Disgusting and pathetic was this comment from Cynthia Lummis (R-WY): “Did he say that? I don’t have a comment about that, mostly because I think he actually does care,” she said, laughing and suggesting Trump did not mean what he said.”
And "what exactly has he done for the American working-class" should be the come-back. And every Democratic senator that is not running for election should be out campaigning for Democratic state and federal reps and senators along with judicial contests showing this clip and the veritable shoulder shrug of the Republicans who are running!
My son's birthday is coming up this week and sadly, one measly present other than a used CD will be his gifts from us (good thing he has a kindly aide who takes him out daily who is certain to pick out something he actually wants). I know that is not the end all and be all, but he is autistic, has the day circled on the calendar and it hurts. Our Social Security no longer covers the increase in inflation.
I am sorry to read this, Virginia. But no worries for your son. He’s got the best mom in the world, the most valuable gift of all (and I’m sure he knows it).
Election news from WV. Democrat leaning wv Supreme Court Justice Kirkpatrick won in a big way defeating a Candidate hand picked and appointed by MaGa Governor Morrisey .
Wv democrats and independents showed up yesterday ! Should grab your attention
In a county judge race, independent David Amsbary beat 2 pro maga candidates in a landslide in Cabell County
Amazing Philip! Thanks so much for reporting… It’s these lesser known races down ballot that excite me the most… That is the real bulwark that will hold the democracy together as they continue to escalate in the administration. The decentralized nature of our political power can be our saving grace as long as we are competing in enough places to hold our fair share at the state and local level. Great work, West Virginia Democrats!
Hi, Simon! I listened to Greg Sargent this morning and was pleasantly surprised to hear you, too!
Sounds like Dems did well in Nebraska yesterday, oddly enough by clearing the way for an Independent. I'm a Democrat through and through but I think we have to be willing to work with Independents in red places as a sort of bridge to electing Democrats eventually. (I've seen it happen on the county level in a super red rural Virginia county.) And Trump is losing Independents at a rapid rate. Would love to get your take.
I called Congressman Raskin and Senators Alsobrooks and Van Hollen to say that Dems should not vote a penny for the Defense Department or this war until Hegseth resigns or is fired, that Dems should not vote a penny for Trump's ballroom, arch, reflecting pools, etc., and that Trump is not in touch with reality and must be removed from office. I'm writing postcards to Ohio voters.
The Trump comment that he doesn’t care and doesn’t even think about Americans’ finances needs to run and rerun everywhere. Noting also that Iran is nowhere near having a nuclear weapon, Trump’s war hasn’t affected their ability to get one, and he killed the agreement keeping them from getting one.
Good morning Simon, I just finished listening to the Podcast with You and Greg Sargent. Excellent, and the rest of your Post as well.
I think We should get Posters and put them up wherever we can, with Trump saying " I DON'T CARE ABOUT AMERICAN'S FINANCIAL PROBLEMS OR ANYONE ELSE" DONALD TRUMP
Is it now the case that to win the midterms Democrats must compete in the newly gerrymandered red-state districts, and if so, should those state’s Democratic parties be part of Audacious Expansion?
On a different but related topic (of NOT winning), here's a link to a great Politico article today that the Trump administration has LOST over 10,000 immigration detention cases. A loss rate of 90%! And "even a majority of Trump-appointed judges have sided against the administration."
Good morning (and for once it’s still morning back east). Boy did the guy whose makeup is less subtle than an Oompa Loompa’s step in it by telling the truth for once. He doesn’t care about anyone’s financial situation but his own. And the inflation figures are really stunning.
Today is Day 2 of the 12 days of political donations my wife and I have committed to in May, front loading our 2026 political donations. Today’s donation went to the Hopium Georgia fund, because we need state supreme court justices who are not MAGA pawns. Almost at the goal for that Hopium fund!!
Just wanted to report another election success here in Nebraska from yesterday!
Our Democratic voters foiled a malevolent and ridiculous ploy by the state GOP and one of the worst figures in our current politics, Senator Pete Ricketts.
As many of you might be aware, there’s an independent candidate running here for US Senate named Dan Osborne who’s a populist union leader… He won’t be a reliable caucus vote for us by any means if he wins, but he would be a hell of a lot more of an ally in the United States Senate than any Republican would be.
He’s getting some traction because he performed pretty well in 2024 against Deb Fisher, and we have a much better environment for him to run in this year.
The Republicans literally planted a phony candidate in the Democratic primary with the sole purpose of siphoning votes away from Dan Osborne in the general. That’s how scared shitless they are of the national environment this year.
I am very proud of the coordinated response that State Chair Jane Kleeb and Dems all over the state put into play… We ran our own Democratic candidate whose sole purpose was to defeat theirs, and then drop out of the race so that Dan Osborne would have a clean general election head-to-head matchup with Pete Ricketts (which clearly neither Pete Rickets nor John Thune wants).
We succeeded… their bullshit candidate did not win. Very proud of my State Democratic Party right now, and very happy to have been part of the Hopium push to send them some extra money two years ago and build up the coffers a bit.
There’s plenty of good news out there if you’re willing to look for it. Doesn’t make the bad news less painful or less real, but it’s important to keep perspective on our successes too. Thanks, Michael!
Wow, did not know all that was happening. Beat them at their own game! Well-done Jane Kleeb. So would Osborn be sort of a neutral or “abstention” when it comes to determining which party has control of the Senate? Or does that remain to be seen?
As of now he’s pledged not to caucus with either party… Although, I question whether that will hold… How the hell you gonna get on any committees, and if you’re not on any committees, how do you have any impact? So, I’m guessing he would end up being a “Fetterman like“ member of the Democratic caucus… Which isn’t ideal, but it beats the hell out of Pete Ricketts. I think he will be a good vote on middle class, friendly economic policy… I think he will be a less good vote on progressive social policy. But, he will be an ally and holding the Trump administration accountable for their corruption and their shameful and disgraceful preferential treatment of the oligarchs. It’s not gonna be a top-tier race, but it’s not completely impossible. By any means either… He came within six points of the other Republican senator two years ago in a much worse electoral environment. At the very least, he’s gonna force the Republicans to spend some time and money on a race. They should’ve been able to just coast on… That’s time and energy not available for Susan Collins in Maine, or Dan Sullivan in Alaska, or whatever bunch of bastards they run in Georgia and North Carolina… It all helps. Gotta build a big tent! 😎🇺🇸
Recent Supreme Court decisions—including the Alexander v. South Carolina State Conference of the NAACP and Callais v. Blum redistricting cases—coupled with toxic political rhetoric and a widespread denial of our nation's economic realities, point to a chilling historical parallel: the American Eugenics Movement of the 20th century.
Between the early 1900s and the 1950s, this movement weaponized the law against marginalized populations. In the landmark 1927 case Buck v. Bell, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 8–1 to uphold the constitutionality of forced sterilization laws. The ruling allowed states to involuntarily sterilize institutionalized citizens to prevent the "hereditary" transmission of "feeblemindedness." This single precedent led to the forced sterilization of roughly 60,000 to 70,000 Americans.
The global consequences of this ideology were catastrophic. German scientists in the early 1900s adopted these American concepts under the guise of "racial hygiene." In fact, the Nazi regime explicitly modeled its 1933 Law for the Prevention of Progeny with Hereditary Diseases on Californian and other American state sterilization laws. This resulted in 400,000 forced sterilizations in Germany, serving as a direct precursor to state-sponsored genocide.
While we are not witnessing a literal resurgence of 20th-century eugenics, current political strategies mirror its core principles. The original movement relied on a naïve, weaponized misunderstanding of genetics, claiming that poverty, alcoholism, criminality, and race were inherited traits to be bred out of society. Today, we see a metaphorical equivalent. It lives in discriminatory state-level redistricting that systematically dilutes the power of non-white voters, and in dangerous foreign policy rhetoric that threatens the total destruction of foreign societies.
How much more absurd and dangerous can modern authoritarianism and fascism become? We see the economic fallout of these exclusionary philosophies all around us: Seniors Suffocating: Millions of Baby Boomers face reduced medical coverage and skyrocketing insurance premiums. Fixed retirement incomes cannot keep pace with the rising costs of food, gasoline, and rent. Youth Stagnation: High interest rates and a barren job market force recent college graduates to move back into their childhood bedrooms. Rural Decay: Local schools and health clinics are closing doors, while sixth-generation family farmers are forced into bankruptcy. Targeted Communities: Access to vital safety nets like food stamps is being stripped away, while non-white communities live in constant fear of aggressive ICE deportations.
While today’s tactics do not involve a physical scalpel, they achieve the same result: Intentional Cataclysmic Exclusion. The current partisan gerrymandering efforts and the executive blueprints laid out in Project 2025 represent a dark intersection of history. Reading between the lines of these proposals reveals a nefarious, recurring theme: a coordinated effort to promote strict exclusivity over democratic collaboration. It is, quite simply, an attempt at culling the herd.
The November midterm elections are just 174 days away. The balance of power in Washington, D.C., hangs in the position of our collective response. Every single eligible voter must act immediately: Make phone calls to Congressmen and Senators. Write and mail campaign postcards. Attend local peaceful protests. Mobilize friends, family, and neighbors. Cast your ballot to defend democracy.
Disgusting and pathetic was this comment from Cynthia Lummis (R-WY): “Did he say that? I don’t have a comment about that, mostly because I think he actually does care,” she said, laughing and suggesting Trump did not mean what he said.”
Yes, there are going to be lots of clips of Rs trying to "laugh off" what Trump said. The American public must have the last laugh come November.
And "what exactly has he done for the American working-class" should be the come-back. And every Democratic senator that is not running for election should be out campaigning for Democratic state and federal reps and senators along with judicial contests showing this clip and the veritable shoulder shrug of the Republicans who are running!
My son's birthday is coming up this week and sadly, one measly present other than a used CD will be his gifts from us (good thing he has a kindly aide who takes him out daily who is certain to pick out something he actually wants). I know that is not the end all and be all, but he is autistic, has the day circled on the calendar and it hurts. Our Social Security no longer covers the increase in inflation.
I am sorry to read this, Virginia. But no worries for your son. He’s got the best mom in the world, the most valuable gift of all (and I’m sure he knows it).
Good Morning
Election news from WV. Democrat leaning wv Supreme Court Justice Kirkpatrick won in a big way defeating a Candidate hand picked and appointed by MaGa Governor Morrisey .
Wv democrats and independents showed up yesterday ! Should grab your attention
In a county judge race, independent David Amsbary beat 2 pro maga candidates in a landslide in Cabell County
Great news is west by god maga red Virginia
is there indication in yesterday's voting that R turnout is depressed? not my area, but very curious
Great question and the answer is overwhelmingly yes..republican voter turnout was only 20% turnout in my county Cabell and
Democratic turnout was up
great news, thanks!
file:///var/mobile/Library/SMS/Attachments/bb/11/39F850EE-FF96-4812-A1A4-248F344D890E/80032631102__FC0529A6-F22D-4655-94BF-E26B02AFD924.jpeg
Amazing Philip! Thanks so much for reporting… It’s these lesser known races down ballot that excite me the most… That is the real bulwark that will hold the democracy together as they continue to escalate in the administration. The decentralized nature of our political power can be our saving grace as long as we are competing in enough places to hold our fair share at the state and local level. Great work, West Virginia Democrats!
For Trump the Epstein files are the real nuclear bomb.
Hi, Simon! I listened to Greg Sargent this morning and was pleasantly surprised to hear you, too!
Sounds like Dems did well in Nebraska yesterday, oddly enough by clearing the way for an Independent. I'm a Democrat through and through but I think we have to be willing to work with Independents in red places as a sort of bridge to electing Democrats eventually. (I've seen it happen on the county level in a super red rural Virginia county.) And Trump is losing Independents at a rapid rate. Would love to get your take.
I called Congressman Raskin and Senators Alsobrooks and Van Hollen to say that Dems should not vote a penny for the Defense Department or this war until Hegseth resigns or is fired, that Dems should not vote a penny for Trump's ballroom, arch, reflecting pools, etc., and that Trump is not in touch with reality and must be removed from office. I'm writing postcards to Ohio voters.
Two more resolutions passed in MA last night.
Ipswich held its Town Meeting and passed their resolution 326 to 162, 67% to 33%.
The resolution: https://historicipswich.net/2026/05/12/ipswich-resolution/
The town historian, Gordon Harris' speech: https://www.facebook.com/reel/827254260456288
Lynn City Council passed theirs unanimously, news coverage here:
https://itemlive.com/2026/05/12/municipalities-combine-to-resist-destruction-of-federal-government/?post_id=735509&email=russell.woodman@gmail.com&redirect_to=https://itemlive.com/2026/05/12/municipalities-combine-to-resist-destruction-of-federal-government/
Yay Rachel. You really have momentum now!
Celebrate the wins!!
Keep pushing...
This is really amazing Rachel… Thanks for sharing and thank you for the work you’ve done to help make it happen!
The Trump comment that he doesn’t care and doesn’t even think about Americans’ finances needs to run and rerun everywhere. Noting also that Iran is nowhere near having a nuclear weapon, Trump’s war hasn’t affected their ability to get one, and he killed the agreement keeping them from getting one.
The quiet part out loud. Putz
Good morning Simon, I just finished listening to the Podcast with You and Greg Sargent. Excellent, and the rest of your Post as well.
I think We should get Posters and put them up wherever we can, with Trump saying " I DON'T CARE ABOUT AMERICAN'S FINANCIAL PROBLEMS OR ANYONE ELSE" DONALD TRUMP
Based on what I am seeing in the grocery store, these inflation reports look accurate. Alas.
Is it now the case that to win the midterms Democrats must compete in the newly gerrymandered red-state districts, and if so, should those state’s Democratic parties be part of Audacious Expansion?
On a different but related topic (of NOT winning), here's a link to a great Politico article today that the Trump administration has LOST over 10,000 immigration detention cases. A loss rate of 90%! And "even a majority of Trump-appointed judges have sided against the administration."
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/13/10k-rulings-ice-mandatory-detention-trump-analysis-00914195?utm_content=user/politico&utm_source=flipboard
Good morning (and for once it’s still morning back east). Boy did the guy whose makeup is less subtle than an Oompa Loompa’s step in it by telling the truth for once. He doesn’t care about anyone’s financial situation but his own. And the inflation figures are really stunning.
Today is Day 2 of the 12 days of political donations my wife and I have committed to in May, front loading our 2026 political donations. Today’s donation went to the Hopium Georgia fund, because we need state supreme court justices who are not MAGA pawns. Almost at the goal for that Hopium fund!!
Just wanted to report another election success here in Nebraska from yesterday!
Our Democratic voters foiled a malevolent and ridiculous ploy by the state GOP and one of the worst figures in our current politics, Senator Pete Ricketts.
As many of you might be aware, there’s an independent candidate running here for US Senate named Dan Osborne who’s a populist union leader… He won’t be a reliable caucus vote for us by any means if he wins, but he would be a hell of a lot more of an ally in the United States Senate than any Republican would be.
He’s getting some traction because he performed pretty well in 2024 against Deb Fisher, and we have a much better environment for him to run in this year.
The Republicans literally planted a phony candidate in the Democratic primary with the sole purpose of siphoning votes away from Dan Osborne in the general. That’s how scared shitless they are of the national environment this year.
I am very proud of the coordinated response that State Chair Jane Kleeb and Dems all over the state put into play… We ran our own Democratic candidate whose sole purpose was to defeat theirs, and then drop out of the race so that Dan Osborne would have a clean general election head-to-head matchup with Pete Ricketts (which clearly neither Pete Rickets nor John Thune wants).
We succeeded… their bullshit candidate did not win. Very proud of my State Democratic Party right now, and very happy to have been part of the Hopium push to send them some extra money two years ago and build up the coffers a bit.
State parties matter! 🇺🇸😎
Great News Piano Man. I'm heartened to hear a strategy where pro-democracy sentiment supercedes having a Dem on the ballot. It promotes my Hopium
There’s plenty of good news out there if you’re willing to look for it. Doesn’t make the bad news less painful or less real, but it’s important to keep perspective on our successes too. Thanks, Michael!
Wow, did not know all that was happening. Beat them at their own game! Well-done Jane Kleeb. So would Osborn be sort of a neutral or “abstention” when it comes to determining which party has control of the Senate? Or does that remain to be seen?
As of now he’s pledged not to caucus with either party… Although, I question whether that will hold… How the hell you gonna get on any committees, and if you’re not on any committees, how do you have any impact? So, I’m guessing he would end up being a “Fetterman like“ member of the Democratic caucus… Which isn’t ideal, but it beats the hell out of Pete Ricketts. I think he will be a good vote on middle class, friendly economic policy… I think he will be a less good vote on progressive social policy. But, he will be an ally and holding the Trump administration accountable for their corruption and their shameful and disgraceful preferential treatment of the oligarchs. It’s not gonna be a top-tier race, but it’s not completely impossible. By any means either… He came within six points of the other Republican senator two years ago in a much worse electoral environment. At the very least, he’s gonna force the Republicans to spend some time and money on a race. They should’ve been able to just coast on… That’s time and energy not available for Susan Collins in Maine, or Dan Sullivan in Alaska, or whatever bunch of bastards they run in Georgia and North Carolina… It all helps. Gotta build a big tent! 😎🇺🇸
Culling the Herd
Recent Supreme Court decisions—including the Alexander v. South Carolina State Conference of the NAACP and Callais v. Blum redistricting cases—coupled with toxic political rhetoric and a widespread denial of our nation's economic realities, point to a chilling historical parallel: the American Eugenics Movement of the 20th century.
Between the early 1900s and the 1950s, this movement weaponized the law against marginalized populations. In the landmark 1927 case Buck v. Bell, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 8–1 to uphold the constitutionality of forced sterilization laws. The ruling allowed states to involuntarily sterilize institutionalized citizens to prevent the "hereditary" transmission of "feeblemindedness." This single precedent led to the forced sterilization of roughly 60,000 to 70,000 Americans.
The global consequences of this ideology were catastrophic. German scientists in the early 1900s adopted these American concepts under the guise of "racial hygiene." In fact, the Nazi regime explicitly modeled its 1933 Law for the Prevention of Progeny with Hereditary Diseases on Californian and other American state sterilization laws. This resulted in 400,000 forced sterilizations in Germany, serving as a direct precursor to state-sponsored genocide.
While we are not witnessing a literal resurgence of 20th-century eugenics, current political strategies mirror its core principles. The original movement relied on a naïve, weaponized misunderstanding of genetics, claiming that poverty, alcoholism, criminality, and race were inherited traits to be bred out of society. Today, we see a metaphorical equivalent. It lives in discriminatory state-level redistricting that systematically dilutes the power of non-white voters, and in dangerous foreign policy rhetoric that threatens the total destruction of foreign societies.
How much more absurd and dangerous can modern authoritarianism and fascism become? We see the economic fallout of these exclusionary philosophies all around us: Seniors Suffocating: Millions of Baby Boomers face reduced medical coverage and skyrocketing insurance premiums. Fixed retirement incomes cannot keep pace with the rising costs of food, gasoline, and rent. Youth Stagnation: High interest rates and a barren job market force recent college graduates to move back into their childhood bedrooms. Rural Decay: Local schools and health clinics are closing doors, while sixth-generation family farmers are forced into bankruptcy. Targeted Communities: Access to vital safety nets like food stamps is being stripped away, while non-white communities live in constant fear of aggressive ICE deportations.
While today’s tactics do not involve a physical scalpel, they achieve the same result: Intentional Cataclysmic Exclusion. The current partisan gerrymandering efforts and the executive blueprints laid out in Project 2025 represent a dark intersection of history. Reading between the lines of these proposals reveals a nefarious, recurring theme: a coordinated effort to promote strict exclusivity over democratic collaboration. It is, quite simply, an attempt at culling the herd.
The November midterm elections are just 174 days away. The balance of power in Washington, D.C., hangs in the position of our collective response. Every single eligible voter must act immediately: Make phone calls to Congressmen and Senators. Write and mail campaign postcards. Attend local peaceful protests. Mobilize friends, family, and neighbors. Cast your ballot to defend democracy.