retired math professor black lives matter to me proud to be woke husband (for 52 years), father (for 46 years), grandfather (for 26 years), great grandfather (for 1 year) please, no DMs #Resist
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Most of the responsibility IMO belongs to the media, which for the most part decided to just hold the mic for Trump and felt no responsibility to help distinguish truth from lies for the public. The US is incredibly uninformed, maybe too uninformed to function as a democracy. We have no 4th estate.
Passed away? No, Trump has been busy, you'll see. I am so excited to hear how many wars he ended during these past few days. I'll bet he has ended like 1,500% of all the wars, because I know that he has brought in more money in tariffs than the US even had in imports.
MAGAs take note: If you act fast you can take advantage of a 21% discount on Trump Crypto.
Also: Any curious American would be eager to ask: β’ how could the reported tariffs already received this year be more than twice the total of all imports to the US? β’ what 7 wars did Trump stop? β’ why did the WH put out old photos to prove Trump is alive and well?
It is as though the White House is mocking North Korea by exaggerating the level of absurdity of claims by the North Korean government. Will @nbcnews.com have anything to say about this -- it showcases how the absence of fact-checking on MSM makes them look like they are being played for clowns.
Notice how frequently Karoline Leavitt answers questions about the reasons for policy choices not by explaining why, but just saying that it aligns with Trump's wishes. After a while, the press just gets comfy with the authoritarianism and blithely normalizes the idea that Trump is the government.
Public safety in California is on the rise. Last year, California had the second-lowest homicide rate since at least 1966, decreasing by nearly 12% overall since 2023. We're going to drive that progress forward up and down the state.
Noem is such a deadpan comedienne, almost as though her face would just slide off.
When Trump said, "I alone can fix it," he neglected to mention the menagerie of whack job quacks and conspiracy theorists that would be needed to sentence this many Americans to their untimely deaths.
Yes! I keep thinking about the line, "... with extreme prejudice."
Yes, Trump believes that he is the state and that everything should be controlled by the state, as long as he's the state. It appears that the cowering Republican members of Congress also believe this. They subscribe to an entirely notion of governance for our country, democracy not s'much.
People should remember this when they wonder why Kennedy has such an aversion to expertise.
Similarly, when they see that Trump is changing the name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War, they won't see a tough guy, they'll see a lunatic who wants to appear tough, and has the launch codes. But hey, the GOP is all in for whatever Trump wants to do, come what may.
Heart of the Night
Kid
Oh Well
Dear Leader has placed his entire party, by their utter fealty to him, in the position of having to be anti-vax. Most know this is dangerous nonsense, but they prioritize their place in the party hierarchy more than the thousands of lives that will be lost by embracing a policy of medical ignorance.
When Lankford defers to the preferences of Trump, he is failing on two counts. β’ he has a duty as a Senator to the system of checks and balances, not to just simper and comply β’ he is normalizing the idea that the government does what Trump wants, not what is best for the people -- dictator shit.
SIGNS OF FASCISM πͺ§
Trump, warmed over.
What if NBC say got out ahead of this and did a deep dive on crime in US cities, with lots of stats to say where the crime is high and which direction it is going in those places. Look at whether military occupation helps. Before Trump pushes forward with his plans. For context. For our country.
Who would do that? Why, one of the "world's foremost experts on public health," the guy who often ate roadkill, the guy who got a brain worm (maybe from the roadkill), the guy who says that Black people need different vaccine schedules, that's the levelheaded former heroine addict who would do that!
Oh yeah, Stephen Miller is a hunka hunka burning dung!
I have a question for RFK Jr., who has a preternatural ability to diagnose mitochondrial issues in passersby. Secretary Kennedy, summoning up all your diagnostic skills, can you please tell us WTF is wrong with Stephen Miller?
This is what Karl Rove brought to the GOP -- the eagerness to treat everything, even the health and protection of Americans from disease, as a political football. Sure, pay no attention to the potential loss of life and just lie about his expertise.
When you send a political hack most known for his hatred and lying to make a claim that JFK Jr. is an expert in public health instead of sending your Surgeon General, you've implicitly admitted that you've got a crackpot running HHS. Fire RFK Jr.
It makes sense if you think of Trump as a dictator, which is to say it makes sense from the perspective of the GOP.
When Joni Ernst said, "We're all going to die" I completely missed the obvious -- that she was referring to the effects of RFK Jr's ministrations for our nation's health.
When Trump first took office, Bod Woodward reports that he told his economic advisor Gary Cohn to just print money in order to lower the national debt. So you see, monetary policy is not Trump's strong suit. If he supplants the Fed, expect disaster.
The GOP wants more people to have assault weapons and to be off their meds.
Likewise for the GOP that remains silent as RFK Jr does his worst against the country.
RFK Jr will also make it so that lots of people can't get SSRIs (the most used class of antidepressants) and antipsychotic meds. He wants people to be off their meds. He is a nutjob who can't even correctly read research.
How was it not obvious that RFK Jr was a crackpot when Cassidy voted to confirm him? Cassidy simply caved to pressure from Trump without consideration for the impact on the health of the country. RFK Jr is a total crackpot, the last person who should be in charge at HHS. RFK Jr needs to be fired.
GOP members of Congress are now hiding under their covers as usual. Every screwed up thing in the Trump administration, every damn thing, is their fault. Anti-vax nutjobs have the power to do maximal damage to our heath because the GOP hasn't the temerity to speak up to Trump. Death cult, oh well.
It's astonishing that he wasted and fucked up his first four years, yet 77 million Americans voted for him again. Additionally, 35% of the population didn't bother to vote, allowing this situation to persist due to their indifference towards participating in democracy.
Sen. Tillis said that Cassidy convinced him to support RFK Jr by saying that "we should see how it plays out." Cassidy should have given some thought to first doing no harm rather than seeing how it plays out. Tillis and Cassidy must demand that RFK Jr resign, or relinquish any claim to humanity.
It also exemplifies the fact that Trump never backs off on a lie, no matter how indefensible it is. He has an entire party of lickspittles that will soothe his fragile ego and tell him he's right when they know he's wrong. It is the stuff of fairy tales. Witness the cabinet meeting the other day.
Rfk Jr is a clear and present danger to the health of all Americans. #RemoveHimNow
I'd like to see a very long sequence of 72 hour holds placed on this lunatic.
RFK Jr is untethered by the Hippocratic Oath and he is really exploring that space, by first doing so so so much harm, the likes of which we've never seen.
We should all be busy laying this in the laps of elected Republicans. They are the only ones who have the position and leverage to end this insanity, and they are scared shitless of being attached to Trump's unpopular policies. I'll be writing my gutless wonder of a Representative, Kevin Kiley.
Certainly. If the media simply had the primary goal of informing the public of the truth, the Trump campaign wouldn't have gotten off the ground. Instead they try to occupy a middle ground between truth and lies, which normalizes everything Trump says and does. Not much courage required, just truth.
RFK Jr is cool with first doing a crap ton of harm. Can the AMA and every other medical organization please quickly condemn this policy, in the harshest of possible terms.
The Associated Press took a poll that shows that the press is doing a shitty job of informing the public.
Imagine that this scene is from a foreign country. The guys with masks and guns are federal officers, many of whom are from local militias. They choose whom to snatch up based on their apparent ethnicity. Their leader is a corrupt narcissist. If it sounds like a shithole country, say βThanks GOP.β
Convicted predators who rape and abuse children shouldnβt qualify for pardon consideration. A president who canβt immediately say βabsolutely notβ when I asked if heβs considering such a pardon should be hounded out of office.
It is a performance. They are modeling for the MAGAs how to speak about Dear Leader and how to think about him. Notice for example that none of them ask him about the Epstein Files.
Trump says he gets to do whatever he wants because he is President. As Vice President, Vance figures he should get to rewrite history to suit himself. Remember when Vance declared that "professors are the enemy"? He villainizes them them because they threaten his ability to just make up stuff.
Trump talking about being a dictator is not a big story because MSM decided not to make it a big story. This isn't a mistake they made -- this is what they do. It aint like they are ever going to tell people that Trump has instituted fascism.
If you are represented in Congress by a Republican, ask yourself if you believe your member of Congress would similarly grotesquely demean themself for Trump in that situation. The whole GOP gives full support to the whims of this horrid human and to the end of American democracy.
Dear journalists: The President has not fired Lisa Cook. The President is *trying* to illegally fire her. Your words shape peopleβs reality. Please be accurate in your reporting.
@nbcnews.com What about a segment diving into that cabinet meeting, as a microcosm of the Trump presidency? It isn't just the unctuous North Korean style fawning, there are so many statements contradicted by fact, some that will cost lives. Democracy is endangered and it is your duty to inform us.
In a pinch, if you need an emetic and don't have any Syrup of Ipecac around, video of this cabinet meeting of Trump's will do the trick.
But if you watch the news on TV, it doesn't seem like a big deal. They make everything feel normal, even when Trump declares himself all-powerful. MSM is a numbing agent.
In case you are wondering when Trump officially declared the US to be a dictatorship, this is that moment. Also, you can be sure that the press will not tell the country what is happening. At no point will MSM declare the US to be under fascist rule, because it isn't in their best interest.
In the Trump cult, it was inevitable that hypocrisy would become a virtue. The way to be virtuous in the cult is to lie, to hate, to disregard the humanity of others, to commit adultery, to grift, and to be a hypocrite. One more: being unrepentant is absolutely necessary to maintain Trump's favor.
And Witkoff is a billionaire, a suck-up billionaire. Disgusting is the right word. Disgusting AF. He is sporting such a grotesquely brown nose and is so utterly bereft of self-respect.
This looks like some sort of governmental meeting in North Korea that an AI turned into the US and translated for us. And the US media is just as docile as North Korea's, lest they upset Dear Leader and cost money to the corporations they owe their jobs and fame to.
"If Joe Biden federalizes the National Guard, that would be a direct attack on states' rights." - Kristi Noem, Feb 6, 2024
Shouldn't insurance companies speak up now? If the government has a plan to end the lives of a large number of seniors earlier, this'll cause insurance policies to pay off sooner, which adds up and hurts their bottom line.
Out of respect for the decisions of Kid Rock and Scott Baio to boycott CA, as a Californian I will abstain from listening to any of Kid Rock's music. I will also not search for or view any movies or TV shows featuring the talents of Scott Baio. I have already made good on this pledge for 72 years.
My wife and I are seniors who are caregivers for our disabled son. Republicans want us dead. They lack the courage to oppose Trump policy . Anyone who is likely to need time in a hospital is also on the GOP death list -- there is so much Covid transmission in hospitals that people will stay away.
Note that Trump appointed the Secretary for Homeland Security Kristi Noem to the group overseeing planning for the 2026 World Cup. Noem today proudly announced the detention of Abrego and intent to traffic him to Uganda. Why would anyone want to visit the US under this anti-human rights regime?
Shipping Abrego to Uganda normalizes the use of extrajudicial methods to eliminate people it deems to be opponents of Trump. If the people who gave this order don't quickly face a serious legal consequences, then sending opponents, citizens included, offshore will become a standard tool for Trump.
It isnβt normal for a president to repeatedly threaten the use of military force against American citizens. Treating the National Guard as a political pawn disrespects those who serve and undermines public trust in our military.
Jim Jordan's point is that Trump is every bit as innocent of raping minors as Jim himself is innocent of failing to stop or report the sexual abuse of young gymnasts at Ohio State. Jim knows a thing or two about innocence, see?
You know what's crazy? There have been no op-eds or editorial statements in major newspapers this year calling on Trump to resign. None calling for his impeachment. None asking if he's medically fit to be in office. Not one in any major newspaper all year.
A lot of people are upset that such a tiny portion of the Epstein materials that were released are new to the public. In fairness, I'm pretty sure that they released all of the Epstein files they could find that didn't implicate Trump.
Hey mainstream media colleagues: you cannot be deported to a country you are not from. Thatβs kidnapping and trafficking. Call it that. You are lying if you say otherwise.
Indeed. It looks like someone smeared some foundation on a bruise to hide it.
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California prefers businesses and politicians who are less likely to declare bankruptcy.
Yes! In person is crucial! Town halls that aren't in person make it easy for the folks holding the meeting to screen out the questions that they don't want to be asked.
Seems like a safe bet. Even if Putin didn't already have significant compromising Epstein files before Trump took office in January, Tulsi Gabbard has had ample opportunity to get files to him since she took office as DNI.
Maybe some of Trump's lickspittles would care to elaborate on how slavery was no so bad. If only MSM could be so investigative as to ask actual questions of Republican members of Congress, occasionally ones that carry the potential for them embarrassing themselves with their actual thoughts.
Republicans are drunk with power and following Trumpβs lead β make up whatever rules/laws you want because you are in power and the courts might chime in but thatβs down the line a ways.
The position of the Speaker of the House in Texas is: I am the boss of her.
She should hold a press conference from where she is being held against her will.
I'd like to see the members of the Trump administration placed in charge of making those license plates.
It sounds like a joke, but it is the simple truth. Trump is Putin's factotum.
Indeed. Trump was always going to align with Putin regarding Ukraine. It was always clear. Recently he thought he could claim to be unaligned by getting a ceasefire, but Putin said "No." Next we watch to see which GOP members of Congress back Trump. Bet on "almost all." Cowardice is the GOP brand.
It looks like Trump is making a realignment. Is the USA gonna be team Russia? Whatβs to stop him? Republican Party doesnβt even remember what it is like to have principles or courage.
House Republicans have not wavered in their support of every Trump action. Utter cowardice.
A message for the most βtransparent Administrationβ in history: Release the Epstein files.
Are the wizards at Fox News thinking this might put a hold on Trump's plans to visit Stockholm in early December for the Nobel ceremonies?
Remember just before the election in 2024, when Trump simulated fellatio on the mic at a rally in Milwaukee. Fox News apparently thought that was not beneath the dignity of an aspiring president. They covered the rally, but not the mock fellatio. Fox News is not very good at discerning dignity.
Trump ramps up the police state while Republicans allow it all to happen. They are throwing away our country, absolutely shitting on the patriots who built it over the past 250 years.
Hey NBC, Trump took control of the DC police force today by declaring an emergency, when there is no emergency. Think very carefully about how you want to present this on the Nightly News. This is very important for the future of the US. Hint: Focus on telling the truth to inform your viewers.
Excellent question!
On issue after issue, many Americans have been shocked to learn things that they absolutely should have known when they voted. βSurprised Trump votersβ has been a news story often in 2025. If media outlets donβt seriously consider that this is a failure of theirs, they should close shop.
I failed to anticipate the extent to which my senior years would spent breaking down cardboard. In a related matter, I also was mistaken in thinking that "death by a thousand cuts" was just an idiom, unlikely to appear on my death certificate.
Dan Patrick is confused about how democracy works and what "deserves" means.
Indeed. His oath as as elected Republican was: First, do whatever it takes to please Trump.
Democracy is simply not a popular notion among elected Republicans. It is a slippery slope -- support democracy and pretty soon, you are supporting all sorts of things, like the 1st, 4th, 5th, and 14th amendments, all of which could get in the way of GOP authoritarian power. It is about choices.
This is a shameless betrayal, an atrocity IMO. It makes people less likely to put their lives on the line to be helpful to America in the future and this will end up costing American lives. You know who could stop this? GOP members of congress, but they are busy cowering, afraid to speak out.
Any comment from Wharton?
Jobs reports are like Covid data or anything else that Trump doesn't want to hear. In the Trump administration, facts are whatever Trump says and anything else is a hoax. I think that there's something about raping children that causes a fellow to have a strong aversion to truth coming out.
The Speaker is naturally reluctant to offend a significant part of his constituency, the Christian sex offenders.
Want to hear the speech that Isaiah Martin gave that shook republicans enough to arrest him? Texas Republicans are pushing to redraw the stateβs maps after pressure from the Trump administration. Speaking the truth is powerful!! Republicans canβt handle the TRUTH!!