Trump appears more than willing to cut medicare and medicaid to pay for his war or so he says. We cannot afford war and health care. Well no one asked for this f***ing war but people in this country desperately need health care. Heard Shumer was positive to giving more money to the military after they have wasted so much. Hope that is incorrect. We need to assert the power we have not cave to the GOP. I believe Israel has the right to exist, it does not have the right to commit genocide or take parts of Lebanon. We should not help finance that.
Yes, yes! I'm calling Booker & Kim and yes, even Rep. Chris Smith (Traitor-NJ04), the hardest working man in the House since 1980 (tm). Last night was like Weekend at Bernie's - clearly, grandpa was tired after glowering at SCOTUS justices all morning, then fleeing bc he could no longer bear witness to Blanche's epic fail. UGHUGHUGH.
Best newsletter yet. How we got here and what we need to do. Let's hope there are some Rs who care about the country. Haven't seen much evidence of that for a while.
Excellent stats, Simon!! You demonstrate in clear, unequivocal terms the economic damage that Trump has singlehandedly created for this nation, with an important assist from the doormat Republican Congress. The only aspect you missed is the carnage in the stock market, which affects all with 401k plans, not just the Epstein class.
Writing and calling today with message from this newsletter. Here's my phone script:
I’m calling to urge Senator to act immediately in response to the serious crises facing our country, both at home and abroad. I believe Congress needs to move quickly to undo the damage caused by Trump’s policies and to begin repairing the harm done to working families, businesses, and our democracy.
In particular, I want the Senator to support:
• ending the failed foreign policy approach and working toward a real diplomatic solution;
• rescinding the tariffs and reimbursing businesses harmed by them;
• reversing the Trump tax cuts and restoring funding for ACA, Medicaid, and clean energy;
• reining in ICE and ending mass deportations.
I also want the Senator to know that constituents are watching closely and expect real leadership now, not later. Please ask the Senator to act with urgency.
Kate, I really appreciate your posting your scripts! You're very measured, yet pointed. A great balance, which I struggle to achieve, in my constant frustration that my senators aren't fighting hard enough.
My secret power is I take paragraphs from Simon, then edit them myself. Then I let chat GPT do the final edit. I am pretty wordy and I like how they tighten it up. I hardly use AI, but this is a good use. I get a version I can send in a letter and I get a phone script version. It streamlines everything and that means I can call everyday without feeling like the calling is taking over my life.
Wrote to House and Senate reps today stealing Simon's lines but crediting him:
Dear Senator _______,
To Quote The Hopium Chronicles:
America now has a failed President. Trump and Trumpism have failed. Now the big fight is to replace it with something better, and that work begins today. We need to prioritize a few things now:
Work to find a painful diplomatic end to Trump’s failed war
Rescind the tariffs, and immediately re-pay the money owed to businesses from his first round of illegal tarffis
Rescind Trump’s tax cuts, and restore funding to ACA/Medicaid and the clean energy subsidies
Yesterday Trump did yet another thing that is completely unheard of: He became the first sitting president to attend oral arguments before the Supreme Court. But let’s not mince words: Trump was there to intimidate and pressure the Justices, and to convey a silent message to the three Justices that he appointed that this was “payback time”.
Fortunately, I seriously doubt Trump’s staring and glowering demeanor swung any Justices to support his radical attempt to rewrite or reinterpret the 14th amendment crystal-clear words about naturalized citizenship.
.
Here’s a gem from "It’s Come To This" posted on another forum:
Funniest line of the day, when Kavanaugh asked Cecilia Wang why the Court should even base a ruling on the 14th Amendment when all judges try to "base their decision simply on previous case law. Why should we go with the Constitutional argument at all?"
Her answer: "We believe either case law or the Constitution wins the argument and we'll be happy to accept a ruling using either – or both of them."
Clear snickering in the room – no more questions from Justice Kavanaugh.
She was brilliant! My question is, why did they even take the case at all? They're taking cases that should never have been brought in the first place. (For the record, I can't stand Bart.)
We need to go back to first principles of what we supposedly stand for as Americans. We then need to try, if possible, to rebuild our alliances and some trust. We may not be the global hegemony we were, but maybe the world can come out better. Maybe Europe will be stronger.
We also need to have some standards and accountability. There is clear rot in our military, which has not adapted to modern warfare. We can’t accept incompetence which seems epidemic across our society.
It figures that idiot would start and lose a war in record time.
I was thinking about the issue of international trust and accountability. I feel like if the United States doesn’t eat a whole lot of humble pie, and demonstrate a willingness to actually punish wrongdoers in a meaningful way and make reparations, we are going to be alone in the world for a generation.
I keep imagining how Iranian citizens feel after our military bombed their children to death and attacked them during peace talks, or how our former NATO allies or NAFTA partners feel after repeated betrayals, and I am struggling to think of what would make it up to them, and in the case of former allies earn their trust again. It seems like it will take at least a decade and won’t be cheap, and we will never again be a global leader like we were.
zelensky offered to help us get up to date on drone warfare and satan refused. so we use $20M missles to sink a fishing boat. and we give this military billions! anyone can drop a big bomb, but that is not the future of warfare. surprised we didnt lose and air craft carrier.
Self-reporting - Yesterday, I helped an elderly friend determine if she was registered to vote (we couldn't find her on the rolls, which was a surprise), and she will be sending in her registration.
Thanks for doing this, Anne. I think the Dems ought to be blasting out suggestions that EVERYONE check their registration and help their friends check theirs.
It's time to invoke the 25th amendment. Of course the Republicans will not go along. I do not believe that they can be so afraid of retaliation that they are sitting on their hands while this president endangers everybody not only in this country but around the world. And if they are so afraid, they do not belong in Congress. This presidency has been a lesson in how to destroy a country and any of the good it has done across the world in not even a year and a half. But Trump started this downward spiral in his first term when he canceled the Iran nuclear deal. I called Schumer and expressed the same sentiments.
We will not be able to repair any of the damage from the war unless we definitively get Trump, Hegseth and Rubio out of the picture. Nobody from Iran to NATO can trust them so no one will negotiate in good faith with us. If we were able to impeach and remove (and put up with Vance for awhile but them cote him out) we would have a chance at recovery of our standing before it is too late. But Thune and Johnson are stupidly not up for the challenge of our lives.
Really good and brief summary of Trump’s mismanagement of the economy: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/apr/02/trump-liberation-day-us-tariffs-trade
Thank you; this is great. Read Jen Rubin this morning from the Contrarian. Such an excellent summary.
Trump appears more than willing to cut medicare and medicaid to pay for his war or so he says. We cannot afford war and health care. Well no one asked for this f***ing war but people in this country desperately need health care. Heard Shumer was positive to giving more money to the military after they have wasted so much. Hope that is incorrect. We need to assert the power we have not cave to the GOP. I believe Israel has the right to exist, it does not have the right to commit genocide or take parts of Lebanon. We should not help finance that.
Yes, yes! I'm calling Booker & Kim and yes, even Rep. Chris Smith (Traitor-NJ04), the hardest working man in the House since 1980 (tm). Last night was like Weekend at Bernie's - clearly, grandpa was tired after glowering at SCOTUS justices all morning, then fleeing bc he could no longer bear witness to Blanche's epic fail. UGHUGHUGH.
Keep going - make those calls!
Best newsletter yet. How we got here and what we need to do. Let's hope there are some Rs who care about the country. Haven't seen much evidence of that for a while.
Excellent stats, Simon!! You demonstrate in clear, unequivocal terms the economic damage that Trump has singlehandedly created for this nation, with an important assist from the doormat Republican Congress. The only aspect you missed is the carnage in the stock market, which affects all with 401k plans, not just the Epstein class.
Note that it’s Ken Paxton.
I think it is Ken Paxton not Mike Paxton.
Hopefully that fact becomes obscure trivia.
After living in Texas from the 90s to 2020, I honestly wish I could never hear that name again in my life. Major evil creep and crook.
Writing and calling today with message from this newsletter. Here's my phone script:
I’m calling to urge Senator to act immediately in response to the serious crises facing our country, both at home and abroad. I believe Congress needs to move quickly to undo the damage caused by Trump’s policies and to begin repairing the harm done to working families, businesses, and our democracy.
In particular, I want the Senator to support:
• ending the failed foreign policy approach and working toward a real diplomatic solution;
• rescinding the tariffs and reimbursing businesses harmed by them;
• reversing the Trump tax cuts and restoring funding for ACA, Medicaid, and clean energy;
• reining in ICE and ending mass deportations.
I also want the Senator to know that constituents are watching closely and expect real leadership now, not later. Please ask the Senator to act with urgency.
Kate, I really appreciate your posting your scripts! You're very measured, yet pointed. A great balance, which I struggle to achieve, in my constant frustration that my senators aren't fighting hard enough.
My secret power is I take paragraphs from Simon, then edit them myself. Then I let chat GPT do the final edit. I am pretty wordy and I like how they tighten it up. I hardly use AI, but this is a good use. I get a version I can send in a letter and I get a phone script version. It streamlines everything and that means I can call everyday without feeling like the calling is taking over my life.
Wrote to House and Senate reps today stealing Simon's lines but crediting him:
Dear Senator _______,
To Quote The Hopium Chronicles:
America now has a failed President. Trump and Trumpism have failed. Now the big fight is to replace it with something better, and that work begins today. We need to prioritize a few things now:
Work to find a painful diplomatic end to Trump’s failed war
Rescind the tariffs, and immediately re-pay the money owed to businesses from his first round of illegal tarffis
Rescind Trump’s tax cuts, and restore funding to ACA/Medicaid and the clean energy subsidies
Formally rein in ICE and end mass deportations
Thank you,
_____________
Yesterday Trump did yet another thing that is completely unheard of: He became the first sitting president to attend oral arguments before the Supreme Court. But let’s not mince words: Trump was there to intimidate and pressure the Justices, and to convey a silent message to the three Justices that he appointed that this was “payback time”.
Fortunately, I seriously doubt Trump’s staring and glowering demeanor swung any Justices to support his radical attempt to rewrite or reinterpret the 14th amendment crystal-clear words about naturalized citizenship.
.
Here’s a gem from "It’s Come To This" posted on another forum:
Funniest line of the day, when Kavanaugh asked Cecilia Wang why the Court should even base a ruling on the 14th Amendment when all judges try to "base their decision simply on previous case law. Why should we go with the Constitutional argument at all?"
Her answer: "We believe either case law or the Constitution wins the argument and we'll be happy to accept a ruling using either – or both of them."
Clear snickering in the room – no more questions from Justice Kavanaugh.
Going to SCOTUS was yet another epic blunder I think.
He thought he would look big and tough and bully them into submission, but in reality he ended up looking like a pathetic, weak, cry baby!
She was brilliant! My question is, why did they even take the case at all? They're taking cases that should never have been brought in the first place. (For the record, I can't stand Bart.)
We need to go back to first principles of what we supposedly stand for as Americans. We then need to try, if possible, to rebuild our alliances and some trust. We may not be the global hegemony we were, but maybe the world can come out better. Maybe Europe will be stronger.
We also need to have some standards and accountability. There is clear rot in our military, which has not adapted to modern warfare. We can’t accept incompetence which seems epidemic across our society.
It figures that idiot would start and lose a war in record time.
I was thinking about the issue of international trust and accountability. I feel like if the United States doesn’t eat a whole lot of humble pie, and demonstrate a willingness to actually punish wrongdoers in a meaningful way and make reparations, we are going to be alone in the world for a generation.
I keep imagining how Iranian citizens feel after our military bombed their children to death and attacked them during peace talks, or how our former NATO allies or NAFTA partners feel after repeated betrayals, and I am struggling to think of what would make it up to them, and in the case of former allies earn their trust again. It seems like it will take at least a decade and won’t be cheap, and we will never again be a global leader like we were.
The next president needs to make us ICC signatories and start sending people to the Hague. Trump, Hegseth, Rubio, and Caine as a start.
And if Netanyahu or Putin sets foot on US soil, we send them away to the Hague as well.
zelensky offered to help us get up to date on drone warfare and satan refused. so we use $20M missles to sink a fishing boat. and we give this military billions! anyone can drop a big bomb, but that is not the future of warfare. surprised we didnt lose and air craft carrier.
Spot on Simon.
You have been ahead of the curve calling all of this to be honest.
The national conversation seems to lag a few weeks/months behind!!
No one knows everything, or can predict everything correctly of course, but I am so glad to have your insight and foresight in these uncertain times.
If you want some Hopium about the elections, Rick Wilson, in his profane way, provides it here:
https://www.againstallenemies.net/p/its-april-and-trumps-a-fool?utm_source=podcast-email&publication_id=1887091&post_id=192899493&utm_campaign=email-play-on-substack&utm_content=watch_now_button&r=9xeiz&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email
Thanks for the link.
Very interesting stuff.
Self-reporting - Yesterday, I helped an elderly friend determine if she was registered to vote (we couldn't find her on the rolls, which was a surprise), and she will be sending in her registration.
Thanks for doing this, Anne. I think the Dems ought to be blasting out suggestions that EVERYONE check their registration and help their friends check theirs.
I love hearing stories like this. It is all of us taking concrete action that will get us out of this mess. Thank you 🙏
It's time to invoke the 25th amendment. Of course the Republicans will not go along. I do not believe that they can be so afraid of retaliation that they are sitting on their hands while this president endangers everybody not only in this country but around the world. And if they are so afraid, they do not belong in Congress. This presidency has been a lesson in how to destroy a country and any of the good it has done across the world in not even a year and a half. But Trump started this downward spiral in his first term when he canceled the Iran nuclear deal. I called Schumer and expressed the same sentiments.
We will not be able to repair any of the damage from the war unless we definitively get Trump, Hegseth and Rubio out of the picture. Nobody from Iran to NATO can trust them so no one will negotiate in good faith with us. If we were able to impeach and remove (and put up with Vance for awhile but them cote him out) we would have a chance at recovery of our standing before it is too late. But Thune and Johnson are stupidly not up for the challenge of our lives.
I think, in particular, Hegseth needs to be impeached.
I think so too, but give it a couple of months and I'd bet he gets fired.