And beyond that, if DOJ is struggling this hard to get an indictment, it's hard to believe their evidence is sufficient for a jury to convict at trial, using the "guilt beyond a reasonable doubt" standard the prosecution must meet.

This post is long—I apologize for that—but it’s written in four parts, so you can read it in digestible chunks. But don’t skip the last one! open.substack.com/pub/joycevan...

#Trump pardoned Tim Leiweke — who his own DOJ indicted in July for rigging a public university’s arena bid— It’s all a grift — Saudis to crypto to pardon seekers — everything gets turned into a revenue stream. With 1,500+ pardons already, clemency is a monetized market

Morning.

It's unbelievable how corrupt the Supreme Court is. It's insane that we are letting them get away with it. They are taking away all of our rights.

It’s clear he’s selling pardons. It’s become a corrupt practice.

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It would be all too easy to overlook this case with everything else that's going on, but it's too important to miss, so I wrote a rare midday post. open.substack.com/pub/joycevan...

BREAKING: A grand jury declined to indict Letitia James after being asked to look at the mortgage fraud case against her a second time, 10 days after a federal judge threw out the initial charges against her.

While Mike Johnson is running around trying to act like he’s not the most incompetent Speaker in US history, we’re pushing hard to extend the ACA tax credits for millions of Americans. We’re almost there, and you can help!

Exclusive: Survivors clinging to capsized boat did NOT radio for backup, admiral overseeing double-tap strike tells lawmakers

Gavin Newsom lit into an audience full of financial power brokers today, criticizing what he cast as their complicity with Trump’s agenda. He told attendees of the New York Times DealBook Summit that they should look into the kneepads he’s selling, in parody, to those “groveling to Trump’s needs.”

🚨NEW: 46% of Americans say the cost of living in the U.S. is the worst they can ever remember it being — including 37% of 2024 Trump voters. They also say the affordability crisis is Trump’s responsibility, with 46% saying it’s his economy now and he’s responsible for the costs they struggle with.

BREAKING: A suspect has been arrested in the 1/6 DC pipe bombing case www.nbcnews.com/politics/pol...

Waiting on the identity on the charged bomber, but as an old explosives prosecutor, I'll say that evidence of identity can come from bomb signatures recognized by investigators w/institutional knowledge, components & where they were purchased, or tips. Revisiting old evidence can be illuminating.

The tiny nonprofit I’m on the board of (all volunteer) organizes and runs a free summer music program for rural kids. If you’re looking for a hyper local nonprofit to donate to: plumas-performing-arts.square.site

So, seems like we’re not all that serious about fighting the war on drugs after all. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/02/u...

Trump argued Tuesday that former special counsel Jack Smith’s final report — chronicling the criminal case against him for hoarding classified documents at Mar-a-Lago — should NEVER be made public.

Republicans, mainly Trump, are trying to say that Biden’s pardons don’t count because he used an autopen. I posted recently that people are writing over Trump’s autopen signature. That should not count either then. I hope that the Democrats can stop this Administration.

www.cbc.ca/news/world/n... Because look how well not prosecuting trump turned out for the country. Because not prosecuting and imprisoning Netanyahu has led to him levelling Palestine, killing thousands upon thousands of Palestinian people. No one can be above the law. Hot him, not trump. Not Putin.

Helpless -Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young🍁 tidal.com/browse/track...

Donald Trump has golfed 77 days out of 314 days since returning to office (24.5% of the presidency spent golfing). Est. cost to taxpayers for golf since returning to office: $107,800,000 And we're paying for this. Absolutely grifter. 🤬

Mark Kelly: "This president, when he says things like 'third world countries,' what is he really saying? I think what he's saying is he doesn't want brown people in our country. And that's disturbing. It's un-American."

Thou shalt not pretend that you’re at war with drug traffickers while pardoning drug traffickers.

Mark Kelly: “Pete Hegseth is not a serious person. He’s unqualified for this job. I think he is the least qualified Secretary of Defense in the history of our country by far. & this President thinks he can bully & intimidate people? He’s not gonna stop me from speaking out & holding him accountable”

I'm convinced Magas are enjoying giving Trump the life in their opinion he deserves. www.themirror.com/news/us-news...

GOP Rep. Troy Nehls of Texas announced Saturday that he would not seek re-election next year. Nehls, a close Trump ally, said he came to his decision after consulting his family during the Thanksgiving holiday — and that he intends to “focus on my family and return home after this Congress.”

"Let this be a reminder to all of us: Watch what Trump does, not what he says..." www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

How life changed in a rural town in Virginia that lost its sole health clinic after the passage of Trump’s megabill. The residents voted overwhelmingly for Trump in 2024, and now they’re suffering for it.

"Secretary of War" under attack

Trump: “They gave him 45 years because he was the President of the Country — you could do this to any President.” www.nytimes.com/2025/11/29/n...

Trump’s golf habit has already cost American taxpayers nearly $71 million since his return to the Oval Office in January, and is expected to total more than $300 million by the time his second term ends.

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The White House launched a page on its website, titled the “Hall of Shame,” devoted to naming and shaming media outlets and reporters that publish stories Trump disagrees with. “Misleading. Biased. Exposed,” the site reads.

Turns out that the reminder from Congressional Democrats that members of the military shouldn’t follow illegal orders was timely. Read the details here: open.substack.com/pub/joycevan...

Walmart and McDonald’s are among the top employers of workers who rely on food stamps. McDonald's CEO raked in $18.2M last year — over 1,000x the company's median employee pay. Walmart's CEO pocketed $27.4M — 930x the company's median employee pay. See the problem?

Trump is facing increasing resistance from Republicans in Congress to certain proposals and parts of his agenda as he nears the end of his first year back in office.

Agree or disagree?

Price hikes #leopardsatemyface #Politics #News

Sens. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Jack Reed (D-R.I.) issued a statement Saturday vowing to conduct “vigorous oversight” on Caribbean strikes after a report surfaced that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the U.S. military to “kill everybody” aboard an alleged drug vessel.

"'History’s eyes are on the Supreme Court,' she said. 'This court will have to decide, is it going to be the court that puts an end to American democracy as we know it'..." www.politico.com/news/magazin...

Cartoon by @deadder.bsky.social.

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The MAGA voter split that could spell trouble for 2028 Republicans A significant portion of 2024 Trump voters — more than a third — do not consider themselves to be MAGA Republicans, according to The POLITICO Poll.