What the hell is happening? Trump just posting a fake video of himself promising every America access to a medical technology that doesn't exist. Did Trump see this AI video of himself and think it was real? Does he know this is not him? Does he not remember what announcements he films?

CARTOON OF THE DAY

> @macfarlanenews.bsky.social

Mockler: I'm pretty tired of conservatives gaslighting about the current political environment and Donald Trump's rhetoric when all of this escalation can be traced back to his entrance into American politics.

As a resident of #Portland it is impossible to capture how unhinged this is. We are a low crime city and the ICE protest "siege" consists of one auxiliary ICE office that normally has at most a dozen weirdos debating what performance art they should use to block a single driveway

The media have to start framing this accurately. The president is now functioning as a tyrant. The story is whether the other two branches of government will do anything to stop him.

Mike Johnson is refusing to swear in newly elected AZ Congresswoman Adelina Grijalva after she said she would the sign the discharge petition to force the DOJ to release the Epstein files. Grijalva will be the 218 signature which would override Johnson. #ProudBlue#Voices4Victory 2paragraphs.com

A pattern is developing where everyone who fights back against a Trump attack inevitably wins with their reputation much better than before, and everyone who caves to him looks like shit and has Trump coming back for more a month later.

cartoon by @bagleycartoons.bsky.social

Senate Judiciary's Dick Durbin: "The Department of Justice has become a political tool of a vengeful President. President Trump wears his corruption like a badge of honor and defies anyone daring to challenge him."   "Is there one Republican left in Washington who gives a damn?"

Trump gets humiliated at the UN, Kimmel returns, he drops further in the polls and just goes fucking crazy at the White House today. Insane new tariffs, Comey, war against his domestic opponents, shutting down the government. He is losing it, and it’s getting dangerous out there.

I never thought I’d see the day when America surrendered global leadership on energy security and innovation to China. But that is exactly what happened this week.

Yes

They do this with the near-complete backing of the Republican Party that covers up the scandal by reusing to release the Epstein files. Yet the word "Republican" does not appear anywhere in the story. Republicans cover for a molester.

The statue of Trump and Epstein holding hands mid-frolic wasn't the first anti-Trump artwork on the National Mall in recent months. But it was the first to be removed, despite having a permit.

In what ways were things different in Palm Beach in the 1990s, Donald Trump?? Please, do tell. www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

Democrats want a government funding bill that won't raise your health care costs by 75%. Trump won't even meet with them. He’s shutting the government down and making health care even more expensive for families. What a bad deal for America.

Newsom: "I fear that we will not have an election in 2028 -- I really mean that in the core of my soul -- unless we wake up to the code red, what's happening in this country, and we wake up soberly to how serious this moment is."

Gavin Newsom: "This is a tough time. A lot of anxiety, a lot of stress ... and Democrats frankly have had a difficult time pushing back. There's sort of this weakness that dominates our brand, and I think what people appreciate is that we're willing to fight not only symbolically but substantively"

Trump demanding a full investigation into the elevator stoppage at the United Nations and not TOM HOMAN TAKING BRIBES FROM UNDERCOVER FBI AGENTS is a perfect example of this administration's corruption.

Donald Trump is attempting to impose his authoritarian rule across the United States. Sending troops to cities against their will is unconstitutional and un-American. Stand up, speak out, and be loud against it.

These are fair surmises.

So after promising for two years while campaigning to end the war in 24 hours, then flailing around and failing with only escalation by Putin, Trump appears to revert back to Biden’s policy. So much winning.

Don't think I've ever felt this embarrassed to be an American. There's shame and anger too. But mostly embarrassment. We're the laughingstock of the developed world. And we should be.

Nexstar and Sinclair, which own a combined 20% of local ABC affiliates, will still not broadcast Jimmy Kimmel. Sinclair is a conservative company that donates to and supports right-wing causes.

There is more to this than meets the eye 🥺

What Epstein records have not been made public?

She has 71K followers here. You know what to do.

Yes. Robert’s took this case for himself and delayed it until the very last minute.

Best part? Jack told SCOTUS “only you can make this call, so skip the circuit court.” SCOTUS said “No. Do it the regular way.” Then when the circuit court said “Trump isn’t immune here,” and Smith told SCOTUS “You don’t need to weigh in,” SCOTUS said “ONLY WE CAN MAKE THIS CALL!.”

In December 2023, Special Counsel Jack Smith asked SCOTUS to grant cert before judgement to hear Trump’s immunity appeal. The court rejected that request and didn’t issue its immunity decision until July 2024. Trump’s federal cases never made it to trial before the November 2024 election.

If ABC had any guts they’d pull the rest of their programming from Sinclair stations.

The President of the United States PUBLICLY pressuring the Attorney General go after his political enemies. And an entire political party, and half the country, will yawn & look the other way. Sure, blame Trump for democracy & the rule of law slipping away. But so, so many others deserve blame too.

This is the most sobering post of the day. Aaron is absolutely right. This is the most brazenly corrupt, authoritarian regime the U.S. has probably ever seen. It is a test we cannot fail to rise to. Trump must be (legally) removed from office. Congress must act.

Apparently, the testimony of 40 minors was not enough to convince then U.S. Attorney Alex Acosta (later a Trump appointee) to prosecute Jeffrey Epstein. This is one of the biggest cover-ups of our generation. @oversightdemocrats.house.gov won't stop until the truth comes to light.

Republicans: “Political violence is the left’s fault!” Also Republicans: “January 6 was legitimate political discourse.” Pick a lane.

Mushmouth Tom Homan was investigated by the FBI for taking 50k bribes for specialty contracts, tRump had the investigation shut down! #TomHoman #Pinks #FBI #AdamMockler youtu.be/3F6QevO-3Ww?...

We're at the point where the Trump does something worse than Watergate daily, often multiple times a day. And none of it makes news; it's just normal now.

if I were a member of the current Trump administration I would not be excited about the concept of “illegal pardons”

I cannot overstate how remarkable it is that under GOP rule, US federal health regulations have been captured by fringe crackpots who espouse views that the vast majority of the US public—and nearly 100% of health professionals—reject. Gift link:

Dudes rock

The Bureau of Labor Statistics just postponed a key inflation report with no explanation. How bad must those numbers have been for Trump to bury them like this?

Worth noting that the highest profile and most successful Democratic elected official currently in those states is Laura Kelly, the Governor of Kansas, who seems to not believe in Ezra Klein’s theory of politics!