The Administration's false claim that Pangas are used "only for drug trafficking" is remarkably stupid. These boats are used throughout the Americas, Africa and Asia for fishing, shipping, tourism. It's impossible for DoD to prove the boats they targeted were drug smuggling on that basis.

Lot of weird movement in my homebrew election tracker. This is the first day I've seen where the Repubicans are not only at high risk of losing the House (30 seats) but also the Senate (6 seats) The models now track with 2010, 1994, and 1946 where the party in power was swept out.

Ghislaine Maxwell is clearly trying to get a pardon or commutation. All of Congress- House and Senate- must pass a resolution with impeachment and conviction level support that any such action will lead to impeachment and removal. No more abuse of pardons. Get it done, Congress.

The Washington Post and other media may not be directly suppressing stories that illustrate the corruption and criminality of Trump. It’s not only the hammer he took to the OpEds. It’s the requirement that coverage not challenge “free markets” orthodoxy. That’s tilting coverage towards Trump.

So, Trump’s now claiming pardons can be reversed? How very novel.

The UN Article 41 process can request member nations to seize the assets of criminal leaders. Would the UN use it against Trump? Probably not but it may be a warning shot his assets outside the US could be at risk if he doesn’t return to compliance with international law.

While Republicans don’t understand the risks of attacking fishing boats, the UN does. The UN can demand immediate cessation or it can use Article 6 to suspend or expel the US. It would be the first use of the UN’s most potent punishment.

There have been 5 EXORDs issued since 2001 that were not approved by Congress. The difference? All previous ones were against military targets. Trump’s attempt to reframe civilian targets threatens US standing in the UN and the same international bodies that supported the US after 9/11.

Psychologist here. There is only ONE reason you repeat such tests. And that is to assess decline in function. PERIOD.

For those unfamiliar with the law of war, the Court Martial manual makes this clear: targeting of civilians is prohibited by law (Section 4.3.3) media.defense.gov/2023/Jul/31/...

As a veteran who served in intelligence, I want to introduce you to EXORDS: the execute order from the President to SecDef. This allows 60 days operations under the War Powers Act. The President must advise Congress and gain approval to continue. No EXORD was sent to Congress. This is illegal

31 years ago on December 7, my best friend, house mate, and coworker Jim Norton died of AIDS. He was infected by a tainted blood transfusion, treated horribly by DoD, and abandoned by VA. I’ve lost dozens of friends and acquaintances to this disease. They all deserved dignity, but were denied.

Department of Defense Law of War Manual, Sec. 18.3.2.1 states the "requirement" to refuse illegal orders. What’s its key example? Wait for it . . . It’s "orders to fire upon the shipwrecked."

The concern here is economic expansion for 2025 is below 2024z. Whichever scenario holds for next year, Trump will ballon the federal debt by 10 to 18% as the economic has flat expansion or contracts. Even with a soft landing, federal debt will expand more than 2% of GDP, as I understand this

What do these numbers suggest? Trouble. A “soft landing” or mild recession are equally likely. The problem is, burying federal debt requires an economy that expands faster than inflation. At 0.5% to 2% expansion, the debt is a larger part of the national economy. Cute tricks like DOGE won’t work.

We’re at 9 months with manufacturing contraction, slow but steady increases in inflation and unemployment. BLS job data hasn’t been published since September, following multiple downward revisions If Trump had economic successes, he’d be blanketing his media. He’s not. Silence. It’s bad news.

I know it’s Sunday, but can someone explain where DoD has the constitutional authority to investigate a member of Congress? Under Article 1, Section 6 Clause 1 - DoD has zero authority to engage in politically motivated “investigations” The Constitution trumps the UCMJ, which is federal law.

Listening to Republicans defending their new 3rd World immigration ban gives me southern white childhood vibes: "If you're white, alright! If you're brown, hang around! If you're black, get back!" It's just another Jim Crow Auld Lang Syne

Fun with midterms modeling! I built a new tool on Google AI for the fun of it. It's pretty!

Let me break down this VAT idea. At 0.4%, it covers all ACA subscriptions. Add 3.5%, and it covers them publicly funded 50% of Medicare Part B and D Republicans are concerned about. Add 5%, and Medicaid is fully funded. We eliminate all federal dollars and use only a national sales tax.

If the US phased in a 9% VAT, it would cover all ACA subscriptions, the government funded part of Medicare, and all Medicaid costs We don’t need pseudo intellectual backflips and pretzel logic to play games. We just need to be sensible and decent.

US Attorney Pirro is overstepping again. While the killer of the National Guardsmen must be prosecuted, her raising this to 1st degree risks the administration’s unlawful deployment of the military as law enforcement becoming a focus of the trial. She needs to back pedal, quickly.

The Republican Party’s complete incompetence on health insurance affordability means real inflation in home budgets isn’t 4.4%. It’s 20% for a median income household.

To explain how bad Trump’s peace plan is, imagine the US ceding 20% of the territory it seized from Mexico. The Mexican-US border would stretch from Austin to Marfa: 40% of Texas’s current territory. Everything south would belong to Mexico and millions of Americans as refugees.

For any purpose that may occur:

Oddly, my little models are starting to align: Republicans lose 38-40 House seats in 2026 Republicans lose 5-14 Senate seats in 2026. It's the economy, Piggy. It's the economy.

Even Berkshire-Hathaway gets it. www.yahoo.com/news/article...

I suggest we amend the US Constitution to define “general welfare” in Article 1 Clause 8 to include “healthcare, housing, education, and pensions” as fully equal to the “common defence” and as mandatory spending. Enough of childish debates about Madison and Hamilton.

We can fix USPS’s financial losses with two moves: 1. Restore USPS as the sole agent for delivery of legal documents and contracts. 2. Create a USPS owned Docusign product for electronic signature and delivery of online contracts These two steps would add up to $9 Billion in revenue annually.

Is it so much to ask for a President who doesn’t rape children, a Vice President who won’t give my leather sofa the side-eye, and a Republican Party that normalizes both? PS Hey Donny, say “hi” to Bubba.

A question for Trump supporters: “At what age does child sex abuse become a crime to you? Infant? 4? 8? 12? 15? 18? What exactly is the Republican dividing line here?”

Arrest every single person in the files. ALL of them. Regardless of party, power, prestige, or wealth.

Nobody in the US should experience food insecurity, a lack of access to housing, education, and health care. No matter what Madison argued in the 18th Century - this is table stakes for the “general welfare” clause in the 21st.

In my opinion, the hysteria of MAGA about Mamdani isn’t that he’s an immigrant or that he’s Muslim or even that he’s a Democratic Socialist. It’s that he’s demonstrating their argument that only european, white, male protestants should control the country. The high turnout says HOPE not fear.

Because I'm in a mood and short-form wasn't sufficient. open.substack.com/pub/wrdiamon...

It’s not the “Marxists” that are blocking him. It’s his own party.

All forms and documents assembled, visa application complete. Ready to schedule an interview with the Mexican Consulate.

The heart of Trump’s abuse of office lies in the defective NEA and IEEPA laws drafted in the mid 1970s that allow him to declare an emergency and take over. Congress’s control over this was stripped in 1983 by the Supreme Court. Democrats must push to rescind and replace these laws.

The amount of money Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” gives to the top 1% of the wealthy totally covers the entire cost of ACA subsidies.

Lol. WSJ whines “What Happened to the Art of the Deal?” It’s the Fart of the Steal, you hoseheads. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/31/o...

While the intent of contracting in the Naval Act of 1794 was a unique situation, Congress rapidly saw the political benefit in patronage. During the corrupt Gilded Act, Republicans used contracts with bribery for patronage mail and railroad routes.

The Naval Act of 1794 was controversial. It was the “ends justifies the means” logic. The Federalists opposed funding that was political patronage. We had no ships after the Revolution, and pirates were harassing port cities. The government owned no shipyards, and contracting was born.

For those who oppose public funding for education, health insurance, and social safety net programs - Do you oppose defense contracting, at high cost and profit? Why doesn’t the government own its factories? The reason is the Naval Act of 1794 that allowed contracting ship construction.

When I was young, I loved listening to “Dr Demento” out of San Francisco when I was at the Defense Language Institute. “Donny Demento”, however, gives me no pleasure. He talks like my schizophrenic mother and needs to be institutionalized.

Our government spends egregiously, and there’s been no successful audit of DoD in 25 years. It’s a budget black hole, and Congress must step in and freeze all non-payroll spending until all of DoD passes audit and we identify waste and redundancies. Cut DoD spending back to 2000 levels.

Out if the more than $500 Billion per year in government contracts to large corporations, almost $300 Billion is DoD. Cut defense and NASA spending to ensure we fully fund Medicaid, SNAP, ACA. Because lives matter more than a corporate bottom line.

Cato estimates $181 Billion per year is “corporate welfare” - corporate subsidies. That’s the lower band estimate on a nearly $7 Trillion budget that’s added $1 Trillion in debt this year. 71% of all government contracts go to large corporations,nearly $500 Billion per year.

When Democrats resume take control of Congress, it must rescind all use of military style equipment and uniforms for non-military (non-UCMJ subject) organizations. End the faux militarization of civilian law enforcement.