It's sad to think that so many in America thinks it's okay to attack a school who disagrees with a president by abusing the power of his office with punitive measures.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
The Fn nut job that is currently POTUS thinks his lies can replace truth and we will all be okay with it. He’s a fascist. J6 was an insurrection. MAGA is trash. And that’s how it will be written 100 years from now too.
Trump is a petty scum bag little boy. If you slight him in any way, he wants your head on a platter. Harvard stood up to him so naturally, they became a target. I truly wish other universities would have stood ground on this DEI crap.
And to have all these republicans or should I say MAGAts sucking up to him is just nuts.
#GMSTRONG
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.” Daniel Patrick Moynahan
"Alternative facts hurt us all. Think before you blindly believe." Damanshot
Your statements are all facts. Yet, our other MAIN Choice was a female on the inside of a huge coverup- Biden couldn't do the job he was elected to do AND the Dems knew it......AND they thought they could hoodwink us until the debate showed the world how senile our then President was.......power corrupts and Dem are nearly as bad as what we have now. Trump has closed the border- great- but he is a complete D....Peace
"You've never lived till you've almost died, life has a flavor the protected will never know" A vet or cop
Your statements are all facts. Yet, our other MAIN Choice was a female on the inside of a huge coverup- Biden couldn't do the job he was elected to do AND the Dems knew it......AND they thought they could hoodwink us until the debate showed the world how senile our then President was.......power corrupts and Dem are nearly as bad as what we have now. Trump has closed the border- great- but he is a complete D....Peace
That's an assumption on your part... No actual proof exists But it might be true. But we know what we know and can prove it about Trump.. Biden, with all his faults, and he had many, never tried to overthrow and election. Never incited a riot where people got killed... Biden is so far from perfect, but not nearly as imperfect as Trump.
All harris ever did was pull herself up... Mostly by herself...
You can try to justify not voting for Harris anyway you want. but because of that, we have a Nazi/Hitler/Putin wanna be dictator that wants to take over every facet of the federal government. That's simply not what we are about as a nation.
#GMSTRONG
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.” Daniel Patrick Moynahan
"Alternative facts hurt us all. Think before you blindly believe." Damanshot
I don't want to hear about right wing. How about the lefties tactics of crossing police lines, assaulting federal agents, and going around shooting people?
I expect arson to go up by mid summer.
You folks are a funny bunch.
If everybody had like minds, we would never learn.
I think you're confused Peen. Too much too much koolaid can do that.
You are comparing and conflating the actions of individuals with the actions of the government in persecuting and retaliating against an institution. The two things are nothing alike
The more things change the more they stay the same.
I don't want to hear about right wing. How about the lefties tactics of crossing police lines, assaulting federal agents, and going around shooting people?
I expect arson to go up by mid summer.
You folks are a funny bunch.
Crossing police lines? Hmmmmm. Pot meet kettle.
So assaulting federal officers? When was this? And would that be anything like assaulting Capital police officers?
And on one side people weren't pardoned for doing that.
Going around shooting people? Are you trying to suggest only Democrats go around shooting people?
I have no idea what you're smoking but I want some of it.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
Judge finds Trump order targeting law firm Jenner & Block unlawful
A federal judge on Friday ruled President Trump’s order targeting the law firm Jenner & Block is unlawful, blocking it in full.
U.S. District Judge John Bates, an appointee of former President George W. Bush, said Trump took aim at the law firm because of the causes it champions, the clients it represents and a lawyer it once employed — a reference to Andrew Weissmann, a prominent Trump critic and legal pundit who worked on special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation.
He noted that the president has signed several executive orders taking aim at Big Law firms like Jenner & Block over their ties to his perceived enemies.
“This order, like the others, seeks to chill legal representation the administration doesn’t like, thereby insulating the Executive Branch from the judicial check fundamental to the separation of powers,” Bates wrote in a 52-page opinion. “It thus violates the Constitution and the Court will enjoin its operation in full.”
He deemed Trump’s order “null and void” and directed the Trump administration to rescind any guidance to federal agencies regarding enforcement of the action.
In a statement posted to its website, Jenner & Block said the ruling demonstrates the importance of lawyers “standing firm” on behalf of their clients and the law.
“We are pleased with the court’s decision to decisively strike down an unconstitutional attack on our clients’ right to have zealous, independent counsel and our firm’s right to represent our clients fully and without compromise,” the statement read.
Trump signed the order targeting Jenner & Block in March. It sought to limit the firm’s government contracts and its employees’ security clearances and access to government buildings.
Bates’s decision marks the second time a federal judge has found one of Trump’s orders targeting law firms unlawful.
U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell earlier this month struck down Trump’s order aimed at Perkins Coie, writing in her 102-page opinion that it “draws from a playbook as old as Shakespeare, who penned the phrase: ‘The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.'”
Perkins Coie advised Hillary Clinton during her 2016 presidential campaign and worked with an opposition research firm tied to the discredited Steele dossier. Six firms have been named in executive orders, but only four have filed legal action challenging the directives: Jenner & Block, Perkins Coie, WilmerHale and Susman Godfrey. Other firms, targeted or not, struck deals with Trump to be spared an executive order or accepted the penalty silently.
The other two firms targeted were Covington & Burling and Paul, Weiss. However, Trump rescinded his order against Paul, Weiss after it agreed to dedicate equal to $40 million in pro bono legal services to support administration initiatives; eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion policies; and not deny representation to clients based on their political views.
After that, at least nine law firms cut deals with Trump to provide tens of millions of dollars of free legal work on causes aligned with the administration. In return, Trump spared them an executive order.
They are Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom; Willkie Farr & Gallagher; Kirkland & Ellis; Latham & Watkins; Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft; A & O Shearman; Simpson Thacher & Bartlett; and Milbank.
Altogether, the president extracted nearly $1 billion in pro bono legal services. Democratic members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee are investigating the deals.
I don't want to hear about right wing. How about the lefties tactics of crossing police lines, assaulting federal agents, and going around shooting people?
I expect arson to go up by mid summer.
You folks are a funny bunch.
So is this a good time to bring up Jan6?.. That is unless you are crazy enough to think that it wasn't a bunch of Trump supporters that attacked the capital. I recognize that it's not a subject Trump supporters want to discuss since it made you all look like a bunch of Jackbooted fools..
Nothing funny about any of this.. Least of all Jan 6. They should have never been pardoned and that woman that got killed, her family didn't deserve one damn red cent
#GMSTRONG
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.” Daniel Patrick Moynahan
"Alternative facts hurt us all. Think before you blindly believe." Damanshot
I don't want to hear about right wing. How about the lefties tactics of crossing police lines, assaulting federal agents, and going around shooting people?
I expect arson to go up by mid summer.
You folks are a funny bunch.
Even a few years ago, Ballpeen's PP posts would: 1. challenge my preconceived biases 2. push me to examine the core of my beliefs 3. force me to reinforce my premises with real receipts.
I responded to him, in good faith debate principles.
Nowadays, I feel less compelled to do that same work... ...because the quality of return hasn't been commensurate with the effort expended.
I'd like to think that it's still possible... but I'm less optimistic with each passing month.
I miss the old 'peen...
...and, curse me, if I still think we could still get him back- -if he actually wants to come back to us.
Your statements are all facts. Yet, our other MAIN Choice was a female on the inside of a huge coverup- Biden couldn't do the job he was elected to do AND the Dems knew it......AND they thought they could hoodwink us until the debate showed the world how senile our then President was.......power corrupts and Dem are nearly as bad as what we have now. Trump has closed the border- great- but he is a complete D....Peace
You say this as if she could have possibly been worse than TrumPutin.
I don't want to hear about right wing. How about the lefties tactics of crossing police lines, assaulting federal agents, and going around shooting people?
I expect arson to go up by mid summer.
You folks are a funny bunch.
Even a few years ago, Ballpeen's PP posts would: 1. challenge my preconceived biases 2. push me to examine the core of my beliefs 3. force me to reinforce my premises with real receipts.
I responded to him, in good faith debate principles.
Nowadays, I feel less compelled to do that same work... ...because the quality of return hasn't been commensurate with the effort expended.
I'd like to think that it's still possible... but I'm less optimistic with each passing month.
I miss the old 'peen...
...and, curse me, if I still think we could still get him back- -if he actually wants to come back to us.
.02, clem.
I am still here. I am just numbed by all the Nazi talk, insults etc. when I have made reasonable posts, so I don't bother to try much anymore. It isn't worth the effort.
If everybody had like minds, we would never learn.
Democrats support their constituents chanting "Free Palestine" That saying is turning into the new "Hail Hitler" Jewish hate chant.
This is what happens when people get brainwashed into thinking that objecting to tens of thousands of innocent women and children being slaughtered is the same thing as supporting Hamas.
Simple minded. Only idiots believe that. Once a man like Netanyahu begins employing the methods of a terrorist he becomes one. So much for your kind being right to life. You don't give a damn about the children of Gaza's right to life.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
I am still here. I am just numbed by all the Nazi talk, insults etc. when I have made reasonable posts, so I don't bother to try much anymore. It isn't worth the effort.
Reasonable? I didn't call you any name yet you still ignored this post. Maybe I should try again................
Quote
Originally Posted by Ballpeen I don't want to hear about right wing. How about the lefties tactics of crossing police lines, assaulting federal agents, and going around shooting people?
I expect arson to go up by mid summer.
You folks are a funny bunch.
Crossing police lines? Hmmmmm. Pot meet kettle.
So assaulting federal officers? When was this? And would that be anything like assaulting Capital police officers?
And crossing police lines? You mean the same as assaulting police officers in front of the Capital to cross their police lines?
And on one side people weren't pardoned for doing that.
Going around shooting people? Are you trying to suggest only Democrats go around shooting people?
I have no idea what you're smoking but I want some of it.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
I am still here. I am just numbed by all the Nazi talk, insults etc. when I have made reasonable posts, so I don't bother to try much anymore. It isn't worth the effort.
Reasonable? I didn't call you any name yet you still ignored this post. Maybe I should try again................
Quote
Originally Posted by Ballpeen I don't want to hear about right wing. How about the lefties tactics of crossing police lines, assaulting federal agents, and going around shooting people?
I expect arson to go up by mid summer.
You folks are a funny bunch.
Crossing police lines? Hmmmmm. Pot meet kettle.
So assaulting federal officers? When was this? And would that be anything like assaulting Capital police officers?
And crossing police lines? You mean the same as assaulting police officers in front of the Capital to cross their police lines?
And on one side people weren't pardoned for doing that.
Going around shooting people? Are you trying to suggest only Democrats go around shooting people?
I have no idea what you're smoking but I want some of it.
He has no retort for this logic.. He doesn't see that attacking the police is the same no matter who the hell does it.
#GMSTRONG
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.” Daniel Patrick Moynahan
"Alternative facts hurt us all. Think before you blindly believe." Damanshot
Democrats support their constituents chanting "Free Palestine" That saying is turning into the new "Hail Hitler" Jewish hate chant.
Well that's a big steaming pile of BS... Dems aren't the Nazis here.. Trump is! MAGA is!
Is that right! Then why is it that the Democrats are supporting people that are hating Jewish people. Praising nut jobs that murder two Israeli people in cold blood. Now who really hate and are really the nazi's/ Look in the mirror. It is easy to see.
"The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other peoples' money." Margarat Thatcher
Democrats support their constituents chanting "Free Palestine" That saying is turning into the new "Hail Hitler" Jewish hate chant.
This is what happens when people get brainwashed into thinking that objecting to tens of thousands of innocent women and children being slaughtered is the same thing as supporting Hamas.
Simple minded. Only idiots believe that. Once a man like Netanyahu begins employing the methods of a terrorist he becomes one.
This was a good answer to the moronic post suggesting people wanting peace and freedom for Palestians are hating Jewish people. Trying to call MAGA Nazis was not. In fact trying to invoke Nazi in relation to any subject reagarding Trump and MAGA really just gives the Trump supporters a get out of free jail card because they simply turn the subject into a discussion about the Nazi comment instead of the topic at hand. It happens without fail no matter what you think. Maybe learn from that reality and do better?
As for Israel, Palestine and what is going on there - if anyone wants to spend 15 minutes listening to a fantastically insightful conversation from an (one) Israeli perspective, I can't recmommend this enough. And listen right thru to the end because as the radio host says, this is an explanation not an excuse. There is no excuse that can justify what Israel's reaction to October the 6th has been ... and as mentioned in the conversatoion: Benjamin Netanyahu statements regarding Palestine/Gaza and Isaeli politicians calling Oct 6th a "miracle" because it gave them the opportunity to initiate the atrocities that they are carrying out.... atrocities that the longer they go on, the more women and children killed in there 10's thousands, hard not to call genocide.
Last edited by mgh888; 05/26/2504:47 AM.
The more things change the more they stay the same.
Democrats support their constituents chanting "Free Palestine" That saying is turning into the new "Hail Hitler" Jewish hate chant.
Well that's a big steaming pile of BS... Dems aren't the Nazis here.. Trump is! MAGA is!
Is that right! Then why is it that the Democrats are supporting people that are hating Jewish people. Praising nut jobs that murder two Israeli people in cold blood. Now who really hate and are really the nazi's/ Look in the mirror. It is easy to see.
Yes, That's right.. Look at what Trump and his MAGA party is doing to America. Attacks on the Free Press, Stopping free speech.. Yeah, that's not NAZI is it!
#GMSTRONG
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.” Daniel Patrick Moynahan
"Alternative facts hurt us all. Think before you blindly believe." Damanshot
Democrats support their constituents chanting "Free Palestine" That saying is turning into the new "Hail Hitler" Jewish hate chant.
Well that's a big steaming pile of BS... Dems aren't the Nazis here.. Trump is! MAGA is!
Is that right! Then why is it that the Democrats are supporting people that are hating Jewish people. Praising nut jobs that murder two Israeli people in cold blood. Now who really hate and are really the nazi's/ Look in the mirror. It is easy to see.
Yes, That's right.. Look at what Trump and his MAGA party is doing to America. Attacks on the Free Press, Stopping free speech.. Yeah, that's not NAZI is it!
You bring up hyperbole. Here are facts. When there is true tyranny there will be the dehumanization of others and ultimately genocide. Which party supports abortion and the systematic murder of the most innocents of people? Yeah, that is right they dehumanize babies and support genocide in society today. Same party that supports Hamas. When the crazy nut jobs chant free Palestine they are not chanting to end a war. Palestine is no longer a country. It does not exist. There was a world war, and they fought on the wrong side and lost. Isreal was then created for the Jewish people that were displaced and the victim of mass genocide by the nazi's. So now there are people chanting against Israel? Guess why? Antisemitism is ugly. It was ugly in the 1930 and 40's and it is ugly now. Nazi's or Hamas they seek the same end result. Iran who makes no bones about wanting Israel to no exist created and supports Hamas. Now we have people in our country supporting Hamas. Those people are supported and apologized for by Democrats. Open your eyes!!!
"The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other peoples' money." Margarat Thatcher
Democrats support their constituents chanting "Free Palestine" That saying is turning into the new "Hail Hitler" Jewish hate chant.
Well that's a big steaming pile of BS... Dems aren't the Nazis here.. Trump is! MAGA is!
Is that right! Then why is it that the Democrats are supporting people that are hating Jewish people. Praising nut jobs that murder two Israeli people in cold blood. Now who really hate and are really the nazi's/ Look in the mirror. It is easy to see.
We could also get in to many more.
The health care executive shot in the back and support for the bum who shot him.
Living under a shadow government the last 3 years. Somebody was making crazy decisions. It's clear the President wasn't. It's funny how quickly everybody jumped off that train of deceit and tossed Joe away like a worn out ragdoll, wanting to get away from that as far and as fast as possible.
People need to hang for that. Literally.
Did the President really sign off on those midnight pardons?
If everybody had like minds, we would never learn.
Is that right! Then why is it that the Democrats are supporting people that are hating Jewish people. Praising nut jobs that murder two Israeli people in cold blood. Now who really hate and are really the nazi's/ Look in the mirror. It is easy to see.
The KKK and white supremacists have done this for decades. When they keep talking about genocide against the Jews you always called that free speech. When someone else does it you suddenly have a moment of conscience? Where is your outrage over that? Are you trying to tell the lie that the "democratic party and their voters" are praising the people who murdered those outside that museum? Really?
Quote
You bring up hyperbole. Here are facts. When there is true tyranny there will be the dehumanization of others and ultimately genocide. Which party supports abortion and the systematic murder of the most innocents of people? Yeah, that is right they dehumanize babies and support genocide in society today.
Allowing a woman to make her own choice is not genocide. That's also not supporting either choice she makes. Genocide is what's been going on in Gaza.
Quote
Same party that supports Hamas.
That's a flat out lie. First off only around 60% of people eligible to vote do so. I take it you've asked for voter registration cards? Secondly to support the genocide of a population of women and children no longer be killed is not the same as supporting a terrorist organization. Only a terribly warped mind would even suggest that.
Quote
When the crazy nut jobs chant free Palestine they are not chanting to end a war.
That's exactly what they're doing.
Quote
There was a world war, and they fought on the wrong side and lost. Isreal was then created for the Jewish people that were displaced and the victim of mass genocide by the nazi's. So now there are people chanting against Israel? Guess why? Antisemitism is ugly.
First off it isn't the Israeli people or the Jewish community that chose to drop 2000 pound bombs that kills innocent women and children. It was Netanyahu. It wasn't the Jewish people who made the decision to bomb hospitals and schools. It was Netanyahu. It wasn't the population of Israel that withheld food and medicine from the people of Gaza. It was Netanyahu. You do realize that there are protests on the streets of Israel denouncing Netanyahu don't you? Are those Jews in Israel antisemitic too?
Since when did advocating that innocent lives stop being slaughtered mean the same thing as supporting a terrorist organization?
Quote
It was ugly in the 1930 and 40's and it is ugly now. Nazi's or Hamas they seek the same end result. Iran who makes no bones about wanting Israel to no exist created and supports Hamas. Now we have people in our country supporting Hamas. Those people are supported and apologized for by Democrats. Open your eyes!!!
If the crazy ramblings we see in your post is what happens by opening our eyes, at least according to you, it's not a good thing.
You equate wanting the slaughter of innocent women and children to stop with supporting terrorism. It makes people wonder who it is that's really supporting terrorism. Once a leader of a nation, be it here, somewhere else, yes, even the leader of Israel, starts acting like a terrorist, once they start to break international law and commit war crimes, starve and slaughter innocent women and children, you have to ask yourself if they aren't acting like a terrorist too. Even some Israeli citizens are asking themselves that question.
I'm going to ask you this again because it's usually the kind of thing you always insist on ignoring in your responses.....
Thousands of Israelis protest the actions of Netanyahu. They want the war to end as well. Does that mean they are antisemitic too?
According to you if someone gets an abortion they are killing babies. When Netanyahu kills thousands upon thousands of children in Gaza he gets a free pass. Then you tell us you're pro life. What a crock of BS.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
Democrats support their constituents chanting "Free Palestine" That saying is turning into the new "Hail Hitler" Jewish hate chant.
Well that's a big steaming pile of BS... Dems aren't the Nazis here.. Trump is! MAGA is!
Is that right! Then why is it that the Democrats are supporting people that are hating Jewish people. Praising nut jobs that murder two Israeli people in cold blood. Now who really hate and are really the nazi's/ Look in the mirror. It is easy to see.
Yes, That's right.. Look at what Trump and his MAGA party is doing to America. Attacks on the Free Press, Stopping free speech.. Yeah, that's not NAZI is it!
You bring up hyperbole. Here are facts. When there is true tyranny there will be the dehumanization of others and ultimately genocide. Which party supports abortion and the systematic murder of the most innocents of people? Yeah, that is right they dehumanize babies and support genocide in society today. Same party that supports Hamas. When the crazy nut jobs chant free Palestine they are not chanting to end a war. Palestine is no longer a country. It does not exist. There was a world war, and they fought on the wrong side and lost. Isreal was then created for the Jewish people that were displaced and the victim of mass genocide by the nazi's. So now there are people chanting against Israel? Guess why? Antisemitism is ugly. It was ugly in the 1930 and 40's and it is ugly now. Nazi's or Hamas they seek the same end result. Iran who makes no bones about wanting Israel to no exist created and supports Hamas. Now we have people in our country supporting Hamas. Those people are supported and apologized for by Democrats. Open your eyes!!!
You should watch who you accuse of sympathizing with HAMAS. And I’m no antisemite but to hell with Benjamin Netanyahu too. He’s a whole ass.
While people were pardoned for Jan. 6th. This is the warped reality you now live in.
Like I said, none of them want to talk about that. They really don't have an excuse for it. That's why when I or you or anyone brings it up, they switch the subject.
No No they'd rather discuss the notion that Biden wasn't running the country.., As if Trump is running it. He's a puppet for the Far Right world wide.
Let me ask a question,,,, why the hell are we paying taxes? I mean, if it's not for the benefit of every American, then whats the purpose? Are they saving it for a rainy day? well, it stormed like hell in the mid west two weeks ago, what have they done for them.. Where the hell is FEMA.. or how about Carolina with those storms..
If not to benefit the masses, what the hell are we being taxed for?
Can't speak for any of you, but I like good roads, Trump didn't do t hat, Biden did! I like my investments to be steady.. Ain't trying to get loaded (be nice by not necessary).. But I wanna drive my new car on a bridge without holes in it.
I like that we take care of Veterans.. I like that we fund Research into things like Cancer! Trump doesn't like that.. or at least his handlers don't like it. Biden sure did.
So when someone says that Biden wasn't running the country, OK,,, who ever was paid attention to our needs.. Not like the idiot you all salute to.
#GMSTRONG
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.” Daniel Patrick Moynahan
"Alternative facts hurt us all. Think before you blindly believe." Damanshot
Is that right! Then why is it that the Democrats are supporting people that are hating Jewish people. Praising nut jobs that murder two Israeli people in cold blood. Now who really hate and are really the nazi's/ Look in the mirror. It is easy to see.
The KKK and white supremacists have done this for decades. When they keep talking about genocide against the Jews you always called that free speech. When someone else does it you suddenly have a moment of conscience? Where is your outrage over that? Are you trying to tell the lie that the "democratic party and their voters" are praising the people who murdered those outside that museum? Really?
Quote
You bring up hyperbole. Here are facts. When there is true tyranny there will be the dehumanization of others and ultimately genocide. Which party supports abortion and the systematic murder of the most innocents of people? Yeah, that is right they dehumanize babies and support genocide in society today.
Allowing a woman to make her own choice is not genocide. That's also not supporting either choice she makes. Genocide is what's been going on in Gaza.
Quote
Same party that supports Hamas.
That's a flat out lie. First off only around 60% of people eligible to vote do so. I take it you've asked for voter registration cards? Secondly to support the genocide of a population of women and children no longer be killed is not the same as supporting a terrorist organization. Only a terribly warped mind would even suggest that.
Quote
When the crazy nut jobs chant free Palestine they are not chanting to end a war.
That's exactly what they're doing.
Quote
There was a world war, and they fought on the wrong side and lost. Isreal was then created for the Jewish people that were displaced and the victim of mass genocide by the nazi's. So now there are people chanting against Israel? Guess why? Antisemitism is ugly.
First off it isn't the Israeli people or the Jewish community that chose to drop 2000 pound bombs that kills innocent women and children. It was Netanyahu. It wasn't the Jewish people who made the decision to bomb hospitals and schools. It was Netanyahu. It wasn't the population of Israel that withheld food and medicine from the people of Gaza. It was Netanyahu. You do realize that there are protests on the streets of Israel denouncing Netanyahu don't you? Are those Jews in Israel antisemitic too?
Since when did advocating that innocent lives stop being slaughtered mean the same thing as supporting a terrorist organization?
Quote
It was ugly in the 1930 and 40's and it is ugly now. Nazi's or Hamas they seek the same end result. Iran who makes no bones about wanting Israel to no exist created and supports Hamas. Now we have people in our country supporting Hamas. Those people are supported and apologized for by Democrats. Open your eyes!!!
If the crazy ramblings we see in your post is what happens by opening our eyes, at least according to you, it's not a good thing.
You equate wanting the slaughter of innocent women and children to stop with supporting terrorism. It makes people wonder who it is that's really supporting terrorism. Once a leader of a nation, be it here, somewhere else, yes, even the leader of Israel, starts acting like a terrorist, once they start to break international law and commit war crimes, starve and slaughter innocent women and children, you have to ask yourself if they aren't acting like a terrorist too. Even some Israeli citizens are asking themselves that question.
I'm going to ask you this again because it's usually the kind of thing you always insist on ignoring in your responses.....
Thousands of Israelis protest the actions of Netanyahu. They want the war to end as well. Does that mean they are antisemitic too?
According to you if someone gets an abortion they are killing babies. When Netanyahu kills thousands upon thousands of children in Gaza he gets a free pass. Then you tell us you're pro life. What a crock of BS.
Antisemitism is a bad look no matter how you try to rationalize it!!!
"The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other peoples' money." Margarat Thatcher
Antisemitism is a bad look no matter how you try to rationalize it!!!
Claiming you hate abortion because you are right to life and then saying that if others rail against bombing and starving children is antisemitic is a bad look too. It seems you approve of thousands upon thousands of innocent children being slaughtered and starved to death. Anyone who disagrees with you about that you call names. News flash. That's not being right to life.
You have proven the point I've been making for years. You don't give a damn about children having the right to life. You only give a damn about children having a right to be born. After that? Bomb the hell out of them and starve them to death!
Murica! Freedumb!
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
Dotd, we must live in completely different realities.
Yeah, and mine is drug free!!!
That's not our fault. I'm not qualified to diagnose whatever it is that's wrong with you but I'm sure they make medication for it. This does however help explain the problem.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
Antisemitism is a bad look no matter how you try to rationalize it!!!
Claiming you hate abortion because you are right to life and then saying that if others rail against bombing and starving children is antisemitic is a bad look too. It seems you approve of thousands upon thousands of innocent children being slaughtered and starved to death. Anyone who disagrees with you about that you call names. News flash. That's not being right to life.
You have proven the point I've been making for years. You don't give a damn about children having the right to life. You only give a damn about children having a right to be born. After that? Bomb the hell out of them and starve them to death!
Murica! Freedumb!
Israel is not causing the problem for Gaza. Hamas is. They conducted a terrorist attack in Israel and are still holding Israeli's hostage. Israel has a right to defend itself and war is not pleasant but what is happening to Gaza is 100% Hamas's fault and blaming Israel is idiotic. Making excuses for someone murdering 2 Israeli diplomats in cold blood here in the United States which CNN reporters and many on the left in social media is doing is wrong and cannot be justified. That is hate. Chanting for the elimination of a country "From the river to the sea" is supporting terrorists. The Phrase "Free Palestine" is nothing more than antisemitic Jewish hate.
"The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other peoples' money." Margarat Thatcher
tactics of crossing police lines, assaulting federal agents, and going around shooting people?
It ended up working out fine for MAGA.
There is no level of sucking we haven't seen; in fact, I'm pretty sure we hold the patents on a few levels of sucking NOBODY had seen until the past few years.
Israel is not causing the problem for Gaza. Hamas is. They conducted a terrorist attack in Israel and are still holding Israeli's hostage.
And the only time Hamas has released hostages was during a cease fire. I wonder how many of those hostages Netanyahu has killed during all of those bombings? How many tens of thousands more women and children will need to die before you stop using that initial attack on Israel to excuse them?
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Israel has a right to defend itself and war is not pleasant but what is happening to Gaza is 100% Hamas's fault and blaming Israel is idiotic.
Once again, that's no excuse to use 2000 lb. bombs to totally level residential neighborhoods. It's no excuse to bomb hospitals and schools. There is no excuse to target the civilian population of Gaza.
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Making excuses for someone murdering 2 Israeli diplomats in cold blood here in the United States which CNN reporters and many on the left in social media is doing is wrong and cannot be justified.
First of all CNN has never made excuses for those murders. In fact they have condemned those murders. But when you don't even watch CNN and just repeat what you've been told this is the type of response that's to be expected. Explaining the motivation behind those murders is not making excuses for them anywhere except Trumplandia where you reside. You are correct that a small minority on the fringe do make excuses for it and that's wrong. But that's not the picture you're painting here.
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Chanting for the elimination of a country "From the river to the sea" is supporting terrorists.
There are a very small percentage that take it too far and here we agree. But stop trying to make it sound like that's wide spread because it's not.
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The Phrase "Free Palestine" is nothing more than antisemitic Jewish hate.
Once again that is lie that you're either spreading or have been brainwashed to believe. Freeing the people of Gaza from starvation and death is neither antisemitic nor hate.
You mentioned excuses. Yet here you are continuing to make excuses why you think it's okay for Netanyahu to continue slaughtering and starving innocent women and children.
I'll ask you again, are Israeli's who are against what Netanyahu is doing guilty of "antisemitic Jewish hate"? Because you claim anyone wanting an end to killing innocent civilians in gaza has to be just that................
Hostage families say Netanyahu is deceiving Israelis, threatening to topple him
Hostage families fume after Netanyahu appears to tease deal only to dash hopes
Brother of captive soldier decries ‘psychological terror’ after premier repeats comment his office walked back about hostage-related announcement ‘today or tomorrow’
Before you continue to rant your silly BS maybe you should explain to these Israeli citizens and even the families of the hostages that what they're doing is "antisemitic Jewish hate". Try not to ignore this in your response.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
Israel is not causing the problem for Gaza. Hamas is. They conducted a terrorist attack in Israel and are still holding Israeli's hostage.
And the only time Hamas has released hostages was during a cease fire. I wonder how many of those hostages Netanyahu has killed during all of those bombings? How many tens of thousands more women and children will need to die before you stop using that initial attack on Israel to excuse them?
Quote
Israel has a right to defend itself and war is not pleasant but what is happening to Gaza is 100% Hamas's fault and blaming Israel is idiotic.
Once again, that's no excuse to use 2000 lb. bombs to totally level residential neighborhoods. It's no excuse to bomb hospitals and schools. There is no excuse to target the civilian population of Gaza.
Quote
Making excuses for someone murdering 2 Israeli diplomats in cold blood here in the United States which CNN reporters and many on the left in social media is doing is wrong and cannot be justified.
First of all CNN has never made excuses for those murders. In fact they have condemned those murders. But when you don't even watch CNN and just repeat what you've been told this is the type of response that's to be expected. Explaining the motivation behind those murders is not making excuses for them anywhere except Trumplandia where you reside. You are correct that a small minority on the fringe do make excuses for it and that's wrong. But that's not the picture you're painting here.
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Chanting for the elimination of a country "From the river to the sea" is supporting terrorists.
There are a very small percentage that take it too far and here we agree. But stop trying to make it sound like that's wide spread because it's not.
Quote
The Phrase "Free Palestine" is nothing more than antisemitic Jewish hate.
Once again that is lie that you're either spreading or have been brainwashed to believe. Freeing the people of Gaza from starvation and death is neither antisemitic nor hate.
You mentioned excuses. Yet here you are continuing to make excuses why you think it's okay for Netanyahu to continue slaughtering and starving innocent women and children.
I'll ask you again, are Israeli's who are against what Netanyahu is doing guilty of "antisemitic Jewish hate"? Because you claim anyone wanting an end to killing innocent civilians in gaza has to be just that................
Hostage families say Netanyahu is deceiving Israelis, threatening to topple him
Hostage families fume after Netanyahu appears to tease deal only to dash hopes
Brother of captive soldier decries ‘psychological terror’ after premier repeats comment his office walked back about hostage-related announcement ‘today or tomorrow’
Before you continue to rant your silly BS maybe you should explain to these Israeli citizens and even the families of the hostages that what they're doing is "antisemitic Jewish hate". Try not to ignore this in your response.
So, some people in Isreal don't understand what it takes to defend themselves from terrorist. I could put up video after video of hostages talking about how they were raped, tortured, and treated in humanely by not just Hamas but even the citizens in Gaza. I stand with Isreal and the IDF to complete their mission of total elimination of Hamas. Where is the outcry for the hostages? Isreal never bombed Gaza until Oct 7th. That is what you seem to forget. Iran is behind Hamas and Hamas is behind the terror attacks and what is happening in Gaza is 100% on them not Netanyahu or the IDF, or Isreal. The Hamas sympathizers in this country are the closets things to Nazi's the world has seen since the Nazi's themselves. It is funny you bring up the KKK. Another hate group that's roots started in the Democratic party just like Atifa, just like BLM, just like this free Palestine movement on college campuses. See a trend here?
"The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other peoples' money." Margarat Thatcher
It seems you call 69% "some" and disagree with the vast majority of Israelis. I mean of course you and FOX News knows more about this than actual Israeli's, right? Using catch wordas and phrases like "Nazis" and "antisemitic Jewish hate" are just BS..................
When asked if they support a deal to return all the hostages in return for an end to the war, 69% said they do, compared with 21% who said they oppose it and 10% who said they don’t know. Among coalition voters, 54% said they support a deal, compared to 21% who oppose it. Among opposition voters, 86% said they support the deal, compared with 9% who said they do not.
Among "Coalition voters", which support Netanyahu political party, 51% think a deal should be made that would release the hostages rather than continue on with the war. And yes, Hamas has proposed an end to the war in exchange for the remaining hostages.
You are not only arguing against me and U.S protestors, you're arguing with 69% of the Israeli people. So I ask you again, are 69% of Israeli's also spreading "antisemitic Jewish hate"?
I guess you can stand with 21% of Jewish Israeli's that agree with you if you like. While according to you 69% of them are spreading "antisemitic Jewish hate".
And the beat goes on.......
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
Democrats support their constituents chanting "Free Palestine" That saying is turning into the new "Hail Hitler" Jewish hate chant.
I have to say something about this as well... I have seen the can of worms opened.
History has the ability to repeat itself.
What happened in the 1930's and 1940's Germany occurred when a political party took over the democratic government and used its power without due process against its own people because of a difference in religious beliefs. Holocaust and Genocide are appropriate terms.
The State of Israel was formed to provide a home to those of a religious belief (in this case those of the Jewish faith). The State of Israel is controlled by those of the Jewish faith. It is in essence a theocracy, even though it no one calls it that, and the State of Israel would vehemently disagree.
The State of Israel employs twisted strategy of claiming antisemitism whenever it is to its advantage. The State of Israel cannot exist as a theocracy with Palestinians (Muslims). Israel is at a numeric disadvantage in its own territory. The State of Israel (theocracy) cannot survive as a democracy because they do not have the numbers.
Because of State of Israels' past invasions into adjacent areas (occupied territories) it has accumulated more people of the Muslim faith. That only makes things worse.
The Palestinians and others of Muslim belief in the occupied territories do not have the same rights as those of Jewish belief that live in the State of Israel. This is unacceptable to the Palestinians and those who hold Muslim beliefs, leading to "armed resistance forces" and conflict.
Obviously, all the democratic principals associated with the USA, freedom of speech and religion, due process, hot dogs and apple pie cannot not apply to the State of Israel that has to protect its Jewish citizens even if it is at the detriment of its Muslim citizens. In American terms "armed resistance forces" would be the Revolutionary forces led by George Washington.
The State of Israel has to deal with an internal conflict between its Muslims citizens who attack its Jewish citizens.
One of the great ironies, is that it is difficult to discern the difference between anti-Israel and antisemitic. Again, the State of Israel uses this to its advantage.
So when the Muslims attack their fellow Jewish citizens of Israel, the State of Israel attack its own citizens in their own occupied territories in retaliation.
How much retribution is appropriate? 10:1 20:1, 50:1??? And when does retribution become genocide?
The sad fact is that the Palestinians are in a very similar place to the Jewish people 80 years later. A government (Israel, not Germany) using its power without due process against its own people.
And most everyone in the democratic world gets upset when they see people of a religion persecuted be a government. Hence the chant for Free Palestine.
Trump says he'll pardon sheriff who deputized people in exchange for cash
Jenkins is the latest pardon Trump has given to loyal supporters.
Author: MARTHA BELLISLE (Associated Press) Published: 7:21 AM EDT May 27, 2025 Updated: 9:41 AM EDT May 27, 2025
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Monday that he is pardoning a former Virginia sheriff who was sentenced to 10 years in prison after a jury convicted him on federal bribery charges for deputizing several businessmen in exchange for cash payments.
Former Culpeper County Sheriff Scott Jenkins, 53, was found guilty on fraud and bribery charges and sentenced in March. But on Monday, Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social that Jenkins and his family “have been dragged through HELL by a Corrupt and Weaponized Biden DOJ."
“This Sheriff is a victim of an overzealous Biden Department of Justice, and doesn’t deserve to spend a single day in jail. He is a wonderful person, who was persecuted by the Radical Left “monsters,” and “left for dead,” Trump said in the post. “He will NOT be going to jail tomorrow, but instead will have a wonderful and productive life."
Messages seeking comment were left with Jenkins' lawyers. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Virginia was closed for the Memorial Day holiday.
Jenkins is the latest pardon Trump has given to loyal supporters. In April, he pardoned Nevada Republican Michele Fiore, who was awaiting sentencing on federal charges that she used money meant for a statue honoring a slain police officer for personal costs, including plastic surgery.
In January, Trump pardoned Ross Ulbricht, the founder of Silk Road, an underground website for selling drugs. Ulbricht had been sentenced to life in prison in 2015 after a high-profile prosecution that highlighted the internet's role in illegal markets.
He also pardoned, commuted the prison sentences or vowed to dismiss the cases of all of the 1,500-plus people charged with crimes in the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot, including people convicted of assaulting police officers.
Jenkins was indicted in 2023 on 16 counts — including conspiracy, wire fraud and bribery — concerning programs receiving federal funds. In December, a jury found him guilty of one count of conspiracy, four counts of honest services fraud, and seven counts of bribery.
Jenkins took the stand in his own defense and said there was no connection between the payments he received and the badges he handed out, according to news reports. Testifying against Jenkins were two undercover FBI agents who were sworn in as auxiliary deputies in 2022 and immediately thereafter gave Jenkins envelopes with $5,000 and $10,000 cash, respectively. Jenkins appealed his conviction in April.
Trump said Jenkins tried to offer evidence in his defense, but U.S. District Judge Robert Ballou, a Biden appointee, “refused to allow it, shut him down, and then went on a tirade.” Acting United States Attorney Zachary T. Lee said at the time that Jenkins violated his oath of office “and this case proves that when those officials use their authority for unjust personal enrichment, the Department of Justice will hold them accountable.”
Trump Pardons Reality Stars Todd and Julie Chrisley Following Tax Evasion and Bank Fraud Convictions Jack Dunn Updated Tue, May 27, 2025 at 5:38 PM EDT2 min read
President Donald Trump has fully pardoned Todd and Julie Chrisley after the reality stars were convicted of tax evasion and bank fraud in 2022.
White House communications advisor Margo Martin posted a video to X on Tuesday of Trump on the phone with their daughter Savannah Chrisley, delivering the news that he will fully pardon her parents.
Zachary Levi Strikes Back: The Trump-Voting 'Shazam!' Star on Feeling Hollywood's Wrath Over Vaccine Skepticism and the $100 Million Studio He's Building in Austin
“It’s a terrible thing, but it’s a great thing because your parents are going to be free and clean, and I hope we can do it by tomorrow,” Trump told Savannah Chrisley in the video. “We’ll try getting it done tomorrow. I don’t know them, but give them my regards and wish them a good life.”
Trump went on to say that Todd and Julie Chrisley were given “a pretty harsh treatment” for their crimes.
Todd Chrisley was set to face 12 years in prison while Julie was sentenced to serve seven, according to WSB-TV in Atlanta. In June 2022, they were accused of falsifying documents to defraud Atlanta banks out of more than $30 million through fraudulent loans. They also hid millions of dollars from the IRS that they earned from their show “Chrisley Knows Best,” a federal jury found. Back in February, their attorney told NBC that Trump was “seriously” considering pardoning the Chrisleys.
The couple’s accountant Peter Tarantino was also sentenced to three years in prison for his hand in the scheme. He was convicted of conspiring to defraud the IRS and filing false tax returns. There has been no word on whether or not a pardon for Tarantino is in the works.
I was wondering what the hell you were talking about. I think I get it now. She wasn't trying to "cross a police line". She was trying to help a mayor keep from getting arrested. Do you get your FOX News feed intravenously? And are you actually trying to compare this to Jan. 6th? Come on man.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
I saw a quote recently that really resonated: "There is a battle right now between spectacle and substance. Spectacle currently has undisputed control of the high ground."
Blue ostriches on crack float on milkshakes between the sidewalk titans of gurglefitz. --YTown
I was wondering what the hell you were talking about. I think I get it now. She wasn't trying to "cross a police line". She was trying to help a mayor keep from getting arrested. Do you get your FOX News feed intravenously? And are you actually trying to compare this to Jan. 6th? Come on man.
Think what you want if it makes you feel better.
I think many of you need to watch more Fox news. It's pretty well proven what you have been watching has been full of lies.
It's been nothing but cover up with those people you have been watching. They have been stroking your ego for the last 10 years.
How much BS do you need to be spoon fed before you decide you don't like the taste?
If everybody had like minds, we would never learn.
They had already been inside and were now on the outside before any of this happened. And they weren't trying to get back inside. They just wanted those officers to get their hands off of them now that they had peacefully left the compound. And of course you try to compare that to this...........................
And this.................
What the hell happened to you man?
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
I think it's more that a lot of us consider a multitude of sources and boil the facts down to what they are, or at least make an attempt to do so. Calling out the current admin for blatant flaws, lies, mishaps, et al does not mean that we fell for something hook, line and sinker. In fact, when I sift through the vast majority of posts from people who did not vote for 47 on this forum, I find quite a high level of dissatisfaction with the Dems. On the other side, those who remain on this forum show no signs of criticism of the current admin, even when it is blatantly warranted, and those who might have found fault with the current admin, have Houdini'd their way out of the forum.
In fact, there are blatant anomalies that I have never seen a 47 supporter acknowledge, like this one:
“I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decreases it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing,” Musk told CBS News in an interview clip released Tuesday.
The legislation would add $3 trillion or more to federal budget deficits over the next decade with tax cuts that are only partially offset by spending reductions.
The White House and most other Republicans have insisted, contrary to all budget experts, that the tax cuts will be so good for business that they will juice government revenue and make up the difference. So it’s striking for Musk, a close ally of the president, to dump on the bill.
And it’s not like Musk has a problem with questionable budget projections, such as his claims that his DOGE team could find $1 trillion in annual savings by cutting government waste, or that they’ve eliminated $175 billion so far even as real-time federal data shows the government spending more than it did last year by roughly that same amount.
So, is DOGE a failure, or is the bill bad, like he said? How has this administration made well on its promises so far when you look at everything that has been implemented? I'll give you the border. But all else looks to be volatile at best (economy) or a trending failure at worst (Ukraine, DOGE).
Blue ostriches on crack float on milkshakes between the sidewalk titans of gurglefitz. --YTown
Trump will 'take a look' at pardoning convicted Whitmer kidnap plotters, he says
Todd Spangler and Arpan Lobo, Detroit Free Press Wed, May 28, 2025 at 2:34 PM EDT5 min read
President Donald Trump said he will look at pardoning the men convicted of conspiring to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2020.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on May 28th, Trump was asked if he was looking at such a pardon. He answered, "I'm going to take a look at it."
The question came after Ed Martin Jr., who is the new pardon attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice, made a comment on "The Breanna Morello Show" podcast last week. Martin said that he was taking a "hard look" at whether Barry Croft Jr. and Adam Fox warranted pardons, comparing them to the people Trump pardoned in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021 attack by his supporters on the U.S. Capitol as Congress met to certify the 2020 election for former President Joe Biden.
Trump made his remarks to reporters as he attended the swearing-in of former Fox News host Jeanine Pirro as interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia. Martin had previously been tapped for that role but his name was pulled after he began to lose Republican support in the Senate.
Asked about pardons for the conspirators in the Whitmer case, Trump said, "It’s been brought to my attention. I did watch the trial. It looked to me like somewhat of a railroad job, I’ll be honest with you. It looked to me like some people said some stupid things. You know, they were drinking and I think they said stupid things."
Trump went on to say that "a lot of people are asking me that question (about pardoning the conspirators), from both sides actually. A lot of people think they got railroaded. ... and probably some people don’t."
Whitmer's office did not respond to an inquiry sent Wednesday afternoon about Trump's comments.
The comments come less than two months after Trump praised Whitmer in the Oval Office for "doing an excellent job," as she helped win the Republican president's support for a new fighter mission at Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Macomb County and to get work started again on a barrier to keep invasive Asian carp from reaching Lake Michigan. Trump followed through on both commitments during a trip to Michigan in April.
As president, Trump may pardon or commute the sentence of anyone convicted under federal law.
While the president has the authority to unilaterally issue pardons or commutations, the Office of the Pardon Attorney typically reviews and investigates applications for clemency that are submitted to the Justice Department, then forwards recommendations about whether to grant them or not to the president. It's unusual for a pardon attorney to comment on a case, even when an application has been filed. Neither Fox nor Croft appear to have applications in the Justice Department files.
The federal government alleged in 2020 that Barry Croft and Adam Fox were two members of a group (led by Fox) that plotted to kidnap and possibly kill Whitmer after being disgruntled with her handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Testimony during the trial revealed Fox, Croft and others, including FBI informants, traveled to northern Michigan where they “cased” Whitmer’s vacation home.
Fox and Croft are the two defendants federal prosecutors were able to successfully convict after a pair of trials in 2022 — initially, a jury acquitted Brandon Caserta and Daniel Harris, whom the government also alleged plotted to kidnap Whitmer, and were hung on Fox and Croft. But at a second trial later that year, jurors in west Michigan returned guilty verdicts for the latter two. Fox was sentenced to 16 years in prison on conspiracy to kidnap and conspiracy to possess weapons of mass destruction charges, while Croft was sentenced to 19 years on the same two charges as Fox, plus a third charge of knowingly possessing an unregistered destructive device. Their trials were held in U.S. District Court in Grand Rapids. Federal court proceedings aren't typically livestreamed, although an audio dial-in broadcast of the trials was provided.
During the trials, attorneys for Fox and Croft argued the two were entrapped by rogue informants and undercover FBI agents, and the two were just engaged in crude talk about their dissatisfaction about the pandemic.
Fox, originally from Potterville, was living in the basement of a Grand Rapids vacuum repair shop at the time he was charged. His defense attorney argued he couldn’t have possibly led a kidnapping plot because he was such a loner.
Croft was a truck driver from Delaware. He was arrested by FBI agents at a truck stop in New Jersey. During the trial, Croft could be heard on an audio recording explaining he was making explosives. At his sentencing, Croft’s attorney said the former truck driver fell “way down a conspiracy rabbit hole.”
Two other men, Kaleb Franks and Ty Garbin, pleaded guilty to kidnapping charges and testified at the trials. They've both served reduced prison sentences and have been released, according to online federal prison records.
Fox and Croft are currently serving out their sentences in a maximum security federal prison in Colorado. In April, the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed sentences for the pair, who argued they didn’t get a fair trial before they were convicted because of how the judge overseeing the case set rules on how long their defense attorneys could cross-examine government witnesses.
The kidnapping plot and the ensuing trials sparked debate over the rise of radicalism and domestic terrorism in the U.S., while defense lawyers argued the charges were a product of overzealous FBI informants and undercover agents.
At the time Fox and Croft were convicted, Whitmer said the verdicts "prove that violence and threats have no place in our politics and those who seek to divide us will be held accountable."
State prosecutors had mixed results in local courts, landing convictions for others accused of providing support to the kidnapping plot. Others charged at the state level were acquitted. The Constitution only permits the president to pardon convictions in federal courts.
In total, 14 men were charged as part of the plot.
Dotd, we must live in completely different realities.
Yeah, and mine is drug free!!!
Good for you. There’s nothing wrong with that at all. But square life ain’t for me. Are you alcohol free too? No cigarettes? If so, you’re golden until they regulate media like fox News as a class 2 stupidification drug.
And if anybody could use a little weed, it’s guys who think weed is drugs.
Trump makes statements and inferences like that when he’s trying to distract the news headline from an issue he’s trying to avoid. Right now, Ukraine is a mess and the fed just hinted toward stagflation.
Do I think Trump would do something as despicable as what he just said? Yes. He pardoned Tarrio for goodness sake. But I think we need to hold his feet to the fire on the country’s direction and the execution of his campaign promises. I’m trying not to buy into his nonsense headlines anymore.
Blue ostriches on crack float on milkshakes between the sidewalk titans of gurglefitz. --YTown
You have the same problem so many Fox news watchers have. They show what they know you want to see. Feeding you're inability to take in the whole truth. So they edit out things that they know you as a MAGA will never grasp.
We on the left of this discussion have seen what Fox shows, then watched the entire footage and can actually see how Fox is editing things out.
So I think it's YOU that need to expand your viewership to include ABC, NBC and CBS. You'll find, unlike what trump and his minions tell you, all they do is just show you what happened and let you decide what it means.
Every morning I watch the Today Program. It's not just the news of the day, but it's also the other things I find interesting (and yes, some things just aren't) But the bottom line, that show never tries to tell me what to think. They show complete videos and let you decide for yourself.. Something that Fox, Trump and the entire MAGA movement doesn't want.... They want you to believe what they tell you and to forget whatever else is going on.
I'm shocked and surprised that a man of your apparent intellect hasn't figured that out yet. I know you know better.
#GMSTRONG
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.” Daniel Patrick Moynahan
"Alternative facts hurt us all. Think before you blindly believe." Damanshot
I'm not sure if he will pardon those who committed the kidnapping plot against Whitmer. As with many things he says it could be all smoke and mirrors. But when one stops to think about it for a moment, as was mentioned he not only pardoned Tarrio but all of the Jan. 6th rioters which includes those who assaulted more than 100 police officers that day. If he will reward criminals who committed crimes in support of him, why wouldn't he reward criminals who committed crimes against democrats?
This is now the America we live in.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
tactics of crossing police lines, assaulting federal agents, and going around shooting people?
It ended up working out fine for MAGA.
The difference is we didn't have elected members of congress and their staff being the ones pushing through those lines.
Unelected person sending his minions to occupy the Capitol is different, but not better.
There is no level of sucking we haven't seen; in fact, I'm pretty sure we hold the patents on a few levels of sucking NOBODY had seen until the past few years.
Just for clarification he was still the sitting president that was elected in 2016 at the time. So he was the elected sitting president.
That only makes it worse.
I love how the narrative changed after J6. The day after we had so many republicans coming out wanting to take Trump down for his actions that day..
Then of course, came the spin doctors and damned if same republicans that condemned Trump began Defending him. First it was ANTIFA that put on Pro Trump Garb and attacked the capital... Then it was peaceful.... Those that fell for that crap are by far, the dumbest Americans ever. If you listen to Fox, Brietbart, Newsnation and the like.... They all did America a disservice. Where is the Fairness Doctrine when you need it.
Trump is nothing more than a SUPER DUPER- Rush Limbaugh- the radio host was HUGE in 90s- he had all conservaties calling in and saying he was genius- known as DITTOHEADS.... fast forward, Trump has MAGA, he can do no wrong. Sad. Rush never graduated from college, failure many, many times, four marriages, was addicted to several thing....sound familiar. We are all flawed human beings- me included, but WOW-- we got a real one as President. PEACE.
"You've never lived till you've almost died, life has a flavor the protected will never know" A vet or cop
Missouri legislature repeals sick leave law that voters approved just months before
The legislation repeals the entire earned sick leave portion of Proposition A as well as a portion of the minimum wage increase. Only one Republican joined all Democrats in voting no.
Missouri Senate Republicans voted Wednesday to repeal portions of a voter-approved law that allowed employees to earn paid sick leave and a higher minimum wage.
Members of the Senate voted 22-11 to pass legislation that repeals parts of Proposition A, which Missouri voters approved in November with 57.6% of the vote.
Only one Republican, Sen. Lincoln Hough, R-Springfield, joined all 10 Democrats in voting no.
"What we saw today was the Republican supermajority, whether they did it because of corporate greed or their corporate overlords telling them what to do, they took away sick pay for millions of workers in the state of Missouri," Senate Minority Leader Doug Beck, D-Affton, said.
Currently, through Proposition A, workers can earn one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked.
Proposition A also raised the minimum wage to an eventual $15 an hour in 2026 and tied minimum wage to the Consumer Price Index, meaning minimum wage increases would be tied to the CPI beginning in 2027.
On Jan. 1 of this year, the minimum wage rose to $13.75 an hour. It will rise again to $15 an hour in 2026.
The paid sick leave portion of the law went into effect on May 1.
However, the new legislation repeals the entire the paid sick leave portion as well as the tie-in to the CPI, so the minimum wage would not increase after 2026.
Senate Republicans stopped a potential Democrat filibuster with a rarely used procedural move to force a vote on the legislation.
The Senate used the same move, called a previous question, to force a vote on an amendment that would once again ban most abortions in the state.
Afterward, the Senate ended this year's session, which was scheduled to last until 6 p.m. Friday.
Sen. Jason Bean, R-Holcomb, said no one wants to see that motion in the Senate but believes it was time for one.
"We got through those, as you saw, in a very amicable way, very respectful way. So, we have ended session," Bean said.
However, Senate Democrats expressed outrage over the action, with several saying this decision will carry over into future sessions.
"Moving forward, we're going to operate with an assumption that the Republicans don't respect their fellow senators, they don't respect the voters, they don't respect the process, they don't respect the institution. And we didn't pick this fight, but we're not scared of it," Sen. Stephen Webber, D-Columbia, said.
Wednesday marked the third time that the Senate brought up this legislation.
Sen. Mike Bernskoetter, R-Jefferson City, handled the bill. Speaking the first time it was up for debate, he said it hindered businesses.
"It creates a one-size-fits-all for all businesses to follow, and businesses should be able to tailor their workplace policies to best meet the needs of their company and their employees," Bernskoetter said.
The first two times the bill was up for debate, lawmakers spent hours negotiating the legislation without reaching a final compromise.
Because the legislation, which was previously approved by the House, was unchanged by the Senate, the bill now goes to Gov. Mike Kehoe.
I don't know about being a wing nut but certainly a depraved distributor of child sexual abuse porn......
SC Rep. RJ May facing 10 counts of child sex charges
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WSPA) – South Carolina Representative Robert John “RJ” May has been arrested for allegedly committing child sex crimes.
A federal grand jury in Greenville returned a 10-count indictment against the 38-year-old, of West Columbia, for distributing child sexual abuse material.
May has represented House District 88 in Lexington County since 2021.
He was reelected in November after facing no opposition in the primary or general election.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in April 2024, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a cyber-tip from the social messaging app Kik. Kik flagged several videos from the username “joebidennnn69” as containing child sexual abuse.
Further into the investigation, authorities connected the account to the home IP address and mobile device of May.
Investigators also identified at least 10 videos depicting child sexual abuse that were shared from the account.
May faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison with a minimum of five years, a fine of $250,000, and a term of at least five years of supervised release to follow any term of imprisonment, according to officials.
This interview keeps paying dividends the more you watch:
Day?
The Bible says I will bless those that bless Israel and curse those that curse Israel. Command is too strong of a word. God always gives free will to people to follow or not. Throughout the Bible Israel had good kings and bad kings so it does not say bless them only when they have good kings. I support Israel because of this decree.
"The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other peoples' money." Margarat Thatcher
This interview keeps paying dividends the more you watch:
Day?
The Bible says I will bless those that bless Israel and curse those that curse Israel. Command is too strong of a word. God always gives free will to people to follow or not. Throughout the Bible Israel had good kings and bad kings so it does not say bless them only when they have good kings. I support Israel because of this decree.
I'm willing to bet I can find a rant from you about the Iranian caliphate after they've done something equivalent to what's being discussed here.
There is no level of sucking we haven't seen; in fact, I'm pretty sure we hold the patents on a few levels of sucking NOBODY had seen until the past few years.
It seems you pick and choose whose deaths you care about more. We have watched Netanyahu bomb schools, hospitals and refugee camps. Killing tens of thousands of innocent women and children. We have watched him purposefully cut off food and medicine to those same elderly, women and children to the point they starving and dying. Is that what you claim God says we should support?
No it's not. I support the people of Israel. I support the Jewish faith. I do not support the Netanyahu government. Some of us can differentiate between good and evil. It appears some of us can't.
The death of a Palestinian or Iranian child is every bit as sad and painful to watch as the death of an Israeli child to some of us. And I'm not sure which bible you've been reading, but the bible I read makes me think it's just as painful to God as well.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
Let me put this in the simplest of terms. What is a nation? What makes up a nation?
A nation is the people who live within it's borders. It is not simply the king, president or prime minister that currently rules that nation. A single politician and his power at the time is not a nation.
Let me give you an example. Over the years I have watched you and others on this board rail against both Obama and Biden. You've railed against their policies, the things they have said and much of their overseas and trade policies. Did that mean you didn't you didn't support the U.S.A.? Did the fact you didn't vote for them and tried to elect someone else with a different ideology mean you didn't support America? Did the fact that you wanted someone else elected which would remove them from power mean you didn't support America?
Because that seems to be what you're saying about Israel.
No, no it didn't and doesn't mean that. Just like I don't support trump and many of his policies doesn't mean I don't support and love my country.
I believe you love our country every bit as much as I do. I certainly don't understand some of the things you say and they don't make sense to me but I'm sure you feel the same way about me. But the fact remains we both love our nation.
I don't support Netanyahu. I support the people of Israel. Those aren't the same thing. I support the nation of Israel. I do not support its leader. Hopefully now you will be able to see the difference there.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
It was a pretty good idea. I would say a great idea. But we now have people trying to blur those lines and muddy the waters. Let's hope what our forefathers set in place prevails.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
It's sad to think that so many in America thinks it's okay to attack a school who disagrees with a president by abusing the power of his office with punitive measures.
In the case of Harvard, he's abusing powers his office doesn't even have.... In fact, never had.
#GMSTRONG
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.” Daniel Patrick Moynahan
"Alternative facts hurt us all. Think before you blindly believe." Damanshot
Former Trump lawyer Kenneth Chesebro disbarred in New York over 2020 election interference case
Chesebro played a key role in devising a strategy to create slates of fake pro-Trump electors in several states the president lost to disrupt or delay Congress from certifying Biden’s victory.
Kenneth Chesebro, a former legal adviser for Donald Trump's 2020 presidential campaign, is now barred from practicing law in New York over his role in a scheme to overturn Trump's election loss five years ago.
In an order Thursday, a state appeals court in New York said Chesebro's criminal conduct, namely conspiring to commit filing false documents in connection with efforts to negate Trump's 2020 defeat in Georgia to Joe Biden, “undercuts the very notion of our constitutional democracy that he, as an attorney, swore an oath to uphold.”
Chesebro was first admitted to practice law in New York in 2007. His disbarment is effective immediately, the order says.
Chesebro played a key role in devising a strategy to create slates of fake pro-Trump electors in Georgia, and six other states the president lost to Biden to disrupt or delay Congress from certifying Biden’s victory on Jan. 6, 2021.
In 2023, he struck a plea deal with Georgia prosecutors and pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit filing false documents after he was indicted on seven counts.
Trump pleaded not guilty in the case, which included indictments against him, Chesebro and 17 others. The case stalled this year, in large part because of Trump's election win in November and the removal of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis as prosecutor.
The court, which had initially suspended Chesebro from practicing law in the New York last year, said in Thursday's order that Chesebro's "cavalier attitude regarding his actions, particularly in the face of his extensive background in the areas of constitutional and election law, largely aggravates his conduct."
According to the order, an official tasked with putting together a report on evidence and testimony also disputed an argument from Chesebro's attorney that it was incorrect to characterize his client as the architect of Trump’s plans to overturn the election.
The court said the official noted that “despite efforts to combat the description that respondent was the ‘architect’ of Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election, the testimony and documentary evidence produced at the hearing fully support such a claim, inasmuch as respondent’s legal analysis and implementation guidelines fueled the effort.”
An attorney for Chesebro did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday night.
Chesebro is one of many Trump-allied attorneys who were penalized for their involvement in Trump's election interference efforts.
Rudy Giuliani was disbarred in New York and Washington, D.C., and Jenna Ellis was prohibited from practicing law in Colorado for three years after she pleaded guilty in connection with Trump's efforts to subvert the election.
House Speaker Mike Johnson Threatens to Arrest Lawmakers Who Protest Netanyahu's Address to Congress
This is the first time in history I have seen the American government threaten the arrest of people who might speak out against a world leader committing genocide. And just think, they are the people who were screaming about free speech. Right up to the point that college students or opposing politicians say things they disagree with. Then suddenly the rules get changed. What have we become?
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
Thought this was amusing and wanted to share Don't know which thread was talking about the autopen, so putting this here
GOP Rep. Leading Biden Autopen Investigation Caught Using Digital Signature Ryan Grenoble Tue, July 15, 2025 at 4:18 PM EDT 2 min read
GOP Rep. Leading Biden Autopen Investigation Caught Using Digital Signature The lead investigator in the conspiracy-driven effort to discredit Joe Biden’s presidency — because Biden occasionally used an autopen to sign documents — uses a digital signature himself.
An NBC investigation found Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), who oversees the House Oversight Committee, had staffers digitally sign legal documents on his behalf.
Ironically, the documents in question were all letters or subpoenas sent in pursuit of Comer’s investigation into Biden for seemingly engaging in the same behavior.
Sixteen letters bearing Comer’s signature were sent to Biden White House officials requesting transcribed interviews. In all 16 cases, Comer’s signature was digitally inserted, and the metadata shows an oversight committee staffer actually authored the documents.
Comer also “signed” cover letters for two subpoenas, which forced former White House physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor and former Jill Biden aide Anthony Bernal to appear before the committee.
(Dr. O’Connor sat for the committee last week but refused to answer any questions, citing doctor-client privilege and his Fifth Amendment rights.)
Comer’s office didn’t respond to a request for comment from HuffPost.
The Oversight Committee did, however, respond to NBC reporter Ryan Nobles on X, where they didn’t dispute the report ― but did poorly photoshop the Capitol Hill correspondent into clown makeup:
Comer himself also attacked Nobles on social media, telling him, “There’s still time to delete this.”
In a longer response, a spokesperson for the House Oversight Committee also told NBC that comparing Comer’s digital signature to Biden’s legally binding autopen is “absurd and misleading” and that “using digital signatures for official correspondence is common practice for both Republicans and Democrats.”
Speaking of hilarious or sad as some may see it, this is exactly what a habitual liar looks like. Someone, who for no actual reason just makes up lies......................
Fact check: Trump tells fictional story about his uncle and the Unabomber
President Donald Trump likes to boast about the brilliance of his late uncle John Trump, who spent decades as a professor of electrical engineering at the renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). And when speaking about all manner of subjects, the president likes to make up stories filled with dramatic but fictional details.
On Tuesday, Trump conjured an especially odd imaginary tale – that linked his uncle with the late terrorist Theodore “Ted” Kaczynski, better known as the Unabomber.
Trump was speaking at a Pennsylvania event about energy and innovation when he said he had to “brag just for a second” about his uncle’s intelligence. After wrongly saying his uncle was “the longest-serving professor in the history of MIT” (he was one of the longest-serving but not the very longest) and wrongly saying his uncle’s three university degrees were “in nuclear, chemical, and math” (two were in electrical engineering and one was in physics), the president claimed, “Kaczynski was one of his students.”
He went on to tell a story about having asked his uncle about what Kaczynski was like. “‘I said, ‘What kind of a student was he, Uncle John?’ Dr. John Trump. I said, ‘What kind of a student?’ And then he said, ‘Seriously, good.’ He said, ‘He’d correct – he’d go around correcting everybody.’ But it didn’t work out too well for him.”
For two big reasons, this story could not possibly be accurate.
First, the president’s uncle died in 1985. Kaczynski was publicly revealed as the Unabomber more than a decade later, in 1996, when he was captured; before that, he had lived as a recluse in the Montana wilderness. There is no apparent reason that Donald Trump would have been asking anyone about Kaczynski in 1985 or earlier.
Second, Kaczynski attended Harvard University and the University of Michigan, not MIT. An MIT spokesperson said in a Wednesday email: “We have no enrollment record or information that Ted Kaczynski ever attended MIT.”
Harvard has long allowed some students to register for classes at nearby MIT, but media outlets and MIT itself have found no sign that Kaczynski ever did that during his time at Harvard in the late 1950s and early 1960s – much less that Kaczynski, a Harvard mathematics major, studied under Trump, the MIT professor of electrical engineering. MIT reported on its website in 1996 that Kaczynski’s high school guidance counselor said Kaczynski had been offered admission to MIT in the 1950s but had chosen Harvard instead.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment on the president’s tale.
What the president could have accurately said is that his uncle was an esteemed MIT professor. The MIT spokesperson said Wednesday that John Trump “remains among the longest-serving professors in our history and was a highly valued member of the MIT community throughout his tenure as a researcher, innovator, entrepreneur, teacher, and colleague.”
Some seem to claim that we on the left leaning side go around "blaming trump for everything". That's what people say when they can't honestly defend what trump says and instead try to pin the onus in our direction. When in fact he does and says stupid BS and makes up this kind of crap on a regular basis that never gets posted about. In the grand scheme of things this isn't important. It's just a reminder to those who still support him as to who he really is.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
US officials open investigation into former special counsel Jack Smith
Trump and his cronies are so willing to use government apparatus to Persecute anyone who has stood against him. That there's even some trumptards that would support this and try and justify it.
The more things change the more they stay the same.
US officials open investigation into former special counsel Jack Smith
Trump and his cronies are so willing to use government apparatus to Persecute anyone who has stood against him. That there's even some trumptards that would support this and try and justify it.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but Opening up this case would eventually require the stuff Smith has on Trump to be revealed... PUBLICALLY
#GMSTRONG
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.” Daniel Patrick Moynahan
"Alternative facts hurt us all. Think before you blindly believe." Damanshot
Trump Official Caught in Bombshell January 6 Tape Urging Cop Murder Malcolm Ferguson Thu, August 7, 2025 at 12:13 PM EDT
NPR has obtained police bodycam footage of Trump Justice Department official Jared Wise calling on January 6 rioters to kill police officers.
“You guys are disgusting, man. You guys are disgusting,” Wise can be seen and heard saying on the footage. “I’m former law enforcement, you’re disgusting. You are the Nazi, you are the Gestapo, you can’t see it, cuz you’re chasing your pension.”
“Yeah! [censored] them, yeah! Kill ’em, yeah!” he later cheers as rioters push their way forward.
Wise’s incendiary statements, which he admitted to under oath in January, first made headlines in July after he was appointed senior counselor to Ed Martin, who was working to help January 6 rioters fight against “improper investigative tactics and unethical prosecutions.”
Wise defended his speech as a heat of the moment action influenced by what he saw as “police brutality” on the part of the Capitol officers.
“Those are terrible things to say. Of course. I shouldn’t say those things,” he said in court. “I think I was careless and used, like, terrible words when I was angry.”
Wise worked for the FBI from 2004 to 2017 before moving on to the far-right propaganda machine Project Veritas, where he infiltrated teachers’ unions across the Midwest. Wise was charged with two felonies and four misdemeanor counts in 2023, including trespassing and disrupting the orderly conduct of government, for his actions on January 6. All of his charges (and the charges of hundreds of other rioters) were dropped by Trump.
Wise’s pardoning and senior appointment show that Trump truly sees no wrong in what happened on January 6, and he won’t even pretend to. Rather than display any level of accountability, he rewards and uplifts those, like Wise, who called for violence against police and against the country in his name.
It's interesting somehow in MAGA world - saying "I'm a proud Gueatamalean and and American 1st" - or whatever version of that speech you want to believe - is somehow much worse than calling for the death of law enforcement. Fact.
The more things change the more they stay the same.
Hegseth reposts video on social media featuring pastors saying women shouldn't be allowed to vote The man who oversees the nation’s military has reposted a video on X, formerly Twitter, about a Christian nationalist church that included various pastors saying women should no longer be allowed to vote and should “submit” to their husbands
ByKONSTANTIN TOROPIN Associated Press August 8, 2025, 6:16 PM
1:40 National headlines from ABC NewsCatch up on the developing stories making headlines. WASHINGTON -- The man who oversees the nation's military reposted a video about a Christian nationalist church that included various pastors saying women should no longer be allowed to vote.
The extraordinary repost on X from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, made Thursday night, illustrates his deep and personal connection to a Christian nationalist pastor with extreme views on the role of religion and women.
In the post, Hegseth commented on an almost seven-minute-long report by CNN examining Doug Wilson, cofounder of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches, or CREC. The report featured a pastor from Wilson's church advocating the repeal of women’s right to vote from the Constitution, and another pastor saying that in his ideal world, people would vote as households. It also featured a female congregant saying that she submits to her husband.
“All of Christ for All of Life,” Hegseth wrote in his post that accompanied the video.
Hegseth’s post received more than 12,000 likes and 2,000 shares on X. Some users agreed with the pastors in the video, while others expressed alarm at the defense secretary promoting Christian nationalist ideas.
Doug Pagitt, pastor and executive director of the progressive evangelical organization Vote Common Good, said the ideas in the video are views that “small fringes of Christians keep” and said it was “very disturbing” that Hegseth would amplify them.
Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell told The Associated Press on Friday that Hegseth is “a proud member of a church” that is affiliated with CREC and he “very much appreciates many of Mr. Wilson’s writings and teachings.”
In May, Hegseth invited his personal pastor, Brooks Potteiger, to the Pentagon to lead the first of several Christian prayer services that Hegseth has held inside the government building during working hours. Defense Department employees and service members said they received invitations to the event in their government emails.
“I’d like to see the nation be a Christian nation, and I’d like to see the world be a Christian world,” Wilson said in the CNN report.
___
AP journalists Mike Pesoli in Washington and Ali Swenson in New York contributed to this report.
Maybe stopping women from voting is something they think will MAGA. Maybe they can advocate that women should be in the kitchen, barefoot and pregnant during their next campaign cycle.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
A July 2025 survey found that 47% of Republican voters said they'd still support U.S. President Donald Trump even if he were officially implicated in the late Jeffrey Epstein's sex crimes.
Rating:
Rating: True
Context:
The question asked of around 1,000 American voters was: "If Donald Trump was officially implicated in Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking activities, would this make you more likely to vote for another party, or would it not affect your vote for Donald Trump?" Forty-seven percent of Republican respondents said such a revelation would not affect their vote, though based on other polling data this appears to reflect voter loyalty more than approval of the alleged actions.
In early August 2025, a claim circulated on social media that 47% of Republican voters said they would not change their support for U.S. President Donald Trump even if he were officially implicated in Jeffrey Epstein's sex crimes.
Trump's past association with the late sex offender has long fueled speculation, though no formal charges have linked Trump to Epstein's criminal activities. In early July 2025, the Department of Justice shared a memo stating that its review found no incriminating "client list" and no credible evidence that Epstein had blackmailed prominent people.
One TikTok post (archived) on the topic had a caption reading, "47% of Republican voters said they'd still support Trump even if he were officially implicated in Epstein's sex crimes WHAT THE F***?"
(TikTok user @nowthisimpact)
The claim also spread on social media platforms including Facebook, X, Reddit and Instagram.
In short, the claim was true: A survey conducted in late July 2025 found that 47% of Republican voters said Trump being implicated in Epstein's criminal activities would not affect their vote. While some viral posts framed this as proof of continued support, the poll specifically asked whether the allegation would influence Republicans' voting behavior — not whether respondents condoned the alleged actions.
Source of the statistics
The statistic came from a poll the Canadian market research company Leger conducted in partnership with the media companies 338Canada and Maintenant Media between July 25 and 27, 2025. It was published on July 30. The survey explored the attitudes of a representative sample of around a thousand American voters on several topics, including the potential political fallout if Trump were officially implicated in Epstein's sex trafficking activities.
One question, labeled Q10, asked:
If Donald Trump was officially implicated in Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking activities, would this make you more likely to vote for another party, or would it not affect your vote for Donald Trump?
Base: Republican voters (n=322)
The question was asked only of respondents who identified as Republican voters, making up a subset of the full sample. According to the poll, 47% of Republican voters said Trump being implicated would not affect their vote. Meanwhile, 27% said they'd be more likely to vote for another party and 26% were unsure or preferred not to answer.
(leger360.com)
A side note in the report added, "Among those who say they would vote for the Republican candidate in 2028, 23% report they would be more likely to vote for another party if Donald Trump were officially implicated in Jeffrey Epstein's activities."
The survey revealed additional insights by region, age and gender. For instance, Republicans age 18-34 were the most likely to say they would vote for another party if Trump were implicated (61%), and older Republicans (55+) were the least likely to be swayed, with 58% saying it wouldn't affect their vote. Additionally, male respondents were more likely than female respondents to say it would not affect their vote (55% vs. 38%).
Other surveys on Republican voters' views regarding Trump and the Epstein case show notable division and skepticism among party supporters. Advertisement
For instance, a mid-July 2025 Quinnipiac University poll found Republicans split on Trump's handling of the Epstein files — 40% approved, 36% disapproved and 24% remained undecided. Overall, 63% of all voters disapproved of how the Trump administration managed the Epstein case.
An Economist/YouGov poll found 45% of Republican voters approved of Trump's handling of the Epstein investigation, with 25% disapproving. Despite this division, surveys have shown that many Republican voters strongly desire transparency. According to the same poll, the vast majority of Americans (89% of Democrats and 73% of Republicans) believed that the government should release all documents it has about the Epstein case. A Reuters/Ipsos poll showed that among Republicans, 35% approved of Trump's handling of the case, compared to 29% who disapproved and the rest who said they weren't sure or didn't answer the question.
All in all, the claim that 47% of Republican voters said they would still support Trump if he were implicated in the Epstein case was accurate — but it reflected voter loyalty more than approval of the alleged actions. Other polls showed Republicans were divided on Trump's handling of the case and broadly supported full disclosure of the so-called Epstein files.
Other Epstein-related rumors we've investigated include a claim that Trump once said, "I never had the privilege of going to his island" and a 2002 photo allegedly showing 22-year-old Chauntae Davies, an accuser of Epstein, giving former President Bill Clinton a shoulder massage.
Sources:
63% Of Voters Disapprove Of The Trump Administration's Handling Of The Jeffrey Epstein Files, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Nearly Half Of Voters Would Consider Joining A Third Party, Just Not One Created By Elon Musk | Quinnipiac University Poll. 16 Jul. 2025, https://poll.qu.edu/poll-release?releaseid=3928.
As I scroll through FB I see what appears to be some crazy things posted by both the right and the left. Sometimes I fact check them because there's no way I think it could possibly be true. And quite often I'm right about that. Some of these posts just seem too bizarre to be true. This one such example. I thought it was just some far left wing BS.
Man was I surprised by what I found.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
Failed New Mexico candidate gets 80 years for convictions in shootings at officials’ homes
Albuquerque, New Mexico AP —
A failed political candidate was sentenced to 80 years in federal prison Wednesday for his convictions in a series of drive-by shootings at the homes of state and local lawmakers in Albuquerque in the aftermath of the 2020 election.
A jury convicted former Republican candidate Solomon Peña earlier this year of conspiracy, weapons and other charges in the shootings in December 2022 and January 2023 on the homes of four Democratic officials, including the current state House speaker.
Prosecutors, who had sought a 90-year sentence, said Peña has shown no remorse and had hoped to cause political change by terrorizing people who held contrary views to him into being too afraid to take part in political life.
Peña’s lawyers had sought a five-year sentence, saying their client maintains that he is innocent of the charges. They have said Peña was not involved in the shootings and that prosecutors were relying on the testimony of two men who bear responsibility and accepted plea agreements in exchange for leniency.
“Today was a necessary step toward Mr. Peña’s continued fight to prove his innocence,” said Nicholas Hart, one of Peña’s attorneys. “He looks forward to the opportunity to appeal, where serious issues about the propriety of this prosecution will be addressed.”
The attacks took place as threats and acts of intimidation against election workers and public officials surged across the country after President Donald Trump and his allies called into question the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.
Prosecutors said Peña resorted to violence in the belief that a “rigged” election had robbed him of victory in his bid to serve in the state Legislature.
The shootings targeted the homes of officials including two county commissioners after their certification of the 2022 election, in which Peña lost by nearly 50 percentage points. No one was injured, but in one case bullets passed through the bedroom of a state senator’s 10-year-old daughter.
Two other men who had acknowledged helping Peña with the attacks had previously pleaded guilty to federal charges and received yearslong prison sentences.
Supreme Court formally asked to overturn landmark same-sex marriage ruling
Kim Davis, a former clerk who refused gay couples, brought the appeal.
Ten years after the Supreme Court extended marriage rights to same-sex couples nationwide, the justices this fall will consider for the first time whether to take up a case that explicitly asks them to overturn that decision.
Kim Davis, the former Kentucky county clerk who was jailed for six days in 2015 after refusing to issue marriage licenses to a gay couple on religious grounds, is appealing a $100,000 jury verdict for emotional damages plus $260,000 for attorneys fees.
In a petition for writ of certiorari filed last month, Davis argues First Amendment protection for free exercise of religion immunizes her from personal liability for the denial of marriage licenses.
More fundamentally, she claims the high court's decision in Obergefell v Hodges -- extending marriage rights for same-sex couples under the 14th Amendment's due process protections -- was "egregiously wrong."
"The mistake must be corrected," wrote Davis' attorney Mathew Staver in the petition. He calls Justice Anthony Kennedy's majority opinion in Obergefell "legal fiction."
The petition appears to mark the first time since 2015 that the court has been formally asked to overturn the landmark marriage decision. Davis is seen as one of the only Americans currently with legal standing to bring a challenge to the precedent.
"If there ever was a case of exceptional importance," Staver wrote, "the first individual in the Republic's history who was jailed for following her religious convictions regarding the historic definition of marriage, this should be it."
Lower courts have dismissed Davis' claims and most legal experts consider her bid a long shot. A federal appeals court panel concluded earlier this year that the former clerk "cannot raise the First Amendment as a defense because she is being held liable for state action, which the First Amendment does not protect."
Davis, as the Rowan County Clerk in 2015, was the sole authority tasked with issuing marriage licenses on behalf of the government under state law.
"Not a single judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals showed any interest in Davis's rehearing petition, and we are confident the Supreme Court will likewise agree that Davis's arguments do not merit further attention," said William Powell, attorney for David Ermold and David Moore, the now-married Kentucky couple that sued Davis for damages, in a statement to ABC News.
A renewed campaign to reverse legal precedent
Davis' appeal to the Supreme Court comes as conservative opponents of marriage rights for same-sex couples pursue a renewed campaign to reverse legal precedent and allow each state to set its own policy.
At the time Obergefell was decided in 2015, 35 states had statutory or constitutional bans on same-sex marriages, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Only eight states had enacted laws explicitly allowing the unions.
So far in 2025, at least nine states have either introduced legislation aimed at blocking new marriage licenses for LGBTQ people or passed resolutions urging the Supreme Court to reverse Obergefell at the earliest opportunity, according to the advocacy group Lambda Legal.
In June, the Southern Baptist Convention -- the nation's largest Protestant Christian denomination -- overwhelmingly voted to make "overturning of laws and court rulings, including Obergefell v. Hodges, that defy God's design for marriage and family" a top priority.
Support for equal marriage rights softening
While a strong majority of Americans favor equal marriage rights, support appears to have softened in recent years, according to Gallup -- 60% of Americans supported same-sex marriages in 2015, rising to 70% support in 2025, but that level has plateaued since 2020.
Among Republicans, support has notably dipped over the past decade, down from 55% in 2021 to 41% this year, Gallup found.
Davis' petition argues the issue of marriage should be treated the same way the court handled the issue of abortion in its 2022 decision to overturn Roe v Wade. She zeroes in on Justice Clarence Thomas' concurrence in that case, in which he explicitly called for revisiting Obergefell.
The justices "should reconsider all of this Court's substantive due process precedents, including Griswold, Lawrence, and Obergefell," Thomas wrote at the time, referring to the landmark decisions dealing with a fundamental right to privacy, due process and equal protection rights.
"It is hard to say where things will go, but this will be a long slog considering how popular same-sex marriage is now," said Josh Blackman, a prominent conservative constitutional scholar and professor at South Texas College of Law.
Blackman predicts many members of the Supreme Court's conservative majority would want prospective challenges to Obergefell to percolate in lower courts before revisiting the debate.
The court is expected to formally consider Davis' petition this fall during a private conference when the justices discuss which cases to add to their docket. If the case is accepted, it would likely be scheduled for oral argument next spring and decided by the end of June 2026. The court could also decline the case, allowing a lower court ruling to stand and avoid entirely the request to revisit Obergefell.
"Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett seem wildly uninterested. Maybe Justice Neil Gorsuch, too," said Sarah Isgur, an ABC News legal analyst and host of the legal podcast Advisory Opinions.
"There is no world in which the court takes the case as a straight gay marriage case," Isgur added. "It would have to come up as a lower court holding that Obergefell binds judges to accept some other kind of non-traditional marital arrangement."
Ruling wouldn't invalidate existing marriages
If the ruling were to be overturned at some point in the future, it would not invalidate marriages already performed, legal experts have pointed out. The 2022 Respect for Marriage Act requires the federal government and all states to recognize legal marriages of same-sex and interracial couples performed in any state -- even if there is a future change in the law.
Davis first appealed the Supreme Court in 2019 seeking to have the damages suit against her tossed out, but her petition was rejected. Conservative Justices Thomas and Samuel Alito concurred with the decision at the time.
"This petition implicates important questions about the scope of our decision in Obergefell, but it does not cleanly present them," Thomas wrote in a statement.
Many LGBTQ advocates say they are apprehensive about the shifting legal and political landscape around marriage rights.
There are an estimated 823,000 married same-sex couples in the U.S., including 591,000 that wed after the Supreme Court decision in June 2015, according to the Williams Institute at UCLA Law School. Nearly one in five of those married couples is parenting a child under 18.
Since the Obergefell decision, the makeup of the Supreme Court has shifted rightward, now including three appointees of President Donald Trump and a 6-justice conservative supermajority.
Chief Justice John Roberts, among the current members of the court who dissented in Obergefell a decade ago, sharply criticized the ruling at the time as "an act of will, not legal judgment" with "no basis in the Constitution." He also warned then that it "creates serious questions about religious liberty."
Davis invoked Roberts' words in her petition to the high court, hopeful that at least four justices will vote to accept her case and hear arguments next year.
Who didn't see this coming? We warned people this was going to happen. They said that it wouldn't.
The same people when they were warned that medicaid would be on that list they said that wouldn't happen too. The same people that when warned they may even come after food assistence for the poor said that would never happen too.
Keep your lists handy. There is going to be plenty more on that list of things you said "they would never do" that they are going be doing soon.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
70%, even as a plateau, is significant. I have a hunch that SCOTUS will deny cert, but I don’t know for sure.
If it’s overturned, that would be highly unpopular among the general voter population. Could turn into a dog who finally caught the car moment for the MAGA caucus, especially in the Senate.
Blue ostriches on crack float on milkshakes between the sidewalk titans of gurglefitz. --YTown
I have no idea how the SCOTUS will rule but it's yet another example of how those on the far right are trying to impose their religious beliefs on the whole of society. I mean to some extent that's nothing new but the volume of it most certainly is. From states imposing laws to force schools to post the ten commandments, to one state even mandating Bible classes in their classrooms, to Texas passing laws that even so much as traveling on their roads going to other states for a legal abortion to this, they're flooding the zone with it because they believe this SCOTUS favors them mandating such things.
They used to be all for smaller government. But I guess when it applies to "the God rule" it's different.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
Oklahoma to test political leanings of teacher applicants from New York, California
Oklahoma will require applicants for teacher jobs coming from California and New York to pass an exam that the Republican-dominated state's top education official says is designed to safeguard against "radical leftist ideology" but that opponents decry as a "MAGA loyalty test."
Ryan Walters, Oklahoma's public schools superintendent, said Monday that any teacher coming from the two blue states will be required to pass an assessment exam administered by PragerU, an Oklahoma-based conservative nonprofit, before getting a state certification.
"As long as I am superintendent, Oklahoma classrooms will be safeguarded from the radical leftist ideology fostered in places like California and New York," Walters said in a statement.
PragerU, short for Prager University, puts out short videos with a conservative perspective on politics and economics. It promotes itself as "focused on changing minds through the creative use of digital media."
Quinton Hitchcock, a spokesperson for the state's education department, said the Prager test for teacher applicants has been finalized and will be rolling out "very soon."
The state didn't release the entire 50-question test to The Associated Press but did provide the first five questions, which include asking what the first three words of the U.S. Constitution are and why freedom of religion is "important to America's identity."
Prager didn't immediately respond to a phone message or email seeking comment. But Marissa Streit, CEO of PragerU, told CNN several questions on the assessment relate to "undoing the damage of gender ideology."
Jonathan Zimmerman, who teaches history of education at the University of Pennsylvania, said Oklahoma's contract with PragerU to test out-of-state would-be teachers "is a watershed moment."
"Instead of Prager simply being a resource that you can draw in an optional way, Prager has become institutionalized as part of the state system," he said. "There's no other way to describe it."
Zimmerman said the American Historical Association did a survey last year of 7th- to 12th-grade teachers and found that only a minority were relying on textbooks for day-to-day instruction. He said the upside to that is that most history books are "deadly boring." But he said that means history teachers are relying on online resources, such as those from Prager.
"I think what we're now seeing in Oklahoma is something different, which is actually empowering Prager as a kind of gatekeeper for future teachers," Zimmerman said. Oklahoma's move sharply criticized
One of the nation's largest teachers unions, the American Federation of Teachers, has often been at odds with the Trump administration and the crackdown on teacher autonomy in the classroom.
"This MAGA loyalty test will be yet another turnoff for teachers in a state already struggling with a huge shortage," said AFT President Randi Weingarten.
She was critical of Walters, who pushed for the state's curriculum standards to be revised to include conspiracy theories about the 2020 presidential election.
"His priority should be educating students, but instead, it's getting Donald Trump and other MAGA politicians to notice him," Weingarten said in a statement.
Tina Ellsworth, president of the nonprofit National Council for the Social Studies, also raised concerns that the test would prevent teachers from applying for jobs.
"State boards of education should stay true to the values and principles of the U.S. Constitution," Ellsworth said. "Imposing an ideology test to become a teacher in our great democracy is antithetical to those principles."
State Rep. John Waldron, the Oklahoma Democratic Party chairman, decried the test as "political posturing."
"If you want to see a textbook definition of indoctrination, how about a loyalty test for teachers," said Waldron. "It's a sad echo of a more paranoid past."
Waldron, a New Jersey native, said he would have been in the target demographic for this kind of test when he moved from Washington, D.C., to Oklahoma to teach social studies in 1999. He said it would have struck him as an indication that the state "wasn't serious about attracting quality teachers."
"Teachers are not rushing here from other states to teach. We've got an enormous teacher shortage and it's not like we have a giant supply of teachers coming in from blue states anyway," he said.
‘We are arresting the mayor right now, per the deputy attorney general’
Ry Rivard, Matt Friedman and Erica Orden Mon, August 18, 2025 at 7:15 PM EDT 6 min read
The federal officer who arrested the mayor of New Jersey’s largest city outside an immigration detention center in May suggested that he was making the arrest at the direction of the Justice Department’s No. 2 official, Todd Blanche, according to law enforcement body camera footage described in a new court filing.
The filing, from Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.), sheds new light on the chaotic scene on May 9 when Democratic lawmakers and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, attempting to conduct an oversight visit, clashed with immigration agents. Baraka was arrested for trespassing, but that charge was dropped. McIver was later charged with assaulting federal agents; she is seeking to get the case dismissed.
According to McIver’s attorneys, a Department of Homeland Security special agent was on the phone as the events unfolded that day. Citing bodycam footage they obtained in the case, the attorneys wrote that the special agent, after hanging up the call, turned to a group of fellow agents and announced: “We are arresting the mayor right now, per the deputy attorney general of the United States. Anyone that gets in our way, I need you guys to give me a perimeter so I can cuff him.”
POLITICO has not reviewed the bodycam video. Although the footage was submitted as an exhibit in the case, it was not yet publicly available. A spokesperson for the Justice Department did not respond to requests for comment, and a response from the Department of Homeland Security did not address whether Blanche had ordered the agents to make the arrest.
The special agent’s apparent suggestion that he was acting at Blanche’s direction is the latest sign that top Justice Department officials are harnessing the power of law enforcement against Democrats and other perceived enemies of President Donald Trump. Trump’s DOJ has opened investigations into various figures Trump disdains, including Jack Smith, James Comey, former Homeland Security aides who criticized him and many others.
Federal law enforcement officials have also detained New York City Comptroller Brad Lander and handcuffed California Sen. Alex Padilla.
For months, Democrats have wondered if agents at the Newark immigration detention center had been instructed by a superior to arrest Baraka. Witness accounts and other video footage taken that day showed the mayor had been allowed inside a gated area by a guard, stood there peacefully for the better part of an hour and left the gated area when federal agents threatened him with arrest. That day, Rep. Rob Menendez (D-N.J.) told POLITICO that he’d witnessed an agent inside the gated area talking on the phone with someone who told the agent to arrest Baraka, who by the time of the call was outside the gate. McIver gave a similar account in a press conference at the time.
The description of the bodycam footage submitted in court last week by McIver’s attorneys bolsters that account. Quoting from the footage, her attorneys wrote that the special agent on the phone said of Baraka during the call: “Even though he stepped out, I am going to put him in cuffs.”
Then the agent made the comment about arresting the mayor “per the deputy attorney general.” Moments later, law enforcement officials came out of the gate and arrested Baraka, setting off a scrum involving the mayor and members of Congress. McIver is accused in a three-count indictment of slamming the special agent with her forearm, “forcibly” grabbing him and using her forearms to strike another agent. She has pleaded not guilty.
Less than two weeks later, federal prosecutors dropped a trespassing charge against Baraka. But a federal judge chided the effort to charge him in the first place. Magistrate Judge André M. Espinosa called it an “embarrassing retraction” that “suggests a failure to adequately investigate, to carefully gather facts and to thoughtfully consider the implications of your actions before wielding your immense power.”
Baraka is the progressive mayor of New Jersey’s largest city and at the time of his arrest was seeking the Democratic nomination for governor, an election he has since lost. Separately, he is suing the Trump administration for “malicious prosecution” in a lawsuit that names acting U.S. Attorney Alina Habba and Ricky Patel, a special agent in charge for Homeland Security Investigations’ Newark Division.
According to a comparison of court documents filed in the Baraka and McIver cases, Patel is the special agent overheard on the bodycam footage referring to the deputy attorney general.
McIver tries to harness Trump immunity ruling
The new revelations about the episode came in legal briefs asking to have McIver’s own case thrown out.
As part of that effort, McIver asked the judge overseeing the case, U.S. District Judge Jamel Semper, to rule that lawmakers have the same kind of immunity from prosecutions that the Supreme Court gave Trump.
Her attorneys said McIver’s visit to the detention facility, known as Delaney Hall, was a legislative act she cannot be prosecuted for. They cited the Supreme Court ruling last summer that gave Trump immunity from criminal prosecution for some actions he took during his first presidential term while fighting to subvert the 2020 election.
McIver’s attorneys also argued that she is facing intimidation and that Habba’s office, which is prosecuting the case, is undermining the Constitution’s “Speech or Debate” Clause. That clause grants members of Congress a form of immunity that is mostly impenetrable in investigations relating to the official duties of lawmakers, their aides or other congressional officials.
The Department of Homeland Security said the argument is laughable.
"Suggesting that physically assaulting a federal law enforcement officer is ‘legitimate legislative activity’ covered by legislative immunity makes a joke of all three branches of government at once,” the Homeland Security Department’s assistant secretary, Tricia McLaughlin, said in a statement.
If lawmakers don’t continue to receive such protections, McIver’s legal team warns of dire consequences for the country.
“If these charges are allowed to move forward, they will send a chilling message to Congress on the risk it takes when it scrutinizes the Administration’s activities,” McIver’s defense team wrote. “The Speech or Debate Clause was designed to prevent that kind of message and intimidation.”
Former Sen. Bob Menendez — Rob Menendez’s father — has tried to use the speech or debate clause to shield himself from corruption charges. He is now serving an 11-year prison sentence and appealing the conviction. McIver’s attorneys cited a 3rd Circuit ruling against Menendez in 2016 — who was then facing different corruption charges that were later dropped — as making clear that members of Congress do have immunity for legislative actions but that the allegations against him were for things beyond the scope of that immunity. McIver’s team argued the Menendez case “could not be more different” from hers.
In another legal filing made last week, McIver also sought to dismiss the charges against her based on unconstitutional “selective” and “vindictive” prosecution, noting that the Justice Department walked away from prosecutions of hundreds of defendants from Jan. 6, 2021, despite clear video of many attacking police officers.
Florida orders Miami Beach, Fort Lauderdale to remove rainbow crosswalks
In letters from the state transportation department, communities are being ordered to remove them by early next month.
Miami Beach and Fort Lauderdale are being ordered to remove their rainbow crosswalks – or risk losing millions of dollars in state and federal transportation funding.
The directive comes from the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), which sent multiple cities across the state 14-day notices to take down Pride-themed crosswalks and street art.
Miami Beach pushes back
One of the most well-known crosswalks is at 12th Street and Ocean Drive in Miami Beach, installed seven years ago. FDOT argues the pastel rainbow artwork poses a safety risk for both drivers and pedestrians. But city statistics suggest otherwise.
According to crash data, the intersection at 12th and Ocean has had just 15 accidents since the artwork was installed in 2018 — fewer than neighboring intersections at 10th Street (37 crashes) and 13th Street (23 crashes).
City Commissioner Alex Fernandez called the rainbow crosswalk “a symbol of safety and inclusivity,” adding, “We must appeal the state’s order. If the state denies our appeal, then we need to consider all of our options…to protect the rights of our community, to protect the visibility.”
State’s reasoning
The state’s order stems from a May FDOT memo that banned surface pavement art tied to “social, political, or ideological messages” that do not serve a traffic control purpose. FDOT says such markings can cause distractions or confusion that compromise roadway safety.
But Fernandez disagreed, saying, “It’s a sign of tolerance, of inclusivity, of being welcoming to all people. To start chipping away at these symbols…it’s a dangerous path forward.”
Fort Lauderdale joins the fight
Fort Lauderdale’s mayor, Dean Trantalis, echoed those concerns after FDOT ordered the removal of Pride-themed art near Sebastian Beach and at three other intersections.
“We know this has nothing to do with traffic safety,” he said. “This has everything to do with eliminating the visibility of the LGBT community.” Orlando crosswalk painted over
The state has already taken action in Orlando, where FDOT crews painted over the rainbow crosswalk outside the Pulse nightclub — the site of a 2016 mass shooting that killed 49 people. After word spread, neighbors used chalk to restore the colors.
Trantalis said state leaders should focus on other priorities.
“Honestly I wish the state would focus more on affordable insurance, homelessness, and finding affordable housing," he said.
Trump halts work on New England offshore wind project that’s nearly complete
The Trump administration halted construction on a nearly complete offshore wind project near Rhode Island as the White House continues to attack the battered U.S. offshore wind industry that scientists say is crucial to the urgent fight against climate change.
Danish wind farm developer Orsted says the Revolution Wind project is about 80% complete, with 45 out of its 65 turbines already installed.
Despite that progress — and the fact that the project had cleared years of federal and state reviews — the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management issued the order Friday, saying the federal government needs to review the project and “address concerns related to the protection of national security interests of the United States.”
It did not specify what the national security concerns are.
President Donald Trump has made sweeping strides to prioritize fossil fuels and hinder renewable energy projects. Trump recently called wind and solar power “THE SCAM OF THE CENTURY!” in a social media post and vowed not to approve wind or “farmer destroying Solar” projects. “The days of stupidity are over in the USA!!!” he wrote on his Truth Social site this week.
Scientists across the globe agree that nations need to rapidly embrace renewable energy to stave off the worst effects of climate change, including extreme heat and drought; larger, more intense wildfires and supercharged hurricanes, typhoons and rainstorms that lead to catastrophic flooding.
Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee criticized the stop-work order and said he and Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont “will pursue every avenue to reverse the decision to halt work on Revolution Wind” in a post on X. Both governors are Democrats.
Construction on Revolution Wind began in 2023, and the project was expected to be fully operational next year. Orsted says it is evaluating the financial impact of stopping construction and is considering legal proceedings.
Revolution Wind is located more than 15 miles (24 kilometers) south of the Rhode Island coast, 32 miles (51 kilometers) southeast of the Connecticut coast and 12 miles (19 kilometers) southwest of Martha’s Vineyard. Rhode Island is already home to one offshore wind farm, the five-turbine Block Island Wind Farm.
Revolution Wind was expected to be Rhode Island and Connecticut’s first commercial-scale offshore wind farm, capable of powering more than 350,000 homes. The densely populated states have minimal space available for land-based energy projects, which is why the offshore wind project is considered crucial for the states to meet their climate goals.
“This arbitrary decision defies all logic and reason — Revolution Wind’s project was already well underway and employed hundreds of skilled tradesmen and women. This is a major setback for a critical project in Connecticut, and I will fight it,” Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat, said in a statement.
Wind power is the largest source of renewable energy in the U.S. and provides about 10% of the electricity generated in the nation.
“Today, the U.S. has only one fully operational large-scale offshore wind project producing power. That is not enough to meet America’s rising energy needs. We need more energy of all types, including oil and gas, wind, and new and emerging technologies,” said Erik Milito, president of the National Ocean Industries Association, a group that supports offshore oil, gas and wind.
Green Oceans, a nonprofit that opposes the offshore wind industry, applauded the BOEM’s decision. “We are grateful that the Trump Administration and the federal government are taking meaningful action to preserve the fragile ocean environment off the coasts of Rhode Island and Massachusetts,” the nonprofit said in a statement.
This is the second major offshore wind project the White House has halted. Work was stopped on Empire Wind, a New York offshore wind project, but construction was allowed to resume after New York Sen. Chuck Schumer and Gov. Kathy Hochul, both Democrats, intervened.
“This administration has it exactly backwards. It’s trying to prop up clunky, polluting coal plants while doing all it can to halt the fastest growing energy sources of the future – solar and wind power,” said Kit Kennedy, managing director for the power division at Natural Resources Defense Council, in a statement. “Unfortunately, every American is paying the price for these misguided decisions.”
Oklahoma to test political leanings of teacher applicants from New York, California
Oklahoma will require applicants for teacher jobs coming from California and New York to pass an exam that the Republican-dominated state's top education official says is designed to safeguard against "radical leftist ideology" but that opponents decry as a "MAGA loyalty test."
Ryan Walters, Oklahoma's public schools superintendent, said Monday that any teacher coming from the two blue states will be required to pass an assessment exam administered by PragerU, an Oklahoma-based conservative nonprofit, before getting a state certification.
"As long as I am superintendent, Oklahoma classrooms will be safeguarded from the radical leftist ideology fostered in places like California and New York," Walters said in a statement.
PragerU, short for Prager University, puts out short videos with a conservative perspective on politics and economics. It promotes itself as "focused on changing minds through the creative use of digital media."
Quinton Hitchcock, a spokesperson for the state's education department, said the Prager test for teacher applicants has been finalized and will be rolling out "very soon."
The state didn't release the entire 50-question test to The Associated Press but did provide the first five questions, which include asking what the first three words of the U.S. Constitution are and why freedom of religion is "important to America's identity."
Prager didn't immediately respond to a phone message or email seeking comment. But Marissa Streit, CEO of PragerU, told CNN several questions on the assessment relate to "undoing the damage of gender ideology."
Jonathan Zimmerman, who teaches history of education at the University of Pennsylvania, said Oklahoma's contract with PragerU to test out-of-state would-be teachers "is a watershed moment."
"Instead of Prager simply being a resource that you can draw in an optional way, Prager has become institutionalized as part of the state system," he said. "There's no other way to describe it."
Zimmerman said the American Historical Association did a survey last year of 7th- to 12th-grade teachers and found that only a minority were relying on textbooks for day-to-day instruction. He said the upside to that is that most history books are "deadly boring." But he said that means history teachers are relying on online resources, such as those from Prager.
"I think what we're now seeing in Oklahoma is something different, which is actually empowering Prager as a kind of gatekeeper for future teachers," Zimmerman said. Oklahoma's move sharply criticized
One of the nation's largest teachers unions, the American Federation of Teachers, has often been at odds with the Trump administration and the crackdown on teacher autonomy in the classroom.
"This MAGA loyalty test will be yet another turnoff for teachers in a state already struggling with a huge shortage," said AFT President Randi Weingarten.
She was critical of Walters, who pushed for the state's curriculum standards to be revised to include conspiracy theories about the 2020 presidential election.
"His priority should be educating students, but instead, it's getting Donald Trump and other MAGA politicians to notice him," Weingarten said in a statement.
Tina Ellsworth, president of the nonprofit National Council for the Social Studies, also raised concerns that the test would prevent teachers from applying for jobs.
"State boards of education should stay true to the values and principles of the U.S. Constitution," Ellsworth said. "Imposing an ideology test to become a teacher in our great democracy is antithetical to those principles."
State Rep. John Waldron, the Oklahoma Democratic Party chairman, decried the test as "political posturing."
"If you want to see a textbook definition of indoctrination, how about a loyalty test for teachers," said Waldron. "It's a sad echo of a more paranoid past."
Waldron, a New Jersey native, said he would have been in the target demographic for this kind of test when he moved from Washington, D.C., to Oklahoma to teach social studies in 1999. He said it would have struck him as an indication that the state "wasn't serious about attracting quality teachers."
"Teachers are not rushing here from other states to teach. We've got an enormous teacher shortage and it's not like we have a giant supply of teachers coming in from blue states anyway," he said.
You don't want indoctrination, but are in support of teachers having to pass an assessment from PragerU.
You guys are pure comedy.
Here is some info since MAGA hates getting tangled up in annoying stuff like info and context. PragerU is a conservative nonprofit that distributes content promoting conservative viewpoints. They are NOT: -accredited -they're not even an actual school
There's nothing inherently wrong with that, but having something like this as a screening tool for educators means you're choosing political affiliation over actual teaching ability... and doing so in the name of combating indoctrination is beyond hypocritical (it's hypocrisy with a generous helping of blissful ignorance).
Last edited by oobernoober; 08/25/2501:33 PM.
There is no level of sucking we haven't seen; in fact, I'm pretty sure we hold the patents on a few levels of sucking NOBODY had seen until the past few years.
I'm fully aware you think teaching children to be kind, accepting and decent to all human beings regardless of their sexuality is a terrible thing. While force feeding students your version of morality and religion is perfectly fine. Oklahoma is the same state that has ordered The Ten commandments be posted in every class and that a course on the Bible be a required class.
You want children of all faiths and of no faiths have your religion crammed down their throats.
Maybe it's time people like you from the looney bin get exposed and rejected before indoctrinating our children.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
I'm fully aware you think teaching children to be kind, accepting and decent to all human beings regardless of their sexuality is a terrible thing. While force feeding students your version of morality and religion is perfectly fine. Oklahoma is the same state that has ordered The Ten commandments be posted in every class and that a course on the Bible be a required class.
You want children of all faiths and of no faiths have your religion crammed down their throats.
Maybe it's time people like you from the looney bin get exposed and rejected before indoctrinating our children.
The Ten Commandments are a wonderful piece of history and should be taught in school.
"The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other peoples' money." Margarat Thatcher
Whose history? American history? So you do support your religion being imposed on our nations children. You support what you claim is history. If you're so concerned about history why aren't you concerned about trump trying to remove and downplay our actual history?
But I get it. You follow and support the man who said this....................
“Can you imagine you’re a parent and your son leaves the house and you say, ‘Jimmy, I love you so much, go have a good day in school,’ and your son comes back with a brutal operation? Can you even imagine this? What the hell is wrong with our country?”
This is why you have climbed down the rabbit hole.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
I'm fully aware you think teaching children to be kind, accepting and decent to all human beings regardless of their sexuality is a terrible thing. While force feeding students your version of morality and religion is perfectly fine. Oklahoma is the same state that has ordered The Ten commandments be posted in every class and that a course on the Bible be a required class.
You want children of all faiths and of no faiths have your religion crammed down their throats.
Maybe it's time people like you from the looney bin get exposed and rejected before indoctrinating our children.
The Ten Commandments are a wonderful piece of history and should be taught in school.
Yaliban.
There is no level of sucking we haven't seen; in fact, I'm pretty sure we hold the patents on a few levels of sucking NOBODY had seen until the past few years.
The president on Sunday also threatened to pull federal funding for the replacement of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed in 2024. The federal government had previously agreed to pay for the bridge’s replacement. ‘I gave Wes Moore a lot of money to fix his demolished bridge,’ Trump wrote. ‘I will now have to rethink that decision???’
Yet another example of how trump will threaten an entire city and its people because he is feuding with another politician.
And BTW- The funds to replace this bridge were passed by congress in late 2024 before trump ever started his second term. He had nothing to do with giving them anything. Yet another lie. Surprise, surprise.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
President Donald Trump doesn’t just want federal control of Washington, D.C., he wants aesthetic control as well—and knowing the president’s garish style, it probably won’t be pretty.
On Friday, Trump said the administration was “looking at doing something very exciting” to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, a part of the White House campus that was constructed in the late 1800s. “It’s such a beautiful building, but it doesn’t look it,” Trump said. “I think it’s just incredible, but you have to get past the color, because the stone they used was a really bad color.”
And it won’t stop at the White House: Trump also said that he’s giving out a contract to “beautify” the city, repaving streets and updating lampposts within a three-mile radius of the Capitol Building. “It’s gonna be beautiful, all those lightbulbs—you see the poles, they’re rusting and they’ve got different lenses on top, if you look.… We’re going to have this place beautified,” he said.
This redecoration would require about $2 billion from Congress, according to the president.
Meanwhile, House Republicans still haven’t restored the $1 billion in city funding they blocked earlier this year, holding taxpayer dollars hostage unless the new bill prohibits D.C. residents from spending their own money on things that don’t align with the conservative agenda, like abortion services or reparations.
But gold lampposts (which, if the past is any evidence, could conceivably be part of Trump’s plan) are definitely worth the money! On Thursday, as well, Trump said he wants D.C.’s parks to look like his golf courses.
“I’m very good at grass because I have a lot of golf courses all over the place,” he bragged. “I know more about grass than any human being, I think, anywhere in the world, and we’re going to be re-grassing all of your parks … it’ll look like Augusta. It’ll look like, more importantly, Trump National Golf Club—that’s even better,” he said, referring to Augusta, Georgia, where the Masters Tournament is held.
Washington, D.C. has had three periods in 2025 where there were no murders for more than a week, despite claims by President Donald Trump suggesting otherwise—as of Monday evening, the capital had not recorded a homicide for 12 days.
According to police data, there were two seven-day periods where there were no murders in the city in April and May 2025 and a period from February to March where there was a 16-day period where no homicides were committed. This is despite Trump saying that it had been "many years" since the city had a murder-free stretch of a week. Why It Matters
Scrutiny of D.C.'s crime rate comes after Trump placed the city's police department under federal control and deployed National Guard troops to the city. He has repeatedly claimed there is a high crime rate in Washington, saying it had "become one of the most dangerous cities anywhere in the world."
On Monday, he signed an executive order directing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to create specialized National Guard units in Washington, D.C. and nationwide that are trained to handle "public-order issues."
Trump's efforts build on a previously signed executive order titled "Making The District of Columbia Safe And Beautiful," that seeks to reduce crime in D.C., among other measures.
What To Know
On Monday, Trump claimed that it had been "many years" since the city had a murder-free stretch of a week and said that crime was falling. He also told reporters that the then 11-day stretch without murders was "the first time that's taken place in years, actually years."
However, in April and May 2025, there were two seven-day periods where there were no murders in the city. From February 25 to March 12, there was a 16-day period where no homicides were committed. This was the longest span without a killing in six years, according to police.
Meanwhile, data suggests Trump's claims about the crime rate in D.C. are overstated. Washington recorded 187 homicides in 2024. This was a decline from 2023 when there were 274 homicides, its highest figure since 1997.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social on Monday: "The incompetent Mayor of Chicago just stated that, in DC, where crime has been brought down to almost nothing, there have been no murders in 9 days, something which hasn't happened in years, and people are safe again, only nine people have been arrested. That is wrong, hundreds of criminals have been held, captured, and arrested, and their guns have been taken away. DC IS SAFE AND BOOMING!!!"
Attorney General Pam Bondi said on X: "Our mission to make D.C. safe again isn't slowing down."
What Happens Next
Whether the capital continues its murder-free spell remains to be seen.
KING TRUMP. Or in other words - dictator Trump - Fires Lisa Cook, Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook.
He doesn't have the authority or power to do so. Basically as each day goes by I feel a little more nauseous at how he ignores the consitution. Ignores what his remit is supposed to be and urinates and defacates over the constitution while Congress twiddle their thumbs and let him. It makes it worse to see and hear MAGA morons try to justify this sort of thing, try to say that it doesn't matter what he says and more and more doesn't matter what he does.
Fed Reserve Board Governor Lisa Cook says she's staying on the job despite Trump saying he fired her
WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump's attempt to fire one of the seven governors of the Federal Reserve will likely end up in court and could more clearly define the limits of the president's legal powers over the traditionally independent institution.
Legal experts say the Republican president's claim that he can fire Lisa Cook, who was appointed by Democratic President Joe Biden, is on shaky ground. But it's an unprecedented move that hasn't played out in the courts before, and the Supreme Court this year has been much more willing to let the president remove agency officials than in the past.
If Trump succeeds in removing Cook from the board, it could erode the Fed's political independence, which is considered critical to its ability to fight inflation because it enables the Fed to take unpopular steps like raising interest rates. A less-independent Fed could leave Americans paying higher rates for mortgages, car loans and business loans, because investors could demand higher rates to own bonds to offset greater inflation, pushing up borrowing costs throughout the economy.
"It's an illegal firing, but the president's going to argue, 'The Constitution lets me do it,'" said Lev Menand, a law professor at Columbia University and author of a book about the Fed. "And that argument's worked in a few other cases so far this year."
Menand said the Supreme Court construes the Constitution's meaning, and "it can make new constitutional law in this case."
The most likely next steps for Cook, who was appointed to the Fed's board in 2022, are to seek an injunction against Trump's order that would allow her to continue her work as a governor. But the situation puts the Fed in a difficult position.
"They have their own legal obligation to follow the law," Menand said. "And that does not mean do whatever the president says. ... The Fed is under an independent duty to reach its own conclusions about the legality of Lisa Cook's removal."
Trump said in a letter posted on his Truth Social platform late Monday that he was removing Cook effective immediately because of allegations she committed mortgage fraud.
Cook said Monday night that she would not step down. "President Trump purported to fire me 'for cause' when no cause exists under the law, and he has no authority to do so," she said in an emailed statement. "I will not resign."
Bill Pulte, a Trump appointee to the agency that regulates mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, made the accusations last week. Pulte alleged that Cook had claimed two primary residences -- in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and in Atlanta -- in 2021 to get better mortgage terms. Mortgage rates are often higher on second homes or those bought to rent.
Cook has retained Abbe Lowell, a prominent Washington attorney. Lowell said Trump's "reflex to bully is flawed and his demands lack any proper process, basis or legal authority," adding, "We will take whatever actions are needed to prevent his attempted illegal action."
Cook is the first Black woman to serve as a governor. She was a Marshall Scholar and received degrees from Oxford University and Spelman College, and she has taught at Michigan State University and Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.
Trump was found to have fraudulently inflated the square footage and value of his Trump Tower apartment on financial statements submitted to lenders and insurers. He remains president. Yet he thinks she deserves to be fired for this? The hypocrisy is cray but expected.
Donald Trump Claimed Apartment Was Three Times Its Actual Size To Increase Value: NY AG
I think it's even more base than that - Trump "was found" ... as in found guilty of. She is "alleged" to have .... by a Trump toady. So we'll wait and see. . . and that's not withstanding that Trump has no authority over her.
* edit - alleged, by a Trump Toady, after Trump has expressed a desire to remove her.
Last edited by mgh888; 08/27/2501:24 PM.
The more things change the more they stay the same.
Trump's Executive order concerning architecture........
January 20, 2025
MEMORANDUM FOR THE ADMINISTRATOR OF THE GENERAL SERVICES
ADMINISTRATION
SUBJECT: Promoting Beautiful Federal Civic Architecture
I hereby direct the Administrator of the General Services Administration, in consultation with the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy and the heads of departments and agencies of the United States where necessary, to submit to me within 60 days recommendations to advance the policy that Federal public buildings should be visually identifiable as civic buildings and respect regional, traditional, and classical architectural heritage in order to uplift and beautify public spaces and ennoble the United States and our system of self-government. Such recommendations shall consider appropriate revisions to the Guiding Principles for Federal Architecture and procedures for incorporating community input into Federal building design selections.
If, before such recommendations are submitted, the Administrator of the General Services Administration proposes to approve a design for a new Federal public building that diverges from the policy set forth in this memorandum, the Administrator shall notify me, through the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, not less than 30 days before the General Services Administration could reject such design without incurring substantial expenditures. Such notification shall set forth the reasons the Administrator proposes to approve such design...............
He is calling it 'MAKING FEDERAL ARCHITECTURE BEAUTIFUL AGAIN'..................
Control freak dictator say what?
I suppose to some degree I understand it. I'm sure he doesn't think an address and a sign on the building is quite enough to make it easy for many of his supporters to find them.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.