At the Charlie Kirk event, Trump called for a federal probe of ”beautifully printed“ signs at past anti-Kirk protests. “That‘s not the signs that are made in somebody’s basement. Those are paid for by very bad people. And hopefully we’re going to be finding out through the DOJ who those people are.”

“And then his last words to me were ‘Sir, finish the ballroom!’”

Trump uses the Charlie Kirk memorial to push his threatened military occupation of Chicago: “One of the last things he said to me is ‘Please, sir, save Chicago.’ We’re going to do that. We’re going to save Chicago from horrible crime.“

Red states are getting whacked by Republican cuts in health care, but that's OK with the MAGA crowd because billionaires made out like bandits.

NYT at the Kirk memorial: "Kyle Rittenhouse, who was embraced by the right after fatally shooting two people during protests in Wisconsin in 2020, posed for photos."

"That's going to be up to the DOJ" and whether they want me to fire them or not.

There's no law (yet) that says CNN is required to put pro-dictatorship propagandists on TV all the time.

Trump has declared himself the president-king. When it comes to late-night TV, Trump is the censor. When it comes to his political enemies, Trump is the prosecutor. When it comes to people in boats in international waters, Trump is the judge, jury and executioner. He thinks he rules over all of us.

The assault on decency and democracy is being conducted by 2 armies: The Christofascists, who want to force everyone to worship their white, vengeful god. And the mega-thieves, whose only god is money. The people who wrap themselves in holiness are fortifying the people who glory in sin.

Remember this today when Kirk’s funeral turns into a lie filled trump rally on steroids.

There is no world in which it is normal for the president to publicly call upon his attorney general to hurry up and prosecute his political foes. It’s like the Watergate tapes but posted on social media. Let’s get a grip on what’s happening here.

Oklahoma is not OK.

Consider the possibility that the main reason for the Trump regime's persecution of immigrants isn't to exploit bigotry to attract votes – it's to expand ICE's spending and thus create more opportunities for bribery in government contracts.

In sane times, this would be impeachable.

The word isn’t “teeters,” New York Times. It’s “gone” or “destroyed.”

What the hell would the U.S. do with an air base in Afghanistan now? Trump is out of his damn mind.

Trump’s DOJ shut down an FBI investigation of Tom Homan, chief tormentor of immigrants, after Homan was caught on camera taking $50,000 in cash for promising to arrange government contracts. The Trump regime is an organized crime ring.

Question for lawyers: If this newly appointed Trump toady indicts New York AG Letitia James, can James introduce evidence that Trump pressured the previous U.S. attorney to indict and he refused? Can she use that fact to argue selective prosecution?

ICE is advertising for recruits on college football telecasts. Your tax dollars pay for ICE to lie that they’re going after “the worst of the worst” when they’re actually terrorizing hard-working people who improve our communities. ICE’s signing bonus is blood money.

My friend Rex has finally seen the light about the all-seeing stable genius. It has nothing — nothing — to do with the fact that he has 2 kids in college and really needs his job.

This is gross.

Americans, by huge margins want Russia out of Ukraine & Israel out of Gaza. We want the bloodshed to end. Donald Trump knew that last year. That’s why he told us he would end both wars on day one when he campaigned for office. But that promise was a lie. My latest: open.substack.com/pub/edwineis...

Let's retain enough of a sense of outrage to be appalled when Trump ousts a prosecutor because he wouldn't indict Trump's political opponents. This is mobster behavior by the president of the United States. We can't accept it.

Jimmy Kimmel’s show wasn’t suspended because of comments about Charlie Kirk. Major media like the NYT keep saying that, but Kirk was just a pretext. In July, when Kirk was still alive, Trump reacted to the cancellation of Colbert’s show by saying “Jimmy Kimmel is next.” it’s not about Kirk.

In Chicago, we haven't forgotten about Silverio Villegas González, the father of two shot to death by ICE 8 days ago. A Biden administration policy called for body cams “in all aspects of ICE enforcement activities.” But Trump's ICE is a masked, unaccountable goon squad. There's no video, ICE says.

“Failed”? Really? The New York Times has a serious headline problem.

Hell no.

“Why FCC Chief Brendan Carr May Be the Most Dangerous Man in Media” Carr’s most pronounced quality is his total fealty to Donald Trump — and he’s been busy weaponizing the FCC for the cause. Read our latest in the @theintercept.com theintercept.com/2025/09/19/f...

This is wildly illegal and he has no authority to do this

Trump legalizes business fraud – and dumps on the victims.

Trump’s autocratic attempt to silence comedians reminds me of the “whisper jokes” of Nazi Germany. Those were jokes you dared not say in public if you didn't want to end up in a concentration camp. This thread has a few of those "whisper jokes." 1/🧵

Hell of a photo by my former Chicago Tribune colleague Stacey Wescott from a protest today at an ICE facility in the Chicago suburbs. Read the sign at the bottom. @staceywescott.bsky.social

Whoever wrote this headline for Semafor could get a job on the New York Times’ euphemism desk. “Free-speech” Republicans are not abandoning their principles in worship of Trump, according to Semafor. They’re merely “reconsidering their boundaries.”

This Politico essay from January 2024 is aging very badly: "Another four years of Trump is not enough time to turn America into a dictatorship."

Nearly 50 college instructors across #Illinois landed on #CharlieKirk's “Professor Watchlist.” @wbez.org reached out to all of them and found the list triggered hateful messages, threats of rape or death, and intensification since Kirk's killing. #twill www.wbez.org/politics/202...

Trump keeps talking about protesters rioting. Are you seeing that? I'm not seeing that. Trump wants to provoke violence and use it as a pretext to cancel our civil rights. But if he can't provoke it, he'll just make it up.

On Kimmel, Dems should say clearly that those who carry out Trump's corrupt orders will face consequences. Tell Brendan Carr that he can expect to face harsh scrutiny for potential lawbreaking. Say right on ABC that the network caved to an autocrat. Thoughts on this: newrepublic.com/article/2006...

I prefer the Jesus version of Christianity to the fascist version of Christianity.

I wrote this a week and a half ago, before the Charlie Kirk murder triggered more major media cowardice and a stepped-up fascist assault on a free press. Why won’t the media say Trump is becoming a dictator? Because corporate media don't see profit in telling that truth.

How soon until the FCC's Brendan Carr bans the word "Epstein" from news broadcasts in the "public interest"?

A president who is crashing the economy, destroying public health and terrorizing immigrants keeps slipping in the polls. He could: A) stop his bad behavior to stem the slide or B) try to crush free speech to cover up his failures. Right now, he’s choosing B.

🚨read this about how the White House is demanding biographical information about people interviewed for news stories on issues related to trump. All these experts have had the same experience. Read their posts. It’s another way the WH is intimidating people. Chilling stuff.

This is a fascist government crackdown on media that aren’t Trump-compliant. This is what dictators do.

🚨🚨Dear US Citizens, Whatever you wish more German Citizens Would Have Done in 1933, DO THAT NOW!

WEIRD, HUH.

I hate the New York Times’ use of the word “success“ in this headline. It’s not a sports contest. His “success” is our country’s disaster.

Let me just say a simple thing. Democrats have no obligation to provide the votes to fund the destruction of our democracy. If you want my vote for a bipartisan budget, there need to be protections to stop Trump's brazen lawlessness.

Brendan Carr is an American Goebbels.

As someone who worked with many courageous journalists in a 4-decade newspaper career, it sickens me to see how American media owners have embraced fascism and betrayed the public trust.

Don’t let them tell you Jimmy Kimmel’s show was yanked because of his comments about the Charlie Kirk assassination. Two months ago, after Colbert’s show was cancelled, Trump posted: “I hear Jimmy Kimmel is next.” The Kirk thing is just a pretext. This is all part of their plan.