly psychopathy) occupy positions of power. (1)

 

Lobaczewski devoted his life to studying human evil, a field which he called “ponerology.” He wanted to understand why ‘evil’ people seem to prosper, while so many good and moral people struggle to succeed. He wanted to understand why people with psychological disorders so easily rise to positions of power and take over the governments of countries. Since he was living under a “pathocratic” regime himself, he took great risks studying this topic. He was arrested and tortured by the Polish authorities, and was unable to publish his life’s work, the book Political Ponerology, until he escaped to the United States during the 1980s.

 

Pathocracy is arguably one of the biggest problems in the history of the human race. History has been a saga of constant conflict and brutality, with groups of people fighting against one another over territory and power and possessions, and conquering and killing one another. Surveying the course of human history from ancient times to the 20th century, the historian Arnold Toynbee spoke about the “horrifying sense of sin manifest in human affairs.”

 

But there is an argument that this is not because all human beings are inherently brutal and cruel, but because a small number of people—that is, those with personality disorders—are brutal and cruel, intensely self-centered, and lacking in empathy. This small minority has always held power and managed to order or influence the majority to commit atrocities on their behalf.

 

Power and Pathology

 

A small minority of humans suffer from personality disorders such as narcissism and psychopathy. People with these disorders feel an insatiable lust for power. People with narcissistic personality disorder desire constant attention and affirmation. They feel that they are superior to others and have the right to dominate them. They also lack empathy, which means that they are able to ruthlessly exploit and abuse others in their lust for power. Psychopaths feel a similar sense of superiority and lack of empathy, but the main difference between them and narcissists is that they don’t feel the same impulse for attention and adoration. To an extent, the impulse to be adored acts as a check on the behavior of narcissists. They are reluctant to do anything that might make them too unpopular. But psychopaths have no such qualms.

 

At the other end of the scale, people with a high level of empathy and compassion usually aren’t interested in power. They prefer to be “on the ground,” interacting and connecting with others. They may even refuse the offer of a high-status position because they’re aware that higher status will disconnect them (although for a non-empathic person, that is part of its appeal). So this leaves positions of power open for people with psychological disorders (or at least with a high level of ambition and ruthlessness, even if not a fully fledged psychological disorder).

 

Throughout history, these pathological individuals have always risen to the top. In some ways, pre-industrial feudal societies restricted them, since power was often bequeathed by birth rather than attained by individual efforts. The demise of the feudal system was certainly a positive step towards greater equality and democracy, but a negative side effect was that it gave psychopaths and narcissists greater opportunity to attain positions of power.

 

As Ian Hughes points out in his important book Disordered Minds, the whole point of democracy is to try to protect the mass of people from this pathological minority. This was the central idea of the American Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Democratic principles and institutions were established to limit the power of pathological individuals.

 

This is why, as Hughes also points out, pathological leaders hate democracy. (2)  Once they attain power, they do their utmost to dismantle or discredit democratic institutions, including the freedom and legitimacy of the press. (This is the first thing which Hitler did when he became German chancellor, and it is what autocrats like Vladimir Putin, Viktor Orban of Hungary and President Erdoğan of Turkey have done. It is also what President Trump has been attempting to do.)

 

Moreover, pathological leaders are completely unable to comprehend the principles of democracy, since they regard themselves as superior, and see life as a competitive struggle in which the most ruthless deserve to dominate others.

 

Collective Pathocracy

 

But pathocracy isn’t just about individuals. As Lobaczewski pointed out, pathological leaders always attract other people with personality disorders, who seize the opportunity to gain influence. At the same time, individuals who are moral, empathic and fair-minded gradually fall away. They are either ostracized or step aside voluntarily, appalled by the growing pathology around them. As a result, over time pathocracies tend to become entrenched and extreme.

 

This isn’t to say that everyone who becomes part of a pathocratic government suffers from a personality disorder. Some people may simply have a high level of ambition and a lack of empathy without actually having a diagnosable condition, while others may simply ride the coattails of a pathological leader whose goals happen to coincide with theirs.

 

A significant part of the problem is the attraction that many people feel to charismatic demagogues. You can see this in the appeal of President Trump, despite the obvious flaws – his extreme narcissism, lack of empathy and his distorted, delusory view of reality – of his personality disorder. Psychologically, this is very similar to the attraction of spiritual gurus, who often attract the blind devotion of disciples, despite unethical and exploitative behavior. The attraction of gurus and demagogues is a deep-rooted impulse to return to the childhood state of worshipping parents who seem omnipotent and infallible and could take complete responsibility for our lives, and magically solve our problems. At the same time, the paranoia of pathological leaders leads them to demonize other groups and creates an intoxicating sense of group identity with a common purpose. 

 

Protection Against Pathocracy

 

Is the United States in danger of being taken over by a pathocracy? Unfortunately, I believe it has already happened. Despite a convention that psychologists shouldn’t unofficially diagnose public figures, many American psychologists and psychiatrists have publicly stated that Donald Trump displays all the 
signs of narcissistic personality disorder. This would certainly explain his grandiosity, his lack of empathy and moral principles, his excessive need for admiration and his sensitivity to criticism (all of which are traits of narcissistic personality disorder). Similar cases have been made by psychologists for other ‘strongman’ politicians around the world, such as Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines. Trump has certainly attracted politicians and advisors with a similar lack of empathy and conscience to his inner circle, while principled and responsible individuals have either been ejected or have removed themselves, so that the pathocracy has become more entrenched.

 

But we should remember that pathocracy only flourishes because we don’t take sufficient measures to protect ourselves from pathological leaders. We need to preserve and strengthen our democratic institutions and processes to ensure that the great mass of people is protected from the minority of psychopaths and narcissists with an insatiable lust for power. We need to make sure that our democracy does not transmute into a pathocracy.

 

In the long term, as I have argued in a previous post, we need stringent measures to restrict the attainment of power. Put simply, the kind of people who desire power the most—the most ruthless and non-empathic—should not be allowed to attain positions of authority. All potential leaders (or members of a government) should be rigorously assessed by psychologists to determine their levels of empathy, narcissism or psychopathy—and hence determine their suitability for power.

 

References

 

Łobaczewski, A. (2006). Political Ponerology: A Science on the Nature of Evil Adjusted for Political Purposes. Grande Prairie: Red Pill Press.

 

Hughes, I. (2018). Disordered Minds: How Dangerous Personalities Are Destroying Democracy. Winchester, UK: Zero Books.

 

 

Steve Taylor, Ph.D., is senior lecturer in psychology at Leeds Beckett University, UK and a member of the British Psychological Society. He is the author of many best-selling books, including The Leap and Spiritual Science.

 


 

POLITICAL PONEROLOGY

 

A Science on the Nature of Evil

Adjusted for Political Purposes

 

 


 

PART  I   II   III   IV  V   VI