I’m simply writing down some extraneous thoughts I’m having as it’s really hard to keep up with the corruption and long term DAMAGE to America by Trump 2.0. I’m 78 (soon to be 79) and one thing I’m sure of is I won’t live long enough for “we the people” to reverse the DAMAGE Trump is doing to our fundamental values and our History as the longest lasting example of a nation governed by its own people via “free and fair” elections and a commitment to its foundint docurments and the “rule of law.” We now have a SCOTUS that is putting new meaning from “legislating from the bench.” If we still have “free and fair” elections this November (of 2026) it is imperative “we the people” vote in record numbers to regect Trump and the republican party that produced his two administrations. One thing Trump has proved is you can be a FELON (34 times over in his case) and still run for and hold office in America. Here are a few thoughts which motivated me to write tonight.

Trump claims (with a straight face) he’s the only president to stop Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. As usual with Trump this is a bold faced lie. Iran agreed under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) to refrain from pursuing nuclear weapons. This commitment was part of a broader deal reached in July 2015 with several world powers, including the United States, China, Russia, France, Germany, and the European Union. While Iran agreed to refrain from pursuing nuclear weapons as part of the JCPOA, the deal has faced challenges, particularly after the U.S. withdrawal in 2018, which led to Iran exceeding some of the agreed limits on its nuclear activities. Of course, that is Thanks to Trump withdrawing the U.S. from the agreement in 2018. Now Trump is scrambling to recreate the JCPOA – but he’ll put his name on any agreement. HERE’S the 14 point plan the U.S. agreed to with Iran. It appears Iran came out of this war “smelling like a rose.” (And, they can thank Bibi Netanyahu for that)

Trump fails to point out the cost of the war in Iran was HUGE. A recent study by Moody’s claimed the cost was $132 BILLION. Linda Bilmes: A war budgeting expert, has indicated that the costs could be significantly higher, potentially reaching $1 trillion overall. Bilmes’ analysis highlights the potential for escalating costs associated with the war, emphasizing the need for a realistic assessment of military expenditures and their long-term impact on the U.S. economy. Bilmes is a public policy expert at Harvard University. She argues that the Pentagon’s figures may underestimate actual costs. For example, the reported costs do not account for the current market value of military assets, which can be significantly higher than historical values. (She estimates the war was costing $2 BILLION per day from February 28th until June 16th) In her valuations she considers Veterans’ Care: Costs associated with disability benefits for deployed troops. Infrastructure Rebuilding: Financial requirements for restoring damaged facilities and military assets. Bilmes’ analysis highlights the potential for escalating costs associated with the war, emphasizing the need for a realistic assessment of military expenditures and their long-term impact on the U.S. economy. The impact of higher gas prices and other costs born by American consumers is part of her evaluations of the broader financial toll of the war on the U.S. economy.

The Trump administration is trying to hide the reality that a HUGE portion of Americans’ military weaponry has been depleted. Additionally, they don’t want to talk about how rebuilding these “weapons of war” will require large amounts of “rare earths” coming from China. China is “eating America’s lunch” under Trump. HERE is information regarding the depletion of American weapons in just the first 16 days of the war. American weapons used in the Iran war that require rare earth elements, which are essential for various military technologies, including precision-guided munitions and radar systems make the U.S. heavily reliant on these materials, particularly from China, for its military capabilities. HERE’S another article pointing out the seriousness (and stupidity) of this problem. (And, as pointed out above, Iran is going to come out of this better than when the “war” started)

Regarding Trump’s “anti weaponisation fund” – that includes a provision forTrump, his family, and his businesses where they can NEVER be investigated for tax issues EVER again. Think back to Trump’s FRAUD trial in New York where he was found to have committed serial FRAUD over a period of many years. It has been estimated this provision will save Trump something like $100 MILLION from a tax issue originating with a Trump building in Chicago years ago. But, as I understand it, it also eliminates Trump paying taxes into the future as well. (Nice work if you can get it)

Regarding Trump/Blanche attempting to give MILLIONS to the INSURRECTIONISTS I can virtually PROMISE you they will find a way around the blocking of their “slush fund” by the courts and likely would have been blocked by Congress if Blanche had not claimed it was “dead.” The fact Blanche REFUSES to sign a document “under penalty of perjury” should tell you everything. They are going to encourage the “Proud Boys” and other violent members of the INSURRECTION to file lawsuits against the government and they will “settle” with them “out of court.” Count on it! I can already see the headline: Man who beat cops on January 6th, 2021 is now a MILLIONAIRE thanks to American taxpayers. There’s potential for this happening OVER 1600 times. (Think of your tax dollars going to the pillow guy, Mike Lindell – or to Rudy Giuliani or the others who planned the INSURRECTION)

Trump’s attempts to control the use of “mail in ballots” would be OUTRAGEOUS at any other time in our history. The FACT it’s obviously UNCONSTITUTIONAL is no impediment to Trump. He’ll keep pushing. He knows what’s coming in November. But….A federal judge has blocked key parts of Trump’s executive order that aimed to limit mail-in voting, ruling that the president lacks the authority to control election procedures, which are reserved for Congress and state legislatures. This decision applies to the upcoming midterm elections and is part of ongoing legal challenges against the order. This includes implementing mail-in voting restrictions AND prevents the USPS from controlling mail-in ballots by limiting whose ballots they will deliver. As I said, though, he’ll keep trying – but chances are mail-in voting is safe for this upcoming election. (If we still have it)

It’s been obvious to me (and MANY others) for over a year that Trump will do whatever he can to either block the November election or “RIG” it in a way that guarantees republicans can block the coming “blue wave.” As we get closer to November his actions will increase. He’s now saying he won’t sign another bill until the so-called SAVE act is passed by the Senate – he wants them to blow up the filibuster – believing this “SAVE act” will prevent MILLIONS of democratic voters from being able to vote. For all intents and purposes, though, there doesn’t appear to be the votes in the Senate. They would have to repeal the filibuster which would make things interesting if democrats took back the Senate this fall.

The people who wrote Project 2025 have now put out another “plan” – this one “Saving America by Saving the Family: A Foundation for the Next 250 years.” You can access it HERE. Project 2025 is, in my opinion, a “road to fascism” (and, we’re definitely on that “road”) and this “Saving America” plan requires the “road” to be achieved in order, in the minds of the authors, to get more young people to choose marriage and having children (like around four they seem to believe is ideal) and a bunch of stuff that “blew” my mind – check it out if you’re interested (Few people I know chose to read Project 2025 so they don’t really understand the actual “goals” of the puppet masters behind Trump 2.0 and they probably won’t read this.)

I’ve only scanned through the document so I can only repeat what I’ve read elsewhere. Apparently this “Saving America by Saving the Family” includes provisions where the right to vote for women would be repealed. They want women in the kitchen and the home raising children – absolutely no abortions (apparently even to save the life of the mother) and no birth control. I can attest to early in my life during the first pregnancy I was involved in my wife had a misscarriage and when I took her to the Hospital they, in essence, gave her an abortion – otherwise her life would have been in danger. I often wonder, these days, how I would respond if I lived in Texas and this same thing happened. The people who would put her life in jeopardy are the same people behind this latest right wing “plan.”

Along with Trump 2.0 those at the Heritage Foundation who are behind Project 2025 and “Saving America by Saving the Family” believe that “Climate Change” is a hoax. They apparently don’t believe in Science. For example: The last 11 years have included the 11 warmest years observed since 1850. Also, The rate of warming has accelerated significantly, with the last few years showing a notable increase in global temperatures. This increase in temperature is primarily attributed to human activities, particularly the emission of greenhouse gases. Earth’s temperature increase is causing more frequent and intense extreme weather events, such as heat waves, heavy rainfall, and severe storms, due to changes in humidity and shifting weather patterns. This warming affects the water cycle and disrupts the usual balance of nature, leading to significant risks for ecosystems and human life. The evidence is right in front of our faces, but these “conservatives” just refuse to accept the scientific evidence. I’m personally bracing for this year’s Hurricane season, wildfire season, and other trajic events likely to happen. There’s already massive flooding in the South – and the season’s just getting started.

When it comes to the Climate crisis China is “eating America’s lunch” – with the Chinese producing the MOST and BEST electric cars and leading in the area of solar energy. Additionally, China has the largest installed capacity of wind power in the world, significantly contributing to its renewable energy output. China’s commitment to expanding its solar capacity is reflected in its ambitious goals. The country aims to continue increasing its solar and wind generation capabilities, contributing to its status as a renewable energy superpower. Under Trump 2.0 the United States is going in the opposite (and WRONG) direction! Our domestic auto makers are shunning electric cars (EV’s) while domestic production of solar panels is not on the forefront and wind energy is totally affected in a negative way because of Trump’s stupidity. Chinese EV’s are the best cars in the world and they are not allowed to sell them in the United States. Just like years ago when our auto makers “couldn’t compete” with Japan’s fuel efficient cars now our “leaders” don’t believe GM and Ford can compete with cars made in China. They not only restrict them with tarrifs, but, basically, just won’t allow them to be sold in America. (Full disclosure: I”ve been driving an EV for over 10 years.) Trump and his puppet masters won’t be happy until they’ve taken us BACK in time to the 1950’s – or so it seems! Yikes!!!

Final Thought: Then there’s the stock market. I’m no expert on the stock market although I follow it regularly – and, it feels to me as if the bottom is about to fall out of it. For one example, there’s been a lot of talk about how (f)Elon Musk has become (at least temporarily) a “TRILLIONAIRE.” (Yep, that’s a thousand BILLIONS or a MILLION millions) So I checked out the two companies which form the bulk of his wealth. First, of course, is Tesla. Tesla’s “earnings per share” (EPS) is $1.10. Their “price to earnings ratio” is 345.19. Next is Space X. Space X’s earnings per share (PE) is MINUS $.68. That is they LOSE 68 cents for every share and, of course, they rely on government contracts for most of their income. They don’t have a price to earnings ratio because they don’t have earnings. Let’s do a bit of comparison.

Microsoft has earnings per share of $16.78 and a price to earnings ratio of 22.78. If they had the same PE as Tesla their stock would sell for something like 6 THOUSAND dollars per share (instead of $400 or so). Then there’s General Motors, a Tesla competitor, whose EPS is $2.74 and their PE ratio is 28.50. GM’s stock price is around $78 – 1/5th of Tesla’s while their earnings are double. It goes on: Amazon EPS $7.35 PER 31.66. Nvidia EPS $6.53 PER 29.48. This tells me Musk’s companies are grossly overvalued. As are, I presume, some of the “AI” companies coming online that presumably are LOSING large amounts of money. In my mind the “dam” is about to “break.” And, the Iran fiasco that includes Trump’s constant manipulating of Wall Street has a shelf life as well, to me, concerning the markets. This is why Zoram Mamdani (and the candidates he supported in the New York primary election) have gained such traction with voters. Remember 60% of Americans are working paycheck to paycheck. I can’t remember a time when the difference between Wall Street and Main Street was so great.

From my purview Trump and the BILLIONAIRES he’s connected to are beginning to run scared. Trump is referring to New York’s “Social Democrats” as “Communists” with the associated “Communist scare” tactics from the days when “we the people” were LIED into the Viet Nam War. There’s a move afoot for politicians who will work from the bottom up and for a Congress that will reverse the nearly 50 years of “tax cuts for the rich” dating from Reagan up until today. (And, of course, ALL of those tax cuts came during the years when republicans controlled the “White House.”) I’ve said for years the foundation of a fascist country is a government/corporate partnership and we’re seeing direct evidence right now in the United States. This is why it is so CRITICAL for everyone in America who wants to save this republic to VOTE in November and VOTE AGAINST republicans! Stay tuned….

I’ve been writing about the DAMAGE Trump is doing to our nation for close to 10 years now and waiting for republicans in Congress to pull a “Nixon” and inform him his time is up and he’s going to be impeached and convicted based on ALL of his “High Crimes and Misdemeanors.” Well, I have to admit, I HAVEN’T been “holding my breath.” But, to me, the evidence of how PETTY Trump is – through and through – comes with his claims to be 6’3” after every physical. Apparently, he’s got doctors willing to go along with the most PETTY of LIES.

Recently, Trump claimed Xi was 6’2” (“very tall”) probably because when he stands next to Xi they appear to be about the same height. I’ve written about this before, but it galls me our “mainstream media” (MSM) seems to just “go along to get along.” In my mind, LYING about how tall you are is somewhat similar to LYING (and cheating) at golf. Trump appears to be the master at both. When I “Google” Xi’s height, the answer comes back at 5’10” or 5’11” depending on the source. Obviously, the only person suggesting he’s 6’2” is Trump – because when they stand side by side they are about the same height.

Now, I’m a year behind Trump in age and I’m now 5’11” when I was, just a few years ago, 6’2 1/2″ and I find it awkward to be looking up at my oldest daughter – but, that doesnt’ change how tall I am. I’ve written before that Trump is noticeably SHORTER than (f)Elon Musk and Musk actually is 6’2” in height. When Trump stands next to his daughter in law, Laura, who is 5’11” tall they appear to be about the same height. Yes, I’ve pontificated on this before, but it really irks me the MSM keeps looking the other way from such a ridiculous LIE. But, of course, as I’ve also said before, “When Trump’s lips are moving he’s LYING.”

As a former teacher I ran into students who were pathological LIARS and they were the most difficult for me to deal with. What I observed over the years was, even at 12 years old, if someone with a propensity to LIE about the most basic “stuff” are not confronted with their LIES they soon actually believe the LIES are “true.” And, in the case of my former (LYING) students, often times when attempting to work with the parents to mitigate the issue I would discover the parents were pathological LIARS. Those were the most challenging times I had as a sixth grade teacher (for 23 years). I can’t tell you the number of times Trump has reminded me of a spoiled sixth grader with a lack of parental guidance. The bully who is actually acting out because of a sense of emotional insecurity. That he somehow conned his way into the presidency (with 34 FELONY conictions and another 50 waiting via three indictments) does not speak well for “we the people” as voters.

I point this out once again, because the LIES which seem, at least to me, much more significant than how tall or how much Trump weighs have become a daily occurance and it seems like many of us have become numb to that reality. Just recently, Trump didn’t mess up the reflecting pool it was victimized by vandals. I’ll let you quantify the number of LIES that have come from Trump’s mouth since Bibi Netanyahu talked him into bombing Iran. (Now, his denial that Netanyahu talked him into it is, to me, a BIG LIE). How many times now have we heard the “Big LIE” of the 2020 Election? If you’ve noticed, virtually EVERY person Trump has nominated for a post requiring Senate confirmation refuses to answer the question of “who won the 2020 election.” That LIE is a prerequisite for membership in Trump’s cult.

It’s true our MSM does often refer to Trump’s LIE about the 2020 election as the “Big LIE.” The problem I have with that is that LIE is just one part of a political strategy taken right out of Hitler’s Mein Kampf. Directly from Mein Kampf:

“,,,,,in the big lie there is always a certain force of credibility; because the broad masses of a nation are always more easily corrupted in the deeper strata of their emotional nature than consciously or voluntarily, and thus in the primitive simplicity of their minds they more readily fall victims to the big lie than the small lie, since they themselves often tell small lies in little matters but would be ashamed to resort to large-scale falsehoods. It would never come into their heads to fabricate colossal untruths, and they would not believe that others could have the impudence to distort the truth so infamously. Even though the facts which prove this to be so may be brought clearly to their minds, they will still doubt and waver and will continue to think that there may be some other explanation. For the grossly impudent lie always leaves traces behind it, even after it has been nailed down, a fact which is known to all expert liars in this world and to all who conspire together in the art of lying. These people know only too well how to use falsehood for the basest purposes.”

Every time I listen to a pundit on TV wondering why the republicans are so proficient at LYING, it just bugs the heck out of me. It is a form of political propaganda and, obviously, it’s very effective. However, in my view, if everytime a political leader told an obvious LIE in order to justify a significant issue – especially, as in the case of republicans repeating the same LIE almost in unison – I believe the people viewing (or listening) to whatever the LIE is should be reminded the technique comes directly from Hitler. I still remember back in the late 1980’s when Rush Limbaugh hit the radio airwaves. To me, he was the first “master” of the BIG LIE that I became aware of. Now it’s routine “strategy” of the republican party. It’s a prerequisite to become part of Trump’s cabinet.

Another of Hitler’s “techniques” adopted by Trump and republicans is projection: “Hitler discussed accusing opponents of one’s own crimes and tactics, what we now call projection. Nazi propaganda routinely accused others of propaganda while denying that Nazi messaging was propagandistic, claiming instead to simply tell truth that democratic media suppressed.” (From “History Rise” on the internet) So, from LIES about his height to accusations of vandals pealing up the paint in the reflective pool we’re not only seeing the depth of Trump’s LYING but, sadly, how “we the people” and the MSM just seem to take it in stride.

The LYING (which leads to the CHEATING and the degredation of the rule of law) will be the overriding “legacy” left behind by Trump – LYING that will leave him in the same section of our History books reserved for Benedict Arnold. Yes, I believe the man who routinely accuses his “enemies” of “treason” is himself treasonous. After all, he led an attempted coup d’etat on January 6, 2021 – and, “we the people” still voted him back in office. In the “Stormy Daniels” trial (where he was CONVICTED of 34 FELONIES) the entire focus of the trial was CHEATING to “win” in 2016. Him accusing others of “treason” is the epitome of “projection.”

Next, he’ll be LYING about his weight (238 pounds). I can tell you (sadly from my perspective) is that myself – who weighed 205 pounds a couple days ago – am right on the border of “overweight” and “obese.” So, Trump at 5’11” and 238 pounds is – well, you can figure it out. There are many people far more expert than me suggesting Trump is in (very likely) serious health decline. The bruises on his hands and neck, his awkward walking when going up and down stairs, the “kankles,” and his confusing dialogue indicate there’s something seriously wrong. However, the pathological LYING has been there from, well, as far back as I’ve been able to find. And, I’ve read books that go back to his early days all the way up to the present. It’s all been there for anyone willing to do a bit of reading – again, not a good “look” for America’s voting public. As he continues LYING about Iran I hope more and more Americans understand how serious this is. We’re facing another 2 1/2 years of this! YIkes!!!

Final Thought: If you have read this far and think what I’m saying is BS – I suggest your reading list would start with the book from his niece, Mary Trump, and then progress to the plethora of books which have been written about him from his early life up until he bacame our so-called president. After all, six BANKRUPTCIES is not a good “selling point” on one’s resume. Overt racism should NOT be a good selling point.To me, it’s a more damning reality regarding us (ie “we the people”) than it is on Trump – he’s pilfering our country for BILLIONS of $$$ and we should have known better than – especially the second time – electing a FELON who was found, by a jury, to have sexually assaulted a woman and found in another legal proceeding to have been committing serial FRAUD for a number of years – not to mention his business was found guilty of FRAUD.

The next few election cycles will be key to whether or not America can reverse the DAMAGE Trump is inflicting on our democratic republic virtually every day. I pray the “ballroom” never gets built and Trump is ordered to rebuild the “East Wing” of the “White House.” After all, he’s just a tenant. His name and photos can be removed from various D.C. buildings, but if he succeeds in building the “ballroom” and the so-called “Trump Arch” his stain will remain for years to come! (Unless a future president has the guts to have both structures torn down – and, for that matter return the “rose garden” to its previous “state.” Stay tuned!!!

This morning when I read an article on “Yahoo Finance’s” main site where Trump was talking about working out a peace deal with Iran (and, unfortunately, Israel – led by Bibi Netanyahu) he made the comment: “final negotiations on ‘peace’ are proceeding, subject to ignorance or stupidity getting in its way.” My first thought was “The skunk smells his own hole first” – and then my mind went to wanting our so-called president to look in the mirror. After all, it was Trump’s “ignorance and stupidity” that got him into the “fix” he’s in right now – and that he has no idea how to get out of. Separately, he made the claim (in reference to Netanyahu) that ““I call all the shots, Netanyahu doesn’t call the shots.” This appears to confirm Trump’s sensitivity to the apparent FACT it was Netanyahu who talked him into this fiasco.

All of the “players” in this “drama” are well aware of Trump’s ignorance and his vulnerabilities. Trump is getting “played” by those who now are in charge in Iran, Netanyahu, and Vladimir Putin at a bare minimum. I have to believe Xi Jinping is also squeezing Trump when it comes to China’s near total control of the “rare earths” needed for, not only the “AI” boom and the “data centers” which are destroying communities all around America, but also the missile supply the U.S. has unloaded on Iran that needs these “rare earths” in order for the misslle supply to be replentished. And, of course, the U.S., under Trump, will fail to realize the “bomb, bomb, bomb” strategy of war is headed for extinction due to the “age of the drone.” You can count on them ordering the production of even more of the expended bombs.

Regarding the issue with Netanyahu, I’m not sure, to this day, that Trump understands how he was played. (Would that qualify as “ignorance and stupidity?”) I mean Netanyahu even bragged in front of the cameras after the assault on Iran began that he’d been trying to get a U.S. president to do this for 40 years! Maybe that was one television broadcast Trump failed to watch. As with many Americans it’s frustrating (and embarrassing) watching Trump working to manipulate markets with the “we’re almost in agreement” LIES almost on a daily basis. Before this is all resolved my instincts tell me Iran will come out the other side much stronger than where they were on February 27th, the day before the “ignorant and stupid” decision to start the bombing.

(I started this a couple weeks ago) – Well, now we’ve moved on past Trump’s “White House” Cage matches and he’s now in France, looking like “death warmed over” after an all nighter on Air Force 1 – at least that was my perception after looking at photos of him seated next to French President Macron. It’s been announced the U.S. and Iran have agreed upon a “memorandum of Understanding” (MOA) regarding the extension for 60 days of the “Cease Fire” which has been shaky, at best, with competing claims about who “won the war.” I find this just further evidence about the childish nature of those who are in charge of America’s government. In fact, the Iranians have been reported to have claimed they brought in psychologists in order to understand the ways to “play” Trump during the negotiations resulting in this agreement. They suggested Trump is mentally ill.

When I we find out what is actually in the MOA, my guess is my earlier prediction of what would be in any agreement won’t be too far from reality. I felt the Iranians would insist on a dropping of sanctions on their economy (allowing them to sell their oil freely), a return of their funds which have been frozen – apparently around $24 BILLION (What will all those who complained about Obama freeing up $1.7 BILLION on the completion of the JCPOA think? Like, for example, Lindsey Graham), The Iranians want reparations for all the DAMAGE caused from the bombing, they want assurances there won’t be more bombing (including Lebanon) and want American forces removed from the region, and, of course, they want continued control of the Strait of Hormuz. Picture the right wingers if Trump gave them even part of that “wish list.”

And, this doesn’t take into account Bibi Netanyahu and the Israeli’s. I read just yesterday the Israeli’s don’t want there to be any agreement and they don’t want there to be a connection with their war on Lebanon (Hezbollah) with any part of any agreement. In fact, they don’t want any agreement with Iran period, full stop. They want to continue the bombing of Iran and they want to turn Lebanon into another version of GAZA. (In my view, just MORE WAR CRIMES committed by Netanyahu and Israel) On the first day this MOA was announced the Israeli’s carried out MORE bombing raids into Lebanon. And, I read reports that the Israeli government has no plans to stop bombing in Lebanon. In fact, in the five days between now and the “signing ceremony” I expect the Israeli’s to attempt to undermine it – because, with the Iranians, connecting a stop in Israel’s war in Lebanon to the deal is a key part of any agreement. Honestly, I’ll be surprised if Israel doesn’t attack Lebanon in the next couple of days. (Or, maybe they’ll wait until a day or two after the signing ceremony)

Most American “experts” are pointing out how the Iranians are not to be trusted in any of this but, it appears to me, the real country that is likely to torpedo this deal will be Israel. Netanyahu, as many besides myself have been pointing out since October 7th, will likely keep the war with Iran (and HAMAS and Hezbollah) going indefinitely in order to keep himself from facing the corruption charges which have hung over his head for the past several years. It’s in his interests to blow this “peace deal” up forthwith.

When it comes to how this agreement will be received in the United States I’ll just remind you that prior to Trump (and Netanyahu) starting the bombing of Iran and February 28 the Straight of Hormuz was open, few had visualized it being closed, and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner (he who continues “squeezing” BILLIONS from Saudi Arabia and other Middle East Arab nations) and Steve Witcoff were supposedly “close” to an agreement regarding Iran’s nuclear ambitions plus there weren’t public reports of talks about removing sanctions from Iran – or “unfreezing” their BILLIONS in frozen assets. At first glance, Iran is coming out way ahead in this war – often times conditions usually associated with WINNING! When Trump suggests this agreement should, for sure, get him the Nobel Peace Prize, I guess the response would be it’s a tough “lift” to START and then LOSE a war in order to get the prize. Will they give it to him out of appreciation to what lengths he’s willing to go to in order to “win” the award. He would then be able to say “I’m just like Obama” – now.

You have to give Trump credit for this. At the time of his ILLEGAL invasion of Iran the reporting of Trump’s alleged assault on the 13 year old girl in the Epstein files was first “ramping up.” Well, not only did he succeed in getting that issue off the front pages, but, in essence he got the Epstein files themselves off the front pages. It’s almost as if Trump is busy churning out one potential IMPEACHMENT worthy scandal every day – all while this IMPEACHMENT worthy Iran invasion has dragged on for OVER three months – in an attempt to put Epstein completely in the rear view mirror. So far, it’s worked – you don’t see much detail about Epstein these days and, I’m sure, Trump will continue to throw scandals at “we the people” in order to keep it that way. Will he succeed? Time will tell. Stay tuned…..

Final Thought: The 2026 election is getting juicy already. Mainers nominated Graham Platner as the democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, opposing Susan Collins. Platner is an everyday kind of guy and has a few issues which republicans are feasting on – but, apparently, not Mainers. I don’t often watch Fox “news” but I picked up on a segment by Kelleyanne “alternative facts” Conway. Here’s her latest “alternaive facts” regarding Platner: “Is there a magic number in the scandelabra that would make you stop?” Conway asked. “Would it have to do with Nazis or putting upon women, perhaps underage women, but definitely women, not your wife of two years? Would it be that you’re lying about that you’re insulting heroes that you’re not, he’s not even fit to lick their combat boots? So I’d ask the Democrats, is power really worth that to you? Because power for power’s sake is the definition of corruption.”

I put what she said on Fox in bold because it’s so much an example of the republican “playbook.” Trump did virtually the same thing calling Platner a “thug” and the worst example of a political candidate he’s ever seen. My suggestion for both Conway and Trump is to put Trump in front of a mirror. Platner’s “hiccups” pale in comparison to our so-called president. Platner has THIRTY FOUR fewer FELONY convictions than Trump. Platner hasn’t had sex with a porn star or a Playboy model while his present wife is nursing a baby. Platner has not been adjudicated to have sexually assaulted a woman and he hasn’t had something like 25 women accuse him of sexual assault. Platner has never publicly suggested you can grab a woman by the “pussy” because you’re famous. Platner’s business hasn’t been convicted of FELONY fraud – or he, himself, found guilty of “serial” fraud. I hope you get my point. To our so-called president – if I could advise him – “Don’t throw stones from a glass house!” And, also, in regard to the reference to the “Nazi” tatoo – Platner has not adopted the “Big Lie Theory” of the actual Nazi’s and he hasn’t been agreeable to turning America into a fascist nation! Yikes!!! I rest my case!

The stench from Trump’s corruption is so thick you’d need a razor sharp knife to cut through it. And, it’s mostly out in front of the public and is so obscene that it just keeps going on almost as if it’s the new normal. I’m going to take my time with this post – which means it’ll probably be hard to keep up with a so-called president who can’t take his hand out of the “cookie jar” and a republican controlled Congress which is unable to act to prevent virtually any of this thievery. If you’ve read any of my previous posts you know I simply work off the top of my head when writing. I don’t feel the need to do more than the minimal amount of “research” to complete each posting. This “blog” (if that’s what it is) simply represents my frustration with the direction of the country I’ve lived in for 78 years.

Over the course of that lifetime I’ve learned what the expectations of the founding documents of our nation SHOULD be (and we’ve definitely evolved over the years in the attempt to be a “more perfect union”), but also the forces which have been surreptitiously aligned to REVERSE so much of what has been gained since the “New Deal” and then the legislation from the 1960’s. (Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act) Most, in my view, of America’s “pock marks” – in our history – are centered on the treatment of “minorities.” This should be OBVIOUS to anyone who doesnt’ get their “news” from Fox, Newsmax, or any of the other right wing outlets that practice the same propaganda techniques used by the Nazi’s of the “Third Reich.”

Now we have a president (and a bunch of republican sycophants in Congress) who want to take us back in time while, at the same time, pilfering our treasury out of BILLIONS of taxpayer dollars. I have to add, virtually EVERY advancement in American History – like the 40 hour work week, women’s right to vote (more on that later) – civil rights advancements, Social Security, Medicare, etc. etc. have been initiated by LIBERALS. We’re watching the Project 2025 republicans who HATE “liberals” trying to turn us back to the 50’s. Some reports suggest these “conservatives” (BILLIONAIRES) have transfered tens of TRILLIONS from America’s taxpayers into their greedy pockets. Yikes!

By trying to list the examples of pure republican CORRUPTION (and, yes, democrats are involved as well. They just don’t think on the same scale as these republicans) I can think of off the top of my 78 year old head I hope to give anyone who might read this a reason to participate in the next NO KINGS protest and to make sure everything is in order with your voter registration so you can participate in what will hopefully be a MASSIVE rejection of these republicans in the November election (if we still have elections by then). I’ve been lamenting the fact this republican party has been heading for the “right wing cliff” over the past 20 years – almost 20 years on this site for me. And, right now, they’ve got one foot over the edge. (Both feet?)

Will November finally be the long needed “reckoning?” I truly hope so, because I feel our time is running out. We MUST NOT allow this THIEVERY in plain sight to continue! It’s time to take a stand. And, I realize many who understand what Trump is doing don’t like democrats (myself included in many instances), but the “JOB” this year is to vote AGAINST republicans – UP and DOWN the ballot. They’ve allowed (as stated above) TRILLIONS to be transfered from taxpayers to BILLIONAIRES. It’s time for a MAJOR course correction! And Trump has increased that THIEVERY exponentially. It’s grifting on steroids! (Once the republicans are in the History books, we can begin cleaning up the democrats) Following are a few of the most egregious examples:

The “weaponization” slush fund is as good as anyplace to start. Trump wants to pilfer almost $1.8 BILLION from us taxpayers to re-route to the 1600 INSURRECTIONISTS (Including those found guilty of Sedition AND the “cop beaters”) who were pardoned on “day one.” About the only “day one” promise Trump actually kept. (The Ukraine war continues and Israel’s war against HAMAS and Hezbollah continues a year and a half later – plus food prices and gas prices are going in the opposite direction of Trump’s promises – also for “day one” – reminder: Mexico was going to pay for the wall) Not only is the plan for these INSURRECTIONISTS to receive MILLIONS, but also people like Mike Lindell (the pillow guy), Rudy Giuliani, Steve Bannon, Peter Navarro, and even Trump himself. (The courts and Congress are stopping this, but Trump and Blanche have a workaround. They’re going to find a way to send taxpayer funds to the cop beaters of January 6th!)

Plus, Trump had his personal lawyer er Assistant Attorney General Todd Blanche throw in a guaranee neither Trump, nor anyone in his family, or his business organization could face charges of tax fraud. The proposed slush fund aims to forever prohibit the IRS from initiating any audits or claims against Donald Trump, his family, and the Trump Organization based on previous tax filings, effectively shielding them from scrutiny regarding tax fraud. Apparently, there’s about $100 MILLION at stake. But, hey – that only amounts to a grift of about $2 BILLION taxpayer dollars, including the above mentioned “slush fund,” going to some really creepy thugs. (In the case of Trump’s illegal “tax holiday” I believe the next administration can simply undo it because it’s not put in place by an act of Congress)

OK now for the crypto bs: Donald Trump has been linked to significant financial gains from cryptocurrency ventures, reportedly amassing a fortune exceeding $1.2 billion through various schemes, in just the first two years of Trump 2.0, including licensing his name to crypto tokens and promoting his own meme coin. (I don’t even know what they are) His administration has also been criticized for rolling back regulations and dropping investigations into crypto firms, raising concerns about conflicts of interest and corruption and selling “crypto” pardons.

“The combination of Trump’s financial gains from cryptocurrency and the regulatory environment during his presidency has led to significant scrutiny. Many experts and critics view this as a troubling example of how political power can intersect with personal profit, undermining ethical standards in governance.” Do ya think???

The trading in the stock market – 3700 trades in the first QUARTER of this year – how ethical is that? President Donald Trump disclosed last week that he binged on corporate stocks earlier this year, when he and his administration were promoting or conducting business with some of those same companies, and a new report suggests the president knew the details of the trades.

The 79-year-old so-called president personally signed a 112-page federal financial disclosure document May 8 disclosing that he executed more than 3,700 individual stock trades between January and March, and his signature certified that he has full knowledge of his stock holdings, reported NOTUS. This version of Trump’s CORRUPTION amounted to tens of MILLIONS of profit. Nice work if you can get it!

The Iran fiasco and the open manipulation of markets – this kind of gets back to his stock market CORRUPTION. He’s got himself into a war he has no idea how to get out of without proving what a LOSER he really is – so, almost every day for the past month or so it’s “We’re really close to an agreement to end the war.” Stock market goes up, oil prices come down. After a day or so, “rinse and repeat.” And, of course, Wall Street continues to fall for it and “bathe” in their record profits – while those of us on “Main Street” continue to suffer through a terrible economy. We, recently, watched Xi Jinping look on smuggly as Trump continually threw him adoration – with Xi giving Trump NOTHING for his long ride home – and, of course, the leaders of Iran realize they have Trump “where the hair is short” and they’ll be “twisting the knife” as Trump begs them for some kind of “peace deal.”

I’m anticipating the Iranians getting sanction relief, BILLIONS in the release of siezed Iranian assets, reparations for the damage caused by the bombing, and continued control of the Straight of Hormuz – via tolling. My guess is the Iranians will agree to allow the U.S. to come dig up the rubble over their uranium assets buried in last year’s bombing raids so that Trump can claim total victory. The only people in the WORLD who will NOT be laughing at him will be the MAGA’s who watch Fox “news,” Newsmax, etc. The bottom line here is it will be the Iranians calling the shots.

The “boys” and their putting their hands into the “pie” – for this one I’m just doing a bit of copying and pasting – it’s too involved for me to type it all out and, to be honest, I can’t keep up with Erik and Don Jr. – like their dad they’re following the old adage from when I was doing a bit of farming: “Make hay while the sun shines!” – here we go”

During Donald Trump’s second presidency, his sons, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., have engaged in a variety of business activities across multiple sectors. Below is an overview of their key ventures.

Investments in Defense Technology

• Drone Production:
  • Both Eric and Donald Trump Jr. have invested in domestic drone production companies.
  • They are notable investors in Powerus Corporation, which focuses on supporting American drone industry dominance through domestic manufacturing.
  • Eric Trump is also involved with an Israeli drone maker, Xtend, which has secured contracts with the U.S. Department of “War.”

Cryptocurrency and Financial Services

• World Liberty Financial:
  • This financial and cryptocurrency company is majority-owned by the Trump family and has been a significant part of their business strategy.
• American Bitcoin:
  • Founded by Eric and Donald Trump Jr., this venture is aimed at capitalizing on the growing cryptocurrency market.

Other Business Activities

• Trump Organization:
  • Both sons continue to play prominent roles in the Trump Organization, overseeing various aspects of the family business while their father is in office.
• Advisory Roles:
  • Donald Trump Jr. has joined the boards of several companies, including Unusual Machines and BlinkRx, which have benefited from their association with the Trump family.
  • And, I haven’t even gotten to Jared Kushner – who, it appears to me, set up the Iranians in the guise of negotiating a new nuclear weapons agreement. Kushner was soliciting funds from Gulf Arab states for his private equity firm, Affinity Partners, while serving as a U.S. government negotiator in the Middle East. Kushner served as the Special Envoy for Peace, negotiating U.S. foreign policy. While negotiating for the U.S. he sought to raise $5 billion from Gulf Arab states, including meetings with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. These Trump “boys” seem to be much more CORRUPT than Hunter Biden. But, where are the republicans who were so worried about Hunter’s role on the Board of Ukrainian Energy company Burisma? And $5 MILLION? Doesn’t this Trump/Kushner CORRUPTION make Biden look like an amateur?

Trump slapping his name and image “everywhere” – Since the start of his second term in January 2025, Donald Trump has placed his name on several locations, including the U.S. Institute of Peace and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts. Additionally, he announced the commissioning of “Trump-class” battleships. He’s putting his signature on U.S. currency, he’s putting his name on National park passes, he’s soon to have his mug shot on U.S. passports, and this doesn’t account for him hanging banners with his mug shot on it across many of Washington D.C.’s iconic buildings. Thankfully, a federal judge recently ordered he take his name off the Kennedy Center unless Congress approves the change. We are discovering America has a lot of courageous judges – of course, excluding six of the justices on the SCOTUS.

Trump LYING about his height (apparently he weighs 238 pounds) – once again, after Trump’s most recent physical it was reported he’s 6 foot 3 and 238 pounds. Last year I started looking at Trump next to others in photos and came to the conclusion he’s around 5 feet 11. The first time I started checking this out was when he was standing next to (f)Elon Musk – who is reported to be 6 feet 2 inches tall. Musk clearly towers over Trump when they are side by side. Then, just recently when Trump was in China standing next to Xi Jinping they appeared to be around the same height – Xi is reported to be 5 feet 11 inches tall. Then Trump, next to his daughter-in-law Laura Trump in photos, they appear to be about the same height as well. She’s also 5 feet 11 inches tall. Look, I’m 78 and have shrunk around 3 1/2 inches over the past few years – it comes with the territory of getting OLD. Trump can’t seem to accept he’s not even 6 feet tall any more. And, trust me, that 238 pounds is something to be a bit concerned with. Next thing you know, Chris Christie is going to accuse Trump of obesity!

French President Macron is said to be 5’7″ or 5’8″ Trump is bairly taller (but much heavier!) Sorry, couldn’t figure out how to make the image larger!

Partnership with Heritage Foundation (Project 2025 and “Saving America by Saving the family”) I’ve been writing about the Heritage Foundation’s “Project 2025” since well before the 2024 election. I have repeatedly referred to it as a “roadmap to fascism.” It is the mechanism that is allowing all this CORRUPTION. They are benefiting from the CORRUPTION as well. (Obviously, America’s Oligarchs are gaining far more than the Trump family – making their “investments” pay exponential “dividends.” The most obvious example is Musk. He “invested” around $300 MILLION to get Trump elected and his net worth has tripled since he threw those Sieg Hiels at Trump inauguration party. (with, it seems, few even noticing or caring) Musk is now worth a reported $750 BILLION – attempting to be the first “TRILLIONAIRE.” (News Flash, Musk is now a TRILLIONAIRE! – That’s a THOUSAND Billions!) Once again, “nice work if you can get it.” Regarding the “Saving America by Saving the Family” I would refer you to my previous post which was written by Thom Hartmann. In a nut shell, Those at Heritage want to take away the right to vote from women, they want to ban all forms of abortion and birth control, and they want women back in the kitchen during the day while making babies at night! And, I’m not kidding! (And, of course, they want to ban things like Gay sex, Gay marriage, and Trans rights)

Plane from Qatar – a $400 MILLION gift (or should I say grift, or better yet, bribe?) to our so-called president which is a bit over the limits of the emoluments clause of the constitution. The Emoluments Clauses of the Constitution prohibit the president from accepting any gifts, emoluments, or titles from foreign states without congressional consent and restrict the president from receiving any other emolument from the United States beyond a fixed salary. (He gets to keep this plane when “we the people” get the end to this nightmare) These clauses are designed to prevent corruption and undue influence from foreign powers and domestic entities. Oops! on both fronts. Trump considers the constituion an annoyance and our republican legislature willfully allows him to get away with it. Do you think HIS Department of Justice will object to any of this grifting? Keep in mind it’s costing a reported BILLION dollars to remove “stuff” from the plane that might allow someone, say the Qatari’s, from monitoring our president and to turn the plane into a “White House” with wings. Ugh!!!

The “free” Ballroom – and NOW the “free” ballroom is apparently in need of an infusion of a BILLION taxpayer dollars – in addition to the $400 MILLION in bribes paid by America’s leading corporations? (OK, bribes is a strong word, but do you think these corporate OLIGARCHS are shoveling all this money Trump’s way with nothing expected in return? If you believe that, I’ve got a bridge……….) Republicans are attempting to force this $1 BILLION through as part of a reconciliation bill they are proposing that throws more taxpayer dollars ICE’s way – with no “strings” attached – but the Senate Parlimentarian wont allow it. (Trump’s immediate response was the republican Senators should FIRE her) Once again, it appears this “free ballroom” will only cost “we the people” a cool BILLION. The fact polls say an overwhelming majority of Americans are pissed Trump tore down the East Wing of the “White House” and want nothing to do with this ostentatious ballroom means nothing to him (all he cares about is that Iran doesn’t get a nuclear weapon – wink wink). OK, if you’ve read this far you’ll agree, I’m sure, that’s enough. But, I’ll say it again, Trump’s CORRUPTION is so thick you’d need a sharp knife to cut through it!

Final Thought: After all this here’s the definition of Nacissistic Personality disorder from the Mayo Clinic:

Narcissistic personality disorder is a mental health condition in which people have an unreasonably high sense of their own importance. They need and seek too much attention (try to force yourself to watch/listen to one of his cabinet meetings) and want people to admire them. People with this disorder may lack the ability to understand or care about the feelings of others. But behind this mask of extreme confidence, they are not sure of their self-worth and are easily upset by the slightest criticism.

A narcissistic personality disorder causes problems in many areas of life, such as relationships, work, school or financial matters. People with narcissistic personality disorder may be generally unhappy and disappointed when they’re not given the special favors or admiration that they believe they deserve. They may find their relationships troubled and unfulfilling, and other people may not enjoy being around them.

Does that define Trump? You be the judge! Stay tuned…..

Mother’s Day has just passed, so it’s an excellent time to examine what the most powerful conservative think tank in America is planning right now for the women in your life.

The same outfit that wrote Project 2025 and watched the Trump administration follow its playbook virtually to the letter has been busy assembling a 90-page tract called “Saving America by Saving the Family.”

It maps out a future in which American women are stripped of their right to vote without their husbands’ paperwork, denied access to contraception and abortion, pushed back into the home, and reduced to what Heritage’s new American Citizenship chair Scott Yenor calls the “heroic feminine” of motherhood and wifeliness. It’s quite a Mother’s Day card from the people who claim to revere motherhood the most.

ALSO READ: ‘I was dumb as a rock’: Hardcore MAGA couple ditches Trump after getting ‘kick in teeth’

Scott Yenor wants:
— To make gay sex illegal in America again,
— Divorce to be “difficult to get or proscribed,”
— Adultery and sex between unmarried consenting adults (he calls it “fornication”) criminalized, and
— The Civil Rights Act to be “scaled back” so that businesses, schools, and “every other institution in the country” can once again discriminate against women, queer people, and minorities the way they used to.

And just a few months ago, the Heritage Foundation, the same outfit that wrote Project 2025 and watched the Trump administration follow their playbook virtually to the letter, hired Yenor to chair its American Citizenship Initiative.

When pressed about Yenor’s record, reported in detail by The Guardian and LGBTQ Nation, Heritage didn’t quietly walk anything back. They instead invoked their “One Voice” doctrine, which means that what one Heritage staffer says is what the institution stands for, and they loudly stood by him.

Even some of the foundation’s allies winced publicly to The Atlantic, but Heritage reportedly didn’t budge. This is what billionaire-funded Christian nationalism looks like in 2026, and it’s been the project, almost without interruption, ever since the Reagan Revolution

Most Americans don’t know how the Heritage Foundation came to exist; I’ve been telling this story on the radio for more than two decades because it matters. In 1971, a tobacco lawyer named Lewis Powell wrote a confidential memo to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce arguing that the American “free enterprise system” was under attack from “the college campus, the pulpit, the media, the intellectual and literary journals, the arts and sciences, and from politicians.”

His prescription was that corporate America needed to fund its own intellectual infrastructure, think tanks and university programs, legal centers, and media outlets that would shift the country’s political center hard to the right and protect billionaire wealth from democratic accountability.

Two months after writing that memo, Nixon nominated Powell to the Supreme Court.

In 1973, beer baron Joseph Coors read the Powell Memo, decided American business was “ignoring a crisis,” and wrote a $250,000 check to launch the Heritage Foundation alongside Paul Weyrich, the man who later coined the phrase “Moral Majority” and famously told a room of 1980 evangelical leaders that conservatives don’t actually want everyone to vote because “our leverage in the elections quite candidly goes up as the voting populace goes down.”

Heritage was, from day one, a vehicle for translating Powell’s memo into operational policy, and that founding circle of donors, Coors plus Bradley plus Olin plus Scaife plus Koch, never really left.

According to a DeSmog analysis of Project 2025’s funders, six billionaire family foundations bankrolled Heritage’s blueprint for the second Trump administration: Bradley, Coors, Koch, Mellon, Seid, and Uihlein.

Same families, same project, more than half a century of the same handful of fortunes funding the same grinding assault on democracy, women’s rights, civil rights, and any policy that would tax great wealth or restrain corporate power.

What’s new is how openly they’re saying the quiet parts now.

Heritage’s 90-page tract “Saving America by Saving the Family,” the subject of a thorough investigation by Billie Jean Sweeney for Important Context, lays out a vision that overturns marriage equality, denies the existence of trans people, eliminates no-fault divorce, and uses federal Medicaid dollars as a weapon against any state that disagrees.

The document opens with the sentence “The Founding Fathers were, quite literally, fathers,” which gives you a pretty clear sense of where they’re going. They’ve invented a problem they call a “birth dearth” and identified the culprits: women being educated, women working outside the home, women using contraception, women existing as autonomous people.

As Mehmet Oz, Trump’s administrator for Medicare and Medicaid, said recently, “One in three Americans is under-babied.” White Americans, of course.

Anybody who’s read 1930s European history will recognize what’s going on here.

The Nazi regime’s Mutterkreuz, the “Cross of Honor of the German Mother,” handed out medals to Aryan women who produced four or more children while sterilizing those it considered unfit, and the Lebensborn program ran maternity homes designed to manufacture “racially valuable” babies for the Reich.

Heritage isn’t there yet, but the ideological architecture is the same: women as reproductive vessels for a state-defined ideal, with the full weight of federal policy bent toward forcing them into that role.

Civil rights attorney Michelle Uzeta, who runs the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, told reporters the through-line is “government-sponsored devaluation of entire communities, informed by eugenic thinking,” and that’s not hyperbole, that’s what the documents say when you read them carefully.

The operational arm at HHS is staffed accordingly. Russell Vought, Trump’s OMB director and a self-described Christian nationalist who co-authored Project 2025, has spoken with revulsion of “the transgender sewage that’s being pumped into our schools and institutions.”

Calley Means, a former Heritage research analyst, is now senior White House advisor at HHS. His sister Casey Means, whose surgeon general nomination Trump just withdrew on April 30 after Senator Bill Cassidy refused to support her, told Tucker Carlson that birth control “shuts down” a woman’s “life-giving nature,” and Trump immediately replaced her with another vaccine-skeptical Fox News contributor, radiologist Nicole Saphier.

Natalie Dodson, a named Project 2025 contributor, runs the Office of Population Affairs that decides Title X family planning rules, and the first Trump-era domestic gag rule, in effect from 2019 to 2021, forced 981 clinics out of the program and cut the network’s patient capacity in half, leaving six states with no Title X provider at all. The current administration has signaled it will repropose the gag rule, and Trump’s 2026 budget proposes eliminating Title X entirely.

The most useful place to watch how the playbook actually operates on the ground is Missouri.

Voters there passed a constitutional amendment in November 2024 protecting abortion rights with 52 percent of the vote, and the Republican-controlled legislature simply ignored them and referred a counter-amendment to this November’s ballot that would repeal the protections voters just enshrined.

To boost their odds, they bundled in a permanent ban on gender-affirming care for trans minors, even though Missouri law already bans that care. It’s pure ballot candy, bolted onto an abortion ban specifically because polling shows the trans-care provision boosts support for the abortion ban among voters who otherwise wouldn’t go along.

Divide and conquer, in other words, weaponized at the ballot box to overturn the explicit will of the voters.

This is what I wrote about in The Last American President: the slow, methodical, billionaire-funded conversion of American constitutional democracy into something that more closely resembles a “Christian” white supremacist oligarchy with a theocratic veneer.

The people running this project are not hiding it anymore. Yenor isn’t hiding it, Vought isn’t hiding it, and Heritage’s “Saving the Family” tract isn’t hiding it either.

They’re telling us, in their own words, that they want to recriminalize gay sex, eliminate no-fault divorce, force women back into the home, gut the Civil Rights Act, and use federal funding as a chokehold on any state that resists.

And while Heritage and its think-tank allies map out the cultural policy, their allies in Congress are working to rig the franchise itself so that the populations most opposed to all of this can’t actually vote any of it down.

The SAVE Act, which Republicans in the House passed in expanded form on February 11 as the SAVE America Act, would require every American to produce documentary proof of citizenship in person at an election office in order to register or re-register to vote.

The Brennan Center estimates that more than 21 million eligible American citizens lack ready access to those documents, and the League of Women Voters puts the number of American women whose paperwork doesn’t match their current married name at 69 million, all of whom would suddenly need to dig up a birth certificate, a marriage license, proof of a legal name change, and matching photo ID just to vote.

Trans Americans, naturalized citizens, older Black Americans born in the pre-civil-rights South who were never issued birth certificates in the first place, college students, military families stationed overseas, rural voters who’d have to drive hours to a county office, and the millions of working-class citizens who simply can’t afford a passport would face the same wall.

Senator Mike Lee of Utah, one of the bill’s chief Senate champions, has publicly tied its passage to Republican prospects in the 2026 midterms, which is about as close as a politician gets to admitting on the record that the entire point of the bill is to keep women, trans people, young voters, and Americans of color away from the polls so the Heritage agenda doesn’t get voted down by the majorities that consistently oppose it.

So here’s where you come in. Call your senators through the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 and tell them you oppose Nicole Saphier’s surgeon general nomination, you oppose any reimposition of the Title X domestic gag rule, your oppose the SAVE Act, and you expect them to say so publicly.

If you’re in Missouri, or you know someone who is, get involved with Abortion Action Missouri and the ACLU of Missouri right now, because Amendment 3 is on the November ballot and the divide-and-conquer strategy works only if voters don’t see it coming.

Check your registration at vote.org, track state-level legislation through openstates.org, and support the Guttmacher Institute, Planned Parenthood, and the Center for Reproductive Rights with whatever you can give.

And share this article and HartmannReport.com with everyone you know. The billionaires funding this project are betting that ordinary Americans won’t connect the dots from Powell to Coors to Yenor to Project 2025 to the ballot in Missouri this fall, and the only way to prove them wrong is to make sure those dots get connected loudly, publicly, and everywhere we can manage it.

Get Thom Hartmann’s daily columns on his Substack, Hartmann Report. Click here to join for free.

I’ve pointed out here, I can’t remember how many times, how the Trump administration (from the beginning) adopted the propaganda schemes of the Third Reich (Yep, that’s Hitler and Goebbels) labeled as “The Big Lie Theory” and the use of projection as the keys to their bullsh*t public statements. In Trump’s case it’s obvious on a daily basis with his social media posts – which, full disclosure, I only get snippets of because I don’t use social media (other than a bit of YouTube videos). Last night Trump gave the most succinct example of projection ever. He accused President Obama of being a “Traitor” in a post of three or four words. Talk about projection. This was coming from he who instigated a full blown INSURRECTION (ie an attempted coup d’etat) on January 6th, 2021. The perfect example of an “accusation being a confession.”

I’m not writing much these days because I’m old and worn out. I’m so sick of Trump I can barely hold food down. I believe “we the people” cannot endure another 2 1/2 years of this madman. Is the solution IMPEACHMENT (and conviction) – NO! I actually consider JD Vance worse – and, third in the line of succession is Speaker Johnson – a great example of someone who knows he’s doing wrong (per his so-called Christian values) but continues to work as a “loyal” field person. Both Vance and Johnson have proven their values mean next to nothing. I mean Vance once callled Trump “America’s Hitler.”

I’m sure Trump feels totally insulated from his lawbreaking in office by our disgusting SCOTUS – which continues to impress on how they’re wearing the robes of Justices while attempting to be politically loyal to Trump and republicans. Their latest example was the Louisiana v Callais decision where the court went out of its way to turn the “maps” of the former confederate states back to the days of Jim Crow. If you remember the “absolute immunity” debacle in 2024 the court STALLED the arguments AND the decision in order to ensure Trump would not face a jury for his alleged CRIMES on January 6th, 2021. In the Callais decision they not only RUSHED the decision, but, then they implemented an order to bypass the normal 32 day waiting period allowing Louisiana to redraw their “maps” while the primary election was already underway – with over 40,000 votes already submitted. As Louisiana and other Southern states gerrymander out majority Black districts with the court suggesting racism is a thing of the past makes you wonder why these Justices seem confused at their all time low approval ratings.

This BS goes on and on with Trump to the point where people are immune from reacting as they would during any other time. The CORRUPTION is right out in the open. The LYING is pathological. The racism is OVERT as if to say “What are you going to do about it?” Democrats continue to point out how the polls suggest there is a “blue tsunami” on the horizon. But, this Callais SCOTUS decision simply makes it clear that the right wing fascists who are in the process of destroying our democratic republic control ALL three branches of the government and they don’t like “blue.” While District Court Judges around the country are acting courageously (and, according to our constitution) the SCOTUS is making KEY decisions suggesting the attack on our elections this November are in their crosshairs. And, not in a good way!

Steve Bannon has said the “quiet part out loud.” They have no plan to allow all us progressives, independents, and disaffected republicans to put a halt to their “project 2025” scheme. I believe very few Americans have taken the time to read Project 2025 but I pointed out after I had made it through a couple hundred pages that it’s, simply put: “a roadmap to fascism.” The people behind this “manifesto” are much more intelligent than Trump and, obviously, much more DANGEROUS. However, the DAMAGE left in their “wake” will be mostly attributed to Trump – who deserves a place next to Benedict Arnold in our history books once this DISASTER is in the rear view mirror. (Along with Congressional republicans) It will take at least a generation to recover – if that’s possible – our traditional allies around the world won’t trust the American voters for far longer than I have left on this planet – if regaining their trust is even possible.

Russel Vought controls the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and he’s cherry picking which items authorized by Congress he wants to actually fund and which ones he simply refuses. (He’s one of the main authors of Project 2025) This is overtly taking the “power of the purse” out of the “hands” of Congress and the republican COWARDS there who are willingly complicit – which is why USAID, for example, is “dead” (along with maybe a MILLION poor people around the world) and why “stuff” benefiting working class Americans is “off the table.”

Plus, FCC chair Brendan Carr (another Project 2025 author) is busy threatening the licenses of media outlets that don’t bend the knee to Trump. Or, in the case of Disney and ABC, not bending the knee far enough. The $15 MILLION “settlement” of a frivolous Trump lawsuit wasn’t enough to keep Trump happy – they STILL want ABC/Disney to cancel Jimmie Kimmel (which, if they do, I’ll have to cancel my subscription once and for all). These threats, of course, are “par for the course” for virtually all thugs who are attempting to turn democracy into fascist states. (Let’s all stop using the euphemism “authoritarian”) Trump is running the government like an organized crime syndicate!

Speaking of fascists; I’ve watched for years as Trump has sucked up to Vladimir Putin – one of the “worst people in the world.” As I’ve followed the roll out of the Epstein files it was impossible not to notice the number of times Putin’s name showed up. It certainly confirms in my mind that Putin has “kompromat” on Trump – likely provided by Epstein himself. That’s simply my own inference based on the public information available. That’s the only way I can explain why Trump has been kissing up to Putin for the past 10 years (other than Putin helped him “win” in 2016) and why Trump has abandoned Ukraine – a country “we the people” are OBLIGATED to defend based on an agreement signed after the fall of the Soviet Union.

The agreement is known as the Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances, signed on December 5, 1994, which provided security assurances to Ukraine in exchange for its commitment to give up its nuclear arsenal. The memorandum aimed to provide security assurances to Ukraine in exchange for its commitment to relinquish its MANY nukes. It was signed by the United States, Russia, United Kingdom, Belarus, Kasakhstan, and, of course, Ukraine. It provided a commitment not to threaten or use military force against Ukraine, except in self-defense or in accordance with the United Nations Charter. This agreement SHOULD be a focal point regarding Ukraine’s security based on the Russian aggression since 2014 beginning with the annexation of Crimea and leading to the 2022 INVASION. I doubt Trump is even aware of this agreement – and, of course, it would mean nothing to him even if he was. Like I said above, I believe Putin has the “goods” on Trump.

Much to the delight of Putin, Xi Jinping, and other American adversaries Trump allowed Benjamin Netanyahu – a leader nearly as CORRUPT as America’s so-called president – to talk him into a DISASTROUS bombing invasion of Iran – killing one group of Iranian leaders only for them to be replaced by a more extreme group – and, it’s become more obvious by the day Trump has no idea how to extract himself from this DEBACLE. Iran’s capacity to defend itself, according to intelligence reports, with their weaponry is nearly what it was before the invasion where Trump and Hegseth claimed they had wiped them out “completely.” On several occasions Trump said, “We’ve already won.” Iran, meanwhile, has exerted control of the Straight of Hormuz blocking the flow of about 20% of the World’s oil supply plus much more (with all reports they intend to charge tolls once this “war” is over) by closing it to MOST of the traffic which moved freely before Trump’s ill advised invasion. Trump’s response to Iran’s blocking of the Straight is to set up their own blockade of Iran’s blockade. Reminds me of the Middle Schoolers I used to teach. Huh?

China (where Trump is as I’m writing this) and Russia are supporting Iran and, in order to mitigate the world oil shortage caused by this STUPID invasion, the U.S. has removed sanctions from Russian’s oil allowing them to reap huge financial benefits right when their economy was on the brink – due to their Ukraine invasion and the Biden era sanctions imposed before Trump 2.0. (More Trump help for Putin – many people are saying the “winner” in the Iran war will be Vladimir Putin – Yikes!!!) The U.S. has even rolled back sanctions on Iranian oil – for that which they are able to get through the blockade of the blockade. Clearly, the huge loser in all this is “we the people.” I mean, we’re even continuing to arm Israel with offensive weapons despite the reality they were the ones who suckered Trump into this fiasco. The “oil shock” very well might cause a world wide recession.

Now, if you’ve been paying attention to this war from the start you know that Trump, Hegseth, Vance, and Rubio have all given a plethora of reasons to justify America’s invasion. I happened to have been up all night on February 28th because of a surgery that day which made it impossible for me to sleep. So, I witnessed Trump’s claims right from the start – coming from his club – and, I can tell you it had NOTHING to do with Iran’s nuclear weapon capability (although, there was a LIE about them having a weapon in two weeks that could reach the U.S. – but, that was only credible with the TOTALLY gullible MAGA’s). I remember Trump really focusing on “regime change.” He implored the Iranian people to rise up and take over the country – because “we the people” were going to take out the “regime.” Of course, we took out a layer of the Iranian leadership (along with about 175 Iranian elementary schoolgirls) and, that encouragement for the Iranian people to rise up and claim their government was, as I remember it, the focus of Trump’s remarks. And, as absurd as just about everything else he said, like the Iranian people would likely never have a better opportunity.

Well, as I said, the rationale coming from the various American leaders seemed to change by the day – ranging from regime change to preventing them from building a nuclear weapon. Of course, just a few months earlier, according to Trump, “we the people” had OBLITERATED Iran’s ability to build a nuclear weapon. The reason I point this out is because it took Trump (and his cronies) about eight to ten weeks in order to come up with a rationale they could all agree on – after the fact. “Iran will never have a nuclear weapon.” With Trump, once again, as his belated rationale, claiming they were two weeks away from having one that could reach the United States. Absurd doesn’t come close to analyzing this Trump LIE)

I point this out because just before Trump left for China he – as these guys are so apt to do once in a great while (like Bannon above) – said the “quiet part out loud.” Trump, when asked whether people’s financial difficulties, which have been exacerbated by the gas and oil crisis triggered by the Middle East conflict, were “motivating” him to make a deal with Iran, he replied: “Not even a little bit.” The only thing that matters when I’m talking about Iran, they can’t have a nuclear weapon. I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation. I don’t think about anybody,” Trump added. Talk about your perfect ad (“locker room”) material for democrats in the mid-terms. (If we have them) I have to wonder if all the MAGA’s out there will like these words while they’re filling up their gas tanks? Trump’s approval rating is hovering somewhere below 35% and dropping by the week. Will this help?

I believe leaders around the world are laughing at “we the people” until they realize how dangerous this man is to the world writ large. The one place where I believe Trump’s conduct brings smiles to the faces of the leaders is in China. And, of course, that’s where Trump is as I’m typing this. I shudder to think of how completely Xi Jinping is likely playing Trump. Not only is Putin benefiting from this Iran fiasco, but more-so would be China. I can guarantee you China is filling every void around the globe caused by countries turning away from America. This energy shock is world wide. Countries will remember China coming to the rescue.

Remember, Trump has another 2 1/2 years to grift off of his second reign on this nation. His net worth has DOUBLED since the beginning of Trump 2.0 (not to mention his sons and son-in-law – I’ve mentioned Kushner at length in the archives) and he’s trying to shake down “we the people” for $10 BILLION in an absurd lawsuit against himself – that, apparently, the DOJ and IRS are planning to “settle.”

Trump sees all the OLIGARCHS around him squeezing BILLIONS from America’s taxpayers and, obviously, he wants in on the action. He even took about a dozen OLIGARCHS to China with him for ????? I’ll let you figure that one out – maybe to find creative ways around his tariffs? As I’ve said, I don’t believe America can withstand these next 2 1/2 years under Trump’s reign. The SCOTUS has left him to believe he has IMMUNITY from any lawbreaking while in office (at some point there’s going to have to be a definition of Official duties) but “we the people” can’t allow him to turn America into Russia 2.0. We MUST demand “free and fair” elections in November and we MUST have a virtual stampede of voters going to the polls to put an end to this republican nightmare! May God help us!

Final Thought: I couldn’t help, after watching Trump and Xi Jinping walking next to each other, to check out how TALL President Xi is – and, “the answer is:” 5 feet 10 inches. I point that out because our LIAR in chief claims to be 6 feet 3 inches tall. Well, if you were watching them side by side they look to be about the same height – at most I’d say Trump might be an inch taller (if that). I point that out because, as I’ve been saying here for years, Trump LIES about everything – obviously including his height.

Now, I’m almost as old as Trump and I’ve dropped about 3 1/2 inches in the past few years, so it’s understandable that Trump is SHRINKING. I guess it should be no surprise that he’s unwilling to admit it. (Honestly, I have no idea if he was EVER 6 feet 3 inches tall) I also know that as my height has gone down, my waist has gone out. When looking at Trump it appears to me his waist is headed in the wrong direction as well. I keep thinking of the song: “Your so vain, you probably think this song is about you.” And, yes, I do have Trump derangement syndrome! (if that wasn’t obvious) Stay tuned….

I quit my subscription to the Washington Post when Jeff Bezos overruled his paper’s editorial board blocking them from endorsing Kamala Harris. This, of course, was followed by Bezos kissing up to Trump from the day of the election until, well, now. So, it wasn’t surprising to me when I read a headline (the only thing I can read without giving them my money once again – which I originally did to support investigative journalism) about the Post demonstrating surprise at (f)Elon Musk continually posting racist stuff on his Xwitter platform suggesting he might be a “white nationalist.” Apparently, the Post wasn’t paying attention when Musk was throwing Sieg Heil’s at Trump’s inauguration party. It seems obvious to me the “tech Oligarchs” – Bezos, Musk, Zuckerberg, Thiel, the Ellisons, Page, Brin, Altman, Sook (Nextar), Smith (Sinclair), the oil billionaires (Koch, Woods, and ???) – are more dangerous than Trump.

Yes, Trump is DAMAGING the foundational institutions of America, he’s destroying our relationships with our traditional allies, and he’s cultivating CORRUPTION the likes which America has NEVER seen – but the American OLIGARCHS are going to be around long after Trump (and me) are pushing up daisies. These OLIGARCHS have unlimited funds and they’ve figure out the surest way to keep their wealth expanding (they are insatiable) is by gaining control of the so-called “mainstream media.” Trump is coordinating with these right wing media moguls who keep buying up more and more of the “stuff” we the people put into our heads.

Musk owns Xwitter, Zuckerberg Meta (Facebook, Instagram, What’s App), Ellison controls CBS, TikTok (with Murdoch), and soon CNN, Page, Brin, Altman (and others) are pushing “AI” down the throats of humanity, and Thiel is making a fortune via government contracts spying on “we the people.” Yes, the DAMAGE Trump is doing to the traditional institutions and norms of our democratic republic will take a generation to recover from (if that’s possible) but these OLIGARCHS will be getting richer and richer unless “we the people” can somehow elect leaders who realize the DAMAGE they are causing and take action to mitigate it. And, yes, I’m talking about taxing them like it was the 1950’s again (they and their republican cheerleaders (SCOTUS) seem to want to take us back to those days). If you’re too young to remember, the top tax bracket back then was 90% over what would likely amount to something in the tens of millions in today’s dollars.

Should they threaten that they would leave the country, well I’d say, “don’t let the door hit you where the good lord split you.” And, tell them to take their corporations with them. We’d all be a lot better off without the social media moguls who are totally focused on making more money. Take Musk for example. His “donation investment” of close to $300 MILLION in order to get Trump elected proved to be one of the great “investments” of all time. His net worth has TRIPLED since he was able to shed the government intrusions into his businesses via “DOGE.” The accomplishment of “DOGE” wasn’t reducing our annual deficit, it was reducing regulations he (and Bezos, and the other OLIGARCHS) didn’t like. Plus, of course, Musk torpedoed USAID leading to around a MILLION people in Africa dying because of the cut off of medicine and food. As Bill Gates put it, the “world’s richest man killing the world’s poorest children.”

I started this a couple weeks ago and just haven’t had the motivation to write despite the fact the frustration of what I continue to observe coming from Trump 2.0’s reign on America continues to rise. I realized from the start those of us who are paying attention and believe in the constitution which has guided America for 250 years will be (and are) “chasing our tails” trying to keep up with the CORRUPTION coming from the “White House,” sycophantic business “leaders,” and, of course, Trump’s “crime family.” It’s been widely reported Trump’s net worth has increased by over $4 BILLION since taking office. And, his sons and son-in-law are knee deep in all the grifting as well. America’s standing in the world is tanking by the day.

I try as best as I can to keep up with what is happening in Ukraine. Here’s what is apparent to me. Trump is aligned with Vladimir Putin while MOST of America is aligned with Ukraine. Especially people like me who studied history in college – even though that was many years ago in my lifetime. But, the parallels between Putin (and Trump) toward Hitler and the Third Reich are not difficult to see. Putin has “said out loud” he wants to recreate the former Soviet Union. That means Ukraine is just the first step in that process. Joe Biden, MOST of the European Union, and the UK clearly recognized this. Biden was the leader in pulling NATO together to provide aid to Ukraine allowing them to defend themselves from the Russian invasion.

It’s true Barack Obama’s administration was relying on sanctions to get Putin to pull out of his “takeover” of Crimea and the Donbass region of Ukraine in 2014 in response to Ukraine’s push for “democracy” and cleaning up government CORRUPTION. Biden increased American aid to Ukraine when it became obvious Russia wanted control of the entire country. Unfortunately, in my view, that aid was focused on defending Ukraine from the Russians and didn’t include the offensive weapons they needed to push the Russians out. I felt from the day Russia made the push toward Kyiv it was time to make the people of Russia feel the pain of this war – initiated by Putin. Remember, it started in 2014. (Trump actually referred to Putin’s push into Ukraine, in the first few days, as “genius.”)

So, now, Trump has pushed “we the people” into Iran not having a clue what he’s doing and with not the slightest idea of how to get out. He knows if he just declares “victory” and pulls America’s troops and ships out of the area he’ll be even more of a laughing stock around the world than he already is. But, my thoughts continue to be focused on the DAMAGE Trump is causing. Up until Netanyahu talked him into joining Israel in bombing Iran I felt MOST of the DAMAGE being caused by Trump was to America. However, the Iranians understand Trump’s vulnerability likely better than Trump himself and now we’re talking about the world’s economy. If it collapses it will be Trump’s “legacy.” I predicted when Trump first took office it would take him about six months to torpedo America’s economy – I admitted I was wrong – and then modified my prediction to one year.

A year has passed, and thanks to the so-called “magnificent 7” – corporations, outwardly it appears America’s economy is “booming.” The big Tech corporations are spending money by the BILLIONS in a push to prop up the “AI” boom – which, to me, is “evil,” by the way – so that helps to make things look good (on Wall Street) – but the 60% of Americans living from paycheck to paycheck aren’t feeling so good. Virtually ALL public opinion polls express negativity regarding the economy (and virtually every other aspect of Trump’s administration) so, I’m feeling the “tanking” could be on the horizon. However, with the blockade of the Straight of Hormuz, we’re now talking about the world’s economy.

From my observation point, Trump’s STUPIDITY is leading to “making China great,” and causing a lot of residual pain around the world because of the blockade of the Straight. Keep in mind, Trump will NEVER concede he made a mistake. He’s so full of hubris that he’s hanging his photo on government buildings, he’s putting his name on everything from money to ships (including American passports). Trump’s narcissism is off the charts. Speaking of China I read some interesting “stuff” the other day regarding all the multi-MILLION dollar bombs Trump/Hegseth have unfurled on Iran.

These bombs require specific minerals in order to construct them. They are precision “implements of destruction” and apparently America has depleted its stockpile of these weapons by about half. So, who do “we the people” depend on to replenish these weapons? You guessed right – it’s CHINA. From what I read (I can’t remember the names of the minerals) China exports roughly 95% of these minerals – sometimes referred as “rare earths.”

If you remember, Trump made a deal with Volodymyr Zelensky regarding Ukraine’s “rare earths” – that apparently are very abundant – but it appears Russia’s troops control much of the land where these “rare earths” exist. I have no idea how this relates to Trump being a “turn coat” regarding Ukraine and siding with Putin but what seems certain is that the U.S. will be counting on China to export these minerals in order to replenish the stockpile of these “weapons of war.” (These “rare earths” are critical elements in much more than bombs – like, for example, EV’s – Electric Vehicles)

Speaking of EV’s, China is surpassing America in the car building push for the change to Electric Cars. I’ve been driving either a “plug in hybrid” electric car (Chevrolet Volt) or a full electric car (first a Polestar and now a Ford Mach E Mustang) since 2014. I really don’t miss buying gas. The Chinese car company “BYD” is, from my viewpoint, building the best cars in the world, mostly EV’s (with some HEV’s – hybrids). They are unable to sell them in the U.S. because of the tariffs because American car companies just would be unable to compete with them. The volume of BYD’s cars selling across Asia and now in parts of Europe far surpasses Tesla’s in the EV “genre.”

While Trump is causing America to fall farther and farther behind in the area of clean energy compared to the rest of the world (especially China) by the day. His refusal to understand the “climate crisis” is a dereliction of duty. There are coastal areas in the U.S. which are being threatened by the rise of oceans caused by the melting of the polar ice caps. He got lucky last year because there were fewer “natural disasters” than normal in the U.S. but I suspect the Hurricane season, this year, will make up for it. Who knows maybe Mar a Lago will be hit with a major Hurricane. Even that would probably not get Trump’s attention. Our attention should be focused on his CORRUPTION and the GREED of his sycophantic OLIGARCHS. Still chasing my “tail.” Stay tuned!!!

Final Thought: As you can see, it’s difficult to keep up with all the STUPIDITY and the CORRUPTION. I’ll end with a bit of nostalgia. Maybe you remember the fuss the republican party (and Trump – likely at his direction) made over the $5 MILLION Joe Biden’s son (Hunter) received from a Ukrainian company he was part of the “board” back in Trump’s 1.0. Trump, in his finest projection mode, used that to label Biden and his son as the “Biden crime family.” Unfortunately, the democrats failed miserably to fight this nonsense back in the universe of “public opinion.” Well, now we really have a “crime family” at the head of America’s government and the comparison to Biden is not even close. I’ll try to be as succinct as I can.

Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, has managed to pull several BILLIONS dollars out of the investment funds of Arab countries in the Middle East. The first $2 BILLION coming from Saudi Arabia and an unknown (to me) amount coming from the UAE (United Arab Emerites), Qatar, and maybe others. Now, Kushner is part of the American real estate duo leading the “negotiations” with Iran to end the “war.” (Trump is referring to the war as something else to avoid America’s “War Powers Act”) An aside to suggest why the Iranians might not trust Kushner (and Steven Witkoff) were engaged in negotiations – which were referred to as productive by a mediator – right before Iran’s leaders were wiped out in the first stages of America’s and Israel’s attack. In essence, they set up the Iranians and that’s probably – OK, obviously – difficult to forget.

While involved in these negotiations it’s been reported Kushner has also been pushing to get another $5 BILLION or so out of these Arab countries (who would like nothing better than for Trump to follow through on his threats of genocide to Iran). Does that appear to you to be a conflict of interest on Kushner’s part? For that matter, on Trump’s part? Because he (Trump) has pilfered BILLIONS from these Arab “allies” as well. I refer you back to all the fuss Trump made over Hunter Biden’s $5 MILLION payday in Ukraine. A payday that was undoubtedly because of who is father is – but compare that to Kushner and the lack of questions he’s had to face and the lack of negative publicity. BILLIONS because of who HIS father is! Democrats just aren’t very good in the field of messaging.

And, I haven’t even mentioned Trump’s two sons who have been traversing the world making huge profit off of their familial connection to Trump. Not only that, but it’s now being reported that the Trump boys are “investing” in corporations related to the area of “defense” and “somehow” gaining government contracts for these businesses. The Trump administration has given new meaning to the term “swamp.” Don Jr. is connected to the gambling outfit, “Polymarket” where people bet on “predictions.” People have made MILLIONS betting on some of Trump’s decisions – insider trading?

Hopefully, by November the members of Trump’s CULT will realize they are being scammed by a world class Con Man and, for at least one election (hopefully more) vote AGAINST republicans. I’ve been writing for close to twenty years here with the focus being MY “fever dream” that American voters would vote this version of the republican party into the History books – right next to Trump and Benedict Arnold. (With apologies to Mr. Arnold because I don’t believe he had 34 FELONY convictions) If “we the people” fail to have a massive response to Trump’s CORRUPTION at the polls in November we’re screwed! Yikes!!!

Sorry, I have to add: The recent SCOTUS ruling putting the finishing touches on their dismantling of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) has set off scrambling by the former Confederate States to rig their elections so that Black and Brown people will lose any representation. (A return to Jim Crow? facilitated by the SCOTUS?) Louisiana’s 2026 primaries were already started – as far as the voting – thousands of early votes had been cast via mail in votes and absentee votes – and, one day after the SCOTUS’ decision the governor “paused” the election so that Louisiana’s legislature could redraw their “maps” supposedly to break up the two majority Black districts making sure their Congressional representation is “all White.” (36% of Louisianans are Black)

Several people are suggesting this is a precursor to Trump’s plans to “rig” the 2026 Mid Terms. I’ve been saying I’ll believe the mid-term elections will go on when I see it happening. Trump knows what he’s in store for if he is unable to interfere/block November’s elections. How will Trump interfere? How will democrats respond if he tries to cancel the mid-terms? Food for thought! OMG!!!

“We the people” can’t endure another 30+ months of the Trump reign on our Constitutional republic. The Department of Justice has always been the fundamental backbone of our nation. Trump has, for all intents and purposes, destroyed this bastion of America’s “democracy.” The FBI is led by an imbecile and the “interim” attorney general is nothing more than Trump’s personal attorney who was Trump’s lead attorney when he (Trump) was CONVICTED with 34 FELONIES by a unanimous jury of his “peers.” Trump was found by a jury to have sexually abused E Jean Carroll and defaming her to the point where he was assessed with a judgment of $88 MILLION. Are the results of these cases what caused him to choose this lawyer (Todd Blanche) to be at the head of the Justice Department? (Oh yes, I can’t forget that Trump was found guilty of serial FRAUD by the NY Attorney General to the tune of over $400 MILLION.

Trump started his assault on this key institution of American Jurisprudence on his first day in office. He made several “day one” promises in his campaign and the one he actually followed through on was PARDONING something like 1600 INSURRECTIONISTS, many who assaulted Police Officers on January 6, 2021, and he’s been PARDONING fraudsters and white collar CRIMINALS ever since. In the height of telling “we the people” “I think you’re stupid” he pardoned Juan Orlando Hernández the epitome of a “narco terrorist” while he (Trump) was (ordering the) KILLING (of) “boat people” in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific accusing them (without even just practical evidence they were smuggling drugs into America – their boats were headed in the wrong direction and had NO capability of reaching America if they had wanted to) of being “narco terrorists.”

Not only did our “Seal Team Six” MURDER more than 150 PEOPLE but then Trump sent them (Seal Team Six) into Venezuela to capture the president Nicolas Maduro and his wife (killing another 100 to 200) accusing them of being “narco terrorists.” Reminder: only a few weeks before this he PARDONED Hernández who was found GUILTY of smuggling OVER 400 TONS of Cocaine into the United States and sentenced to 45 years in prison. (What was Trump’s payoff for Hernández’ PARDON?) No sooner had Maduro been commandeered to a jail in Brooklyn New York than Trump announced the reason for the kidnapping was Venezuela’s OIL. (Kind of reminded me of Bush/Cheney and Iraq) Go figure!

But, as usual, with republicans it ALWAYS gets worse. And, in the case of Trump he makes sure it’s getting worse at a pace which is hard to keep up with. Of course, there’s Trump’s war of choice in Iran that he can’t figure how to get out of even though all he seems capable of is making it worse. He didn’t seem to understand how the Iranians could put him “over the barrel.” (pun intended) I don’t believe he understood they would simply close the Straight of Hormuz putting pressure on him as gas prices rise. He was suckered in by Bibi Netanyahu – which Trump will NEVER admit – and he’s been saying the war is “almost over” for about a month – successfully manipulating the Wall Street moguls who could care less about whether the U.S. is mired in a war or not. Somehow, they still manage to force themselves to believe Trump’s musings.

And, Iran has no obligation to “open” the straight once Trump heads home with his tail between his legs. That last sentence, of course, was a figure of speech, because Trump has NEVER and will NEVER get anywhere near any kind of a war zone. The closest he’ll ever come is going to a cage fight while sending his V.P. to “negotiate” an end to the war – apparently thinking it could be done in a day. JD Vance claimed the reason the negotiations failed is because Iran refused to agree to “never have a nuclear weapon.” (Was this Trump’s way of setting up Vance as a baffoon?)

Reminder: It took the Obama administration around one year to negotiate the so-called “JCPOA” (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) where Iran agreed to NOT enrich Uranium to the level it can be used for a nuclear weapon – an agreement that included strict directives for the “IAEA” (International Atomic Energy Agency) to monitor Iran’s activity in this area – and, it was working, until Trump “tore up the agreement” in Trump 1.0 – apparently because it was an achievement of Barrack Obama. I’ll say it once more: It took about a year to negotiate that agreement – plus there were six other nations involved – INCLUDING Russia. So, Trump wanted Vance to do this in one day!?

Here’s another interesting “tidbit.” Vance was accompanied in these “negotiations” by Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff – who I wrote a post about previously and their “negotiations” with the Iranians right before the Americans and Israeli’s killed about 40 of Iran’s leaders, about 175 school children, and began pummeling Iran with American made BOMBS. Just a day or so before the BOMBING began the Iranian negotiators returned to Iran to discuss what was reported as productive negotiations regarding reopening a plan to prevent Iran from producing a nuclear weapon. One of the mediators in the negotiation held his index finger and thumb close together to signify how close they were to an agreement. The next day – bombs away! Is it any wonder the Iranians, after six weeks of BOMBING, had a level of mistrust with Kushner and Witkoff? I speculated Kushner and Witkoff set them up – although we’ll likely never know. But, just picture the Iranian leadership gathering to discuss the proposed negotiations only to be wiped out by Israeli BOMBS!?

One of Trump’s idols, Viktor Orban, recently was voted out of office in an overwhelming DEFEAT in Hungary. Trump had sent Vance to campaign for Orban in the waning days of the campaign and Vance actually held a call with Trump during the rally. Reports have it that their “help” for Orban worked in the opposite direction intended. Some reports are suggesting Trump/Vance have set back right wing movements in several other European countries including Germany and the U.K. Which gets me to my next thought regarding why “we the people” won’t be able to endure another 30+ months of this disaster. I believe Trump sees the writing on the wall and the more he tries to “dig” himself out of the hole he’s creating, the more he keeps digging and the “hole” keeps getting deeper. And, while many are speculating he’s lost his mind, I’m certain he knows the result if there’s a MASSIVE “blue wave” in November’s mid-term elections.

He’s going to get impeached and, if his sycophantic republicans in the Senate have had “enough” he very well could get convicted. That is why I’ve been speculating for over a year now that he’s going to find a way to either suspend or eliminate the election. Either that, or find a way to prevent likely democratic voters from participating. I mean, he attempted a coup once before and was still re-elected back into the “White House.” This time, he’ll be more motivated to either block or overturn the will of the people because he’s got much more to lose this time around. I mean, he’s been pulling in personal wealth by the BILLIONS since the beginning of Trump 2.0 and his alleged corrupt and illegal activity could very well put the Supreme Court’s “absolute immunity” ruling to the test.

Trump is already postulating about providing PARDONS for anyone who’s gotten “within 200 feet of the Oval Office” – whatever he’s suggesting. It was announced today the Department of Justice is moving to rescind the convictions for Seditious Conspiracy for the “Oathkeepers” and “Proud Boys” who were main instigators in the January 6, 2021 INSURRECTION where the 140 Police Officers were brutally beaten. There’s also mounting speculation Ghislaine Maxwell is going to get a PARDON. (Do you think she might be reminding Trump – and Melania – of all that she KNOWS?) Which gets me to the “Epstein files.”

ALL of the Epstein files were, according to the statute, required to have been made public – with the only redactions to be those required to hide the identities of the victims – by December 19th, of last year. Obviously, the DOJ has failed to adhere to the legal requirements of the law – passed with almost unanimous “consent” by both houses of Congress. When they finally released something like 3 MILLION files (about a month late) – that had the perpetrators identities redacted while exposing the identities of several of the victims – and, in some instances, nude photos of some of the victims assistant AG Blanche said something like “That’s it, there aint no more.” There’s ANOTHER 3 MILLION files which haven’t been released and Trump’s personal lawyer Assistant AG, Todd Blance, announced that would be the end of it. Oops, I already said that! The DOJ was choosing NOT to release the other 3 MILLION files. Can you think of why?

This is another reason why Trump lives in fear of the mid-term elections. Should there be a “massive blue wave” as some are predicting those other files will eventually be made public. Do you think the DOJ might be attempting to protect Trump? Jaimie Raskin (D Maryland) was, like other members of Congress, able to see the unredacted files and he said in the 3 million files that have been released he did a search for Trump’s name and it came up over a MILLION times. In the redacted files made public Trump’s name comes up “only” 38,000 times – do you think those other times (960,000) where his name was redacted implies maybe a cover up? Do you think Trump’s 15 years as Epstein’s “best pal” might have included some naughty stuff? (Like some “wonderful secrets”) There’s one instance where a victim claimed (in 2019) that Trump sexually and physically assaulted her when she was 13 (In the mid 1980’s). Why do republicans continue looking away from accusations of Trump’s sexual misconduct?

For comparison – if you think it’s all just a “democrat hoax” let’s take a close look at Eric Swalwell. Recently, several women have come forward and accused him of sexual misconduct (Only a fraction of the number of Trump accusers) – some of it quite serious – or should I say “more” serious – because it’s all quite serious. It didn’t take long for democrats to encourage him to drop out of the race for governor in California (did he really think this stuff would never come up?) and soon to tell him he was going to get expelled from the House and suggest he should resign – which he did yesterday. Interestingly, a republican from Texas who had been refusing to resign over even more serious allegations chose to resign on the same day as Swalwell – I found that interesting. Did the democrats set an example for republicans? Well, if so, then maybe republicans should be making a “call” to the “White House” in order to prevent (or attempt to do so) the HUGE “blue wave” in the fall.

Naturally, we all know Trump would never agree to resign. If he’s going to be removed from office it will HAVE to be by IMPEACHMENT and CONVICTION. As an optimist (keep in mind I’m no democrat or republican) I can hope democrats not only take the House but also the Senate. As I said above, “we the people” can not endure another 30 some months of this. I mean, Today Trump claimed the Pope wants Iran to have a nuclear weapon! He also suggested gas prices are not that “high.” (I keep waiting for the Straight of Hormuz to be closed for another few weeks and then what?) He also said, today, that “we” (apparently meaning his administration on the “new” regime in Iran) are getting along well (or words to that affect). He actually publicly said that Iran has agreed to never have a nuclear weapon.

To that I almost shouted “holy cow!” But, the skeptic in me said this was simply another ridiculous LIE coming from the mouth of someone who when his lips are moving, he’s LYING. It’s as if he just makes up what he’s saying on the spot with whatever is crossing his “genius” brain. He also mentioned today that he really likes the “gospels.” Before adding “Nobody likes the gospels like I do.” To that I had to agree – as someone who believes in the “gospels.” I couldn’t help but tell myself I really don’t believe in them like Trump. I would have to put myself more in the camp of what I’ve heard from Pope Leo, although I’m not a Catholic. Nothing I’ve heard from the Pope lately about Jesus has not been consistent with the Bible I’ve read (a couple times). There’s always more and tomorrow there will likely be another “swamp” filled with more coming from Trump. Stay tuned….

Final thought: As someone who considers himself an Evangelical Christian (obviously “liberal”) I not only take offense to Trump’s depictions of himself AS Christ one day and then “with Christ” the next. But, I possibly take more offense as some of the “prayers” I keep hearing coming from the mouth of another (alleged) LIAR Pete Hegseth. I can’t remember too much of what I studied as a Political Science major back in the 1960’s about the Declaration of Independence and our Constitution (I do have a copy of the constitution on my desk – which I reference periodically) but, I’m pretty sure our country was founded on the principle of the “Separation of Church and State.”

For example, when a preacher starts preaching politics from the pulpit that church can lose its tax exempt status. So, when I hear Hegseth attempting to sound like a preacher when he’s giving orders to his military underlings (sadly, that includes everyone up to the Generals) I get a queasy feeling in my stomach. And, today, as if he’s been to theology school, Hegseth repeated a “prayer” straight out of the movie “Pulp Fiction” – what was presented as a monologue by Samuel Jackson. Here’s the real version from the movie:

• “The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men.”
• “Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother’s keeper and the finder of lost children.”
• “And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers…” As the character played by Jackson points his gun at the victim. (Full disclosure, I didn’t see the movie so I have no idea if he shot the dude tied up in a chair)

Here’s Hegseth’s “prayer:”

• “The path of the downed aviator is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men.”
• “Blessed is he who in the name of camaraderie and duty shepherds the lost through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother’s keeper and the finder of lost children.”
• “And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to capture and destroy my brother…”

Did Hegseth really believe no one would notice? Does he not watch Colbert or Kimmel at night? I’ll end with this recommendation: Watch Jon Stewart on the Daily Show next Monday! OK, one more thing – These people (Trump, Hegseth, etc. are nuts!)

OK, another one more thing: Tonight I was watching Lawrence O’Donnell on MSNow and saw a segment on RFK Jr. that made my stomach curl more than usual with info about him. (I was originally drawn into politics supporting his father’s run for president back in 1968, the first year I could vote – the voting age was 21 back then.) Kennedy LIED in a congressional hearing when confronted about him saying, a couple years ago when he was running for President as if he was an expert on the subject, that Black children should be taken from their parents and put in shelters – or something to that affect – so they could be “re-parented.” I’m not kidding. Not only does this expose Kennedy to be a vial racist, but there is video evidence he was LYING when he denied ever saying it while under oath in the hearing! You can’t make this stuff up!!!

Trump is manipulating the stock market AND his MAGA base on a daily basis as he tries to find a way to get out of Iran “with honor.” Of course, most of us know, Trump has NO honor which makes this goal problematic. Additionally, he is incapable of even entertaining the possibility of admitting he screwed up royally, so as of this morning he was threatening the destruction of the Persian civilization – which is, itself, a WAR CRIME. (Maybe he could have his trial at the Hague along side his idol Vladimir Putin.) I realize Trump believes he has “absolute immunity” (thanks to the SCOTUS) but wait a minute:

The Geneva Conventions address war crimes, which include acts like genocide and crimes against humanity, that can involve threats of mass murder against a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group. These acts are considered serious violations of international humanitarian law. So, just Trump threatening Iran with destroying their public infrastructure and taking them back “to the stone age” constitutes an alleged WAR CRIME. (We proved after Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld/et al that we don’t hold our leaders accountable to WAR CRIMES – in the case of the Bush/Cheney administration authorizing TORTURE)

Now, those of us closely watching Trump during Trump 2.0 have gotten used to “TACO Trump” – “Trump Always Chickens Out” – so the odds were he would find a way to “gracefully” chicken out once again as his “deadline” for taking Iran back to the “stone age” approached. Well, it appears the Iranians used a bit of skulduggery to give Trump a way to “chicken out” and get what they (the Iranians) want. A better way to put this is, short of any break down of the “agreement” it looks as if Iran gets a big win in Trump’s “war of choice.” (Possible hangup: The Israeli’s are involved and Netanyahu needs to keep this going in order to keep his a– out of court.)

Here’s a look at Trump’s “win:”

Iran’s 10-Point Proposal Demands

Iran’s response to the ceasefire proposal includes several specific demands aimed at ensuring long-term peace and security. Below is a summary of these key points:

Key Demands

Demand	Description
Permanent End to Attacks	Iran seeks a firm guarantee that the US and its allies will stop all military strikes on its territory.
Release of Frozen Assets	All Iranian assets that are currently frozen abroad must be returned as part of the agreement.
End to Israeli Strikes in Lebanon	Iran demands a halt to Israeli military actions targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Lifting of US Sanctions	Iran calls for the complete removal of all American sanctions, which have severely impacted its economy.
Protection of Allied Groups	Iran insists that its allied groups across the region must not be attacked under any broader peace deal.
Safe Reopening of the Strait of Hormuz	Iran is prepared to allow safe passage for ships through this vital oil route.
Fee for Ship Passage	Iran plans to charge approximately $2 million per ship passing through the Strait of Hormuz, with funds used for rebuilding infrastructure.

Keep in mind Iran, a couple months ago, slaughtered tens of thousands of its citizens who were protesting their government. So, losing a couple thousand in this “war” – when you look at what they “agreed” to is, it seems obvious to me if no one else, a small price to pay for – LOOK at their proposed agreement. Permanent end to the attacks – and that would include Hezbollah in Lebanon, Israel’s attacks in GAZA and the West Bank, and no attacks on the Houthi’s in Yemen. The release of all their frozen assets AND the lifting of all American sanctions. They would agree to re-open the Strait of Hormuz with the caveat their military controls it and tankers would pay a fee of $2 MILLION each time they wished to pass through the Strait.

Somehow, Trump is going to attempt to sell this as a “win” – as he’s been proclaiming for weeks now that the U.S. has met their objectives (without, of course, finding a way to cogently explain what those objectives might be) Will he be able to convince his MAGA faithful that the U.S. won the war? Who knows. I have an acquaintance who is a “conservative Christian” and I simply asked him yesterday what he thought of Trump’s “Easter message.” Based on his response, I concluded he has no idea what Trump’s message was – he suggested my time would be better spent reading the Bible. I only pushed the conversation enough to give him the “Praise be to Allah” part of the message and decided I didn’t want to share the “Open the Fuckin Straight you crazy bastards” part – but, I concluded those who choose right wing media (or just don’t pay attention at all) missed out on this one.

Obviously, though, this agreement is a total WIN for Iran – there’s no other way to look at it. Trump proclaimed it as a good framework for negotiations. It will be interesting to see how the Iranians look at that. Based on what I’ve heard coming from them, they look at this as THE agreement. I may be proved wrong, but these points are consistent with every thing I’ve read regarding Iran’s position. They KNOW they’ve got Trump “over a barrel.” Here’s the kicker. I haven’t heard if the Israeli’s agreed to this. It was reported tonight how Netanyahu had talked Trump into participating in his (Netanyahu’s) 40 year fever dream. Do you really believe he’ll agree to get out of Lebanon and GAZA and stop Israeli “settlers” from committing atrocities in the West Bank? Will he “guarantee” a permanent end to attacks on Iran? Will he agree the U.S. sanctions which have been in place on Iran for YEARS should be lifted? The next couple of days should be interesting. Stay tuned……

Final Thought: This just cropped up in my mind. Did Trump actually agree to this? Did Iran publish the actual “10 point plan?” (Of which the above is the main part?) Again, tomorrow (Wednesday April 8, 2026) should be interesting.

There’s an old saying: “The Skunk smells his own hole first.” Trump is arguing against birthright citizenship (meaning, if you’re born in America you’re an American citizen) so I just thought I’d do a little thought experiment. Trump’s grandfather arrived in America in 1885 (apparently wanting nothing to do with German’s military) and his son, Fred, Trump’s daddy, was born in New York in 1905. Well, if we don’t agree that birthright citizenship is a “thing” let’s take a closer look at the Trumps.

Based on Trump’s claim that birthright citizenship is not guaranteed by the 14th amendment of our constitution (OK, it really is – but give me a moment) then Trump’s father, Fred, would not have been guaranteed to be a citizen. In fact, Trump’s grandfather, after Fred was born, attempted to move BACK to Germany, only to be deported back to the U.S. Just like his grandson, Friedrich (Trump’s grandfather) refused to submit to Germany’s mandatory military service. (I have to wonder if he had “bone spurs.”)

So, taking Trump’s own logic to his father’s “citizenship” – should Trump’s SCOTUS agree our constitution doesn’t say what it really does – then, by extension, Trump’s father, Fred, should NOT have been a citizen. And, Fred never (surprise surprise) served in the military either. Taking this to the logical conclusion then Donald Trump should NOT have been eligible for citizenship because his father shouldn’t have been a citizen. Fred Trump’s “true colors” showed when he was arrested at a KKK rally in New York in 1927 – which wouldn’t seem to be a good look for his “citizenship.”

Let’s take it on face value that Trump is actually a deserving citizen – despite his objections to our 14th amendment. (Yes, I know, his objection isn’t for white people born here) Then we have to look at his son, Barron. Melania was NOT a citizen when Barron was born so, by using Trump’s own logic, Barron is NOT a citizen. Has he been naturalized? There’s another old saying that applies to Trump that says, My: “Rules for me but NOT for thee.” Stay tuned!!!