The Knicks Triumph And Inspire While Trump Desecrates And Betrays

Congrats to all Knicks fans. This a team for the ages........

Happy Sunday all. The Knicks won their first NBA championship in 53 years, mounting another incredible comeback, this time from 16 points down. As a young kid growing up in the New York area I rooted on the Knicks when they won their last two championships in 1970 and 1973. This gritty, resilient and inspiring team led by Jalen Brunson will go down as the one of the great ones, a team folks will be talking about for generations like those historic teams of Willis Reed, Walt Frazier, Dave DeBusschere, Bill Bradley and Earl The Pearl Monroe from those championship years……

My social media feeds this morning are full of incredible scenes of celebration across The City…..here are two……

From Brooklyn. Sound on. Listen to the roar!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sound on here too…….feel the joy…….

We are having quite a weekend of spectacle here in DC this weekend too……

We had the dramatic emergence of Donnie’s Tarp…….

We had the just in time for his birthday removal of his name from the Kennedy Center (yes this is image of a statue of Saddam Hussein falling):

This weekend we are fortunate and grateful to learn that our GREAT AND MIGHTY Leader has determined that millions and millions should be spent to “re-gild” our statutes here in our Nations’ Capital (this is a real post):

We are also fortunate that our MIGHTY and POWERFUL Leader is gracing the White House with these glorious activities to celebrate his 80th birthday this weekend (not since ancient Rome have we seen such spectacle!):

And as it his birthday it is appropriate that our MIGHTY Leader is rewarded by the people for his years of service to the nation:

Back in the real world a new Reuters-Ipsos poll finds that just 16% of Americans support the UFCing of the White House, including only 31% of Republicans……

Happy Sunday to the Knicks fans out there from Washington, DC. Here, today we are the Ultimate Fight Capital of the World. It is up to us, all of us, to ensure that today will not be remembered for an ailing, addled old man’s ridiculous birthday festivities but for his traitorous betrayal of our democracy and the rancid desecration of it’s most important symbols.

May that be what June 14th signifies to Americans for generations to come. A day of infamy, not celebration. For as Jalen Brunson and the USMNT’s team have showed us in recent days there are heroes among us, leaders who can lift us up and inspire, and give us hope that this once great nation can become great again……

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We have terrific new conversations and presentations for you to dive into this weekend:

• Our Senate nominee in Iowa Josh Turek dropped by and inspired and impressed - what a great candidate! If you watch one thing this weekend it should be this one

• Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison updated us on the fight to create accountability for Trump’s lawless siege of Minnesota

• Stand Up For Science’s Dr. Colette Delawalla came by to urge us to join their campaign to Stop Vought and Save Science

• I had lively talks with April Ryan of The Contrarian and Stuart Stevens of Lincoln Square

• And offered my weekly take on things in a new video and post, Trump - desperate men do desperate things.

Things we should be calling and fighting for this week:

• Finish the job on the Ukraine Support Act, get it passed through the Senate to the President’s desk

• Finish the job on the Iran war powers resolutions that have passed both the Senate and House in recent weeks, and get them to the President’s desk

• No to the ballroom, the Arch, the gilded statues, the slush fund, the corruption, self-enrichment……

• hell no to Todd Blanche becoming Attorney General

• Hell hell no to the new OMB regs that will destroy government-funded science in America. Joins the new Stand Up For Science campaign to Stop Vought. Save Science today.

A big thank you to everyone who has become a paid subscriber in recent days. We’ve signed up 102 new people, well on our way to our goal of 500 by July 4th. Take 10% off a paid annual Hopium subscription today and help make our Independence Day membership sale and drive a success!

Now, Let’s Go Out And Win Some Elections People!!!!

Winning The Midterms, Competing In Red States and Red Places, Expanding The Map

Hopium’s Winning The House Campaign - $772,500 raised, $1,000,000 goal (new ambitious, audacious even, q2 goal) - Donate to all twelve of our endorsed House challengers with a single contribution split twelve ways | Get to know Jamie Ager (NC-11), Christina Bohannan (IA-01), Paige Cognetti (PA-08), Rebecca Cooke (WI-03), Elaine Luria (VA-02), Sean McCann (MI-04), Jo Mendoza (AZ-06), Chaz Molder (TN-05), Jonathan Nez (AZ-02), Janelle Stelson (PA-10), Shannon Taylor (VA-01), and Sarah Trone Garriott (IA-03) by watching our recently recorded Hopium interviews.

Friends if these twelve win, the House will flip, no matter redistricting madness the Rs execute in the coming days. So eyes on the prize here everyone!

Hopium’s Winning The House - Second Wave - $77,100 raised, $250,000 goal - We’ve launched a second House fund, one targeting candidates who’ve recently emerged from primaries or have to run in new districts. Our initial crew is Rebecca Bennett (NJ-07), Bob Brooks (PA-07), Johnny Garcia (TX-35), Bob Harvie (PA-01), Denise Powell (NE-02), and Bobby Pulido (TX-15). A donation to the Second Wave Fund is split evenly among these six, and more as other worthy candidates emerge for their primaries. We are off to a great start here people!

Josh Turek For Iowa Senate - $16,600 raised, $250,000 goal - Donate | Learn more and volunteer | Watch my wonderful new interview with Josh Turek

Mary Peltola For Alaska Senate - $103,600 raised, $250,000 goal - Donate | Learn more through my uplifting conversation with Mary Peltola as she fights to turn Alaska blue

James Talarico For Texas - $85,600 raised, $250,000 - Donate | Learn more from my inspiring interview with Rep. Talarico as he fights to turn Texas blue

Graham Platner For Maine Senate - $1,100 raised, $250,000 goal - Donate | Learn more and volunteer

Winning Ohio - $159,100 raised, $250,000 goal - Our new campaign splits contributions evenly among Sherrod Brown, the Acton/Pepper ticket, and the Ohio Democratic Party | Donate today and help us turn this critical 2026 battleground blue

Winning Iowa - $6,600 raised, $100,000 goal - We’ve also set up a new Winning Iowa campaign that splits a contribution three ways - to Turek, to Gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand, and to the Iowa Democratic Party and its great chair, Rita Hart | Watch my new interview with State Auditor Rob Sand

Hopium’s Audacious Expansion Fund - $592,100 raised, $1,000,000 goal (new stretch goal) - Join our campaign that has helped expand our map by investing in the Democratic Parties of Alaska, Florida, Iowa, Maine, and Texas, all now central battlegrounds in the 2026 election | Catch interviews with the five intrepid state chairs leading their troops into battle this year - will get you fired up! and use the link to make contributions to any of the state parties directly | Contribute to all five state parties with one contribution split evenly among these five critical battlegrounds

Roy Cooper for NC Senate - $122,100 raised, $250,000 goal - Donate | Learn more through my new discussion with Gov. Cooper

Jon Ossoff GA Senate - $185,100 raised, $250,000 goal - Donate | Learn more through my uplifting conversation with Senator Ossoff

Advocate For The Hopium Agenda/Pass Resolutions Of Condemnation In Your Community/Winning In An Evolving Battlefield/Voting Early And Voting On Day 1

There are a few more ways to go to work in the coming days - call your leaders and advocate for elements of our working, ever evolving Hopium Agenda; bring resolutions that condemn our Mad King and lets facts be spoken to a candid world to your state or local government; learn how you can help us win in evolving political and electoral battlefield this year; help your networks and community start preparing to help everyone Vote Early this November.

Here’s our working, evolving Post-Iran Disaster Agenda:

• Work to end this ridiculous new gulf war and Trump’s Imperial global ambitions

• Support Ukraine and Europe, not Russia by passing HR 2913, The Ukraine Support Act, in the House this week

• Roll back the new, illegal tariffs

• Rescind the Trump tax cuts, claw back the extra ICE funding, fund the IRS so it can collect the taxes the rich are hiding from us

• Launch a major anti-corruption, renewing democracy campaign, one that ensures accountability for the crimes and treason committed, limits the political power of our emerging oligarchy, and strengthens democracy here and everywhere

• Make the US a clean energy superpower, fight for true energy independence, and lower utility and energy prices for the American people

• Rein in ICE, end Mass Deportation

• End Trump’s destructive war on science, research, our health scare system and our public Health

• Make clear to American farmers that we want to end the failed war, repeal the terrible tariffs, find legal pathways for farm workers, and make health care and energy more affordable

Please use the paid subscriber chat to self-report the good trouble you make each day.

Keep working hard everyone. We have a country to save, and elections all across this great country to win, together! - Simon