I am sure everyone caught the good news from South Korea – and the not-so-good news from Poland? But you may have missed the great news from Mississippi. Democrats had a great Tuesday night, winning the majority of the mayoral races. In fact, Democrats and good Independents won 14 of the 17 contested mayoral races in the State of Mississippi. That is absolutely stellar! The article below shows how amazingly close some of those races were.
And another big win for the Dems in SC State district 50. Winning by 40+ points in a district Kamala won by 5. The incumbent resigned shortly after winning re-election in November and the open seat was taken by the Dem in a LANDSLIDE.70.6 to 29.3 !! Turnout was small, which points to how the MAGA GOP underperforms if Trump is not on the ballot.
Here is the YouGov poll for Republican favorability, only 5% higher (43 vs. 38 %) than for Democrats. https://today.yougov.com/topics/politics/trackers/the-republican-party-favorability. The difference in popularity between the two parties could very well be within the margin of error and is affected by the percent of respondents answering "don't know."
But, the actual voting margins are not particularly close in most of the actual elections, case in point, Wisconsin Supreme Court election. I choose optimism. And we have done more winning than losing, so I don't think my optimism is unwarranted.
Though you can take the polls as saying, a plague on both your houses, since if you poll most people I suspect you would get most people saying they don't like politics or politicians.( In my 74 years I have never had a pollster calling me and I have always had a landline with the same phone number for 40 years.)
Agreed, as Simon has pointed out, you may not have a favorable sense of the Democratic Party as a whole, but who are you gonna vote for if you consider the alternative? And as we get deeper into the summer and the economy wanes further, and the Dems might get their act together a little more (fingers crossed) the shift away from the red team will continue.
In low turnout special elections or state and/or local elections that aren't scheduled in November, you can make a huge difference by promoting the candidates and getting out the vote - door-to-door canvassing, phone- and text-banking, and postcards can make a HUGE difference. And only door-to-canvassing requires you to be local (or at least within driving distance).
Postcards are my jam and this spring I wrote postcards for school board races mostly in TX and up-state NY. I am happy to repost that all of our school board candidates won!
I followed that up by writing postcards for the run-off election for San Antonio (TX) Mayor. The leading candidate in the general election was Democrat Gina Ortiz Jones, but there were 10 (!) candidates running and the #2 votegetter, who also advanced to the runoff, was a Republican. The election is this Saturday (which may or may not help turnout). Anyway, cross your fingers that this is another blowout for the Democrats like these other recent mayorial races.
If you want to get in on the action, here is a link to a daily phonebank for Gina up until (and including) election day:
I also wrote postcards for Dondre Wise in an upcoming special FL House race next Tuesday. This house district falls with the US House district that was the subject of the special election where the Democratic candidate, Gay Valimont, outperformed Kamala Harris by a wide margin, but still lost. However she did win in the precincts that make up the FL house district involved in the special election.
While, like everyone reading this, I love it when Trump and Musk fight, I can't resist pointing out that Musk is calling BBB an "abomination" and a deficit bomb only because it stripped funding from HIS SpaceX. POrk for me, not for thee. What an asshole.
We can all agree that Trump’s budget bill is an abomination, and that it will do deep damage to America, and future as well as present generations. The big question is: Why did Musk suddenly lash out at Trump’s budget?
Axios highlights four reasons – all of them petty but quite revealing:
1.) Trump’s budget cuts the electric vehicle tax credit that helps Musk's Tesla.
2.) The White House wouldn’t allow Musk to continue as a "special government employee" past the 130-day limit.
3.) Musk wanted the FAA to use Starlink satellite system for national air traffic control.
4.) Trump abruptly withdrew the nomination of Jared Isaacman, a Musk ally, to be NASA administrator.
As to the last point, why did Trump withdraw Isaacman? Because MAGA politicians complained that Isaacman had been a Democratic donor, and the White House wanted a Republican Trump loyalist!
What a great interview! Thank you. I think the goal and the horrific nature of the Suicide Pact was clear to many of us, but having Charles tell us the nitty gritty was very important.
I plan on spending the day making calls as usual and continuing to plan the No Kings rally here in central NJ. And just in case you missed it, Mayor Baraka is now suing Law Barbie.
Sen. Chris Murphy has formed a national PAC to fund anti-Trump organizations. This mobilization effort will be giving the first $400,000 to Georgia Youth Justice and Protect Health Care to support Medicaid in Louisiana, Utah and Michigan. This PAC was just formed in the last two days, so all you have to do is put his name in your search and info should pop up.
Yes. It is on his website, other news platforms plus he was on MSNBC several times talking about it. I sent a small donation through ActBlue yesterday.
Between Elon and Joni Ernst, the GOP is giving us tons of ammo that we simply MUST capitalize on. Elon threatens to primary House members for voting for the bill. That probably puts a shiver down those cowards spineless spines, even if he's just ranting and won't follow through...
Big protest by Veterans on the Mall in DC on Friday June 6, D-Day to protest the Trumpy parade. It's themed "Benefits not Bullshit". We need to support our Veterans and help them grow as part of the pro-democracy coalition.
I saw a CNN clip that TACO TRUMP searches were up 9900% on Google over a 48 hour period earlier this week. Keep that one and "We are all gonna die" pushing and circulating in the meme - o-sphere. Its the MAGA MURDER BUDGET, people.
Even MAGA House members who voted for the bill are backing away from it saying they hadn't read certain provisions and won't vote for it when it comes back to them if the Senate doesn't remove them. Includes MTG, Scott Perry and others. For most of them its about the deficit and the bond market and they want to cut even more services.
But, they are crumbling. We need to double down, keep the pressure on, turn out in larger and larger numbers at town halls, no kings day and GET LOUDER STILL!!!
I'm donating to Abigail, DNC and Veterans for Peace today. The beat goes on.
I'm participating in a visibility protest on Friday afternoon here in Charlotte,NC and plan to make a Veterans-themed poster to use. Both my parents were WWII Vets.
Thank you, Simon! Very informative interview. I called Senators Alsobrooks and Van Hollen and Congressman Raskin and asked them to do more to defeat Trump's budget bill. (I am going to take a prisoner if I hear one more Democrat use Trump's framing (Big Beautiful Bill), even sarcastically, even in quotation marks. Don't use his framing. Ever.)
If Elon's worried about the deficit, we can solve that by taxing billionaires.
One point concerning your discussion about whether/how states will step in to replace the loss of federal health dollars. Some blue states may be able to do some of that (not all), likely by increasing state taxes. The difference is that blue states won't be using their state tax dollars to fund red state health care, as they do now through their federal tax dollars. Trump's voters are going to be doubly screwed. So mammograms for blue state residents, advanced breast cancer for red state residents. Hey, as Ernst told us, "We're all going to die!"
I really think - and apparently quite a few people working for Senators believe - that the Musk comments are performative/planned, meant to pressure the Senate not to add to the cost of the bill. The Senate was definitely trending towards eliminating some of the more draconian cuts and adding certain programs back in.
This is not real fight between Musk and Trump. It’s Kabucki theater, meant to limit Senate alternations to the bill.
In any case, the most perplexing aspect of this whole ordeal to me is the amazing silence from mainstream media on what this bill actually is - it’s the largest transfer of economics from one class to another. There are literally trillions of dollars being transferred to the extreme wealthy from all other classes in America. It’s sick. It’s evil. And it will lead to economic ruin for millions.
Self report: I focused on three things for my NC GOP senators today -- grift, the stripping of ACA provisions and Medicaid in the budget bill, and the replacement of experts with loyalists in the administration. Yesterday I signed up for 200 postcards for Abigail Spanberger. Postcards for Voters has an exciting new campaign where they are sending out real news items to voters they deem low information on one side of the postcard with a hand-written pro-voting message on the back. If it works, they will start doing this across the country. I think it's an exciting and clever way to push out the impact of MAGA onto people who otherwise might be clueless. Get your postcards now! The price of stamps goes up again in July.
Self report from WI. 2sets of calls in to WI members of congress. 1st call budget/tariffs. 2nd call ICE raids. I also suggested they listen to 2 things. Heather Cox Richardson May 31,2025 - with a strong WI connection
I’m not so sure they or their aides will listen, but I will send the links to the as a follow up. For anyone who has not listened to these, they’re well worth a listen.
National Weather Service adding around 125 new hires after laying off hundreds
Andrew Freedman, CNN
Mon, June 2, 2025 at 11:05 AM EDT
“After losing more than 560 employees to layoffs and early retirement incentives earlier this year, the National Weather Service has received permission to hire about 125 new meteorologists and specialists for its forecast offices around the country, sources tell CNN, as an active hurricane season looms.”
USDA Offices, Including FSA and NRCS, Disappear From DOGE’s Lease Termination List
By Mariah Squire
Published on May 29, 2025
“In recent days, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has silently updated the lease terminations listed on its Wall of Receipts, and USDA offices have been majorly impacted.”
Simon, I just watched your interview with Charles Gaba and the concluding minutes were very illuminating. I think it becomes imperative that we find ways to push the memes "We are all gonna die" and MAGA MURDER BUDGET into the social media blogosphere, the echo chamber or however you want to describe it and include it into our calls to our reps.
Its social darwanism at its darkest, take away all support and protections and let the sickest among us die prematurely. Take away the vaccines and even more healthy people will get sick and some more will die. That is the plan as the two of you clearly pointed out. Remember when the GOP talked about the murder panels for grandmas when they were trying to defeat ACA? Well this sh*t is real now.
Thank you for all of the incredible interviews, and posts, you are doing amazing work. I'm calling Rob Bonta, my AG, again today about covid vaccine access for all. Queue up the next lawsuit please.
Yep, structural eugenics is what I’ve been calling it. “Structural” because the design is to obstruct access to vaccines, health care, and accurate information, so that people die. As opposed to how the Nazis did it, which was rounding people up and murdering them.
The gutting of FEMA and NOAA and so on all also seems to me to be part of our new era of structural eugenics. Basically removing the infrastructure that enables us to survive. We’re going to have shorter lifespans and a higher fatality rate. In their warped thinking, the presumably assume that the “fittest” and “strongest” will survive, so that they can use us to breed their future low-wage laborers. Who they prefer to be as white as possible.
On Threads I caught just a clip from a press conference led by Chuck Schumer. Apparently the Democrats have renamed the reconciliation bill the “We’re All Going To Die Act.” Well done. Schumer had highlighted the statistics to make them easy to understand.
Rep. Melanie Stansbury warns how NM, the country, and the world will be impacted by the maga attack on health care. "In NM, we know, of course, that we are all going to die, but we do not allow people to die because of policy failure and moral corruption."
GREAT NEWS FROM MISSISSIPPI!
I am sure everyone caught the good news from South Korea – and the not-so-good news from Poland? But you may have missed the great news from Mississippi. Democrats had a great Tuesday night, winning the majority of the mayoral races. In fact, Democrats and good Independents won 14 of the 17 contested mayoral races in the State of Mississippi. That is absolutely stellar! The article below shows how amazingly close some of those races were.
Once again: Every vote matters!
https://magnoliatribune.com/2025/06/03/democrats-have-good-night-in-mississippi-mayor-elections/
Nonetheless, there is a helluva long ways to go in Mississippi and the rest of the South. With that in mind, here is Nina Simone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJ25-U3jNWM
I see and raise you https://youtu.be/oHs98TEYecM?si=ItY-Rm6sOcY2m1I_.
Excellent!
I'll call...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LymNICNvaH8
Double that excellent!
My favorite Nina Simone song!
Love Nina Simone!
Love that song! "Everybody knows about, everybody knows about Mississippi, GOOODDAMMNNNN!" :)
And another big win for the Dems in SC State district 50. Winning by 40+ points in a district Kamala won by 5. The incumbent resigned shortly after winning re-election in November and the open seat was taken by the Dem in a LANDSLIDE.70.6 to 29.3 !! Turnout was small, which points to how the MAGA GOP underperforms if Trump is not on the ballot.
Take the wins, baby!
It is such a shame that Dems are fairing so poorly in favorability polls ( snark)! The only polls that count have a voting booth in them.
That's 'faring,' but agreed.
Got it.
Simon has addressed Dems favorability polls quite a bit.
https://www.hopiumchronicles.com/p/revisiting-the-gray-and-the-brown/comment/121743634
Here is the YouGov poll for Republican favorability, only 5% higher (43 vs. 38 %) than for Democrats. https://today.yougov.com/topics/politics/trackers/the-republican-party-favorability. The difference in popularity between the two parties could very well be within the margin of error and is affected by the percent of respondents answering "don't know."
81.6% of Democrats view their own party favorably, and a higher percentage +8%) of Republicans view their party favorably. Interestingly, the idependents have the same favorability for both parties in this YouGov poll. https://today.yougov.com/topics/politics/trackers/the-democratic-party-favorability?crossBreak=democrat
But, the actual voting margins are not particularly close in most of the actual elections, case in point, Wisconsin Supreme Court election. I choose optimism. And we have done more winning than losing, so I don't think my optimism is unwarranted.
Though you can take the polls as saying, a plague on both your houses, since if you poll most people I suspect you would get most people saying they don't like politics or politicians.( In my 74 years I have never had a pollster calling me and I have always had a landline with the same phone number for 40 years.)
Agreed, as Simon has pointed out, you may not have a favorable sense of the Democratic Party as a whole, but who are you gonna vote for if you consider the alternative? And as we get deeper into the summer and the economy wanes further, and the Dems might get their act together a little more (fingers crossed) the shift away from the red team will continue.
Yes, the more optimistic the better! That's the Hopium Spirit !!
In low turnout special elections or state and/or local elections that aren't scheduled in November, you can make a huge difference by promoting the candidates and getting out the vote - door-to-door canvassing, phone- and text-banking, and postcards can make a HUGE difference. And only door-to-canvassing requires you to be local (or at least within driving distance).
Postcards are my jam and this spring I wrote postcards for school board races mostly in TX and up-state NY. I am happy to repost that all of our school board candidates won!
I followed that up by writing postcards for the run-off election for San Antonio (TX) Mayor. The leading candidate in the general election was Democrat Gina Ortiz Jones, but there were 10 (!) candidates running and the #2 votegetter, who also advanced to the runoff, was a Republican. The election is this Saturday (which may or may not help turnout). Anyway, cross your fingers that this is another blowout for the Democrats like these other recent mayorial races.
If you want to get in on the action, here is a link to a daily phonebank for Gina up until (and including) election day:
https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/787338/
I also wrote postcards for Dondre Wise in an upcoming special FL House race next Tuesday. This house district falls with the US House district that was the subject of the special election where the Democratic candidate, Gay Valimont, outperformed Kamala Harris by a wide margin, but still lost. However she did win in the precincts that make up the FL house district involved in the special election.
While, like everyone reading this, I love it when Trump and Musk fight, I can't resist pointing out that Musk is calling BBB an "abomination" and a deficit bomb only because it stripped funding from HIS SpaceX. POrk for me, not for thee. What an asshole.
"AN ABOMINATION – AND A BLOATED MESS!"
We can all agree that Trump’s budget bill is an abomination, and that it will do deep damage to America, and future as well as present generations. The big question is: Why did Musk suddenly lash out at Trump’s budget?
Axios highlights four reasons – all of them petty but quite revealing:
1.) Trump’s budget cuts the electric vehicle tax credit that helps Musk's Tesla.
2.) The White House wouldn’t allow Musk to continue as a "special government employee" past the 130-day limit.
3.) Musk wanted the FAA to use Starlink satellite system for national air traffic control.
4.) Trump abruptly withdrew the nomination of Jared Isaacman, a Musk ally, to be NASA administrator.
As to the last point, why did Trump withdraw Isaacman? Because MAGA politicians complained that Isaacman had been a Democratic donor, and the White House wanted a Republican Trump loyalist!
https://www.axios.com/2025/06/03/elon-musk-trump-white-house-relationship
The nonwellness director fits perfectly with massive sabotage of the taco administration.
What a great interview! Thank you. I think the goal and the horrific nature of the Suicide Pact was clear to many of us, but having Charles tell us the nitty gritty was very important.
I plan on spending the day making calls as usual and continuing to plan the No Kings rally here in central NJ. And just in case you missed it, Mayor Baraka is now suing Law Barbie.
Hi Lisa, I know you are talking about Alina Habba in this case with your reference to "Law Barbie", but it applies equally well IMO to AG Pam Bondi!
Sen. Chris Murphy has formed a national PAC to fund anti-Trump organizations. This mobilization effort will be giving the first $400,000 to Georgia Youth Justice and Protect Health Care to support Medicaid in Louisiana, Utah and Michigan. This PAC was just formed in the last two days, so all you have to do is put his name in your search and info should pop up.
I was wondering if it was legit when I received the email?
Yes. It is on his website, other news platforms plus he was on MSNBC several times talking about it. I sent a small donation through ActBlue yesterday.
Between Elon and Joni Ernst, the GOP is giving us tons of ammo that we simply MUST capitalize on. Elon threatens to primary House members for voting for the bill. That probably puts a shiver down those cowards spineless spines, even if he's just ranting and won't follow through...
Big protest by Veterans on the Mall in DC on Friday June 6, D-Day to protest the Trumpy parade. It's themed "Benefits not Bullshit". We need to support our Veterans and help them grow as part of the pro-democracy coalition.
I saw a CNN clip that TACO TRUMP searches were up 9900% on Google over a 48 hour period earlier this week. Keep that one and "We are all gonna die" pushing and circulating in the meme - o-sphere. Its the MAGA MURDER BUDGET, people.
Even MAGA House members who voted for the bill are backing away from it saying they hadn't read certain provisions and won't vote for it when it comes back to them if the Senate doesn't remove them. Includes MTG, Scott Perry and others. For most of them its about the deficit and the bond market and they want to cut even more services.
But, they are crumbling. We need to double down, keep the pressure on, turn out in larger and larger numbers at town halls, no kings day and GET LOUDER STILL!!!
I'm donating to Abigail, DNC and Veterans for Peace today. The beat goes on.
There are other June 6th protests besides the Mall in DC. Check and see if there is one near you if you aren't close enough to DC.
https://thepeopledissent.substack.com/p/411-on-the-june-6th-d-day-protest
I'm participating in a visibility protest on Friday afternoon here in Charlotte,NC and plan to make a Veterans-themed poster to use. Both my parents were WWII Vets.
Thank you, Simon! Very informative interview. I called Senators Alsobrooks and Van Hollen and Congressman Raskin and asked them to do more to defeat Trump's budget bill. (I am going to take a prisoner if I hear one more Democrat use Trump's framing (Big Beautiful Bill), even sarcastically, even in quotation marks. Don't use his framing. Ever.)
If Elon's worried about the deficit, we can solve that by taxing billionaires.
One point concerning your discussion about whether/how states will step in to replace the loss of federal health dollars. Some blue states may be able to do some of that (not all), likely by increasing state taxes. The difference is that blue states won't be using their state tax dollars to fund red state health care, as they do now through their federal tax dollars. Trump's voters are going to be doubly screwed. So mammograms for blue state residents, advanced breast cancer for red state residents. Hey, as Ernst told us, "We're all going to die!"
I really think - and apparently quite a few people working for Senators believe - that the Musk comments are performative/planned, meant to pressure the Senate not to add to the cost of the bill. The Senate was definitely trending towards eliminating some of the more draconian cuts and adding certain programs back in.
This is not real fight between Musk and Trump. It’s Kabucki theater, meant to limit Senate alternations to the bill.
In any case, the most perplexing aspect of this whole ordeal to me is the amazing silence from mainstream media on what this bill actually is - it’s the largest transfer of economics from one class to another. There are literally trillions of dollars being transferred to the extreme wealthy from all other classes in America. It’s sick. It’s evil. And it will lead to economic ruin for millions.
Self report: I focused on three things for my NC GOP senators today -- grift, the stripping of ACA provisions and Medicaid in the budget bill, and the replacement of experts with loyalists in the administration. Yesterday I signed up for 200 postcards for Abigail Spanberger. Postcards for Voters has an exciting new campaign where they are sending out real news items to voters they deem low information on one side of the postcard with a hand-written pro-voting message on the back. If it works, they will start doing this across the country. I think it's an exciting and clever way to push out the impact of MAGA onto people who otherwise might be clueless. Get your postcards now! The price of stamps goes up again in July.
I signed up to get 100 of these from the Progressive Turnout Project/ think it’s the same thing
I signed up as well. I really like this approach to inform voters!
There is a different program on Lincoln Square (formerly Resolute Square) live at the same time as Simon is scheduled (now).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGfecP5odsg&ab_channel=ResoluteSquareIsNowLincolnSquare%21
My program was cancelled and moved to next week. Put it in the newsletter today. Sorry about that! S
Thanks. I missed the update, but see it now.
Self report from WI. 2sets of calls in to WI members of congress. 1st call budget/tariffs. 2nd call ICE raids. I also suggested they listen to 2 things. Heather Cox Richardson May 31,2025 - with a strong WI connection
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/letters-from-an-american/id1730358737?i=1000710755953
and a commencement speech by Yurong Luanna Jiang.
https://youtu.be/GpR_xk-DWsQ
I’m not so sure they or their aides will listen, but I will send the links to the as a follow up. For anyone who has not listened to these, they’re well worth a listen.
National Weather Service adding around 125 new hires after laying off hundreds
Andrew Freedman, CNN
Mon, June 2, 2025 at 11:05 AM EDT
“After losing more than 560 employees to layoffs and early retirement incentives earlier this year, the National Weather Service has received permission to hire about 125 new meteorologists and specialists for its forecast offices around the country, sources tell CNN, as an active hurricane season looms.”
https://www.yahoo.com/news/national-weather-adding-around-125-150520289.html
USDA Offices, Including FSA and NRCS, Disappear From DOGE’s Lease Termination List
By Mariah Squire
Published on May 29, 2025
“In recent days, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has silently updated the lease terminations listed on its Wall of Receipts, and USDA offices have been majorly impacted.”
https://www.agriculture.com/usda-offices-including-fsa-and-nrcs-disappear-from-doge-s-lease-termination-list-11744557
Simon, I just watched your interview with Charles Gaba and the concluding minutes were very illuminating. I think it becomes imperative that we find ways to push the memes "We are all gonna die" and MAGA MURDER BUDGET into the social media blogosphere, the echo chamber or however you want to describe it and include it into our calls to our reps.
Its social darwanism at its darkest, take away all support and protections and let the sickest among us die prematurely. Take away the vaccines and even more healthy people will get sick and some more will die. That is the plan as the two of you clearly pointed out. Remember when the GOP talked about the murder panels for grandmas when they were trying to defeat ACA? Well this sh*t is real now.
Thank you for all of the incredible interviews, and posts, you are doing amazing work. I'm calling Rob Bonta, my AG, again today about covid vaccine access for all. Queue up the next lawsuit please.
Simon nailed it when he said it’s eugenics.
Yep, structural eugenics is what I’ve been calling it. “Structural” because the design is to obstruct access to vaccines, health care, and accurate information, so that people die. As opposed to how the Nazis did it, which was rounding people up and murdering them.
The gutting of FEMA and NOAA and so on all also seems to me to be part of our new era of structural eugenics. Basically removing the infrastructure that enables us to survive. We’re going to have shorter lifespans and a higher fatality rate. In their warped thinking, the presumably assume that the “fittest” and “strongest” will survive, so that they can use us to breed their future low-wage laborers. Who they prefer to be as white as possible.
could be a nice life for a white billionaire...
Do they not realize that even the “fittest” and “strongest” get cancer and infectious diseases?
They seem pretty delusional all around.
On Threads I caught just a clip from a press conference led by Chuck Schumer. Apparently the Democrats have renamed the reconciliation bill the “We’re All Going To Die Act.” Well done. Schumer had highlighted the statistics to make them easy to understand.
I was thrilled when they called it the Sick Tax, but I like the new name better.
there it is
That’s good, but I think the MAGA MURDER BUDGET is perhaps even better.
Rep. Melanie Stansbury warns how NM, the country, and the world will be impacted by the maga attack on health care. "In NM, we know, of course, that we are all going to die, but we do not allow people to die because of policy failure and moral corruption."
https://youtu.be/bqry96VARSc