A federal appeals court on Thursday evening took steps that Democratic appointees wrote could represent that best possible way of helping organizations funded by foreign aid payments to get money before a quickly approaching September 30 deadline.
It was the latest unusual sets of rulings in a case challenging the Trump administration’s efforts to cut foreign aid funding — raising the “impoundment” question about the president’s ability not to spend money that Congress has, with its control over appropriations, directed the federal government to spend — that has been up to the U.S. Supreme Court already twice this year.
On Thursday evening over the course of 30 minutes, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit took seven actions that ultimately sent the case — technically, a pair of cases — back to the district court, where it is before U.S. District Judge Amir Ali.
It was a stark sign of where we’re at: Judges on the court generally thought of as second only to the Supreme Court taking strategic steps to try to protect people and organizations’ rights due to the ways other branches — and actors within their own branch — are failing to do so. (snip-go read the rest, if you’re interested. It’s very well-written.)
This is a thread on Bluesky. One doesn’t need an account to read there. It’s also an excellent explanation.
This was an extraordinarily shrewd *and* principled resolution by the en banc court, in a case in which the various arguments in the trial court and on appeal were *almost* hopelessly entangled and hard to parse. Of greatest importance are two things: [1]
Why would Donald Trump talk about becoming an American dictator…again?
NBC News reporter: Before signing a series of executive orders aimed at reducing crime in D.C. and across the nation, Trump referred to his critics bashing him for sending the National Guard to D.C., claiming that some people think they might “like a dictator.”
Referring to militarizing our cities, Trump said, “They say, ‘We don’t need him, freedom freedom. He’s a dictator. He’s a dictator.’ A lot of people are saying, ‘Maybe we like a dictator’…You send in troops, and instead of being praised they’re saying you’re trying to take over the republic. These people are sick.”
Before the election, Trump talked about “deleting” parts of the Constitution he doesn’t like. Then, he talked about becoming a dictator for one day. Now, he says some people in this country want a dictator, but to whom is he referring to that would be that dictator? I think we all know the answer. The dictator talk is so disturbing that everyone missed that part where he whines that he’s not being praised. (snip-MORE; go read it!)
(The money graf: “Even the shooter offered “thoughts and prayers” to the intended victims. So, quite frankly, every single Republican’s answer to this isn’t any better than the shooter’s solution.”)
Another mass shooting and another opportunity for Republicans to give us empty thoughts and prayers instead of real solutions. You can’t find a solution when you can’t even identify the problem.
Today’s mass shooting just so happened to take place during a Mass.
An 8-year-old and a 10-year-old were killed while sitting in pews during a Mass at the Annunciation Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. At least 17 people have been injured. The students were from the adjacent Annunciation Catholic School.
Robin Westman, a 23-year-old, has been identified as the shooter and shot through the windows from outside the church. Westman identified as a woman and had changed her name from Robert to Robin. The right-wing fucknuts are going to love this, but they’ll ignore the parts about the mental issues and racism.
The shooter left a manifesto that called for the destruction of Israel and included racist slurs. Westman flashed a white supremacy sign in a video that showed the shooter’s massive gun collection. The shooter admired those responsible for the massacres at Sandy Hook Elementary School, the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, and the mosque shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand, among others. (snip-MORE, and it’s good info)
There’s a saying in the legal system that a good prosecutor can get a grand jury to indict a ham sandwich. It’s a criticism of the prosecutorial system because a prosecutor has near-total control of the evidence presented to a grand jury, the defense is not present, and the jury only has to be convinced a crime was committed without a real burden of proof, and on the flimsiest charges.
On Tuesday, a grand jury in Washington, DC, refused to indict Sean Charles Dunn, who is accused of throwing a Subway sandwich at a Border Patrol agent. This is a huge loss for US Attorney Jeanine Pirro, who was hired only because Donald Trump liked the way she looked on Fox News. She’s very hateful and always outraged. This is also a failure for Attorney General Pam Bondi, who declared the sandwich attack was part of the “deep state.
I don’t think we have to worry about a “deep state” if the worst they can do is throw sandwiches at cops.
Anyone charged with a federal felony must be indicted by a grand jury. The problem for Trump’s regime is that the voters in Washington, DC, are some of the most intelligent, most educated, and most aware of the issues. These are not West Virginia voters. You would think that if you wanted to indict someone with a felony, you wouldn’t call a grand jury while the city is occupied by the military.
You would think that with the government’s reaction to the sandwich attack, the accused had used one of the weapons used to murder children at a Catholic Church in Minneapolis this week. The Trump regime and Republicans have more outrage over an assault by a sandwich than outrage over a school shooting. (snip-MORE if you can handle it)
Celeste Yim, the first out nonbinary writer for Saturday Night Live, announced they are leaving the show this week after five years.
Yim, who was hired as an SNL staff writer in 2020 and promoted to writing supervisor in 2023, announced their decision to leave the show after its 50th season in an Instagram post late Sunday night.
“Lorne [Michaels] hired me over the phone when I was 23 and the job literally made all of my dreams come true BUT it was also grueling and I slept in my office every week BUT my friends helped me with everything BUT I got yelled at by random famous men BUT some famous girls too BUT I loved it and I laughed every day and it’s where I grew up,” Yim wrote in the post.
(snip-embedded Instagram on the page)
“I hate when other people say this but it’s true that I was the first ever out trans person to be a writer for SNL,” the scribe wrote. “I always felt honored to be working within the long tradition of queer writing at the show,” Yim added, joking that “Chevy [Chase] is nonbinary!” (Chase was a cast member and hosted Weekend Update in the first season of the long-running series.) Yim also vowed to keep writing comedy in the face of anti-trans oppression. “I feel so powerless to protect trans people in the world but writing connects us and makes us permanent, so it’s what I will continue to do,” they wrote.
“Thank you Bowen for changing my life and for making me feel normal,” Yim wrote on Instagram this week. (Yim also recently wrote for Yang and Matt Rogers’ Las Culturistas Awards, held earlier this month.) Their statement also thanked “every SNL assistant and production crew member who ever made any part of anything I ever wrote.”
Yim’s time on SNL saw an influx of queer and nonbinary cast members like Molly Kearney and Punkie Johnson, both of whom have since left the show. At the same time, SNL also earned backlash from LGBTQ+ viewers by inviting hosts like Shane Gillis and Dave Chappelle, both of whom have made homophobic and transphobic comments on stage; when Chappelle hosted SNL in 2022, a nonbinary writer — widely believed, but not confirmed, to be Yim — asked to sit out for the week, after which Chappelle made a joke calling the writer “a they” during dress rehearsal (which did not appear in the final show).
“Thank you to my family and friends who love me still even though I did not see them very much,” Yim wrote in their departure announcement. “And thank you all for your support. For writing to me and for wearing my sketches as Halloween costumes. […] I try to imagine my younger self learning about me. I would be amazed. But then I’d be like…Wait, why are you dressed like that…”
Yim’s comments were full of current and former SNL cast members and writers expressing wholehearted support, including Yang, Ego Nwodim, and Jane Wickline, as well as non-SNL celebs like Padma Lakshmi, Jeremy O. Harris, and Ziwe.
“My baby,” cast member (and L’Eggs icon) Aidy Bryant wrote simply, summing it up.
August 29, 1758 The first Indian reservation, Brotherton, was established in New Jersey. A tract of three thousand acres of land was purchased at Edge Pillock, in Burlington County. The treaty of 1758 required the Delaware Tribes, in exchange for the land, to renounce all further claim to lands anywhere else in New Jersey, except for the right to fish in all the rivers and bays north of the Raritan River, and to hunt on unenclosed land. History Of The Brotherton Reservation
August 29, 1957 Following consultations among the NATO allies and other nations, the Western (non-Communist) countries presented to the United Nations a working paper entitled, “Proposals for Partial Measures of Disarmament,” intended as “a practical, workable plan to start on world disarmament.” The plan proposed stopping all nuclear testing, halting production of nuclear weapons materials, starting a reduction in nuclear weapons stockpiles, reducing the danger of surprise attack through warning systems, and beginning reductions in armed forces and armaments.
August 29, 1957 African Americans in Milledgeville, Georgia, wait in line to vote following the Civil Rights Act of 1957. The U.S. Congress passed the Civil Rights Act, the first such law since reconstruction. The bill established a Civil Rights Commission which was given the authority to investigate discriminatory conditions. A Civil Rights Division was created in the Department of Justice, allowing federal prosecutors to obtain court injunctions against interference with the right to vote, among other things. In an ultimately futile attempt to block passage, then-Democrat, former Dixiecrat, and later Republican Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina set the all-time filibuster record: 24 hours, 19 minutes of non-stop speaking on the floor of the Senate. A filibuster is the deliberate use of prolonged debate and procedural delaying tactics to block action supported by a majority of members. It can only be stopped with a 60% majority voting to end debate. Senator Strom Thurmond with his 24-hour filibustering speech
August 29, 1961 Robert Moses,leader of SNCC The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) was pursuing its voter registration drive in Amite County, Mississippi. Of 5000 eligible Negro voters in the county, just one was registered to vote. SNCC leader Robert Moses was attacked and beaten this day outside the registrar’s office while trying to sign up two voters. Nine stitches were required but the three white assailants were acquitted. Bob Moses recorded the incident Hear Moses recall the time
August 29, 1970 Between 15 and 30 thousand predominantly Chicanos (Americans of Mexican descent) gathered in East LA’s Laguna Park as the culmination of the Chicano National Moratorium. It was organized by Rosalio Munoz and others to protest the disproportionate number of deaths of Chicano soldiers in Vietnam (more than double their numbers in the population). There had been more than 20 other such demonstrations in Latino communities across the southwest in recent months. Three died when the anti-war march turned violent. The Los Angeles Police Department attacked and one gunshot, fired into the Silver Dollar Bar, killed Ruben Salazar, a Los Angeles Times columnist and a commentator on KMEX-TV (he had been accused by the LAPD of inciting the Chicano community). The Chicano Moratorium Ruben Salazar LA Times
After all, George Washington and all were just regular people before they became part of the government. It really is up to all of us. If you click the article title just below this, all the embeds are there. This is from The Root.
From where you stand, it may look like you’re just watching unimaginable stuff go down, and nobody’s stepping in to stop it. In only eight months of his second term, President Donald Trump has managed to undermine the Constitution, disrupt the economy, send military troops to cities without congressional approval and divide the country over immigration, civil rights and more. It seems like there’s nothing regular Americans can do to stop him as he continues to complete the missions of his 2024 campaign, but many political leaders are offering suggestions to fight back in ways never seen before.
From journalist Toure to former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke, these powerful voices are urging folks to rebel against the Trump administration, and here’s exactly how they say it needs to be done.
Former Congressman Beto O’Rourke
(snip-Insta on the page linked above; text continues)
“If we’re not willing to play hardball right now, it is over,” former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke said during an interview. The Democrat continued comparing the rise of German dictator Adolf Hitler to how American society is handling President Trump now. He urged the Press, opposing political parties and every American to pay attention to Trump’s attempt to rewrite the Constitution, defy the federal courts and attack U.S. citizens before something unredeemable happens. “I don’t know if I’m saying that is going to happen in America,” O’Rourke said referring to Nazi Germany. “But this moment sure as hell rhymes with the 1930s, and if we don’t pay attention, we’re going to lose it.”
Roland Martin
(snip-again, Insta embedded on the page linked above, text continues)
Journalist Roland Martin has told Americans to put down the Tiktoks and fight back. During one video clip, he says “What we are talking about is a battle that’s generational,” Martin passionately began. As Trump continues to suggest red states move to redistrict their congressional seats in Republicans’ favor, Martin called out exactly how this will erase Black voices. “They could wipe out with one Goddamn ruling more than 30 Black Congressional seats,” he said.
Former Vice President Al Gore
On the list of avid critics of Trump is former Vice President Al Gore. During an event in April, Gore didn’t hold back his critiques, and like some others on this list, he compared the Trump administration to Hitler’s regime. He said Trump’s team is “trying to create their own preferred version of reality” to achieve their objectives similar to the Nazi Party. “It was uniquely evil, full stop,” Gore continued. But there are important lessons from the history of that emergent evil.”
Director Marshall Herskovitz
(snip-Insta, etc.)
“We must have what they call a popular uprising,” American director Herskovitz said before adding that in order for this movement to be successful, it would have to be peaceful. “This is not a revolt,” he continued. The producer mapped out his proposed plan. According to him, it would only take 12 to 15 million Americans to protest in the streets “day after day after day,” he said. Step two of the plan includes a “general” strike. “I’m not going to work… My store’s not open; my resturant’s not open. I’m not paying my taxes.” Only then would the country see true change similar to the results of the Arab Spring in 2011– the series of pro-democracy and anti-government uprisings which spread across the Middle East.
Congressman Jerry Nadler
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 18: Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) arrives to view proceedings in immigration court at the Jacob K. Javitz Federal Building on June 18, 2025 in New York City. Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY), NYC Comptroller and Mayoral Candidate Brad Lander and Council Member Alexa Avilés visited immigration courts to watch proceedings a day after NYC Comptroller and Mayoral Candidate Brad Lander was arrested by federal agents while accompanying a person out of a courtroom as people continue to be detained following immigration court hearings. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
N.Y. Rep. Jerry Nadler released a six-page letter to the American people urging them to take action against Trump. “We cannot wait four years to vote Mr. Trump out of office,” he said before adding, “To achieve this, we must keep our eyes on two important goals: depressing Trump’s public support and dividing the Congressional GOP from him and from each other.” Nadler’s plan focuses on holding the administration accountable for unconstitutional acts and “exposing his Republican enablers in Congress.”
Former U.S. AG Eric Holder
(snip-Insta, etc.)
During an interview with MSNBC, former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said Trump’s current actions are “remarkably similar” to that of Europe in the 1930s– when Hitler rose to power. Because of this, Holder said all Americans need to be on high alert. “There’s a treadmill that we’re potentially getting on here that could result in the erosion of rights for American citizens,” he told the network.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
N.Y. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez stands strong as a controversial yet influential Democrat. Like many of her colleagues, she has remained steady in her criticism towards Trump, and during a rally in California, she said the key to defeating him rest in the hands of Americans. “Community is the most powerful building block we have to defeat authoritarianism and root out corruption,” she told the crowd.
NYT Columnist Charles M. Blow
(snip-TikTok embedded on page linked above, text continues)
Charles M. Blow of the New York Times referenced esteemed author Toni Morrison in his advice to fight back. “If you are taking a break from politics right now… good for you. There’s nothing to be ashamed of,” he began on TikTok. “You’re actually going to need the energy that you’re storing now for the fight to come in the next four years.” He added, “You can’t always stay in the crisis,” quoting Morrison from a 1977 interview. The writer encouraged Americans to “recenter what you love” in order to “remember why you fight.”
Congresswoman Lois Frankel
WASHINGTON, DC – MAY 12: Rep. Lois Frankel (D-FL) speaks during a news conference to celebrate the passage of legislation that will place statues of former Supreme Court associate justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sandra Day O’ Connor in the U.S. Capitol on May 12, 2022 in Washington, DC. The Democratic leaders were joined by Scott O’ Connor, son of Justice O’ Connor, and Professor Kelsi Corkran, former clerk for Justice Ginsburg. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Fla. Rep. Lois Frankel has an entire page on her website dedicated to ways Americans can help rebel against Trump. “He promised to lower costs, instead, he’s unleashing chaos and cruelty while his rubber-stamp Republicans in Congress are pushing a draconian budget that slashes Medicaid and food assistance—programs millions rely on to get by,” she said. Frankel continued telling folks to call and email their local representatives to voice their complaints, attend town halls and even share their own personal stories.
Greed v. Young Americans
(snip-TikTok etc.)
@geiggfcg on TikTok told younger Americans (ages 45 and younger) to wake up and get to the streets to protest. Why? Because older generations like the baby boomers– including Trump– have ruined the county with their greed, according to the TikToker. “You have been screwed over royally,” he told his followers. From the lack of affordable colleges to the growing cost to buy a home, @geiggfcg said young Americans will deal with the consequences of their parent’s greed. He went on to reference Trump “Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which promised to make major cuts to medicaid, add trillions to the national debt and also cut food stamps for millions by 2027.
Local Resistance Movements
(snip-TikTok, etc.)
“Donald Trump’s unpopularity is growing, and this era is going to end,” declared @indivisibleguide on TikTok. In order to ensure this happens, the movement is urging folks to get involved in their local communities and to organize. “You should host a community resistance gathering,” the TikToker said.
FEMA Fights Back
WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 8: The Federal Emergency Management Agency Headquarters, in Washington is photographed on October 8, 2024 in Washington, DC. FEMA is running low on personnel, with only 9% of staff available as Hurricane Milton, with 175 mph winds, approaches Tampa, FL; Compared to 25% availability in previous years. (Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
Nearly 200 employees at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) signed a written letter expressing concerns that Trump’s “unqualified” government appointees could have long-lasting impact on Americans everywhere. NBC reported that 21 of those employees have been put on leave in response.
Peaceful March Against Trump
(snip-TikTok etc.)
ack in April, thousands of Americans across the nation flooded the streets in order to protest against Trump. In this video, a large group of demonstrators are gathered in Milwaukee all against the 47th president.
Army General Mark Milley
(snip-TikTok etc.)
Retired Army Gen. Mark Milley has been an avid critic of the Trump administration for years. In fact, his critiques of Trump even prompted Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to pull Milley’s security clearance and protective detail back in January. Still, Milley has remained outspoken about why Americans need to stand strong against Trump. “We don’t take an oath to a tribe… We don’t take an oath to a king or queen or to a tyrant or a dictator,” Milley said. “And we don’t take an oath to a wannabe dictator.”
Journalist Toure
(snip-TikTok etc.)
For journalist Toure, the key to fighting back against Trump and his administration is to hold those doing his bidding accountable. “The pathway out of this is accountability– Not for Trump but for everybody who holds up his order,” he said on TikTok. “‘I was just following orders’ is not sufficient.” Instead, he said the licensed lawyers and licensed pilots who carry out Trumps wishes– such as deporting migrants against court orders and defending the president’s alleged unconstitutional actions in court– need to lose their licenses.
Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 21: California Gov. Gavin Newsom looks on during a bill signing event related to redrawing the state’s congressional maps on August 21, 2025 in Sacramento, California. In a move to counter Texas House Republicans’ plan to redraw the state’s congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, California Democrats took up a proposed constitutional amendment to temporarily redraw their own congressional maps, potentially creating five additional U.S. House seats for their party. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
While many Democrats are conflicted about going as low as Trump, who is known for ripping into his enemies with low blows and jabs online– Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom seems to have no mercy. The two men have gone back and forth for years, but ever since Trump returned to the White House, Newsom has been fighting the president’s fire with fire, we previously reported. Most recently, Trump has encouraged red states to rezone their voting districts in order to gain more Republican seats come the 2026 midterms. In direct response to that, Newsom promised to do the same in his state.
The Breakfast Club’s Charlemagne Tha God delivers a devastating new nickname for Hakeem Jeffries. We explain why the Jeffries and the Democratic establishment are so afraid of being challenged from the left, especially on issues like Israel and the influence of AIPAC.
The 2025 Netroots conference is over and David Weigel joins to break down the key takeaways, from a surprising lack of donor support to the crucial debate over how politicians should communicate their message.
Scottie's Playtime 