On Friday, the Trump administration declined to submit a court-requested sworn declaration to a federal judge, noting that the $1.8 billion so-called “anti-weaponization” fund was officially obsolete. Instead of solidifying that claim in writing, the DOJ wrote in a notice to the court, “Such declarations are unnecessary and the compelled testimony of senior officials from the Executive Branch implicates serious separation of powers concerns.”
The host points out that despite the rhetoric coming from the White House and tRump there have been only 100 cases of non-citizen voting in 43 years. That is an incredibly small number. But the tRump administration wants to decide which citezens can vote and who can not. It is minority rule over the majority, it is single party rule like in dictatorships such as China. It is the end of democracy. All so tRump and republicans can stay in charge so the wealthy can raid the treasury and the entire wealth of the country leaving the people as slave labor to the upper class. Hugs
New reporting from Axios offers a window into just how far the White House is willing to go to pursue baseless claims made by President Trump for years. The group Democracy Forward obtained new records showing ICE agents went directly to local officials in Texas and North Carolina to obtain voter files. “We need to be very vigilant and we also need to be outraged,” says Skye Perryman, President and CEO of Democracy Forward. “It’s going to be incumbent upon every single American to make up their mind that we’re not going to have our voices silenced.”
In this on Sam and crew show clips of tRump talking sexually about other world male leaders and make jokes about tRump’s sexuality. They also mention how he rambles disjointedly and his dementia seems worse. Hugs
Emma and Ken discuss the new memorandum on terrorism that targets activist, protestors, and people who post online. It is an attempt to stop people from expressing a negative opinion of the tRump administration and the horrific actions they are doing. They talk about how the administration really believes that just talking badly about ICE actions is doxing them and any doxing is terrorism. The administration feels that no one has 1st amendment rights and that anything done to protest the administration is terrorism. The fear it inspires is discussed along with the cost incurred by the defendants. Hugs
Sam and Emma are talking about how the tRump administration is using the FBI to attack and interfere with democratic voting groups who work to get voters to the polls, raise funds for democratic candidates, investigating civil rights some times with out warrants showing up on the doorsteps of volunteers implying they had committed a crime. The agents are demanding publicly sometimes in front of family members that people answer questions, give them communications, the agents are on fishing missions and intimidation. As Brian says telling people about an election is fraud. Hugs
I post this last one by Matt Binder filling in for Emma and Sam showing how Riley Gaines will say anything for money and just how stupid she really is. She has made money hand over fist using her hatred for trans people get right wing contracts and show deals talking about any talking point the right wing wants to push and emphasize. Hugs
Kyle kulinski breaks down the attacks on Platner on main stream media and the people pushing the attacks. Such as the woman who was on CNN claiming it was a shame for the party that Platner’s transgressions were being over looked and that it was a gender problem. Kyle points out that same woman was on the Edwards for president team and stayed on after it broke he was having an affair with another woman as his wife battled cancer. Edwards committed 8 felonies to cover it up. Womanizing did not seem to bother her then. Maines House Minority Leader described Platner as having deep and disturbing personal issues. That is the same person who threw a bucket of human feces (shit) at someone, sunk three boats, nearly killed his sternman with his fooling around on the water and claimed Jesus saved him when he capsized his boat. Kulinski goes on to explain that the reason so many horrible people are attacking Platner is his stance against the oligarchy, his anti Israeli genocide, and his antiiwar stance, and he is a threat to the established order. The worst thing is the DNC has removed Platner’s campaign from their list of candidates to run adverts supporting. He is against their continuing the status quo so they would rather have a republican take the seat to maintain the support for Israel, the establishment, and more money for the wealthy at the expense of the lower incomes. Worth a watch. Hugs
Today, this cartoon was challenged on Facebook by a couple of MAGAts.
One wrote, “One would think with the superior ‘intelligence’ of liberals, they could do a little better job at convincing the masses they’re right than grade school cartoons and hyperventilated delusions…….”
The other argued, “More dumbass dumbocrap shit.” Thank God, Donald Trump told him there’s a B in dumb.
The Trump regime and Iran have a peace deal to have a peace deal in 60 days. Donald Trump said that he digitally signed the deal on Sunday in Washington, and today, an administration official said Trump signed it in Versailles on Wednesday. We are not sure if Donald Trump signed it twice, or if he lied about signing it on Sunday, or what. Later, Trump said that he had signed it in Versailles. This regime that can’t even clean a swimming pool has not been straight about anything. Wasn’t this supposed to be the most transparent administration in American history?
Did they or did they not take Trump’s name off the Kennedy Center last Saturday? The Kennedy Center says they have, but we can’t be sure because the tarp is still in front of it.
It wasn’t until today that anonymous US officials read the language of the memorandum on ending the war to journalists after days of secrecy. The Trump regime blamed Iran for the secrecy, saying that’s how they wanted it. Who’s calling the shots here?
The terms of the agreement would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, outline a $300 billon plan for Iran’s reconstruction, and lift restrictions on the country’s oil exports. It kicks the can down the road on Iran giving up its nuclear material. It calls for Israel to end its attack against Hezbollah in Lebanon, despite the fact that Israel is not a party to the MOU, the Memorandum of Understanding.
The MOU is a 60-day extension of the ceasefire. It outlines that Iran and Oman will manage the Strait of Hormuz and that there will not be a toll for ships to pass through during the 60-day ceasefire. There’s no mention of there not being any tolls in the future.
This agreement is different from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) negotiated by President Obama, which Trump ended, which eventually led to this war. The JCPOA was broad in detail and was working in preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, while Trump’s Iran deal is about as vague as that peace treaty he signed with North Korea several years ago.
As you may recall, the so-called peace treaty with North Korea didn’t obligate North Korea to do anything. And this so-called peace deal with Iran achieves none of the goals that Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth laid out at the start of the war. But remember, Donald Trump is the greatest negotiator in the world.
This deal does not accomplish regime change in Iran. It doesn’t end their missile program. It does not end the persecution of its people. And Iran does not surrender unconditionally. What it really does for Donald Trump is that it gives him an out from this war, so maybe he can focus on his next conquest, Cuba.
Iran walks away from this conflict with more power and more money. The United States walks away with nothing it set out to do, and after spending billions of dollars.
Senator Bill Cassidy said, “Reagan is rolling over in his grave. Before the war, the strait was open, Iran was being crushed by sanctions, and 13 service members were still alive,” Cassidy said, “Now, 13 Americans are dead, families have paid billions at the pump, sanctions will be lifted, and the bombing has stopped.”
Cassidy found his spine after losing his primary reelection bid after Trump endorsed his challenger, and is now free to openly criticize Donald Trump. “This is the worst foreign policy blunder in decades,” he said.
Senator Ted Cruz, who doesn’t even have a spine, said, “Giving billions of dollars to theocratic lunatics who want to murder us is not a good idea. I think the president, unfortunately, is receiving bad advice.”
He also said, “Setting up Iran to be in charge of the Strait of Hormuz in perpetuity and to charge tolls is not in America’s interest. In my view, the Ayatollah should not reap a single penny from the free transit of the seas.”
What does it tell you when even Republicans are not happy with this deal?
Creative note: Right after I finish the lettering in this cartoon, news broke that some anonymous administration officials had read details of the agreement to reporters. So I almost shelved this. But after talking to Laura and another friend, they convinced me that I should still go with this, so I did. But while building up to that decision, I wrote two more ideas that I like, and I plan to do them over the next couple of days.
A while back, Scottie asked me to post “Lay Lines” regularly. So, I do. Usually, it’s quirky humor that tickles my funny bone, sometimes it’s a deep thinker or quite emotional, and sometimes it’s all at once. Rarely, it’s meh. This week’s comic is not meh, but I find it personally offensive, and I have concern about the possibility of someone being negatively affected by it.
I am avowed non-violent. If I was able, I would put all knowledge or even spark of an idea about gunpowder and any of its future incarnations back into the genie’s bottle, and toss it into space. I can’t do that, but among other things I do that I can do, I do not promote gun violence. So, I am not posting this week’s toon. The link is below if you care to see it, and comments are open here if you have something to say. You know we love the comments here! And I intend to continue reading and posting the weekly “Lay Lines.” Just not this one.
Another sitting congress person who is bought and owned by Israel to the point where he is adamant that Israel was not breaking the Leahy law on the use of military weapons. How did we the people let so many of our congress people be owned by foreign governments? Oh yes it was citizens united. That was one of the SCOTUS rulings that made bribery legal because the majority of right wing justices on the courts were taking bribes from wealthy people. Hugs
