Elections have consequences. Red states are now being denied the big blue subsidies that the fed has been sending them from blue states. Blue states will have to raise rates, but they can spend their money in their blue state. Red states played themselves.
"Art Laffer, a conservative economist once praised by President Trump as brilliant and bold, blamed White House trade policy for the "most scary, in-flux" economic moment of his life."
From the article: Laffer is optimistic that Trump — who he called a great negotiator and the "single best president of his lifetime" — will notch trade deals and reduce tariffs.
Sounds like Laffer is a bit baffled by the actions of "a great negotiator" and the "single best president of his lifetime"
I would give my opinion but it's too early to start swearing.
I was recently in the EU. Truly now the land of the free: free from gun violence, free from going bankrupt if you get sick, free from enormous college debt, free to love who you want. . . Who is the city on the hill now?
Self report: called DC offices of Klobuchar, Smith and Finstad about tariffs, called their local offices about DoD/Hegseth. Writing postcards for NC. Continuing boycotts of Amazon etc.
Just recently learned about this organization and bought a copy of Bishop Budde's "How We Learn to Be Brave" through them. Seems like a great organization, and they apparently have ebooks now.
Apropos of Amazon... I have cut my use so drastically (and I never buy books from Amazon anymore) that I keep getting plaintive emails to the effect that my Kindle perk points are expiring and don't I want to USE them NOW, or that this-or-that are on sale now, or something about new pricing options.... I Just Think "No.",
Simon, I applaud your idea about a letter to America. How about a letter from Americans to the world? It would help so many of us with the shame and anger we are experiencing about the destruction of global relationships and programs we all care deeply about.
Trump is the most irredeemable, malevolent person in America’s history (paraphrased from Simon). He has betrayed Our Country. We offer our profound apologies for the damage he has caused throughout the planet, and look forward to his being ousted and swept into the dustbin of history as soon as possible.
I too like this idea. This letter, Simon's Letter to America, and the articles of condemnation are all very good ingredients for cooking up something incredible, undeniable, and flashy for July 4.
NEW DEM OVERPERFORMANCE: On Tuesday, there was another special election, this time for a Connecticut House seat. Granted, this election got little national attention, as CT House District 113 is very red – and the Republican candidate won, as expected. But the last time the district was contested, in 2020, the result was R +19. This time it was a mere R +5.
That’s a 14-percent swing, continuing Democrats’ two-digit overperformance in 2025 special elections.
My prediction is we’ll see a continuing pattern where progressives do better than would have been expected only a few months ago. Why? Well, Trump’s policies are definitely not helping conservatives and the right wing anywhere.
Thanks for that useful schedule. There are local elections in England (not the whole UK) too. These are potentially interesting in that it's likely the populist right (Trumpists) will likely do well. We'll see.
It's nice to see more and more polls showing he's negative on his immigration policy (if you can even call it that). Hopefully this says people are waking up. I think he sinks all the way to 32-35% by August which is about his "floor". At that point his base will start eroding and maybe Republicans will quit being cowards and hold themselves accountable for this insane nightmare they've unleashed on us.
Reuters has him at 37-57 as of today - he’s spiraling into the 30s and has little hope of ever getting out of the 30s - I wouldn’t be surprised if he dipped into the 20s at some point.
I attended my Congressman’s town hall (a Democrat), and approximately 1,000 people attended. The meeting was also available on livestream for those who couldn’t attend in person. Very informative meeting.
Self report: I called my Republican Rep and Senator Crux and urged they promote the firing of DOD Secretary Pete Hegseth, a totally incompetent at leading a huge and critical department!
Donald says he doesn't want to "reward the media" by firing Hegseth. Bro, the media LOVES Hegseth. He leaks everything and provides so many scandals and so much drama, more than they could ever dream of. It's another self-own for this guy to not fire him, but also devastating for our national security, our institutional trust, and the country as a whole.
Rumor has it that Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthi have sent Hegseth and his wife "Friend" requests so they can be in on his next Signal chat. This avoids their delay of having to wait for Russia to forward the contents of these chats.
This is a letter I wrote to Representative Alma Adams, Senator Thom Tillis, and Senator Tedd Budd advocating the removal of Donald Trump from office. I understand, it will not happen today, but I decided to put the pressure on now, so it will more likely happen in the future. Here is the letter I wrote and if you are interested in doing this, please do so and use your own words:
Donald Trump and his administration have broken so many laws; it is hard to keep track. Here is what I know, Donald Trump having Elon Musk and DOGE go in and steal our personal data is appalling. I do not want my personal data or anyone else’s being sold to the highest bidder. No one has the right to that data. Donald Trump must be removed from office, and you need to do your job and honor your oath to the constitution. Here is the oath that you took, and I remind you that you swore to protect the United States of America from all enemies, foreign and domestic. It is not one or the other, it is both. You did not promise to protect Americans from $8 carton of Eggs.
Here is that quote from the constitution: "I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same: that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God."
The removal of Kilmar Abrego Garcia is appalling and something must be done. Donald Trump has ignored a 9 to 0 decision by the U.S. supreme Court not to bring him back. You must do something. You need to advocate for his return, no matter the cost. If you must give up your seat in Congress, then do it. What makes you think that once Donald Trump knows he can get away with this, he could not do what Adolf Hitler did and dissolve Congress. Do not think the constitution will protect you when he is ignoring the constitution. Donald Trump said, he was going to terminate the constitution. Donald Trump is a criminal, and he is showing that to me and the American people every time he does what he does. It is time to take your power back in any way that you can.
If that means fight him on the tariffs, do it. If it means standing up for Ukraine, do it. Any way you can, please do it.
You must advocate for the removal of Donald Trump for office. If you stay silent on this, then you are silently approving this behavior. What Donald Trump has done, is so unamerican. This is not who we are. This is not the country that I grew up in. Like Elissa Slotkin, “I am glad that Donald Trump was not President during the cold war. We would have lost. Thank God, it was Ronald Reagan who stood up to the Soviet Union and fought for our interests.” Let us not forget we are, we are the United States of America. I believe in a democracy; I ask you this, what do you believe? Do you believe in a democracy or fascism? I do not care if you write back to me and say that you do. As James would have said in the bible, “Faith without works is dead.” If you say you believe in the constitution, but do not back it up with your actions, then your faith in democracy is dead. Do not obey in advance. Please stand out. Please be as courageous as you can. Our country and the world are counting on you. Stand up for what is right. This is not about right and left, this is about right and wrong. What are you going to do? Do you have the courage to stand up for what is right or not? Your actions will tell me and the world what you really believe.
I will close with this, please show me and the world what you really believe. Our country is counting on you. Please do not wait and do the necessary thing of advocating for Donald Trump to be removed from office. Thank you for taking the time of reading this letter.
felon47 does not need the supreme court anymore because they gave him total immunity. he wont need congress after they pass his horrible budget adding $6T to our debt and slashing any services to us.
It's not too late for the Court to save itself. Thanks to Trump’s "victory" and the resultant dropping of the cases against him, none of the key elements of what "immunity" means (eg what constitutes an official action) ever got defined. Do *you* read Hopium like everyone else, Justice Roberts? :)
Right on, Matthew--the so‐called Overton Window doesn't move by itself. We should be talking to Ukrainians about the Orange Revolution (which was against election fraud) and Euromaidan/Revolution of Dignity (which was about expanding election fraud to include doing exactly the opposite of what you promised to do, and taking actions with no mandate that are doing irreparable damage to the country). Both are in play here--voter suppression, which is the only way to explain 17 million voters for one side disappearing into thin air--is the *real* voter fraud in this country, and no matter how many times the Lying Legacy Media claims otherwise, Trump is not "just doing what he said he would"; the man disavowed Project 2025 many more times than Peter denied Jesus, said it was "ridiculous," said he'd never read it (ok, that one's probably true--way too long, not remotely enough pictures, and he's never even read any of his own books); then he made it his top priority on Day One. The man needs to either join Yanukovych in exile or share a cell with whoever is in Jeffrey Epstein's now.
Reporting in: First: I wrote to Sen Husted of OH (TradRep not MAGA) that my last name represented an entire family in OH, so Google my last name and you will see the impact. That got me on his email list and he now replies to all my correspondence (I am in Moreno's district).
Second: I wrote yesterday that I am watching him in the Senate closely and that if he would even do ONE thing right, I would thank him.
Vonnie, from Ohio too, not sure Husted is a traditional republican anymore, think he's gone the MAGA route especially with his hands in the First Energy scandal. Bernie is full on MAGA and both of them represent all Ohioans, ugh! Of course my representative is Gym Jordan, doesn't get any better than this for a triumvirate of evil. My wife and I call/write these 3 stooges almost everyday, to no avail but as someone said previously, a pipe will burst eventually with enough pressure, that's what we're trying to do, burst the pipe!
Gary, I guess I was just reacting to Husted's newsletter and replies to my calls/emails. In those written replies he doesn't seem as extreme as Moreno. Yes, ugh! Moreno just has one standard email/reply no matter what you write to him about. And I've never received any kind of newsletter. I am so very sorry that you have Gym Jordan. I do have Greg Landsman who works very hard to get out the message on all social media platforms.
A Memphis law firm severed its 40 year relationship with the Tennessee Bar Association, calling TBA out on its refusal to take a stand on Donald Trump’s actions to erode the rule of law and an independent judiciary. “Remaining silent,” the Donati firm said, “is complicity.”
The letter to TBA included a long list of Trump Administration actions that threaten “the very fabric of our constitutional system,” including ignoring court orders, calling for impeachment of judges, firing those responsible for enforcement of laws, and ordering retribution against law firms.
Another Memphis attorney, Brian Faughnan, said on his blog, Faughnan on Ethics, that “the TBA is actually determined to remain silent in an unforgivable act of cowardice.”
Actions like these are critical in resisting the Trump Administration’s overturning of our Constitution.
I have often heard this and, clearly, lies before a court can get your ticket pulled. I guess it is also theoretically true that the bald-faced lies to the public that come from Bondi and other members of Trump's administration could get you disbarred, it is probably far less likely..
Debbie, if you see this, I happened to be in a continuing legal education course today about legal ethics and the media. The question came up about consequences for lawyers lying outside of a judicial proceeding. The ethics lawyer teaching the course said that there was debate among attorneys about liability for statements made outside a proceeding. He said he did not believe a lawyer would be disciplined for a totally unrelated lie, like I bought a Lamborghini when the lawyer did not. He pointed to a New York state rule, however, that said a lawyer could not make a statement while participating in a civil or criminal matter that would be disseminated by public communications and was likely to prejudice an adjudicative proceeding in the matter. He referenced Guiliani. I suspect Eastman was also involved in proceedings, but don't remember the specifics.
I would guess there may be a relationship between lies affecting a legal case and a lawyer's culpability, but this doesn't appear to be a settled issue.
Reply from NMDOJ after thanking AG Raúl Torrez for joining the coalition of Democratic Attorneys General in the lawsuit against trump’s terrible tariff tax:
Dr. Potter,
Thank you! We agree that it is unconstitutional, we also know that it will have a negative effect on those purchasing essential goods. The fight continues!
Reposting something I posted so late in the day, I think very few saw it:
Simon, inspired by your recent posts, and by Catherine Giovannoni's response to it, I've created a set of Stop The Sabotage stickers that anyone can use online or offline. The image on the sticker is of an angry Bald Eagle on top of the Capitol with its wings outstretched. It's angry because someone (or someones) have removed so many of its wing feathers it clearly can't fly. The guilty parties--Trump and Musk--can be seen behind it, in the clouds, laughing over their handiwork. "Stop The Sabotage" is the caption, with "stop" in a shade of white, "the" in a shade of blue, and "sabotage" in a shade of orange-red. "Sabotage" is written in a font that has, itself, been sabotaged.
The pack includes full sized images (w/varying border colors) that can be resized into anything from a poster to an online meme, 8.5 x 11 sheets (w/four images per sheet) that can be printed out and and cut into individual stickers (a lot of places carry sticker paper now, as you know, and folks can also order it online and print out themselves--I've printed them on a fairly low-end printer and they look good!).
There are versions with--and without--a QR code that leads to a Google Doc. I've described what I think the Google Doc should include, but open to anyone on input on that (and there are versions without the QR codes in any case), as well as any suggestions re: the design of the sticker itself, of course (I'm self-taught--I won't be offended ;) ). The pack also includes:
* A layered Photoshop doc of the design, along with the fonts used (in case people want to play with the imagery and/or text and make their own versions
* The QR code by itself (in case people want to use it elsewhere), and
* A "semi-flat" version if people just want to play with the border color (not my strong suit).
In case anyone's interested, here's why I'm obsessed with stickers: ;)
In 2022, my father's German family (who lived under the Nazis--his father was a minister in Bonhoeffer's Confessing Church) and I put together a Google Doc of similarities between Trump and Hitler. We came up with more than 70 ( https://creativepoli.net/hit_rump ), and most of the differences actually favored Hitler (with the big exceptions TBD, since they had not manifested after four years of Der Fuhrer--eg there were fewer people in the camps four years into Hitler’s rule (4-5K) than undocumented immigrants in camps under Trump (30K+ in 2020), and Hitler's at that point were predominantly political prisoners, not the men, women, and children of any particular ethnic group, like Jews, Hispanics, or people of color). To me, it's pretty clear after what he did in COVID and what he's done vis a vis US AID that if Trump saw a Holocaust would serve his goals, he'd do so without a second thought (he's in the process of practically guaranteeing one by stoking the flames of climate change)
In any case, it has occurred to me that I need to update the list (badly), so I've had my eyes more open than usual for this (all additions welcome). A couple that I just added: On the similarity front, guess what The Atlantic just highlighted as one of Hitler’s top priorities was when he took office? Yup, MASSIVE TARIFFS (albeit not for the same cynical reasons as Putin/Trump--gift link):
A key difference? When Hitler came into power, he believed that in order to have the legitimate right to exercise dictatorial powers, he needed a 2/3 majority of the Reichstag to pass a so-called Enabling Act, which it did (gift link):
Trump, of course, knowing there isn't a chance in hell that Congress would ever pass anything like this, let alone on a 2/3 majority basis, has simply seized all of Congress' authority and dared anyone to do anything about it.
As someone who had family members that were murdered by H, I really wish you would take down this post. Maybe your facts are correct, but you're leaving out the other one big fact that Hitler killed millions of people in those camps.
Debbie--Thanks much for your frank response; it's always preferable to silence, at least to me. My grandfather was sent to one of those camps for speaking out against Hitler during the war (he survived because allies of the Confessing Church were able to get him back out). My other grandfather was the leader of a movement in the 1930s to get Jewish academics out of Germany and helped write the post war Constitutions of West Germany and whatever Israel calls its founding document (I know it's not a Constitution). I have long believed that viewing what happened in Germany as singular is the best way to make sure it happens again. It was certainly the worst genocide in history *so far,* and *by far* (all anyone has to do to see this is imagine how different the world would be today if even a *fraction* of those killed had been able to live out their lives), but that doesn't mean the likes of Trump, Putin, and Xi aren't capable of even worse, and if we don't alert ourselves to the similarities rather than focus on the differences, I'm concerned, we will be blind to how bad things could get and not be prepared to fight with every fiber against what is happening.
If you talk to people who have lived under dictatorships, that's their biggest concern, that our lack of exposure to authoritarianism first-hand (not many places have less) is causing many Americans to underestimate the threat. You saw the Kasparov piece Simon quoted last week, here's another from a post-Duterte Filipino perspective (gift link):
I'm tempted to say that if you read this response and still want me to take it down, I will, but gosh, I just don't think that's what we ought to be doing. I know enough to know it's risky to say what I'm saying, but I feel we're in a place where I have to take risks like that.
Elections have consequences. Red states are now being denied the big blue subsidies that the fed has been sending them from blue states. Blue states will have to raise rates, but they can spend their money in their blue state. Red states played themselves.
It’s not like anybody hid this fiscal analysis before the election…. Y’know.
Trump’s tariffs are no Laffer!
https://www.axios.com/2025/04/24/laffer-trump-tariffs
"Art Laffer, a conservative economist once praised by President Trump as brilliant and bold, blamed White House trade policy for the "most scary, in-flux" economic moment of his life."
From the article: Laffer is optimistic that Trump — who he called a great negotiator and the "single best president of his lifetime" — will notch trade deals and reduce tariffs.
Sounds like Laffer is a bit baffled by the actions of "a great negotiator" and the "single best president of his lifetime"
I would give my opinion but it's too early to start swearing.
I believe the telling description is the initial one: "most scary".
And that the rest of his statements are voiced because Laffer believes feeding Trump’s bloated ego is the only way to influence the Mad King.
Still makes me want to puke ... and swear. All is well and good for these suck ups until they see their wealth threatened.
You and me both. It’s both terrifying and sad that the whole world has to deal with a thin-skinned Mad King with such a fragile, bloated ego.
I hope the European Union continues to stand strong against Trump. It's strange for me to be rooting for other countries over my own.
I was recently in the EU. Truly now the land of the free: free from gun violence, free from going bankrupt if you get sick, free from enormous college debt, free to love who you want. . . Who is the city on the hill now?
I still maintain his name should be spelled Laugher.
Oops forgot to thank you for posting the article. Thank you!
Self report: called DC offices of Klobuchar, Smith and Finstad about tariffs, called their local offices about DoD/Hegseth. Writing postcards for NC. Continuing boycotts of Amazon etc.
As a writer, I want to thank you for boycotting Amazon.
I have plans to shop at indies Saturday for Independent Bookstore Day!
Yay! Thank you so much!
Also consider…
biblio.com
indiebound.org
powells.com
thriftbooks.com
And dare I say…
https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/how-barnes-noble-became-the-good-guys
And! libro.fm for audiobooks, kobo.com for ebooks and ereaders!
I always shop at Bookshop.org. :)
Just recently learned about this organization and bought a copy of Bishop Budde's "How We Learn to Be Brave" through them. Seems like a great organization, and they apparently have ebooks now.
Apropos of Amazon... I have cut my use so drastically (and I never buy books from Amazon anymore) that I keep getting plaintive emails to the effect that my Kindle perk points are expiring and don't I want to USE them NOW, or that this-or-that are on sale now, or something about new pricing options.... I Just Think "No.",
I like it. Make ‘em beg.
Simon, I applaud your idea about a letter to America. How about a letter from Americans to the world? It would help so many of us with the shame and anger we are experiencing about the destruction of global relationships and programs we all care deeply about.
Terrific idea - it would be well received by many of us beyond US borders.
Dear World,
Trump is the most irredeemable, malevolent person in America’s history (paraphrased from Simon). He has betrayed Our Country. We offer our profound apologies for the damage he has caused throughout the planet, and look forward to his being ousted and swept into the dustbin of history as soon as possible.
Regretfully,
We the People of America
I too like this idea. This letter, Simon's Letter to America, and the articles of condemnation are all very good ingredients for cooking up something incredible, undeniable, and flashy for July 4.
NEW DEM OVERPERFORMANCE: On Tuesday, there was another special election, this time for a Connecticut House seat. Granted, this election got little national attention, as CT House District 113 is very red – and the Republican candidate won, as expected. But the last time the district was contested, in 2020, the result was R +19. This time it was a mere R +5.
That’s a 14-percent swing, continuing Democrats’ two-digit overperformance in 2025 special elections.
https://nitter.poast.org/Uncrewed/status/1914850391772090879#m
Upcoming international elections worth watching:
– 28 April: Canada
– 3 May: Australia
– 4 May: Romania
– 12 May: Philippines
– 18 May: Portugal & Poland (1st round)
– 1 June: Mexico (judiciary)
– 3 June: South Korea
My prediction is we’ll see a continuing pattern where progressives do better than would have been expected only a few months ago. Why? Well, Trump’s policies are definitely not helping conservatives and the right wing anywhere.
Thanks for that useful schedule. There are local elections in England (not the whole UK) too. These are potentially interesting in that it's likely the populist right (Trumpists) will likely do well. We'll see.
It's nice to see more and more polls showing he's negative on his immigration policy (if you can even call it that). Hopefully this says people are waking up. I think he sinks all the way to 32-35% by August which is about his "floor". At that point his base will start eroding and maybe Republicans will quit being cowards and hold themselves accountable for this insane nightmare they've unleashed on us.
Reuters has him at 37-57 as of today - he’s spiraling into the 30s and has little hope of ever getting out of the 30s - I wouldn’t be surprised if he dipped into the 20s at some point.
I attended my Congressman’s town hall (a Democrat), and approximately 1,000 people attended. The meeting was also available on livestream for those who couldn’t attend in person. Very informative meeting.
Self report: I called my Republican Rep and Senator Crux and urged they promote the firing of DOD Secretary Pete Hegseth, a totally incompetent at leading a huge and critical department!
I meant Senator Cruz, not Crux !
Senator Horcrux
Donald says he doesn't want to "reward the media" by firing Hegseth. Bro, the media LOVES Hegseth. He leaks everything and provides so many scandals and so much drama, more than they could ever dream of. It's another self-own for this guy to not fire him, but also devastating for our national security, our institutional trust, and the country as a whole.
Rumor has it that Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthi have sent Hegseth and his wife "Friend" requests so they can be in on his next Signal chat. This avoids their delay of having to wait for Russia to forward the contents of these chats.
🤣
This is a letter I wrote to Representative Alma Adams, Senator Thom Tillis, and Senator Tedd Budd advocating the removal of Donald Trump from office. I understand, it will not happen today, but I decided to put the pressure on now, so it will more likely happen in the future. Here is the letter I wrote and if you are interested in doing this, please do so and use your own words:
Donald Trump and his administration have broken so many laws; it is hard to keep track. Here is what I know, Donald Trump having Elon Musk and DOGE go in and steal our personal data is appalling. I do not want my personal data or anyone else’s being sold to the highest bidder. No one has the right to that data. Donald Trump must be removed from office, and you need to do your job and honor your oath to the constitution. Here is the oath that you took, and I remind you that you swore to protect the United States of America from all enemies, foreign and domestic. It is not one or the other, it is both. You did not promise to protect Americans from $8 carton of Eggs.
Here is that quote from the constitution: "I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same: that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God."
The removal of Kilmar Abrego Garcia is appalling and something must be done. Donald Trump has ignored a 9 to 0 decision by the U.S. supreme Court not to bring him back. You must do something. You need to advocate for his return, no matter the cost. If you must give up your seat in Congress, then do it. What makes you think that once Donald Trump knows he can get away with this, he could not do what Adolf Hitler did and dissolve Congress. Do not think the constitution will protect you when he is ignoring the constitution. Donald Trump said, he was going to terminate the constitution. Donald Trump is a criminal, and he is showing that to me and the American people every time he does what he does. It is time to take your power back in any way that you can.
If that means fight him on the tariffs, do it. If it means standing up for Ukraine, do it. Any way you can, please do it.
You must advocate for the removal of Donald Trump for office. If you stay silent on this, then you are silently approving this behavior. What Donald Trump has done, is so unamerican. This is not who we are. This is not the country that I grew up in. Like Elissa Slotkin, “I am glad that Donald Trump was not President during the cold war. We would have lost. Thank God, it was Ronald Reagan who stood up to the Soviet Union and fought for our interests.” Let us not forget we are, we are the United States of America. I believe in a democracy; I ask you this, what do you believe? Do you believe in a democracy or fascism? I do not care if you write back to me and say that you do. As James would have said in the bible, “Faith without works is dead.” If you say you believe in the constitution, but do not back it up with your actions, then your faith in democracy is dead. Do not obey in advance. Please stand out. Please be as courageous as you can. Our country and the world are counting on you. Stand up for what is right. This is not about right and left, this is about right and wrong. What are you going to do? Do you have the courage to stand up for what is right or not? Your actions will tell me and the world what you really believe.
I will close with this, please show me and the world what you really believe. Our country is counting on you. Please do not wait and do the necessary thing of advocating for Donald Trump to be removed from office. Thank you for taking the time of reading this letter.
Sincerely,
Matthew
felon47 does not need the supreme court anymore because they gave him total immunity. he wont need congress after they pass his horrible budget adding $6T to our debt and slashing any services to us.
It's not too late for the Court to save itself. Thanks to Trump’s "victory" and the resultant dropping of the cases against him, none of the key elements of what "immunity" means (eg what constitutes an official action) ever got defined. Do *you* read Hopium like everyone else, Justice Roberts? :)
Thank you Matthew, this is great, I will adapt and send.
Me too!
Right on, Matthew--the so‐called Overton Window doesn't move by itself. We should be talking to Ukrainians about the Orange Revolution (which was against election fraud) and Euromaidan/Revolution of Dignity (which was about expanding election fraud to include doing exactly the opposite of what you promised to do, and taking actions with no mandate that are doing irreparable damage to the country). Both are in play here--voter suppression, which is the only way to explain 17 million voters for one side disappearing into thin air--is the *real* voter fraud in this country, and no matter how many times the Lying Legacy Media claims otherwise, Trump is not "just doing what he said he would"; the man disavowed Project 2025 many more times than Peter denied Jesus, said it was "ridiculous," said he'd never read it (ok, that one's probably true--way too long, not remotely enough pictures, and he's never even read any of his own books); then he made it his top priority on Day One. The man needs to either join Yanukovych in exile or share a cell with whoever is in Jeffrey Epstein's now.
Reporting in: First: I wrote to Sen Husted of OH (TradRep not MAGA) that my last name represented an entire family in OH, so Google my last name and you will see the impact. That got me on his email list and he now replies to all my correspondence (I am in Moreno's district).
Second: I wrote yesterday that I am watching him in the Senate closely and that if he would even do ONE thing right, I would thank him.
Vonnie, from Ohio too, not sure Husted is a traditional republican anymore, think he's gone the MAGA route especially with his hands in the First Energy scandal. Bernie is full on MAGA and both of them represent all Ohioans, ugh! Of course my representative is Gym Jordan, doesn't get any better than this for a triumvirate of evil. My wife and I call/write these 3 stooges almost everyday, to no avail but as someone said previously, a pipe will burst eventually with enough pressure, that's what we're trying to do, burst the pipe!
Gary, I guess I was just reacting to Husted's newsletter and replies to my calls/emails. In those written replies he doesn't seem as extreme as Moreno. Yes, ugh! Moreno just has one standard email/reply no matter what you write to him about. And I've never received any kind of newsletter. I am so very sorry that you have Gym Jordan. I do have Greg Landsman who works very hard to get out the message on all social media platforms.
So someone suggested that I watch HBO's Dark Money. Apparently episode 1 is about Ohio corruption. I will take a look
A Memphis law firm severed its 40 year relationship with the Tennessee Bar Association, calling TBA out on its refusal to take a stand on Donald Trump’s actions to erode the rule of law and an independent judiciary. “Remaining silent,” the Donati firm said, “is complicity.”
The letter to TBA included a long list of Trump Administration actions that threaten “the very fabric of our constitutional system,” including ignoring court orders, calling for impeachment of judges, firing those responsible for enforcement of laws, and ordering retribution against law firms.
Another Memphis attorney, Brian Faughnan, said on his blog, Faughnan on Ethics, that “the TBA is actually determined to remain silent in an unforgivable act of cowardice.”
Actions like these are critical in resisting the Trump Administration’s overturning of our Constitution.
https://www.memphisflyer.com/memphis-law-firm-leaves-tennessee-bar-association-for-its-silence-on-trump?emci=121b82b1-fd20-f011-8b3d-0022482a9fb7&emdi=87fc6628-0121-f011-8b3d-0022482a9fb7&ceid=366947
I wonder about Bondi all the time -- she goes on TV and spouts lots of untruths. As an attorney, isn't lying something that could get her disbarred?
I have often heard this and, clearly, lies before a court can get your ticket pulled. I guess it is also theoretically true that the bald-faced lies to the public that come from Bondi and other members of Trump's administration could get you disbarred, it is probably far less likely..
Yes. John Eastman was disbarred in California based on (inter Alia) six counts of moral turpitude for lying about the 2020 election.
Debbie, if you see this, I happened to be in a continuing legal education course today about legal ethics and the media. The question came up about consequences for lawyers lying outside of a judicial proceeding. The ethics lawyer teaching the course said that there was debate among attorneys about liability for statements made outside a proceeding. He said he did not believe a lawyer would be disciplined for a totally unrelated lie, like I bought a Lamborghini when the lawyer did not. He pointed to a New York state rule, however, that said a lawyer could not make a statement while participating in a civil or criminal matter that would be disseminated by public communications and was likely to prejudice an adjudicative proceeding in the matter. He referenced Guiliani. I suspect Eastman was also involved in proceedings, but don't remember the specifics.
I would guess there may be a relationship between lies affecting a legal case and a lawyer's culpability, but this doesn't appear to be a settled issue.
Reply from NMDOJ after thanking AG Raúl Torrez for joining the coalition of Democratic Attorneys General in the lawsuit against trump’s terrible tariff tax:
Dr. Potter,
Thank you! We agree that it is unconstitutional, we also know that it will have a negative effect on those purchasing essential goods. The fight continues!
Best,
Lauren
Lauren Rodriguez
Chief of Staff New Mexico Department of Justice
Well done! This matters so much – and I am certain the AG and his staff keenly appreciate having their work seen and supported.
This picture in the Economist is quite apt for the situation: https://www.economist.com/weeklyedition/2025-04-26
Letter From Governors???
Reposting something I posted so late in the day, I think very few saw it:
Simon, inspired by your recent posts, and by Catherine Giovannoni's response to it, I've created a set of Stop The Sabotage stickers that anyone can use online or offline. The image on the sticker is of an angry Bald Eagle on top of the Capitol with its wings outstretched. It's angry because someone (or someones) have removed so many of its wing feathers it clearly can't fly. The guilty parties--Trump and Musk--can be seen behind it, in the clouds, laughing over their handiwork. "Stop The Sabotage" is the caption, with "stop" in a shade of white, "the" in a shade of blue, and "sabotage" in a shade of orange-red. "Sabotage" is written in a font that has, itself, been sabotaged.
https://creativepoli.net/stop_sabotage_stickers
The pack includes full sized images (w/varying border colors) that can be resized into anything from a poster to an online meme, 8.5 x 11 sheets (w/four images per sheet) that can be printed out and and cut into individual stickers (a lot of places carry sticker paper now, as you know, and folks can also order it online and print out themselves--I've printed them on a fairly low-end printer and they look good!).
There are versions with--and without--a QR code that leads to a Google Doc. I've described what I think the Google Doc should include, but open to anyone on input on that (and there are versions without the QR codes in any case), as well as any suggestions re: the design of the sticker itself, of course (I'm self-taught--I won't be offended ;) ). The pack also includes:
* A layered Photoshop doc of the design, along with the fonts used (in case people want to play with the imagery and/or text and make their own versions
* The QR code by itself (in case people want to use it elsewhere), and
* A "semi-flat" version if people just want to play with the border color (not my strong suit).
In case anyone's interested, here's why I'm obsessed with stickers: ;)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WXgySe4pj2RMIeN4GYwiQli-nBIOH53UHYae4uEgoRg/edit?usp=sharing
In 2022, my father's German family (who lived under the Nazis--his father was a minister in Bonhoeffer's Confessing Church) and I put together a Google Doc of similarities between Trump and Hitler. We came up with more than 70 ( https://creativepoli.net/hit_rump ), and most of the differences actually favored Hitler (with the big exceptions TBD, since they had not manifested after four years of Der Fuhrer--eg there were fewer people in the camps four years into Hitler’s rule (4-5K) than undocumented immigrants in camps under Trump (30K+ in 2020), and Hitler's at that point were predominantly political prisoners, not the men, women, and children of any particular ethnic group, like Jews, Hispanics, or people of color). To me, it's pretty clear after what he did in COVID and what he's done vis a vis US AID that if Trump saw a Holocaust would serve his goals, he'd do so without a second thought (he's in the process of practically guaranteeing one by stoking the flames of climate change)
In any case, it has occurred to me that I need to update the list (badly), so I've had my eyes more open than usual for this (all additions welcome). A couple that I just added: On the similarity front, guess what The Atlantic just highlighted as one of Hitler’s top priorities was when he took office? Yup, MASSIVE TARIFFS (albeit not for the same cynical reasons as Putin/Trump--gift link):
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/04/nazi-germany-tariffs-trade/682521/?gift=FgeEACUw4iJoER4ZiZvsnNSuMEVt4FhEXFPXF0KL_dI&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share
A key difference? When Hitler came into power, he believed that in order to have the legitimate right to exercise dictatorial powers, he needed a 2/3 majority of the Reichstag to pass a so-called Enabling Act, which it did (gift link):
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/01/hitler-germany-constitution-authoritarianism/681233/?gift=FgeEACUw4iJoER4ZiZvsnDEu1M4WbLzX51j0Jo3HtdE&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share
Trump, of course, knowing there isn't a chance in hell that Congress would ever pass anything like this, let alone on a 2/3 majority basis, has simply seized all of Congress' authority and dared anyone to do anything about it.
As someone who had family members that were murdered by H, I really wish you would take down this post. Maybe your facts are correct, but you're leaving out the other one big fact that Hitler killed millions of people in those camps.
Debbie--Thanks much for your frank response; it's always preferable to silence, at least to me. My grandfather was sent to one of those camps for speaking out against Hitler during the war (he survived because allies of the Confessing Church were able to get him back out). My other grandfather was the leader of a movement in the 1930s to get Jewish academics out of Germany and helped write the post war Constitutions of West Germany and whatever Israel calls its founding document (I know it's not a Constitution). I have long believed that viewing what happened in Germany as singular is the best way to make sure it happens again. It was certainly the worst genocide in history *so far,* and *by far* (all anyone has to do to see this is imagine how different the world would be today if even a *fraction* of those killed had been able to live out their lives), but that doesn't mean the likes of Trump, Putin, and Xi aren't capable of even worse, and if we don't alert ourselves to the similarities rather than focus on the differences, I'm concerned, we will be blind to how bad things could get and not be prepared to fight with every fiber against what is happening.
If you talk to people who have lived under dictatorships, that's their biggest concern, that our lack of exposure to authoritarianism first-hand (not many places have less) is causing many Americans to underestimate the threat. You saw the Kasparov piece Simon quoted last week, here's another from a post-Duterte Filipino perspective (gift link):
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/04/america-trump-authoritarianism-global/682528/?gift=FgeEACUw4iJoER4ZiZvsnDIcqd_lUnXD2GbwneUJCEU&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share
I'm tempted to say that if you read this response and still want me to take it down, I will, but gosh, I just don't think that's what we ought to be doing. I know enough to know it's risky to say what I'm saying, but I feel we're in a place where I have to take risks like that.
Tom, you are so nice to send me this thoughtful reply! Thank you! Since it seems I am the deciding vote, I say leave it up.
Thanks much for your support, understanding and, again, your honesty, Debbie :)