When you think of the present iteration of the republican controlled House of Representatives I can’t help but think of the previous group – AND, continue to be living in unbelief that “we the people” would have elected a republican majority after witnessing the fiasco of the previous two years. Republicans spent FOUR years “investigating” President Biden, attempting to connect him to something like $5 MILLION his son, Hunter, collected from his job in Ukraine, and actually trying to IMPEACH Biden based on his son’s business activity.

Well, Hunter Biden’s $5 MILLION seems rather inconsequential compared to what we are witnessing in the first four months of Trump 2.0. (And, it’s going to get much worse) But, let me start with my comparison of Hunter with what’s going on with Trump’s sons and son-in-law. Jared Kushner, as most know by now, collected close to $3 BILLION from various Middle East nation’s sovereign wealth funds – most notably the $2 BILLION coming from MBS and the Saudi’s. That’s BILLION with a “B.” To date not the slightest interests of House republicans to investigate what might be called the “mother of all grifts.” Even the Saudi’s running the wealth fund originally denied Kushner’s attempted grift, only to be overturned by MBS.

Of course, Trump is busy trying to outdo his son-in-law with his OWN grifting – while holding office and totally ignoring the emoluments clause of the constitution. Not only did he just take a “gift” from the leader of Qatar – a leading supporter of HAMAS in the battle in GAZA. Get this: Trump is taking a plane from Qatar while, at the same time, attacking American Universities (at this point, namely Harvard) for their alleged “Antisemitism.” Not to mention, of course, his soliciting close to $400 MILLION in what amounts to personal grifting – and violating the constitution – on a massive scale. (Not,, at this point, the equal of Kushner’s grift)

But, never fail, with republicans there’s always more. So, Trump has two sons who are busy working deals for Trump “towers” or Trump golf courses in various countries around the globe – like, for example, the Middle East countries Trump just visited about one week ago. Add to that a golf course and building in Viet Nam and, of course, Trump actually seems serious about “taking” GAZA – after moving the Palestinians to various other countries in the region – so, he and his sons can build the “Riviera of the Middle East.” I’ll say this, Trump is certainly not discouraging Benjamin Netanyahu from continuing his Russian style assault on GAZA. I certainly doubt this republican Congress will do ANY investigating in these instances, but, hay, Hunter Biden. (At this point it should be OBVIOUS why President Biden pardoned his son and the Jan. 6th Committee members.)

The Justice Department has been rendered impotent when it comes to defending the constitution – as EVERYONE involved took an oath to protect. Not only is the DOJ working as the tool of Trump’s “retribution” but it is supporting the ICE assault on our constitutional order by defending, in court, ICE’s removing PEOPLE from the streets of the U.S. – WITHOUT due process – to unimaginable landing spots in third world countries. The latest example was removing 8 PEOPLE, directly violating a court order, to South Sudan – right in the middle of a Civil War.

Pam Bondi is, to me, an embarrassment. A complete sycophant to Trump as opposed to actually being an apolitical Attorney General. Bondi, along with virtually every other member of Trump’s cabinet doesn’t seem to understand where her place in American history will be. I’ve already, on several occasions, pointed out Trump will end up right next to Benedict Arnold (he attempted a coup, for heaven’s sake – what is more treasonous than that?) and his cabinet members will be on the seats right behind him – AND, I’ve got to include all those BILLIONAIRES who attempted to crowd right next to Trump on inauguration day – in a (disgusting) photo for the ages. As far as I’m concerned, let them keep crowding – as those history books are written!

(f)Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Tim Cook, and a bunch more BILLIONAIRES have way more MONEY than most of us peons can even imagine, but it seems they are NEVER satisfied. (Trump is figuring out how to get his “share”) Well, when “judgment day” comes for them, and they could get more than one, Jesus will remind them of what they did “for the least of these.” (Musk/Trump are going to be personally responsible for the deaths of around 3 MILLION by the end of this year) At some point all those MAGAs in the red states are going to understand how badly they’ve been “had” and when the “worm turns” it’s not going to be pleasant for any of these people. Almost every time I write, I share my hope that someone in a position to know would be keeping a “scorecard” on all the ILLEGAL activities which have become rampant under Trump 2.0. There’s an old saying, “ignorance of the law is no excuse.” There’s going to be a lot to be answered for. Making Trump 1.0 seem like “child’s play.”

Due to Merrick Garland’s timid nature leading to about an 18 month delay in pursuing the investigation into Trump’s January 6th, 2021 coup attempt, a conspiracy which SHOULD have included dozens of co-conspirators (including Clarence Thomas’ wife), Jack Smith just focused on Trump in his attempt to bring the case in front of a jury before the 2024 election. Well, Trump used his due process rights to delay each of the cases against him (save for the Manhattan election interference case – leading to the 34 FELONIES he was convicted on) and, with the help of the SCOTUS Trump was successful. Of course, subsequently, “we the people” made the DEPLORABLE decision to put Trump back in the “Oval Office.”

Does anyone besides me see the irony in Trump being the master of using our due process rights in his “delay, delay, delay” strategy in every one of the four indictments he faced (88 alleged FELONIES) in 2023 and, then, having not the slightest compunction as he sends PEOPLE to, for example, a notorious prison in El Salvador without granting them their due process rights. Trump even had the nerve to suggest “if these people all got ‘trials’ it could take years.” We all know, in his mind, Trump considers himself above the law and he refers to immigrants (and democrats) as “scum.” We also know he’s all about enriching himself – based on “we the people” giving him a “get out of jail free” card – on the one hand, and, on the other, using his POWER to get retribution against his “enemies.” What on earth could go wrong?

We are now at a place where various Federal Judges are realizing Trump is simply ignoring their rulings. This is the place where the constitution becomes virtually nothing more than the paper it’s written on. Do you believe the DOJ will enforce criminal contempt citations sent their way by the courts involved – that would mean AG Bondi would have to sign off on any investigation or indictment? I can assure you, it ain’t happenin! The SCOTUS – and, by this I’m talking about the six Justices who granted Trump “absolute immunity” last year – appear to be afraid of what lies ahead knowing, at some point, they are going to have to “step up” and the outcome of that occasion is daunting. They know what it will mean when Trump gives them the middle finger salute! Game over!

For all intents and purposes, that day has already come and gone. Kilmer Abrego Garcia is STILL stuck in that disgusting prison in El Salvador and the American government is STILL paying for him, and about 250 others, to be “staying there.” Not only is that in direct VIOLATION of a Supreme Court edict, but, by rights, those other 250 PEOPLE should be back in the U.S. as well waiting for their day in court. I’ve been saying since the day Trump took (lied about) his oath, while refusing to put his hand on the Bible, when we get to the point where Trump is telling the courts to “pound sand,” republicans have taken us all “over the ledge.” We are officially a FASCIST state!

So, it SHOULD surprise no one that our government is cutting assistance to “the least among us” while continuing the OBSCENE transfer of American’s taxpayer dollars to the those among us who need it the least. Reports indicate, since the days of Ronald Reagan, the top “1%” have plundered something like $40 TRILLION (and counting) from the taxpayers and, just like clockwork, the GOP Congress is working on the next ideation. (Mostly by extending the 2017 tax scam) Those BILLIONAIRES lined up behind Trump at the inauguration have MORE wealth than, by most accounts, the bottom 50% of the nation. It’s obscene, and they will benefit from Trump’s “big ugly bill” to the tune of about half a BILLION in tax cuts per year – EACH! This while the Medicaid and Food Stamps cuts in Trump’s bill affect those at the bottom. The Speaker of the House calls this a “moral plan.”

And, of course, there’s more (the bill is 1100 pages) – lots of stuff thrown in to get the votes needed to pass it which won’t be public for some time, although, there are reports Medicare will also be cut by about $500 BILLION. We won’t know what stuff is being cut – like education, environmental projects, etc. But, what was disclosed the other day is the bill is aimed at RETROACTIVELY preventing Federal Judges from finding Trump or anyone in his administration in CONTEMPT! Now, if that ends up in the final bill and isn’t ruled unconstitutional by the SCOTUS, it will simply be further proof that our constitutional republic is history. Trump and his project 2025 puppet masters will have succeeded where Adolf Hitler failed 80+ years ago. Apparently, that’s why (f)Elon Musk was able to throw those Sieg Hiels with little notice from our “liberal media.”

Final Thought: Have you noticed how anyone who tries to “appease” Trump just gets more and more screwed by Trump. He feeds on “appeasement.” Yet, have you watched Vladimir Putin playing Trump like a fiddle as Trump has attempted to “appease” Putin regarding the ILLEGAL Russian invasion of Ukraine. What the Russians have made clear is they won’t stop until they have control of all of Ukraine – and, the election of Trump was a key part of their strategy. Trump has already, for all intents and purposes, become a turncoat to American interests around the globe – most especially because of his subservience to Putin. Lord help us and the people of Ukraine!

Apparently, Trump is threatening to “walk away” from the peace talks (?) because Putin is not being nice. Trump seems to have no understanding of what’s going to happen if “we the people” abandon Ukraine – Zelenskyy is on Trump’s list for “retribution,” of course, because he refused to “open in investigation” on Joe Biden back in 2016. I’m sure Trump blames Zelenskyy for his LOSS to Joe Biden – by over 7 MILLION votes. His “retribution” will be allowing Putin to take Ukraine – of course, then targeting Poland next, and then…… (You know how this works) Trump will go down in history as not only a TRAITOR To the United States, but also to the rest of the world by allowing Putin to MURDER even MORE Ukrainians than he already has and potentially start WW III. Thinking of a commercial I’ve seen on TV lately, if I could say anything to Trump it would be “how do you sleep at night?” But, I’m pretty sure, based on his “tweeting” schedule, he doesn’t.

Trump’s “Memorial Day” Tweet was maybe the worst ever – in two ways. The grammatical errors were, well, “deplorable.” But, that didn’t hold a candle to how disgusting the “tweet” (or whatever you call it – and, if they call it a “truth,” well, that’s as absurd as most everything else Trump does, writes, or says. In this case, it was hard to understand this would be something an American president would write on Memorial day : a day we’re supposed to keep a remembrance of those who’ve given their lives in service to this country. Here it is if you’ve got the stomach for it:

“HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY TO ALL, INCLUDING THE SCUM THAT SPENT THE LAST FOUR YEARS TRYING TO DESTROY OUR COUNTRY THROUGH WARPED RADICAL LEFT MINDS, WHO ALLOWED 21,000,000 MILLION PEOPLE TO ILLEGALLY ENTER OUR COUNTRY, MANY OF THE BEING CRIMINALS AND THE MENTAO INSANE,THROUGH AN OPEN BORDER THAT ONLY AN INCOMPETENT PRESIDENT WOULD APPROVE, AND THROUGH JUDGES WHO ARE ON A MISSION TO KEEP MURDERERS, DRUG DEALERS, RAPISTS, GANG MEMBERS, AND RELEASED PRISONERS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD, IN OUR COUNTRY SO THEY CAN ROB, MURDERERS, AND RAPE AGAIN, PROTECTED BY THESE USA HATING JUDGES WHO SUFFER FROM AN IDEOLOGY THAT IS SICK, AND VERY DANGEROUS FOR OUR COUNTRY. HOPEFULLY THE UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT, AND OTHER GOOD AND COMPASSIONATE JUDGES THROUGHOUT THE LAND, WILL SAVE US FROM THE DECISIONS OF THE MONSTERS WHO WANT OUR COUNTRY TO GO TO HELL.” Stay tuned!!!

If he’d been one of my sixth graders his grade would be an “F!”

I’ve never started a “rant” with the title, but I’ve gotten so out of patience with members of the media and democrats referring to what is happening in our country as “authoritarianism.” The trouble I have with that is I don’t particularly like euphemisms. Authoritarianism is simply a euphemism for FASCISM. Full Stop!

Look around you. The evidence is overwhelming. Once again, here’s the definition of FASCISM:

“A system of government marked by centralization of authority under a dictator, a capitalist economy subject to stringent governmental controls, violent suppression of the opposition, and typically a policy of belligerent nationalism and racism.

A political philosophy or movement based on or advocating such a system of government.

Oppressive, dictatorial control.” (American Heritage Dictionary)

For years I’ve pointed out as the United States creeps closer to fascism you can judge what’s happening by understanding the foundation for a fascist regime is a government/corporate partnership. Another way to put that is OLIGARCHY! Well, we’ve FINALLY accomplished that in “spades.” America is, as far as I can tell now a full fledged “oligarchy.” You’ve got BILLIONAIRES getting on their knees in front of Trump in order for him to allow them to get even RICHER. And, you’ve got an “equal” branch of government (the Congress) cowering to avoid a nasty tweet. And, you’ve got a third “equal” branch of government (Judicial) wondering how to respond to a plethora number of examples of Trump et al thumbing their noses at court rulings.

To our media (and, I’m talking about the so-called “liberal media”) this is “authoritarianism” – apparently afraid to use the “F” word on TV. You can bet they aren’t going to publicize the parallels to Hitler’s Nazi’s of the Third Reich – out of fear of another frivolous Trump inspired lawsuit. I’ve even noticed on MSNBC a lack of sponsors on some of the most popular programs. Is this something nefarious? Remains to be seen – but, it wouldn’t surprise me if potential sponsors are facing THREATS from Trump himself. A “great” way to eliminate opposing viewpoints.

Look, all the ingredients of fascism are right out front. The racism, check! (In fact, the racism shows its ugly head virtually every day – the last example I saw was Trump “ambushing” the president of South Africa with conspiracy bull s@@t while meeting in the oval office. Stuff that didn’t even resemble facts. But, hey, when did Trump – and, in this instance co-president Musk – resort to FACTS in any argument? And, “belligerent nationalism?” Oh, where to start? Well, to make this easy, let’s look at the logic behind Trump’s Trade fiasco. Oh yes, there is no logic.

As a Christian myself, I’m offended by Trump claiming to be a “man of God” when it seems to suit his fancy – as he’s strong arming members of the GOP in the House to vote for a very “unChristian” “big beautiful bill.” A bill that takes health care away from about 10 – 15 MILLION low income Americans, takes food out of the mouths of around 10 MILLION low income Americans, gives close to half a BILLION dollars per year in tax cuts to – you guessed it – BILLIONAIRES (makes their $1 MILLION “donations” to Trump’s inauguration – much apparently going into his family’s “pockets” – seem like prudent “investments”) and reverses virtually ALL of the climate change “first step” of the previous couple of years as it encourages Americans to use MORE fossil fuels.

Of course, Education is in the crosshairs of Trump and his project 2025 puppet masters because one thing is crystal clear to them – an uneducated public is critical to their long term viability. Not only is the Trump administration attempting to shudder the Department of Education – affecting, once again, low income students and increasing the cost of higher education in a very public attempt to dumb down America (more than it is – which allowed this fiasco to happen in the first place) – but, they’ve gone “all in” on a full throated attack on the Nation’s OLDEST private university – and, of course, that would be Harvard – where MUCH of the advances in medical and other research gains have taken place over the previous hundred years of so. Not only are they attacking Harvard very publicly – but ALL private universities with their big “beautiful” bill – putting taxes on the endowments of private universities.

Now, I wasn’t one who could afford to go to a private university like Harvard – although, had I been a strong enough student to “get in,” as I’ve since discovered, they would have found ways to help me be able to afford being there. I came from a very low income family (in the 1950’s and 60’s) and I always felt my “ticket” to college was sports. However, back when I first attended college, the schools where I was good enough to play (basketball) there weren’t “scholarships.” (Of course, Tuition and living expenses were very LOW) Trump is doing everything he can to make a higher education today as EXPENSIVE as possible.

The project 2025 puppet masters, Trump, and his GOP sycophants are doing everything they can to CONTROL what the rest of us can do. They are threatening media outlets, they are threatening public servants – in fact, they are now arresting some on “trumped up” charges, they are “snatching” people off the streets and “disappearing” them – just like some of the brutal dictatorships I’ve read about from Central and South America, they are spreading obvious LIES about people they’ve decided to make “examples of” and they’ve even gone so far as to remove any oversight the government might have on police departments around the country who might be inclined to abuse their power.

Look, there’s a lot more, I’m just pulling off as much as my elderly head can think of in the moment – but, the reality – and, I’ve been warning about this since the days of Bush/Cheney – is the U.S. has finally stepped over the edge into FASCISM. My biggest complaint, at this point, is I wish people who should know better would quit calling it “authoritarianism.” I “get” that talking about “Nazi’s” and “Hitler” in America has been simply a place no one was willing to go – since WW II – but, the reality is what is happening is OBVIOUS – or, at least it should be. For heaven’s sake, our co-president (f)Elon Musk threw a couple Sieg Hiels at Trump’s coronation. What more did they need? Of course, there was hardly a “peep” when that happened.

Here’s what I hope – that someone is “memorializing” ALL the blatantly ILLEGAL activity of Trump and his sycophants for possible prosecution once this reign on America if finally over. There’s a good chance I won’t be around at that point – and, I’m not even taking in to account they might “disappear” people like me before long – but, I believe MOST of the Justices on the SCOTUS may be realizing the folly of their “absolute immunity” decision last year, realizing what they’ve “unleashed” on the rest of us. Clearly, Trump believes he is “above the law” and the SCOTUS is the reason.

America is becoming unrecognizable. Trump embarrasses (many of) us everytime he opens his pathetic mouth – always with a torrent of LIES. Sometimes I wonder if he’s simply STUPID enough he doesn’t understand what he’s saying – but, most of the time it comes across to me as a deranged narcissist spewing garbage which somehow makes him feel better about himself. Sadly, pathological LIARS believe their own LIES as the words trickle over their tongues – but, you know, “we the people” voted for this. The country would be much better off if our “liberal media” AND democrats started calling it for what it is – FASCISM!

For many years (on this site) I’ve pointed out my believe “rights” are much easier to lose than to get back. Well, we’re in the middle of finding out whether, or not, I was right. This all started – at least in “recent” history – with the Citizen’s United Supreme Court decision (ONE of the decisions which will place John Roberts and Sam Alito on the dark pages of American history) where about 100 cumulitive years of campaign finance reform was tossed – leading to the BILLIONS (including from foreigners) polluting our democratic processes – and, it’s progressed from their.

Voting Rights, Civil Rights, Women’s rights, and on and on, being swept away in this FASCIST purge. This will require a nationwide backlash to begin a turn around – but, it’s going to take YEARS. And, trust me, just as the BILLIONAIRES continue lobbying for tax breaks they don’t need, those in POWER will continue placing that POWER as more important than their oaths to our constitution. And, once the “liberal media” has been vanquished (and, I guarantee you that’s part of the “plan” – once again, read project 2025) Trump will be able to brag he’s turned us into being more like Russia. Stay tuned…..

Final Thought: My final thought today is I continue to pray for our country. It’s almost impossible for me to understand America as a FASCIST country – yet, my eyes aren’t deceiving me. Trump (a second generation German – whose father was possibly part of the Nazi movement in the U.S. back in the 1930’s – based on things I’ve read, including getting arrested at a KKK rally in New York) is pushing FASCISM by every measure of the definition. People I know who frequent “conservative” media for their “information” seem to have no idea what is happening. In fact, when I bring it up, I haven’t found one yet who even understands what fascism actually entails. As Trump has said on more than one occasion: “I love my uneducated voters.” Yep, they are the key! Yikes!!!

If you’re the Qatari’s and you have a plane you’ve been trying to dump for five years and it’s become clear you’re unable to sell it, what would you do with that plane – it’s costing you big bucks for maintenance and fuel, after all? Well, by now, most Americans know the answer: You offer the plane to Donald Trump, FOR “FREE!” And, of course, Trump won’t let a small issue like the emoluments clause in the constitution stop him from getting the plane which he plans to “donate” to his presidential library (are there enough books left for Trump’s library – other than Kash Patel’s?) once he’s out of office. Are the MAGAs stupid enough to miss this one? Well, the Fox “news” and “Newsmax” MAGAs very well might be because right wing media either won’t mention it or they’ll call it the deal of the century – after all “it’s free.”

However, they might, at some point, find out it’s a second hand hand me down which no one else wanted PLUS it’s likely to cost about a BILLION dollars to retrofit it to the requirements of an actual “Air Force One” plane – remodeling which will likely take several years to complete – right before Trump’s set to go off into the sunset. (Unless “we the people vote in enough democrats to actually IMPEACH him for the THIRD time and, who knows, convict him in the Senate.) And, of course, he wouldn’t be allowed to take a plane with him as he leaves office that is fitted with all the stuff they would need to put on the plane before it would be usable as “Air Force One.” So, right after they put the stuff on to make it a flying “oval office” they’d have to take it all off again. Talk about a “good deal?” Possibly when “free” is NOT a very good price!

It appears it’s going to take me a bit to finish this post: I’ve been writing since almost the day Trump took (lied about) the oath of office about how ANGRY I am about Musk/Trump and the Dogeshits shutting off the American aid going to some of the poorest parts of the globe via the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) potentially leading to over 3 MILLION deaths in areas like Sudan, GAZA, and other REALLY poor parts of the world by the end of this year. Not only are people starving to death but people are dying from the lack of medicine which was included in the aid – in programs like PEPFAR in Africa which has been saving lives in Africa since George W Bush was president. It’s a bad look. Two BILLIONAIRES in America (Trump/Musk) are depriving some of the POOREST people on earth of life saving assistance. It pisses me off every time I have to write those words.

But, as I often say, with republicans there’s always more. So, these two RICH Americans (actually, Musk is an “Afrikaner” – South African) are not only taking food and medicine away from the poorest people around the globe – but, the republican budget which is working its way through the House is planning to take food and medicine away from the POOREST Americans as well – by cutting Medicaid (to the tune of about $800 BILLION) and “SNAP” (ie – food stamps) not to mention a proposed cut of $500 BILLION from Medicare. Republicans are so sure of what they are doing, they’re doing it in the middle of the night. Apparently, that means “we the people” will have no idea of what they are doing. Did you really believe Trump when he said “Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid won’t be “touched?”

Isn’t this just the perfect picture of life in America during Trump 2.0? Our so-called TWO TIME popular vote LOSING 34 times convicted FELON is violating the emoluments clause of our constitution his attempt to get a Boeing 747-8 while he’s taking food and medicine away from the poorest Americans (along with the poorest people around the world). Can you just see the political advertisements? Do you think the democrats have what it takes to actually come up with messaging about this “deplorable” s@#t? I’d have to say if they can’t come up with a message that resonates with this dichotomy then they really are helpless. I can see an image on the TV of the Qatari plane superimposed over people standing in bread lines or people who’ve lost their health care – many who will be MAGAs in “red states.”

Musk/Trump have been violating our constitution (with the acquiescence of republicans in Congress) repeatedly, and most seriously through the repeated violations of direct orders from the “bench.” (Meaning, the Judiciary) I’ve said several times here, when Trump gets comfortable ignoring the orders of Federal Judges then “all bets are off.” For years I’ve pointed out the agency which is the backbone of our democratic republic is the Justice Department. Never could I have believed “we the people” would put a 34 times FELON (who attempted a coup) into the “Oval Office” thus rendering our Justice Department, in essence, void. So far the obvious results are attacks levied at individuals coming from the so-called president, laughing at the emoluments clause (while taking a “gift” from one of the sponsors of HAMAS), and telling judges “enforce your order yourself” (or words to that affect)

America is now a full blown fascist country – while “hiding” as the “democracy” of the previous 250 years. Trump and his puppet masters (Project 2025 – read it if you don’t believe me) have accomplished what Hitler failed to do back in the 1930’s and 1940’s during WW II. My father was in the Army during WW II and he NEVER said a word to me about the experience – which has left me with lots to imagine – but, based on my high school classmates who came back from Viet Nam (those who came home alive) it’s virtually impossible to participate in WAR without serious mental/physical issues once it’s over. Trump has pulled off what amounts to a “bloodless (kind of) coup d’etat.”

More and more Americans are protesting what is happening in Trump 2.0, but I’m convinced the Project 2025 puppet masters anticipated everything which is happening (save for maybe the protests outside of Tesla dealerships – which I encourage, by the way). I’m trying to get healthy enough to be able to participate in the protest movement, but I remain on “edge” as I believe the Project 2025 “plan” is for our “elections” to resemble those in Russia by the 2026 mid terms. I truly hope I’m wrong, but I believe they (the “puppet masters”) already have a plan in place which will guarantee those elections – in true Trump projection “form” – will be “rigged.”

One thing they can’t “rig” is the economy (although Trump is trying) and the financial markets. Keeping in mind, much of the money flowing through Wall Street and the Federal government (meaning Treasury bonds) comes from other places around the world. Plus, the Federal Reserve is STILL independent (we’ll be in a really bad place when Trump attempts to take control of the “Fed”) and the red flags are up with the REAL economists out there. It appears investors are becoming less and less eager to invest in America’s “Treasury bills” – the supposed “safe haven” for when the economy gets a bit “rocky.” I’ve been saying since the day Trump announced “liberation day” with his ridiculous (and illegal) tariff “war” that he’s simply speeding up the time it will take for him to “tank” the entire economy. I’ve put it as BANKRUPTCY #7 for Trump – only, this time his daddy isn’t around to “bail him out.” This will be the big one.

Just try to imagine the results of the cuts to Medicaid, Food Stamps, and Medicare – among other poorly thought out cuts to the economy. The cuts to Medicaid will simply make the availability of health care in rural areas even more difficult. Rural hospitals will close (many already have) and people who can’t afford any other insurance than Medicaid will be going without health care – potentially affecting everyone else because they won’t go to the doctor until whatever they’re dealing with has become much more SERIOUS. This is all so predictable – but, don’t tell that to someone who gets their “news” from Fox of Newsmax. Apparently, Steve Bannon does understand where most of the Americans who’ll be hurt the worse from the Medicaid cuts actually live – in red states. Talk about “cutting off your nose to spite your face.”

I’ve always been an “independent voter” although since Bush/Cheney I’ve voted AGAINST republicans. I’ve seen this “deplorable” disaster “we the people” are facing coming since the days of Ronald Reagan. The “seeds” for America tilting into fascism began with the writings of Milton Friedman and Lewis Powell – from what I’ve learned – dating back to the early 70’s. Reagan put their “plan” into action with his so-called “trickle down” economics (I call it trickle up) leading to the pilfering of the American taxpayers by corporate interests and the “top 1%” of between (by estimates I’ve seen) $30 TRILLION and $50 TRILLION. And, of course, these republicans are at it again, to the tune of another $5 TRILLION or more to those who DON’T need it. Yep, robbing the “poor” to give to the “rich.” Nice work if you can get it!

Keep in mind, republicans are going to have to come up with about a BILLION dollars to turn Trump’s present from Qatari into a flying “White House” – which, as I’ve said, should take almost the number of years Trump has left to destroy America. And, then, take all the new stuff away before he gets HIS plane upon leaving office. And, Trump isn’t the only member of his cabinet who is/will be pilfering tax dollars to make their lives more “peachy” (for lack of a better word). And, it’s all right out in the open, which apparently makes them feel it must be OK. If there’s no mechanism to stop them (Trump et al) – meaning, of course, the constitution – then why hide anything. Hell, Musk threw a couple Sieg Hiels at Trump’s coronation and not even a “peep” from republicans in Congress. I mean you can’t be more obvious than that – can you?

Final Thought: Trump keeps hinting he’s going to run again in 2208. Just the other day he was speaking in his give them the “house” Mid East Tour. He started bragging about how his followers are now buying “Trump 2028 hats.” Well, I’ve got an answer for that “phenomenon:” “Obama 2028 hats.” Can’t you just picture Trump when he would start seeing these hats on MILLIONS of Americans (I’d buy one – for golf) as he witnesses the exploding protests which are metastasizing all around the country as he gives the perfect political ad with his “new” plane superimposed over the listed cuts to MEDICAID. And, OBTW. now it’s being reported the House GOP is also cutting a “half TRILLION” from Medicare. Yikes!!

One more thing: I’ve been writing for nearly 10 years here about how Trump is a pathological LIAR – and, recently as I’ve been observing some video and photos of him, I’ve come to the conclusion there’s another example of his (or his “physician’s”) absolutely absurd LYING. Based on his latest physical which was publicly reported Trump is “6 foot 3 inches” (and 224 pounds). Now, I don’t question his weight, but I’ve been looking at photos of him next to other people whose height is public knowledge and, well, what’s with a so-called TWO TIME popular vote LOSING 34 times convicted FELON president LYING about how tall he is.

When I first saw Trump standing next to, for example, (f)Elon Musk I had to wonder how tall is Musk? He must be 6′ 5″ because he is obviously at least a couple inches taller than Trump. Then I saw Trump in Saudi Arabia standing next to MBS and they appeared to be about the same height. So, when I finally did a little checking it turns out Musk is 6 foot 2 inches and MBS is 6 foot (and, that’s it). So, it appears Trump is no more than 6 feet tall (about the same as me – I’m 77 years old) and 224 pounds. Now, I get that when you get OLD – Trump will soon be 79 years OLD – you do a bit of shrinking. Maybe he was once 6’3″ – but, during his last physical, there’s NO WAY! So, our so-called president (a 34 times convicted FELON) even LIES about how tall he is. He embarrasses me when he’s speaking ANYWHERE – and, LYING about how tall he is, well, “deplorable.”

The CORRUPTION is palpable. It’s happening right out in “plain view” which, apparently, is what is allowing “conservatives” to say nothing about it. Right before taking (LYING about) the oath of office (while refusing to put his hand on the Bible) Trump, along with his two sons and his wife, introduced what are called “meme coins” – (full disclosure, the only thing I know about these “coins” is they are not real) – and, after the initial rush by people with too much money to purchase them in HUGE quantities – Trump managed to pull in about $100 MILLION in transaction fees. That was BAD – but it was “then.”

The “now” is the latest grift by Trump in relationship to this scam. He’s offered a “dinner” at one of his golf clubs to the 220 highest owners of these fake coins. Well, first up it seems comes from the government of the United Arab Emirates who decided to “invest” $2 BILLION in Trump’s most successful grift (actually, he might have a second crypto scam?) – again, right out in the open the “Emoluments Clause” be damned. A while back I read a report where an “investor” put $75 MILLION into Trump’s $cam and soon, thereafter, coincidentally had an investigation into his own crypto fraud “paused” by “Trump’s” Securities and Exchange Committee. Certainly, this person, Justin Sun, will be one of the guests at Trump’s dinner for those who’ve been funneling the MOST money into his pockets.

The CORRUPTION goes much deeper than the actual grifting Trump and his two sons are showing no shame in enacting – it’s just that, to me, it appears the constitution’s emoluments clause is no longer even considered valid. First, there’s the “domestic emoluments clause” which reads as follows: “The President shall, at stated Times, receive for his Services, a Compensation, which shall neither be increased nor diminished during the Period for which he shall have been elected, and he shall not receive within that Period any other Emolument from the United States, or any of them.” I suppose “or any of them” is open for interpretation – but, the literal reading is the ONLY compensation a president may receive is the fixed salary which may not be “increased or diminished” in order to prevent Congress from manipulating the president. (Or vice versa)

Then there’s the foreign emoluments clause: “No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.” According to Hamilton in Federalist 22:  “One of the weak sides of republics, among their numerous advantages, is that they afford too easy an inlet to foreign corruption.” Therefore, to counter this “foreign corruption” the delegates at the Constitutional Convention worded the clause in such a way as to act as a catch-all for any attempts by foreign governments to influence state or municipal policies through gifts or titles. The framers intention was to prevent “nobility” from being established in the United States and curbing “influence” from foreign governments.

Has Trump violated these two clauses of our constitution? Check and check! Did he do so in his first reign? Once again, check and check. One thing I’m sure of is we have no idea to what extent these parts of our constitution have been violated by Trump and his family. What we do know, for example, is son-in-law Jared Kushner pulling in around $3 BILLION shortly after Trump 1.0 – for an investment “firm” to which he had NO experience. Of course, he did set it up to provide him with a salary of $25 MILLION per year. But, of course, Hunter Biden!

Here’s the reality, for the next 3 1/2 years there’s virtually NOTHING “we the people” can do about this – other than to march in the streets until Trump declares martial law and eliminates the 2026 mid-terms. OK, there’d be nothing “we the people” could do about that either. It’s simply a matter of time until Americans realize what they’ve done in electing a fascist organized crime boss to be our so-called two times popular vote LOSING 34 times convicted FELON who has no intention of allowing the courts to “check” him. And, of course, he’s got about 170 unelected surreptitious fascist puppet masters, the authors of Project 2025, in the background filling out illegal executive orders for him to sign and advising him on how to trash our constitution.

One of the “puppet masters” Stephen Miller was recorded on tape the other day pointing out Trump’s administration is “studying” what they need to do in order to “torpedo” Habeas Corpus. If you don’t understand what that means, here’s a definition which may get your attention of the “greatest writ:”

“A writ that a person may seek from a court to obtain immediate release from an unlawful confinement, as when the confinement has occurred through a means that violated the person’s constitutional rights.

The right of a person to obtain such a writ.

A writ to bring a person before a court or a judge, most frequently used to ensure that a person’s imprisonment, detention, or commitment is legal.”

In other words, “due process” – which is GUARANTEED under our constitution. But just the other day Trump was asked if he felt obligated (or words to that affect) to follow the constitution? His answer was: “I’m not sure.” Now, let me remind you of that pesky “oath of office” Trump has taken (LIED about) twice now: The president has to “swear or affirm that they will faithfully execute the office and preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.” They MUST swear to this oath before they can assume the official duties as president. Is that “oath” hard to understand? Also, has Trump rendered it as meaningless?

Or, maybe the question should be, “why would anyone believe Trump takes his oath seriously after attempting a coup d’etat in Trump 1.0?” Reminds me of the saying, “fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” “We the people” had advance notice of what was going to transpire should we be STUPID enough to put this TRAITOROUS FELON back into the Oval Office. Can the United States survive four years of this fascist FELON and his fascist puppet masters? I really have my doubts.

I’ve long felt the one department which would hold things together in the United States would be the Justice Department – but, that is going to be a hopeless mess for the next 3 1/2 years. Pam Bondi is a disgraceful and pathetic sycophant as our “attorney general.” Just ask yourself which, if ANY, of Trump’s ILLEGAL activities will she be investigating? Is anyone “memorializing” the corruption of Trump 2.0? Of course not. The head of the FBI is someone (Kash Patel) who shows up for work late – when he shows up – according to accounts published of late – and he referred to Trump as the “King” who’s the victim of a plot by “Hillary.” I’m not kidding. He did this in a children’s book – one of the books “conservatives will leave on the shelves. Do you really believe the FBI is going to be solving serious white collar crimes for the next 3 1/2 years? Yikes!!

To make matters worse, Trump is ordering the Justice Department to take down the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement task force. Huh??? Why would Trump want to do that after all of his BS about needing “law and order?” This task force was created to take down drug cartels, human trafficking rings, and transnational crime syndicates and Trump wants it disbanded by September 30. I believe he’s already fired the task force’s director. This is the group that helped capture Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzman — the head of the Sinaloa Cartel, possibly the largest drug trafficking organization in the Western Hemisphere—and seize over $2 billion from criminal enterprises. Your guess is as good as mine as to why Trump wants this shut down. But, are you getting the “law and order” picture of what lies ahead in the U.S.?

My guess is Trump is attempting to “out Putin” Putin when it comes to running an organized crime syndicate from the head of state. Despite most people claiming (f)Elon Musk is the “world’s richest man” – from what I’ve read it’s not even close with regard to Putin. It’s just that Putin doesn’t publish his wealth in the Forbes list of the wealthiest people in the world. Regardless, it appears to me Trump’s goal is to put himself into the upper registers of Forbes’ “richest people in the world.” But, as usual, there’s always more!

And, this time it’s significant if not ridiculous arrogance. I started this rant several days ago with the focus on how Trump is destroying whatever was left in belief in the constitution’s emoluments clause and, well, it’s like now he’s kicking it while it’s down. This past weekend it was reported Trump is getting a $400 MILLION gift from the Qatari’s – you know that outfit (country) which is aligned with Iran – as long as Trump seems to be focused on “anti-Semitism” in America’s universities. Could the hypocrisy be any “thicker?”

The Qatari’s are giving Trump a Boeing 747 plane worth $400 MILLION to use as “Air Force “one” until right before his term is up when it will be transferred to Trump’s “presidential library foundation.” Talk about something obliterating the emoluments clause. I have to wonder if there are any members of the republican party in Congress who will give a “peep?” The Qatari’s, for example, are reported to be affiliated with HAMAS – you know, those who attacked Israel on October 7th, 2023. Do you wonder what Trump will be giving to the Qatari’s? If you remember, during Trump 1.0 it was the Qatari’s who bailed out the aforementioned Jared Kushner and his family on their disastrous investment in 666 5th Avenue in New York. (In case you don’t do the Bible, 666 is the number of the devil) Apparently, that wasn’t enough for Trump in regard to what he’s planning to “give” to the Qatari’s. OMG!!!!

Final Thought: Above all of this is what Trump is doing to what was the “best economy in the world” the day Trump 2.0 began. Will Trump be “played” by only the Chinese? Or, are they simply setting the “stage” for other leaders around the world who are planning to push back on Trump’s tariff bluffs. And, do you really believe the on again off again tariffs will be the way to get companies to build factories in the U.S.? (Factories, by the way, which will be largely “manned” by robots) I’ve said it before – in my lifetime (77 years) – when the stock market is making wild swings up and down there is a serious downturn in the offing. Will it happen this time? We’ll see. Stay tuned……

Don’t get me wrong here – I’m absolutely no expert on the stock market, and I’m no economist. That said, I’m feeling pretty confident my prediction made before Trump took (LIED about) the oath of office (while refusing to put his hand on the Bible) that it would only take Trump around six months to destroy the “best economy in the world” – which is how the economy Trump inherited from President Biden was described by, well, virtually everyone who’s a “real” economist. We are now around 100 days into Trump’s second reign on America and he’s well on his way to destroying the economy well before the six months are up.

Of course, I wasn’t sure how he’d do it – because, as I just said I’m not an economic expert, I’m just an interested observer. Plus, there’s one other thing I’ve got going for myself in all things Trump – I read a good section of Project 2025 well before the election and, while I don’t remember the list of “authors” of that “roadmap to fascism” what I read convinced me the U.S. economy would be one of the first casualties to Trump’s assault on our democratic republic. A couple people I know of who were part of that “manifesto” are Stephen Miller and Russel Vought.

I believe it’s Miller who is pushing the illegal rounding up of immigrants on the streets and hustling them out of the nation without ANY “due process” – the foundation of our constitution. And, it’s Vought who’s the head of the Office of Management and Budget and he’s been the push behind all the illegal cutting of funds duly authorized by Congress because, well, because they believe that to be a critical strategy for undermining our government. The number of legal challenges is dizzying, which is their point. And, as I (among many) predicted the Musk/Trump administration would refuse to abide by court decisions they don’t like – they are in the process of making me/us out as prophets. They’ve been telling multiple judges to “pound sand.”

Of course, Trump initiated his bungling tariffs a few weeks ago and, even if the tariffs on China come down, the reality is the other tariffs will be enough to torpedo the economy even more than we’ve witnessed in the past couple of weeks. That doesn’t even take into account all the people who’ve been summarily FIRED by (f)Elon Musk – along with attempting to “torpedo” agencies of the government the Project 2025 “crew” don’t like. And, if they can pull it off in the republican economic plan Medicaid, Food Stamps, Meels on Wheels, Head Start, and the Child Tax Credit will be just some of the casualties of their budget proposal – in order to fund a $5.3 TRILLION tax cut – mostly aimed at people like, well, Trump and Musk.

Somehow, Trump and his lead sycophant, Mike Johnson, think they’ll be able to get all the deficit hawks in their party to go along with the need to increase the Debt Ceiling by about $6 or $7 TRILLION to allow for Trump’s newest plan to increase his standing as the president who created the MOST debt (over four years) in American History. Of course, he already holds the record, but, as the saying goes, records are made to be broken. Personally, I’ve been in favor of the government attempting to reduce the national debt for years – it’s just been near impossible after the “trickle down” (trickle up) philosophy enacted by Ronald Reagan – and EVERY republican administration since. (with the possible exception of HW Bush)

If/when the republicans succeed in their dismantling what they call “entitlements” – which, by the way, target Social Security and Medicare as well as the aforementioned items on their list of unnecessary “gifts” to MILLIONS of either old or poor Americans, the “hit” to the economy will be something akin to 1929 – which seems to be their goal. And, as I’ve pointed out here, I don’t think they’re worried about the 2026 mid-term elections because I believe they have “plans” for that as well. I believe the republicans, and I’m focusing on the Project 2025 republicans, view the “elections” in Russia to be the “crown jewel.” Can they pull this off? It’s hard for me to imagine – but, then again, what is happening has been beyond my ability to imagine.

For example, I could NEVER have imagined almost 50% of the Americans who vote would actually believe a 34 times FELON, who attempted a coup on this very nation only four years ago could possibly have wanted MORE from him. And, as I’ve said, Project 2025 was published WELL before the 2024 election, was easy to get, and was, well, hard to read – because hardly anyone took the time to read it. Project 2025 was mentioned over and over by the democrats during the campaign, but in a way that assumed people were reading it. There was never, as far as I could tell, a concerted effort to explain to the American public what was in it.

You didn’t have to read very far into the document – the introduction was long and detailed – to understand that federal employees were going to be summarily FIRED in order to create jobs for those who would pledge their loyalty to Trump above the constitution. The power of the courts were to be challenged and, with the reality “we the people” also left republicans in control of the House – despite the previous two years being the least productive and the most bungling House maybe EVER – the assault on the so-called “entitlements” would be not only possible but number one on the priority list. And, of course, tax cuts – that would be the real priority – tax cuts aimed at those who don’t need them. the insatiable BILLIONAIRES.

Trump is the perfect “puppet” for those who wrote Project 2025 because of his incredible ability to LIE. He has no problem looking someone in the face, someone he knows understands the “truth” of the subject at “hand,” and throw out a “whopper.” Just the other day in an interview, where Trump was using a photoshopped image of Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s “knuckles” bearing the image of “MS 13” to justify the governments illegal act of rounding him up and sending him to the El Salvador gulag, and the interviewer pointing out the image had been “doctored” – Trump responded by suggesting he granted the interview because he didn’t know the person interviewing and that – because the interviewer pointed out the truth – Trump said he was “not nice.”

So, to the puppet masters, Trump is a perfect stooge. He can’t handle anyone saying “no” to his pathological LYING and his focus is on his “revenge tour” of America – based on the FACT he’s a FELON and would have “likely” been a FELON on more occasions – according to the words of Jack Smith and a bunch of lawyers who analyzed the “public” data in the cases that were underway as of election day 2024 – while Russel Vought, Stephen Miller, and co-president Musk (with his Sieg Hiels) are busy dismantling the “administrative state” (in the words of Steve Bannon) and attempting to drive undocumented immigrants out of the country with Nazi like fear tactics.

And, while they keep BUNGLING what they’re doing, you’ll NEVER hear anyone in the Musk/Trump administration admit to an error. (OK, I guess Musk did so on at least one occasion – the time when Musk’s four year old son was picking his nose and wiping the results on the resolute desk right in front of Trump) Yes, a fifteen year member of DOJ, a Prosecutor who had the temerity to admit Abrego Garcia was sent to El Salvador by mistake – he did this IN COURT – but, the message was soon sent – DON’T DO THAT! The guilty party – the well respected prosecutor – was summarily FIRED! Message sent! (And, since then members of the Musk/Trump administration have been arguing it was no mistake – of course they have!)

On top of all of that we still have a national security issue with Pete Hegseth at the helm – another unqualified member of Trump’s cabinet – bungling almost daily in ways that would have had anyone in another administration FIRED long ago – of course, in any other administration being a Fox “news” host is not the main qualification of someone to head the Pentagon. Then there’s Tulsi Gabbard, considered by many to be a Russian “useful idiot,” heading the Department of National Intelligence (DNI), and Robert Kennedy Jr., considered by MANY health experts to be a “quack,” heading the nation’s health department (HHS). Not to mention (f)Elon Musk and, what I call, his DOGEshits sifting through the personal data of potentially EVERY American citizen – in Social Security data, IRS data, HHS data (Health and Human Services), and the Department of Education data to name a few places where Musk/Trump et al are violating our Privacy rights.

Musk/Trump are turning our traditional allies against America while they seem to be cozying up to Putin and Russia. This was no secret during the election so it’s on us, “we the people,” for whatever the results will be. For example, Ukraine is in a very vulnerable spot with Trump cutting off the military and humanitarian assistance it was receiving under President Biden’s administration. To me, this is a disastrous way for Trump to cause “we the people” to better appreciate Joe Biden. While Biden was a poor campaigner he was the MOST adept at running the federal government – i.e. “governing.” I’m not sure how long it will take for “we the people” to realize how good we had it under the Biden administration – but Musk/Trump are pushing the timeline UP.

The economic data for the first 3 months of the Musk/Trump administration is not good. GDP went from a growth rate of 2.4% in Biden’s last quarter to a MINUS .3% in the first quarter of Musk/Trump. One more NEGATIVE report on GDP will signal the U.S. has gone from the “best economy in the World” under Biden to being in a recession in record time under Trump. (Just as I had predicted back in December) While the focus is understandably on Trump’s idiotic “tariff war” – I believe once republicans have succeeded in undermining Medicaid – and, possibly Social Security and Medicare – we will be in the “you ain’t seen nothin yet” territory. Musk/Trump will have succeeded in turning America back to 1929. And, Trump will have a two places in American history. One right next to Benedict Arnold (i.e. TRAITOR) and the other right next to Herbert Hoover. Who could ask for more? Stay tuned….

Final Thought(s) : A couple more “things.” First, I read an article today about the grifting of members of Trump’s cabinet – most specifically Tulsi Gabbard. And, I would agree it’s very concerning she has a substack where people are encouraged to “invest” at least $1000 to get “founding member” status. Apparently, no restrictions on, for example, what country the “investor” comes from. Additionally, she has an “X” (Twitter) account were people are encouraged to pay $5 per month for “bonus content.” Yikes!! But, the article was talking about how members of Trump’s administration are profiting off of their government gigs.

Here’s what the article DIDN’T mention. The “grifter in chief” (I’m assuming you know who I’m talking about) has several grifts going which makes all others pale in comparison. Take, for example, the “meme coin.” Actually, two of them because there’s one for Melania as well (likely aimed at keeping her happy – along with the Bezos “documentary” for $40 MILLION – it’s been reported Trump has cashed in on OVER $100 MILLION just in transaction fees from this scam (he’s famous for scams, isn’t he?) and, now he’s offering “dinner” to the top 220 “investors” on his meme coin website (along with a tour of the ……. wait, they erased “White House” from the ad) One, “investor” who had some issues with the authorities on his own crypto scam doled out a cool $75 MILLION to be on that top 220 list, based on accounts I’ve read. Do you think he might get a pardon? Great example of American exceptionalism corruption!!

Here’s my other “peeve.” When I choose to watch TV or read online “news” articles I keep seeing Trump being accused of “authoritarianism.” To me, that’s the classical political euphemism. What Trump, and his Project 2025 puppet masters are attempting is a FASCIST takeover of America’s government. Democrats and “progressives” keep talking about taking back power after the “mid-terms” in 2026 – as if they’re sure there will be “mid-terms” in 2026. And, I’ve said repeatedly here, my biggest concern is that our “mid-terms” will be something Vladimir Putin could be proud of. As usual, I hope I’m wrong, but, as usual, I worry democrats are ten moves behind – and, I have to wonder how many of THEM actually took the time to read Project 2025.

If you believed Trump when, during the campaign, he had no idea what Project 2025 is – he often referred to it as “25” – for good measure – then you’re susceptible to all the other LIES he so majestically foists on the American public. That would mean you weren’t paying attention to the 30,000 PLUS provable LIES he spun in Trump 1.0. Maybe you believe he’s been reformed. You might even believe these 200 PLUS executive orders were actually written by him – that he’s got such a grip on America’s “democracy” that he could imagine all these brazen attempts to undermine our constitution. Well all I can say to that is if you actually believe it, I’ve got a bridge……….. (You know the rest) OMG ….

I have to add: As I watch the day to day activity of Wall Street, I’ve come to the conclusion the Wall Street traders really WANT to believe Trump will eventually (before it’s too late) remove the tariffs. The economy just SHRANK by -.3% and they’re trying to put a positive spin on it. The P/E (Price to Earnings) of Tesla, for example, is 3 to 4 times higher than the other key stocks (like Apple, Microsoft, Meta, etc.) and the companies sales and profits are plummeting – yet, Wall Street traders keep pushing it up. I’m saying this because it feels to me as if a HUGE crash is in the offing. But, as I stated above, (in other words) “what do I know?”

Costco has plenty of eggs! 🙂

For the past few weeks the focus of the so-called “liberal media” has been on the roller coaster ride of the stock market. While it appears to me Trump is sending “hints” to investors who are raking in massive profits on the upward parts of the ride. That said, I believe the DAMAGE has already been done in regard to Trump’s destroying America’s standing in the “free” world. I actually believe if Trump changed his tune today America’s former allies are already at the point where they CANNOT trust America, period, full stop. After all, Trump was elected by the American people. So, it’s “we the people” who are responsible for all this DAMAGE.

OK, how much DAMAGE is there? OMG, where to start. For me, it started almost immediately after the inauguration (where, if you remember, Musk threw a couple Sieg Hiels in the inauguration ceremony). Shortly thereafter, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) was, in essence, destroyed by the Musk/Trump administration. By some estimates, OVER 3 MILLION people in some of the poorest places around the globe will be DEAD by the end of this year, because of us. The reach of USAID went much further than that, including support for Ukraine keeping “the lights on” in regard to Vladimir Putin’s outrageous assault on their nation.

Oh yes, USAID was, in some way, investigating (f)Elon Musk in one or more of his businesses. I believe it was Starlink and its terminals in Ukraine. I have no idea of the details and, obviously, I’m too lazy to do a little research to find out. However, this is just one of the alleged instances of a conflict of interest regarding Musk and his Dogeshits. There were, allegedly, something like 17 government investigations into Musk’s business empire which, apparently, fell into the category of “waste, fraud, and abuse” – so they’re now gone. Poof! As Musk goes back to being a CEO he’ll have much less to keep him up at night – more time for his 14 children.

Possibly GREATER DAMAGE lies on the horizon – it’s just that, to me, the ruthless willingness of Musk/Trump to say things like “no one’s dying” because of eliminating USAID is preposterous and puts them into the pure EVIL category – but, domestically the major DAMAGE is likely to be the destruction of a functioning Department of Justice (DOJ). “We the people” are inching closer and closer to the reality (which I predicted months ago – I read “Project 2025) of an administration which refuses to abide by actual court decisions. They’ve ILLEGALLY taken approximately 300 PEOPLE off the streets, declared they are gang members, and sent them to a gulag in El Salvafor – where the U.S. is paying El Salvador to keep them (In incredible TORTURE like situations), Of course, with NO “due process.” You know, that annoying promise of our constitution!

Just yesterday I heard Trump say something like, “If we had to give all of these people ‘due process’ it could take years.” This is coming out of the mouth of the man who blocked the “right wing” immigration bill during the final year of the Biden administration. That legislation was designed to get more agents at the border and provide MORE immigration judges to speed up the process of determining which people who migrated to the U.S. were eligible to remain and work here. From my perspective the United States, which is a “nation of immigrants,” should be welcoming to those who come here and are eligible to stay based on our system of laws. (I believe they should get a “green card” – but, obviously, I’m not sure)

However, speaking of “due process.” Where would Trump be today without it. For heaven’s sake – he allegedly committed OVER 85 FELONIES the last time around. He was found GUILTY by a jury of 12 people, including a MAGA supporter, of 34 FELONIES for actual “election interference” when he hid the payments to a couple women he had illicit affairs (adultery, for all you MAGA “Christians”) with to keep “we the people” in the dark after the Access Hollywood tape was made public. Additionally, Trump was alleged to have violated the Espionage Act and, in essence, attempting a coup on January 6th, 2021. By MOST accounts he would have been convicted had those cases gone to trial. Trump used his “due process” rights to “delay, delay” until, somehow, “we the people” gave him a “get out of jail free” card. Why would anyone outside the U.S. trust us?

Additionally, the Congress is controlled by republicans and MOST of them are living in fear of a nasty Trump “tweet” to the point where they vote for stuff they know is ridiculous in order to show their “loyalty.” (Or should I say “fealty?”) Republicans in Congress, for years, have been the reason legislation which would be favorable to “we the people” never seems to get passed (with the exception of Biden’s first two years). This all started with Newt Gingrich back in the 90’s and was put on steroids by the “filibusters” (which really don’t seem like real filibusters to me) of Mitch McConnell. Sadly, the democrats are such wimps at messaging, the American public has no idea how we got to this place. We’ve been inching toward fascism since the days of Ronald Reagan and the republican tax cuts for the wealthy. (The newest version is on the horizon.)

The point is, when the executive branch of government isn’t being “checked” by the legislative branch AND the judicial branch – we have devolved into a fascist state. I keep hearing pundits (when I choose to watch TV “news”) using the term “authoritarianism” as to where Trump is leading us. For some reason they’re afraid to use the term “fascism” – but, that’s exactly where we’re headed. I’ve pointed out numerous times here when you have a government/corporate partnership, that’s the definition of a fascist state. Just look at the $239 MILLION Trump raised for his inauguration (where Musk flashed the Sieg Hiels with NO pushback from republicans) – OVER one hundred corporations donated AT LEAST a million dollars for what? For some parties? Of course not, it was to publicly demonstrate fealty to Trump. Full stop! (Many were companies that claimed they would no longer support anyone involved in the INSURRECTION back in January of 2021) The world is watching!

But, I’ve only mentioned the “tip of the iceberg.” What do you think is the reaction around the globe of Trump potentially crashing the world’s economy over his lifetime fantasy with tariffs. Up until a day or two ago I’ve NEVER heard Trump indicate he had even the basic understanding of who pays for a tariff. Do you think that might add to the anger people around the globe who’ve been traditional allies of America as Trump risks the world economy out of stupidity? Again, “we the people” caused this to happen so it’s no surprise people in Europe are turned off to America for this reason. The Chinese people are making fun of Trump and Vance – and, the Chinese government is going to make Trump “grovel” in order to even begin a negotiation. And, Europe – they are planning to “go it alone” out of self defense.

But, as always with republicans, there’s more. This one digs at my heart similar to the USAID disaster. I know people from Ukraine. I know one woman who is a classroom assistant in the school district where I worked whose grandfather (and, therefore, her mother) refuse to leave Ukraine despite the ILLEGAL assault on their nation from Vladimir Putin – the world’s number one WAR CRIMINAL. Just the thought of the United States abandoning Ukraine as it FIGHTS to save it’s fledgling democracy (and prevent Putin’s fever dream of remaking the Soviet Union) makes me sick to my stomach. One of the charities I support is focused on help for the many orphans being created by Russia’s ILLEGAL assault. But, it’s Europe where the danger of Trump’s ignorance lies. How do you think they’re viewing Trump’s TRAITOROUS pivot toward Russia?

Trump, to me is simply verifying he’s a TRAITOR. After all, as I said above, he led an attempted coup (against the American government) back in 2021. Since he took office in January 2025 Trump has given repeated signals he’s taking the side of Russia. He keeps touting how he’s going to bring the war to an end by ripping Ukraine off of its “rare earths” while failing to even suggest that Russia would simply need to withdraw its troops in order to end the war on that day. Trump is suggesting that Russia would be “sacrificing” by keeping “only” the territory it now controls – 20% of Ukraine. (And, Oh by the way, do you trust Putin regardless?) Trump is further turning the Europeans against “we the people” – and, understandably so – while he’s being made to look like a fool by both Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping.

In my mind the DAMAGE Trump is causing approaches an irreparable condition already. How could ANY of our traditional allies trust America at this point? (And, it’s going to get MUCH worse before it gets better) Obviously, both Putin and Xi know they can “play” Trump “like a fiddle.” So, where will he turn? North Korea? The Middle East? Certainly not Africa. Oh, I forgot – Trump is in really good standing with El Salvador – at least at the time I’m writing this. Keep in mind, there’s well over 3 1/2 years left of this fiasco – short of republicans coming to their senses – or, the American people revolting by voting in enough democrats in 2026 for the FINAL impeachment – although, if that were the case it would require impeaching BOTH Trump and Vance.

I’m not one who believes we will still have “free and fair elections” in 2026. (I truly hope I’m wrong) Remember, Trump idolizes Putin and republicans idolize Orban of Hungary. You can see it in Trump’s executive order aimed at making ALL elections federal – and, giving the election data from each state to his co-president (the Sieg Hiels flashing) Musk. In other words he wants to “Make America like Russia.” Myself, along with MANY others – to the plugged ears of MOST Americans – warned about Project 2025. I mean, Trump’s “puppet masters” put it all out on the internet in WRITING. People simply needed to read at least some of it.

One of these days take a good look at the White House “ceremony” of the Executive Orders Trump is signing virtually every day. The person who brings the document to him to sign EXPLAINS what is in the document – virtually directing Trump as to what he’s expected to sign. I, personally, don’t believe Trump has any idea what to expect when these orders arrive at the “resolute desk” – he simply dutifully signs them. My guess is, after today’s signing ceremony, he, along with his Secret Service detail, were off to one of his golf courses. He’s AVERAGING at least two rounds of golf each week. (As someone who loves golf, I can attest that takes up MOST of those two days – plus costs the taxpayers MILLIONS for the plane trip and putting up the Secret Service – usually in one of his own properties. A great strategic grift.

Speaking of grifting – here’s another example of the DAMAGE Trump is doing to the United States (and, of course, our constitution) which falls into the category of “unbelievable grifting.” Trump came up with a “meme coin” – which I must admit I have no idea what that is – at the beginning of his presidency (I believe it was started right after the election) where people “invest” in these “coins” and Trump’s family gets the money (?) – honestly, seems like a huge ponzi scheme to me, but what do I know? – but, at the bare minimum, Trump gains MILLIONS from the trading fees. Now he’s offering a dinner invite (and trip through the “White House” – the original offer of that “perc” was revised to leave us all to our imaginations because of the OBVIOUS illegality) to the “Top 220 “investors” in his $Trump coin – whatever that is. You can’t thumb your nose at the emoluments clause in the Constitution any more than that.

Final Thought: Trump and his Project 2025 puppet masters will continue their assault on our Constitution believing they can outlast all of us protesters. It’s just one scandalous executive order a day (or, many times more than one) and they’ve turned their rabid policies toward intimidating (and now arresting) judges who they see as standing in their way – a source of intimidation Putin would be proud of. They’re also setting their sights on the media (with several parts of the corporate “mainstream” media already “bending the knee”), corporate law firms (many have already proven themselves to value money more than our democratic republic), and the major universities around the country. Here! Here! – to Harvard for fighting back!

As I said above, there’s more than 3 1/2 years of this on the horizon. “We the people” MUST remain resolute for the long haul. And, Trump’s disregard for our constitution MUST be documented for such time as he’s no longer the president. In addition, the actions of his sycophants in the “Justice Department” need to be memorialized for such time as when “we the people” are able to reclaim our “democracy.” No matter what the Supreme Court has decided in the past 15 years – Citizen’s United up through the infamous “absolute immunity” decision – we MUST realize it’s incumbent upon the American people to stand firm in the face of this assault on the Constitution. Here’s what BULLIES understand – stand firm and “punch back.” Retribution can be a two way street.

Repairing the relationships with our traditional allies, however long that might take, will have to wait until the appropriate time. Maybe the mass protests will send the right message to them, but we can’t forget “we the people” (apparently – read Greg Palast) voted for this – for a second time! And, after Trump was convicted of 34 FELONIES for “election interference.” Not to mention massive FRAUD and sexual assault. (remember that every time you hear Trump accuse someone else of what he’s been proven GUILTY) My prayers are that in the meantime (based on Trump’s turncoat “switch” to Putin) the Europeans will find a way to support Ukraine as they fight for their democracy. Ukraine should offer their “rare earths” to the EU. Stay tuned…..

The Department of Government Efficiency Is a Lie — And It Might Destroy Us All

Musk. Trump. Putin. Labor spies. Stolen data. This isn’t a thriller. It’s what’s happening inside your government — right now…

Thom Hartmann

Apr 16, 2025

America is under siege, but not by foreign armies or rogue terrorists. Instead, the threat is coming from inside the house: unelected billionaires who are quietly hijacking our democratic institutions from within.

Although it’s entirely possible that they are collaborating with foreign autocrats, including Vladimir Putin, who are also billionaires and thus share their unique authoritarian worldview.

And thanks to the bravery of a whistleblower named Daniel Berulis, we now have a window into what may well be one of the most brazen and dangerous power grabs in American history.

This isn’t cheap or even ordinary corruption: this is the sort of thing that happens in Third World countries, like when Ferdinand Marcos in the Philippines used cronies and spies to infiltrate government agencies and neutralize political opponents, or when Vladimir Putin installed former KGB allies into key Russian institutions to crush whistleblowers and rig judicial outcomes, or when Guatemala’s President Jimmy Morales dismantled anti-corruption agencies and handed sensitive state information to business elites.

It’s the sort of corruption that destroys democracies from the inside out.

Berulis risked his career, his safety, even his life to reveal what’s happening inside Elon Musk’s so-called “Department of Government Efficiency,” or DOGE — a name that sounds innocuous enough, until you understand what they’re actually doing.

DOGE, according to Berulis’ bombshell disclosure, managed to breach the National Labor Relations Board’s computer systems and extract what he described as “the equivalent to a section of the New York Public Library” in sensitive data. This isn’t just bureaucratic overreach — it’s a digital smash-and-grab, right out of the authoritarian playbook.

And make no mistake: this is not some crackpot theory. Shortly after DOGE operatives created accounts inside the NLRB system, a login attempt came from a Russian IP address using one of those accounts — with the correct credentials. Within minutes of the breach, the data may have already been in the hands of the Putin government.

That’s the same Vladimir Putin who press reports say has been in regular telephone contact with both Donald Trump and Elon Musk for the past two years.

What’s being looted here isn’t just random bureaucratic files. We’re talking about the private information of whistleblowers, union organizers, witnesses in federal cases, proprietary corporate data, and labor rights enforcement strategies. Including complaints and complainants against Elon Musk’s companies.

In other words, the raw materials for dismantling organized labor in America — and for targeting, harassing, or discrediting anyone trying to stand up to corporate power, including Elon Musk’s multiple efforts to stop or break unionization attempts in his own companies.

This isn’t a conspiracy theory. It’s the naked truth, verified by a growing number of insiders and corroborated by NPR, which reports that at least eleven government officials and staffers have confirmed their fears about DOGE’s data exfiltration campaign.

Here’s the conflict of interest that should make every American’s hair stand on end: Elon Musk’s companies — Tesla, SpaceX, and X — were themselves under investigation by the NLRB for alleged labor violations. At least until Musk’s underlings fired the people investigating him and his companies.

Musk now has his own handpicked operatives inside the very agency tasked with holding him accountable. It’s like giving the bank robber a master key to the bank and letting him wander the halls at night. It’s a grotesque perversion of the rule of law, a corruption of the most fundamental principle of American justice that no one is above the law.

And if the information DOGE extracted gets used in court — or even leaked selectively — it could permanently tilt the scales of justice in favor of Musk and his corporate cronies. Labor law experts are already sounding the alarm, warning that even the possibility of access will have a chilling effect on union organizing and whistleblowing.

Just imagine you’re a worker trying to form a union. Would you still speak out, knowing your employer might now know your name, your address, your testimony, and your strategy — thanks to a government program run by that very employer’s billionaire CEO?

But it gets worse. Much worse. According to longtime employees within the Department of Labor and other agencies, the DOGE teams aren’t seasoned experts or trained cybersecurity professionals. They’re “new arrivals,” many of them with no vetting, no security clearance, and no relevant experience. Some have even worked with criminal hackers, and another reportedly runs a website based in Russia.

Yet they were granted sweeping access to some of the most sensitive data systems in the federal government. It’s a digital coup executed not by hackers, but by political loyalists and tech-bro mercenaries handed the keys to the kingdom by billionaire benefactors.

When Berulis tried to do the right thing — when he and his colleagues reached out to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to report the breach — they were stonewalled. Their alert was “disrupted by higher-ups without explanation.” And Berulis himself received a specific threat reminiscent of KGB strategies.

Internal cybersecurity teams were told by the Trump administration to stand down. One furious staffer at the Interior Department confessed that “every single alarm system we have regarding insider threats is going off,” but they were ordered to ignore them. That’s not just a red flag; it’s the flashing neon sign of a government being gutted from within. Or being turned over to Russian intelligence.

And don’t let the bureaucratic language of “data breaches” and “access credentials” lull you into thinking this is harmless IT stuff. These are national security breaches.

If this is what it appears to be, the Rosenbergs went to the electric chair for far less.

This is a modern Watergate, but instead of burglars breaking into a filing cabinet, they’re downloading 10 gigabytes of information with a keystroke. Instead of physical threats, DOGE’s enforcers are using drones to photograph whistleblowers, and notes are being taped to front doors like something out of a dystopian thriller.

Yet that’s exactly what happened to Berulis: a threatening note, drone surveillance, and an unmistakable message — shut up or we’ll make your life hell.

This is how authoritarianism functions in the 21st century. It doesn’t need a dictator in a military uniform when it has billionaires in boardrooms, access to surveillance technology, and cronies embedded deep within the machinery of government. It replaces accountability with loyalty. It replaces oversight with secrecy.

And it replaces democracy with intimidation and control, just like in Hungary and Russia.

Even if Musk and DOGE never use the data they’ve extracted, the damage is already done. The fear is out there. As labor expert Kate Bronfenbrenner put it, “Just saying that they have access to the data is intimidating.” And that’s the point.

This isn’t just about controlling government agencies and the courts; it’s about creating a culture of fear so pervasive that no one dares to challenge power. Workers won’t organize. Regulators won’t enforce. Whistleblowers won’t come forward. Democracy withers not with a bang, but with a whimper of silence and complicity.

And let’s not pretend this is all just theoretical. DOGE’s operations are still underway, expanding into other agencies, extracting more data, disabling more security protocols, silencing more voices.

Congress is beginning to stir — Rep. Gerald Connolly is calling for an investigation — but the clock is ticking. While bureaucrats write memos and hold hearings, the digital pillaging continues unchecked.

This is not some far-off threat. It’s happening here, now, and it’s being orchestrated by some of the richest men in the world who have zero accountability to the American people.

The same billionaires who already own our social media platforms, our space infrastructure, and our news cycles now want direct access to our government’s innermost workings. And they’re getting it.

The soul of American democracy is on the line. The question now is: will we let it be sold to the highest bidder, or will we stand up, speak out, and reclaim it?

Berulis showed us what courage looks like. Now it’s our turn.

Because if we don’t stop this now, it won’t just be our data they’re coming for — it’ll be our freedom.

The Hartmann Report is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my daily work to stop the fascists trying to destroy our form of government, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

I want to say last year in July the SCOTUS made the most egregious decision, by my calculation, in the history of the Courts in America – but, actually, upon further reflection the decision was clear much much earlier. Donald Trump was facing FOUR serious FELONY allegations related to his foiled attempted coup of January 6th, 2021 and he was claiming he had “absolute immunity” from prosecution. The district court Judge in Washington DC clearly pointed out that “no one is above the law” and “shot down” his absurd argument. Of course, in his act of “delay delay” he appealed to the Court of Appeals in D.C. and they ruled America does not have kings.

The ruling of the three judge panel of the D.C. Appeals Court was widely, by constitutional experts, considered rock solid – air tight. Most of these scholars suggested the SCOTUS would (SHOULD) simply decline Certiorari – which simply means the Court SHOULD decline the case letting the Appeals Court judgment stand. After all, Jack Smith had attempted to by pass the Appeals Court just a few months earlier and take the appeal on an emergency basis to the SCOTUS. So, why would the Court take the case now, many people asked themselves? The answer I gave (and, I thought I was correct at the time) was they wanted to help Trump STALL in order to make it impossible for his trial on the attempted coup charges to take place.

Well, I was partially correct. I did figure out (it didn’t take a brain scientist to do this) several of the Justices on the Court were avid Trump supporters – and, wanted to make sure there’d be no trial before the November election. By stalling the arguments and the Court’s decision up until the LAST day in both cases – they succeeded, big time! Here’s what I got completely wrong – because, to me, Trump’s argument was so STUPID even these Justices would see right through it.

By a six to three ruling – and, this might go down in history as the WORST Supreme Court ruling in history (and, that includes Citizen’s United, Dobbs, the gutting of the Voting Right’s Act, and many other BAD rulings by the court), THIS Court actually ruled in Trump’s favor – suggesting that as long as he can claim his action is an “official duty” he, for all intents and purposes is IMMUNE. To me, that should go down in the history of the United States as the “Presidents are Kings in the United States” ruling. I wasn’t the only one, at the time, suggesting the Court had just given up their own – equal branch of government – part of our system of “checks and balances” – to a rogue president.

Were they not able to see through their own corrupt eyes they were enabling a future president to, in essence, declare he or she was not subject to the will of the Court? I guess that’s rhetorical. Did they willingly give up their power or are they just so STUPID they didn’t understand the potential consequences of this decision? It’s clear they wanted Trump to be the “next conservative president” – in the words of Project 2025. And, now that they’ve created a MONSTER do they have the guts to attempt to rectify the problem – THEY created? Based on the rulings I’ve seen so far since Trump 2.0 the answer is a resounding NO.

Maybe Justice Barrett is recognizing the peril to the United States THEY’VE created. Just Maybe. Justice Roberts? Also, maybe he’s going to have dreams at night regarding the place he’s going to hold in American History (just in case we still record American History) and, who knows, maybe he’ll have a granddaughter or grandson some day ask him “what part did you play in the destruction of the American democratic republic? How did you deal with the TRAITOR (remember, Trump’s a FELON, he was accused of Espionage violations and attempting a coup – how else can he be described?) who turned America into a fascist state? That remains to be seen!

However, what doesn’t remain to be seen is whether or not the Trump 2.0 administration will follow the rulings of the courts. I mean, the Congress appears to be helpless in doing anything to stop the dismantling of the government agencies “we the people” have come to “take for granted” we can depend on. In fact, the Congress is part of the conspiracy – they’re right in the middle of the process of destroying Medicaid and SNAP (food stamps) while (f)Elon Musk’s Dogeshits are busy dismantling one agency after another – without even the hint of Congressional authority or oversight. It’s the most INCREDIBLE thing I’ve seen in my 77 years. I was not capable of imagining someone as dumb as Donald Trump could pull this off.

But, about a year ago, after I’d heard rumors regarding the publishing of “Project 2025” I decided to take those rumors seriously and I downloaded a copy of the “manifesto” to my desktop. I then started reading it. As I read, the hair on my back almost immediately stood on end. I made it through the intro and about 100 pages when I realized I needed to read no further. (The intro would likely have been enough) I concluded: “This is a roadmap to fascism.” The “BRAINS” behind the Trump 2.0 administration lie right in that Project 2025 manifesto. They are the ones – by inference – filling out all the “executive orders” (You know, what republicans always complained about if a democratic president signed one) and the chaos created in Trump 2.0 is a key part of their “strategy.”

I want to say they’re succeeding in places “we the people” aren’t paying attention to – although, when they decided to take on Social Security they may have “stuck their hand in a hornet’s nest.” Here’s the deal, though; The “final straw” based on the way our government is situated right now, to “finishing the job” of destroying our constitutional democratic republic is Trump telling the courts to, as I’ve put it in recent posts, “pound sand.” For the unsophisticated out there, that means giving the courts the “one finger salute.” Project 2025 complete.

It’s very heartwarming to watch as democrats – mainly Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (AOC) – hold town halls in so-called “red districts” – where the republican member of Congress representing that district is following orders from their leaders and NOT holding town halls. This past weekend Senator Sanders and AOC spoke to an audience of 20,000 (they could only cram 16,000 of them into the venue) this was in Salt Lake City UTAH! and they had an audience of an estimated 36, 000 in Los Angeles. Voters are eager to speak their frustrations and there is anger all across America and democrats are going into “red” districts to accommodate the angry voters there. This is obvious, but there’s a serious “catch.”

Since reading as much of Project 2025 as I could (stomach) and listening to as much of Trump as I could (stomach) I’ve come to a conclusion. All these democrats stirring up angst to be vented at the next “mid term” election might be “barking up the wrong tree.” I hope I’m wrong – but my math ability to understand two plus two has told me Trump and the Project 2025 thugs have a different view of how the 2026 elections will unfold. They remember 2018 and I don’t believe they have any intention of reliving that experience. At best, I believe they’re planning a Russia type “free” election for 2026. At worst, I believe they may be planning for no election at all.

I’m not sure if they can suppress enough votes to pull off option one, but that would be the obvious way they might attack our “free and fair elections.” Republicans are pushing the SAVE Act through Congress which would require people to PROVE their legal status in cases where their – in the case of a woman who takes her husband’s surname at marriage – name on their photo ID differs from their name on their birth certificate. I take that to mean you’d have to show your birth certificate to register to vote and possibly have to prove you’re “legal” after you’ve already voted. This would REALLY affect women, but if my mother hadn’t sent my birth certificate right before she died I’d have no idea where to find it. (Actually, I’m not sure what I did with it)

Maybe they can pull off totally corrupting our “election” process – a process which has been the envy of the world – until Trump came along. Numerous people have tried to prove our elections are full of fraud – only to FAIL every time! But, that’s not stopping Trump and his Project 2025 puppet masters. Here’s what I figure: If they can’t corrupt the elections via voter suppression (they’ve already got a “head start” in that regard – see Greg Palast) they will find an “emergency” requiring something like martial law to fulfill their “deplorable” plan. If you remember, Trump told a Christian group prior to the 2024 election this would be the last time they’d have to vote with an assurance something like “we’ve got it all figured out.” Hyperbole? Don’t count on it!

Final Thought: You might wonder why Trump has value to the 170 or so authors of Project 2025 – who I refer to as the “puppet masters.” Well, he’s got a lot of characteristics which make him extremely “valuable – usable” to them. I’ll list some off the top of my head, in no particular order: He’s a pathological LIAR – he’s so “expert” at LYING he believes his own LIES as the LIES roll off his tongue. He’s a lifelong RACIST – (see “very fine people” from Charlottesville) from the early days of refusing to rent to BLACKS in his father’s tenements to his one page adds in the “Times” arguing for the DEATH penalty for FIVE innocent New York “boys of color,” to his leading the “birther” movement against Barack Obama. He’ll do just about ANYTHING for money – and, he’s really raking it in this time around – do you think the Justice Department is going to enforce the “Emoluments Clause” of the Constitution? Trump has blown that part of the constitution “out of the water” long ago.

Is he going to be held accountable for turning (f)Elon Musk loose on the federal bureaucracy with his “chainsaw” – lopping off Congressionally authorized programs on a daily basis? Will the Musk/Trump administration be held accountable for destroying agencies like Social Security and Medicare when it happens? Will Musk be investigated and (hopefully) prosecuted for his allegedly ILLEGAL schemes at buying votes? Will anyone in Trump’s administration be held to account for things like texting national security secrets on social media aps – where they’re obviously using the aps to get around the Federal Records Act? And, will their be accountability for disappearing people from this country with NO due process? Will he be held accountable for extorting law firms and universities around the country he doesn’t like? I could go on and on – but the obvious answer to all of the above is NO! And, the MAIN reason circles right back to our C.S. SCOTUS who left Trump with the idea he really IS a “king.” My hope is he’s more like Humpty Dumpty! Stay tuned…..

Over the previous couple of years the car insurance I pay has virtually doubled. That likely makes car insurance the worst driver of inflation in this country. I’ve attempted to figure out why this is happening. The replies I get from the insurance people I’ve talked to indicate the supply chain issues created by the COVID pandemic are at the heart of the increases. However, I personally suspect the issue of Climate change is also a driving force behind these increases. Many of the insurance companies have elected to move out of states like Florida, California, and other places where the costs of replacing damaged property caused by hurricanes or wildfires is exorbitant.

So, now with the tariffs initiated by Trump on cars and car parts coming from Canada, Mexico, and China (the tariff on China is 125%) I’m bracing myself. This will give State Farm (my insurance company) another excuse to increase my monthly car insurance bill. My wife and I have been with State Farm for over 25 years, but I finally decided to check around to see if I could save some money. Well, Progressive gave me a quote which was significantly better than what we had EXCEPT they wouldn’t insure our home – saying it was in a “wildfire” zone.

Our home is NOT in a “wildfire zone.” In fact, in the last year as I was going through the incredibly stupid process of getting a building permit to add 8 feet to our existing detached garage I discovered our home is actually right on the edge of a wetlands. With a little further questioning I was told the likely reason we couldn’t get a “bundle” with Progressive is because we live in a rural setting. My final question was are they (State Farm, and virtually all the other companies) increasing our rates because we’re …..old? As I suspected, the answer was …. yes. So, I’m not getting any younger and Trump’s tariffs are going to give State Farm another reason to “sock it to me.” Giving me another reason to believe Trump SUCKS!

I’m waiting in anticipation of tomorrow’s reaction to today’s over reaction to Trump’s “pausing” some of the tariffs. The reality is there are STILL enough tariffs in place to cause major DAMAGE to America’s economy. How soon will Trump back away (cave) from his outrageous tariffs on China? My wife and I are both retired teachers and we have friends in China who we met during a student exchange program (over a period of years) where we kept the teachers in our home for three or four weeks at a time. My wife even went to China to spend time with them. We love them very much and it really bothers me that Trump is potentially creating a problem which will be difficult (if not impossible) to recover from.

I’m not naive about the differences between China’s government and our government – in fact, it feels to me as if Trump is attempting to make our government worse than theirs. The reality, though, to me, is the Chinese people are wonderful people – at least the ones we’ve met. Initiating a “trade war” with China, Canada, Mexico, and the EU, to me, is among the STUPIDEST actions I’ve seen from any politician in my lifetime. Of course, most of “we the people” are figuring out we have a STUPID president who has brought a bunch of STUPID lackeys into his administration.

When Vladimir Putin first helped Trump “win” the presidential election in 2016 I realized I was going to need to read a lot of books about Trump because I was going to be writing a lot of rants while he was in office. (Little did I understand the rants would continue for nearly 10 years.) Here’s what has stuck out to me from many of those books I read (I donated almost all of them to a local bookstore a couple years ago). First, Trump has gone through BANKRUPTCY six times – with three of them from bungling the management of casinos. Yep, I guess that’s why his “base” believes he’s a business genius – or is it because they watched him in “The Apprentice” thinking he MUST be a good businessman to do reality TV?

But, let’s just focus on his record as our so-called TWICE IMPEACHED two time popular vote LOSING 34 times convicted FELON president – Trump 1.0 and Trump 2.0. In his first administration Trump pulled off something no other president has managed to accomplish in history – the MOST net jobs LOST during his first administration in the history of the nation. Trump’s supporters (rightfully) blame the COVID pandemic, but the reality is his incompetence made the pandemic FAR worse than it should have been. To the tune of an estimated 200 – 300 THOUSAND lives. Plus Trump and Moscow Mitch called a democratic proposal which would have “crushed the virus” dead on arrival at the Senate. Apparently, that’s a “title” (the job loss “king”) he wants to surpass in his second administration. (The lost jobs – hopefully not the lost lives)

Musk/Trump and their DOGEshits are lopping off government jobs in record numbers, they’re going after Medicaid and Food Stamps in their budget proposal and, it appears, attempting to feed their fever dream of toppling Social Security and Medicare by attacking it from the inside out using Musk’s DOGE bros. They have no idea what they’re doing – but, they’re doing a good job of it. I predicted when Trump took office it would take him six months to destroy the economy – but, it’s looking like I was giving him too much credit. He’s not only taking a “wrecking ball” to the government’s bureaucracy, but in the past week or so, directly to Wall Street and the financial sector of our economy as well.

Now, I’m not one who judges how the economy is doing entirely based on the stock market and the other related markets – and, as I’ve said here before, I’m no economist – but, I do have the ability to observe and listen to those people who do understand how the markets work. Trump and his “beloved” tariffs have upended pretty much the entire system and, to me, the Trump characteristic which is likely to undermine America’s economy past the breaking point is his inability to admit a mistake. (not to mention his incompetence)

After about three days of accelerating sell offs in the stock market – followed by a sell off in the bond market (as I understand it, those two things aren’t supposed to go in the “same direction”) – Trump gave a “heads up” to his prime benefactors – who will likely remain anonymous because of our corrupt justice department – to “buy now” shortly before he rolled back (caved on) his so-called “reciprocal tariffs” leading to a spike upward in the stock exchanges. Of course, once investors realized most of the tariffs remain, the stock market tanked again the next day. Over the course of my life, when you see the large swings – both up and then down – in the market, it’s a bad sign. If we’re lucky it will just be a recession we’re facing – although worst case scenario could be a depression. (Trump is good at “worst case scenarios“)

Yes, I realize during economic downturns for those who still have a job it’s a recession, for those who lose their jobs it’s a depression. What is apparent is those in the Trump 2.0 administration have NO idea what they’re doing. It’s possible they don’t understand what the effect will be once they’ve torpedoed Medicaid, Social Security, and Medicare. We’re talking about HALF the nation’s people being very unhappy with Trump et al, but, worse yet, the SHOCK to the economy will be unimaginable. I really don’t think the Musk/Trump administration is thinking this through very well. (Full disclosure, I have a vested interest in each of the programs continuing – and, being strengthened)

So, here’s where I think we’re headed – and, of course, I hope I’m wrong. The logical conclusion of “we the people’s” brilliance in, along with Putin (of course), electing Trump 2.0 will be Trump BANKRUPTCY #7. Only this time the victim of his bankruptcy will be us. Or should I say the U.S. (Plus, the world) And, despite how STUPID this will be, the bottom line is the STUPID ones are “we the people.” We allowed a FELON who attempted a coup just four years earlier with a history of bankruptcies back into the “White House.” The first four years of incompetence wasn’t enough! We wanted an even worse case of his incompetence. Go figure.

Here’s what I’ve learned in the past week – stuff, which apparently is going right over Musk/Trump’s head. Bonds are the supposed “safe haven” where people put their money during times of recession or economic uncertainty. Like when the stock market is experiencing daily MAJOR fluctuations – with the general direction DOWN. So, when investors are selling BOTH stocks and bonds, at the SAME TIME, that could be signaling something really BAD. Apparently, the bonds which are considered the “safe haven” because they are protected by the “full faith and credit of the American government” are supposed to go up when the market is going down. It sounds to me as if there are investors feeling as if that “full faith and credit” is a bit dodgy with these republicans in charge.

Here’s another aspect of this. Trump is pushing things to the limit with China and China, from what I can figure out, has less motivation to “work things out” (ie “negotiate“) with the Trump administration than vice versa. In fact, MANY of those bonds are held by the Chinese government and, should they want to really “stick it to Trump” they could begin selling them. Not sure what that would do to the world economy, but it appears it would be “life changing” for the American economy – and, I don’t mean that in a good way. I’m just inferring what I can, but it doesn’t sound at all good to me. Maybe Trump is causing the world to “get along without” us now.

Combine that with at least half the country in economic peril once they accomplish their goal of destroying our social safety net and, I think you can see where this might go. Trump was protected from his SIX previous bankruptcies by an ability to use the courts to his advantage (surprise surprise) – he shielded himself from personal economic harm via the laws of incorporation – (Plus his daddy was funneling him HUNDREDS millions of dollars) – just like the corporate raiders like Mitt Romney over the years who’ve pilfered the assets from corporations they took over and then declared them to be bankrupt. I don’t think you can do that with a country – although I could be wrong. One thing’s for sure – it won’t be Trump bearing the brunt of his destroying America’s economy – it’s almost as if that’s the plan. Maybe he’ll fuel up his plane and fly to Russia once the job’s been completed. Who knows? Again, I hope I’m wrong.

Final Thought: Trump has succeeded in corrupting virtually EVERY department in our government with the most significant one being the Justice Department. I mean, who is Pam Bondi and the other Trump sycophants there going to investigate? They’re busy defending the yarding out of people around the country without “due process” – the founding “principle” of our nation’s government. This is the exact scenario our Founders attempted to prevent with our system of “checks and balances.” It’s been apparent for some time the Congress, now controlled by republicans, has completely ceded it’s role as an “equal branch of government” refusing to check Trump’s whims. But….

Sadly, the SCOTUS last year, in essence, created the problem we’re now facing when it not only knee capped its own role as a check on the government but left Trump with the impression (and, maybe correctly) that he can do “whatever the hell he wants.” The Trump Justice Department is, in essence, telling district court judges to “pound sand” as they are OBVIOUSLY ignoring court rulings. And, as I watch the SCOTUS, it appears to me they are uneasy on making clear rulings against the Trump administration because they’re worried Trump will tell them to go pound sand as well. And, then Project 2025 will be complete. Honestly, I keep thinking things couldn’t be worse – but, sadly I feel the “worst is yet to come.”

One more thing: There’s been a photo op which has really bothered me lately – almost as much as when Trump stood in front of a church outside the confines of the “White House” in Trump 1.0 and had his picture taken holding a bible upside down. Recently, Kristi Noem, one of the most incompetent of Trump’s appointees – the head of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) – took the time to “one up” Trump with her picture in front of one of the cells in the El Salvadore prison (torture chamber?) where Trump’s “team” rushed out 260 or so “gang members” from Venezuela who were seeking asylum in America – many who WEREN’T gang members at all, while ignoring an order blocking the transfer by a judge in D.C. This is apparently where Trump thinks he can send ANYONE he doesn’t like while ignoring their “due process.”

I haven’t been able to get that photo out of my mind because it shows how many PEOPLE are held in each cell block – it’s “deplorable.” And, we KNOW there’s at least SEVEN people, and probably a lot more, who SHOULDN’T have been part of that “shipment” of PEOPLE to this “deplorable” prison. As Adam Serwer says in the book I’m reading, “The cruelty is the point.” One judge has ORDERED them (Trump et al) to bring a father from Maryland back and, so far, they are responding with “pound sand.” (They even have admitted in court this man was sent in “error”) By rights ALL 260+ PEOPLE sent to that prison should be sent back in order for them to be able to defend themselves in court. Musk/Trump/Vance et al don’t appear to believe in “due process.” Like the rest of the constitution, it’s an annoyance to them. To me, sending people to this prison is unquestionably “cruel and unusual punishment.” (Even for alleged “gang members.”)

Here’s the disgusting photon: And, from my vantage point in any other time in our nation’s post WW II history Ms. Noem would NEVER have been appointed to this office, or if she had, she’d be asked to resign. This photo op is – you guessed it, “deplorable!” Stay tuned!!!

To me, it’s not difficult to understand what Trump, and his puppet masters, are doing with all the SUDDEN actions which kind of unearth the minds of leaders around the world PLUS “we the people” trying to keep up. I believe this is what I’ll call the “shiny object” theory of governing. Trump and the authors of Project 2025 (they’re easy to forget in this atmosphere) have a goal of turning the U.S. into a fascist nation by, in essence, destroying the traditional fabric of the nation. So, while Trump has EVERYONE’S attention on the crashing stock market – the DOGEshits are still busy kneecapping the Social Security administration and virtually every other government department EXCEPT the one with the MOST “fraud, waste, and abuse” – the Department of Defense.

The republican Congress appears to be all in on undermining Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security – where MOST of the federal budget resides – although, for good measure, the republicans are also planning to eliminate SNAP (food stamps) and other programs aimed at us normal Americans. Their plan, which has been poorly disguised, is to cut enough from these programs – they refer to as “entitlements” – plus to raise enough from his tariffs to offset a $5 TRILLION tax cut MOSTLY for those in the “top 1%” of America’s earners and, of course, his corporate friends. Right now, most people are focused on the stock market.

So, our so-called “liberal media” is not focused on the destruction of USAID (and, the lives being lost as the result), the elimination of the Department of Education (and, all the low income schools, plus their students, which will be affected), all the scientists who’ve been fired at the CDC, the FDA, and NIH, the people fired at the IRS (so that BILLIONAIRES will no longer need to worry about being audited), the EPA, and I could go on and on. The DOGEshits have even invaded the National Institute of Peace – which is not a government entity – they needed Federal Marshalls and DC Police to get in the doors so they could force the employees out the door. And, on top of all this, we’re no longer talking about “Signalgate.” What that means is Trump’s cabinet members are likely continuing to ILLEGALLY communicate via insecure aps in violation of the Federal Records Act.

Every day there’s going to be something else – and, “we the people” are doing exactly what I predicted before Trump 2.0 was officially underway – “chasing our tails.” Today, while the stock market was responding to what people like me knew would happen – in just a matter of days – as disaster lurked Trump “paused” MOST of the so-called “reciprocal tariffs” for 90 days. That’s kind of like their (Trump’s et al) plan to dismiss corruption charges against New York’s Mayor Eric Adams “without prejudice” – allowing them to re-file them if Adams didn’t kneel to their orders. (The judge dismissed the charges “with prejudice” so that they may NOT be re-filed) So, now, Trump can threaten to put the tariffs back in place based on – well, who knows?

Today’s “shiny object” – other than Trump’s “pausing” SOME of the tariffs (the tariffs are still in place – just not as severe) is that Trump actually signed two executive orders aimed at two members of his former administration, Miles Talor (aka “anonymous”) and Chris Krebs, ordering the “Justice Department” to initiate “investigations” of both of these men. I said that correctly, Trump is ORDERING who the “Justice Department” is to be investigating. This is beyond outrageous! Chris Krebs is an expert in cybersecurity who made sure the 2020 election was FAIR. That was his “fault.” Trump called Miles Taylor a “traitor” – I’m not kidding. The man who attempted a coup d’etat on America’s government (i.e. a TRAITOR) loosely throwing that word (traitor) around so that “we the people” forget who the TRAITOR actually is.

My father was in the Army during WW ii and he was a lifelong republican. When I watch what Trump is up to I don’t think it would have been difficult to convince him that Trump is inflicting exactly what Hitler was attempting to “inflict” on America – but, Trump is so much closer to succeeding. He’s got the 170 or so authors of Project 2025 filling out executive orders for him to sign which makes things easy for him – allowing him to get two or three rounds of golf in each week. So, Trump is now “going after” individuals PLUS his attacks on law firms and universities – sadly, some of them capitulating. Capitulation, by the way, has been proved by HISTORY as the WRONG answer.

Long ago I wrote that when the Justice Department becomes unreliable this country is in BIG danger. Well, that day is here (it has been since last November 5th). The Supreme Court has given Trump unimaginable – and, to me, unconstitutional – POWER and Trump is pushing it to the limit. (Was there any question he would do so?) The top three “leaders” of the Justice Department are/were Trump’s personal lawyers – unthinkable at any other time in American history. And, now Trump is ordering the Department to go after selected individuals from his first administration who displeased him. But, the stock market……

There are so many parts of America that are simply “chugging” along as if everything is normal – and, some of them are “places” I could easily choose to “reside.” I have always been either involved in or a “fan” of various sports. I have a love of baseball and basketball, for example – and, it’s very easy to allow myself to get emerged in following my favorite teams. For some reason, I’ve always (well, since the late 1990’s) followed the stock market – so the “wild swings” of the past week have captured my interest as well as MANY others. It’s too easy to concentrate on my fantasy baseball team than what is happening to the country I’ve loved for the 77 years of my life. (Well, I don’t think I actually “loved” this country until I was a teenager – I remember crying with my classmates as school was dismissed because JFK had been murdered) I say that because I recognize how easy it is for Trump to cause me – and MILLIONS of others to “miss” what he’s doing which is the MOST important “stuff” for “we the people” to see. (and participate in the fight against it)

For example, two issues that are resulting in the actual loss of life directly related to Trump policies are the destruction of USAID (I’ve written about this several times now) and the ILLEGAL invasion of Ukraine by Trump’s idol Vladimir Putin. People who depended on the food and medicine from America they had received through USAID and were almost instantaneously cut off by the DOGEshits have been dying in numbers I don’t know – but ANY child dying because of this egregious action is too many. And, of course, the courageous people of Ukraine are taking on unnecessary losses because of America’s betrayal under Trump (Trump attempting once again to EXTORT Volodymyr Zelenskyy while kissing up to Putin) – which if we had a Congress with ANY “balls” would have already resulted in IMPEACHMENT #3. These things are being part of the “news” in America now seemingly ONLY on the fringes.

Trump has succeeded in getting his appeasement of Putin to be “old news” – not “fake news.” And, to me, this capitulation is MUCH more serious than the wacky reaction of Wall Street to Trump’s “scandal a day” way of governing. Now, don’t get me wrong here – I do NOT consider Trump to be a “smart” person – other than he knows how to align himself with whoever it is that will make him richer. Therefore, you see out front Elon Musk and his DOGEshits while in the background you DON’T see – but, they are orchestrating things – Russel Vought and the rest of the Project 2025 team. Trump is signing the executive orders, making the occasional STUPID public statements, and playing golf as much as he can. I won’t say he hates America, I’ll just say, from my viewpoint point, he doesn’t give a s@#t about America.

And, after you work your way through a couple hundred pages of Project 2025 you quickly realize the authors of that “manifesto” really don’t like America’s constitutional form of government – and, they’ve made a plan to end it. I put links in my posts to the document “Project 2025 – Manifesto of the next conservative administration” several times, but the final time I was forced to give my email address (stupidly I did it) which was then passed on to the email lists of (what seems like) every republican seeking office – most significantly Trump. Therefore, I stopped putting up that link – but, I still recommend people get and read that document. They (meaning the authors – a bunch of rich executives from various industries and occupations) are “knee deep” into succeeding at destroying the America we’ve known. If they end up pulling off their plan it will be because “we the people” weren’t paying close enough attention. Wild stock market swings appear to get a lot of attention but there’s little reference to Project 2025.

The antidote to all this would be republicans in Congress acting as if their oath to the constitution was more important to them than the threat by Musk/Trump to destroy that very constitution. (I refer you to Musk’s Sieg Hiels at Trump’s inauguration celebration) Nixon was BAD, but he was stopped by the republicans in his own party. Sadly, the republicans in today’s Congress are an incredible bunch of COWARDS – who care only about keeping their “gigs.” Honestly, they make me just as sick, if not more, than Trump – who was indirectly referred to as a “moron” by his co-president.

Final Thought: One thing I haven’t written much about, but which I’ve thought a lot about, is how democrats are putting their hopes on the 2026 mid term elections. And, I have to add – I have a lot of hope they’re correct. But, here’s the rub – I believe if Trump and his puppet masters have their way their either won’t be a 2026 election or they’ll figure out a way to suppress enough democratic leaning voters that it will be an election Vladimir Putin could be proud of – if you get my drift. Trump actually promised a group (I believe it was a “Christian” group) of his voters that if they elected him in 2024 they wouldn’t have to vote anymore. Here’s exactly what he said: “Get out and vote! Just this time. You won’t have to do it anymore! Four more years, you know what? It’ll be fixed, it’ll be fine, you won’t have to vote anymore.” Yikes!!!

Here’s another thing I’ve been wondering about – a lot. So, it appears the republicans (and Trump and the puppet masters) may succeed in undermining Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. (plus SNAP – food stamps) It appears their plan is to defund Medicaid and SNAP in their “very large” reconciliation budget legislation. This will affect MILLIONS of Americans – mostly very young or very old. Plus, it appears their strategy to get rid of Social Security and Medicare is to weaken them from the inside until they “collapse.” Obviously, this will affect MILLIONS more – mostly old people like me.

If they succeed, I’m guessing the ANGER will be elevated even more than it is now – there’ll be lots of protests – likely making Trump think: “Now’s the time for martial law.” I certainly hope these thoughts are just a product of my active mind – but, I have done a lot of reading regarding Trump and these people behind the scenes who I believe are “pulling the strings.” It seems to me the foundation of the Project 2025 agenda has been set – and, MOST of “we the people” still have no idea what it is. Remember, right wing republicans in America have opposed the programs they always refer to as “entitlements” (ie Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid) since their inceptions. It appears to me, they FINALLY feel they will be able to destroy them. The end result – should they succeed – is very scary to me (not only because I’m collecting my Social Security and Medicare benefit at the age o 77) because of what it will do to our nation.

If you missed it, (f)Elon Musk referred to Social Security as the biggest “Ponzi scheme” of all times – that while the CEO of corporations built on our government’s largess. His auto business has a price to earnings ratio approximately 20 times higher than, for example, General Motors. With significantly lower earnings per share. I’m no economist, but that seems to me to be a “house of cards.” My point here is Musk has no need of Social Security, but he does have his sights set on the MASSIVE tax cuts republicans will ram through Congress once again. (just like they’ve done in every administration since Reagan – except HW Bush) “Rince and Repeat” – this happens every time Americans vote a republican into the “White House.” (They just might succeed in their “fever dream” of undermining Social Security this time around) Stay tuned……