I know this morning I promised a video. I did get two steroid shots at full strength one in each shoulder. Over the next few days I should feel much more energetic. I also have an appointment for a month to do spine shots. But as of today I am far too tired to do a video. All I can do is stay up for another hour trying to gather cartoons and memes for tomorrow’s post. I hope to be able to post Angie’s post and get to some comments. I talked to my doctor, they again want to up the pain meds but that will be worse for me I think. Thanks. Hugs
Thirteen years ago today, 17-year-old Jordan Davis was shot and killed by a white man because he and his friends were playing “loud music” at a Florida gas station. After his senseless death, Jordan’s mother, @RepLucyMcBath, dedicated her life to ending gun violence, becoming a national leader with Moms Demand Action and @Everytown.
In Jordan’s honor, Lucy ran for and won a seat in Congress on a gun safety platform. She was re-elected to her fourth term last year. In that time, she helped pass the first major gun safety legislation in nearly three decades—the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.
We are forever grateful to @RepLucyMcBath for turning her anguish over Jordan’s senseless death into action. We’ll continue to follow her lead. In Jordan’s honor, we fight for stronger gun laws alongside Lucy to spare other families this same pain.
The story below shows how lawless and belligerent ICE has gotten. The laws and the legal authority of a judge mean nothing to them. There is a video at the link below.
On a personal note I have a doctor’s appointment this morning for steroid injections. Depending on how it goes I may need them for the next three months. I will try to do a video to explain as it is too hard to type out. I am way too tired starting from when Ron and I had what we think is Covid a few months ago. Hugs
“If they had the wrong person, then they didn’t know who they were looking for, which calls into question whether they had the legal right to seize anybody,” Weizenbaum said. “It’s very frightening.”
Lieutenant Governor Sabina Matos referred to the ICE agents’ actions as an “attempted abduction,” adding that it only emphasizes “the danger of flooding our streets with masked thugs who can’t tell the difference between a hardened criminal and a high school student.”
A Rhode Island Superior Court intern was briefly taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Providence Thursday afternoon before a judge intervened, according to the state’s Judiciary office.
The student, a high school intern at Superior Court, was reportedly detained by the agents outside the Licht Judicial Complex on Benefit Street.
Superior Court Judge Joseph McBurney insisted the agents had the wrong person. It was not until ICE verified their information and admitted the intern was not their intended target that he was released.
Multiple sources told Target 12 that Rhode Island sheriffs earlier noticed someone taking photos of the intern inside the courthouse and in Superior Court Judge McBurney’s courtroom. When approached, the individual identified himself as an ICE agent and was told to abide by standard courthouse rules, and to stop taking pictures.
The intern was reportedly shaken, so McBurney offered to drive him home. ICE agents then surrounded the judge’s car and demanded everyone to exit the vehicle, threatening to smash in the windows if they did not comply.
Dana Smith, Head of Security Operations for R.I. Superior Court, confronted the agents and told both the judge and the intern to stay inside the car. After an argument, ICE confirmed they had misidentified the teen and left. The intern was released once his ID was checked.
Community reaction
“This egregious incident underscores both the community’s and the Judiciary’s concerns about how ICE is conducting its operations in Rhode Island,” R.I. Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul A. Suttell said.
Citing that climate, Suttell said the Judiciary understands recent calls to expand the use of virtual court hearings in Providence.
“The need to balance constitutional considerations, the public’s right of access, and the integrity of testimonial and evidentiary processes do not allow for a fully virtual court system,” Suttell said. “What occurred today, however, reinforces the Judiciary’s need to focus on ways to enhance access to virtual hearings and to educate the public as to how to request such hearings.”
Attorney Miriam Weizenbaum was outside the courthouse as the intern was being detained.
“If they had the wrong person, then they didn’t know who they were looking for, which calls into question whether they had the legal right to seize anybody,” Weizenbaum said. “It’s very frightening.”
Gov. Dan McKee described the intern’s wrongful detainment as being “an outrageous and indefensible act that could have completely upended a young person’s life. “
“Rhode Islanders should not have to fear federal agents operating with such reckless disregard for the law and human dignity,” McKee said. “This was not a harmless mistake. It was the direct result of callous and chaotic policies by the Trump administration. Moreover, ICE’s failure to exercise even a shred of due diligence is shameful and underscores just how broken and dangerous these federal policies are.”
McKee said he supports the judiciary’s commitment “to enhance access to virtual hearings and promote safe access to courts.”
Rep. Seth Magaziner called the incident “completely unacceptable.”
“This is yet another example of the disregard for civil liberties by immigration enforcement under the Trump administration,” Magaziner said, adding that he will “continue to call out the administration’s reckless actions.”
Lieutenant Governor Sabina Matos referred to the ICE agents’ actions as an “attempted abduction,” adding that it only emphasizes “the danger of flooding our streets with masked thugs who can’t tell the difference between a hardened criminal and a high school student.”
Matos commended Judge McBurney for using his position to speak up, while condemning those who continue to support ICE.
Tim White (twhite@wpri.com) is Target 12 managing editor and chief investigative reporter and host of Newsmakers for 12 News. Connect with him on Twitter and Facebook.
In response to recent letters deeply concerned about the election of socialists: I don’t like excessive government ownership of the means of production or of businesses either. Though President Trump doesn’t seem to mind direct government stakes in publicly traded corporations, that seems a bit too socialist for me.
But as for other issues typically supported by American socialists: How much do you really want to oppose higher taxation of the very rich in order to redistribute wealth more appropriately? How much can we object to raising a federal minimum wage level that hasn’t changed since 2009 while the cost of living has increased far beyond it? How much can we oppose the freedom to unionize so that workers have a greater chance against large corporate employers?
People toss around the word “socialism” as if it were like anthrax. I think of it, though, as being more like salt. Though countries like Venezuela, Cuba and North Korea fell into it so heavily that it became worse than unpalatable, that’s not a reason to treat socialism as if it were categorically poisonous. You can kill a recipe with too much salt, but do you really want to do without it?
John Groff
Allentown
Don’t pay legislators who don’t pass budget
Thank goodness the state budget has been passed. The four-month delay caused chaos for many school systems, counties and nonprofits in the commonwealth. Loans had to be taken, layoffs were required and uncertainty created stress on many. This mess was caused because our elected officials didn’t do their No. 1 job, pass a budget by June 30.
That date used to be important. Now it’s treated as just a guideline. Our legislators are some of the highest paid in the country, but they don’t deserve their salary if they fail this basic responsibility. I believe that the next politician to run on the motto “No budget, no pay” would win in a landslide. As I stand on the street corner during the 2026 primary season, my sign will read just that: No budget, no pay!
Joan Howe
Bethlehem Township
Trump should have reported Epstein’s crimes
In Pennsylvania any teacher, social worker, church member, medical employee, law enforcement officer — anyone who has any contact with young people — has to register with the state. This involves fingerprinting, several hours of training, and a background investigation. Once you jump through these hoops and pass the tests, you are then a “mandated reporter.” This means that, if you suspect that a child has been abused, trafficked or neglected in any way, you are required by the Child Protective Services Law to report the situation. Not to your principal, not to the director of your social agency or hospital network, not to the head of your church or organization. You are given a phone number to call at the Department of Human Services. Failure to report abuse immediately at this number will result in your being charged with a misdemeanor or, in some cases, a felony.
That the president of the United States, even though perhaps he did not approve of Jeffrey Epstein’s behavior, did not report to anyone what Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell were up to is unconscionable and amoral. He didn’t get charged. He got elected to the highest office in the country. What’s wrong with this picture? What’s wrong with this country?
JoAnn Klucsarits
Walnutport
Will everyone really be able to use White House?
Since the White House is the people’s house and it was said after construction it’s going to be magnificent and everyone is going to use it: Can I have my next birthday party there?
Beth Laury
Allentown
Trump is wrong about food prices
How can our president say food prices are way down? Did he ever buy food in a grocery store for his family? Who is telling him all these lies? I’d like to have him come here and check out food prices in our grocery stores.
I don’t think it will change his mind. But one can hope for a miracle.
Ron Snyder
North Whitehall Township
The Morning Call publishes letters from readers online and in print several times a week. Submit a letter to the editor at letters@mcall.com.The views expressed in this piece are those of its individual author(s), and should not be interpreted as reflecting the views of this publication.
November 21, 1945 200,000 members of the United Auto Workers went on strike against General Motors, the first major strike following World War II. The UAW’s demand for a 30% wage increase was based on the increase in the cost of living during the war (28% according to the Department of Labor), the wartime freeze on wages, and the cut in the average workweek with the disappearance of overtime pay in manufacturing. But the UAW also considered profits and prices a subject for negotiation, a position rejected by GM. The union did not merely say that labor was entitled to enough wages to live on. It also said that labor was entitled to share in the wealth produced by industry.“… Unless we get a more realistic distribution of America’s wealth, we won’t get enough to keep this machine going.”–Walter Reuther, UAW President More about the strike
November 21, 1973 President Richard Nixon’s attorney, J. Fred Buzhardt, revealed the existence of an 18 1/2-minute gap in one of the subpoenaed White House tape recordings of Watergate conversations made by President Richard Nixon in the days after the Watergate break-in.The erasure was blamed on an accident by Nixon’s private secretary, Rose Mary Woods, but scientific analysis determined the erasures to be deliberate. White House Chief of Staff Alexander Haig later attributed the gap to “sinister forces.” Rose Mary Woods, demonstrating how she might have created the Watergate tape gap More about Rose Mary Woods
November 21, 1974 Both Houses of Congress voted to override President Gerald Ford’s veto of updates to the Freedom of Information Act. Originally passed in 1966, it required federal agencies to release information upon request to citizens and journalists.The amendments put an end to governmental resistance to compliance, including excessive fees, bureaucratic delays, and the need to sometimes resort to expensive litigation to force the government to share copies of documents. Ford advisors Chief of Staff Donald Rumsfeld, his deputy Dick Cheney, and government lawyer Antonin Scalia advised him to veto it. Chief of Staff Donald Rumsfeld, President Gerald Ford, and Deputy Chief of Staff Richard Cheney April 28, 1975 What was the dispute? (Verified the story is there.)
November 21, 1975 The Senate Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activities, led by Senator Frank Church (D-Idaho), issued a report charging U.S. government officials were behind assassination plots against two foreign leaders – Fidel Castro (Cuba) and Patrice Lumumba (Congo), and were heavily involved in at least three other plots: Rafael Trujillo (Dominican Republic), Ngo Dinh Diem (Vietnam), Rene Schneider (Chile). Senator Frank Church, left, chairman of the Senate Select Intelligence Committee, displays a poison dart gun as co-chairman Senator John Tower (R-TX) watches. The committee, a precursor to the Senate Intelligence Committee, was established to look into misuse of and abuse by intelligence agencies, particularly the CIA and FBI, some of which had been revealed by the Watergate investigations. Fidel Castro / Patrice Lumumba / Rafael Trujillo / Ngo Dinh Diem / Rene Schneider Read more
November 21, 1981 More than 350,000 demonstrated in Amsterdam against U.S. nuclear-armed cruise missiles on European soil.
November 21, 1985 A full-scale summit conference, the first of five between the President Ronald Reagan of the U.S. and General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev of the Soviet Union concluded. There was optimism over beginning a more productive and cooperative relationship between the two countries, each of which had thousands of nuclear warheads targeted at the other.The U.S. had proposed building a space-based anti-ballistic missile system, commonly known as “Star Wars,” which the Soviets had strongly opposed as an escalation of the nuclear arms race.In an unofficial meeting the previous evening, President Reagan had noted that he and Gorbachev were meeting for the first time at this level and had little practice. Nevertheless, having read the history of previous summit meetings, he had concluded that those earlier leaders had not accomplished very much. Therefore, he suggested that he and Gorbachev say, “To hell with the past, we’ll do it our way and get something done.” Gorbachev concurred. Reagan and Gorbachev at their first summit
November 21, 1986 National Security Council member Oliver North and his secretary, Fawn Hall, began shredding documents that would have exposed their participation in a range of illegal activities regarding the sale of arms to Iran in an attempt to free hostages, and the diversion of the proceeds to an insurgent Nicaraguan group known as the contras. Fawn Hall Oliver North More on Fawn Hall
November 21, 1995 China officially charged well-known human rights activist and political dissident Wei Jingsheng with trying to “overthrow the government.” Wei had not been seen for a year and a half after disappearing into police custody after meeting with a U.S. assistant secretary of state for human rights and humanitarian affairs.“If the people allow the power holders, in the peoples’ name, to violate and ignore the rights of some of the people then, at the same time, they are giving the power holders the power to violate the rights of all the people.” “ Most people wait until others are standing to make their move, very few are willing to stand up first or to stand alone. That’s why my friends call me a fool! But I don’t have any regrets.” – Wei Jingsheng Wei Jingsheng He had been imprisoned previously for his involvement with the Democracy Wall movement, including years in solitary confinement. He had also spoken out on behalf of the Tibetans.
Riley Gaines turned a 5th place tie, not even in the top ranking, into a political money making bigot gig. She has made hundreds of thousands of dollars pushing people to hate trans athletes using misinformation and lies. She is a favorite of republicans to have testify in front of legislatures to help them justify making trans kids lives miserable. Wonder who is funding her? Religious bigots like billionaire Betsy DeVos. The DeVos made their money on pyramid schemes and selling Amway. All in the name of their god they lie, make things up, and misinform the public about trans people. I don’t understand the hate and bile they have for non-straight non-cis people. Makes their god look ugly. Hugs
Lobbying firms with close ties to President Donald Trump are raking in staggering amounts of revenue, and K Street spending is growing at the fastest pace since the federal government instituted quarterly reporting requirements in 2008.
While changes in administration shift which lobbying firms attract the most clients, Trump’s second term has introduced outsized growth among businesses that normally lag far behind the top-earning firms.
This year’s lobbying expenditures are growing at the fastest pace since quarterly reporting began in 2008. The first three quarters of 2025 saw a 13.1 percent increase in lobbying spending as compared to 2024. Adjusted for inflation, the year-over-year growth for the first three quarters was 7.7 percent. window.addEventListener(“message”,function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[“datawrapper-height”]){var e=document.querySelectorAll(“iframe”);for(var t in a.data[“datawrapper-height”])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data[“datawrapper-height”][t]+”px”;r.style.height=d}}});
While third-quarter lobbying tends to be quieter as Congress takes its August recess, Q3 of 2025 saw an 11.8 percent increase in non-adjusted spending when compared to 2024, the largest increase since 2009.
In total, the first nine months of 2025 saw $3.8 billion in lobbying spending. During the same period in 2024, lobbying spending totaled $3.3 billion.
Record increases in spending have coincided with Trump’s sweeping changes to policies and government institutions.
Ballard dethroned the previous top-earning lobbying firm, Brownstein, Hyatt, once year-to-date numbers were updated with Q3 earnings. Ballard has been paid $59.5 million for lobbying services in 2025, compared to the former lobbying king’s $54 million. Brownstein, Hyatt had earned the most revenue every year from 2021 to 2024.
In last year’s third quarter, Ballard Partners took in $4.7 million and ranked 16th. This year, it made over five times that, bringing in $25 million in just the third quarter.
The firm’s founder, Brian Ballard, was chairman of the Trump Victory PAC in 2016 and 2017. During President Joe Biden’s term, Ballard remained close with Trump while his lobbying firm lost nearly a dozen clients not even a year into the administration. In the first three quarters since Trump returned to office, the firm gained 135 clients, nearly doubling its roster.
A number of former Ballard Partners lobbyists are now serving in the White House as senior officials, including White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Attorney General Pam Bondi. window.addEventListener(“message”,function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[“datawrapper-height”]){var e=document.querySelectorAll(“iframe”);for(var t in a.data[“datawrapper-height”])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data[“datawrapper-height”][t]+”px”;r.style.height=d}}});
Ballard Partners isn’t the only firm profiting from the new administration. Among the top 20 earners of the third quarter, the firms that saw the most year-over-year growth in the first three quarters all have ties to Trump.
BGR Group, which reported $51.4 million in lobbying revenue for the first three quarters of 2025, employs former Trump campaign adviser David Urban and previously employed Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. The firm ended the third quarter with the second-largest revenue among all firms. Last year, it had the fifth-largest revenue in the third quarter.
Miller Strategies’ revenue in the first nine months increased fourfold between 2024 and 2025. The firm is headed by Jeff Miller, who served as finance chair on Trump’s second inaugural committee. The firm ranked 36th in last year’s third quarter in terms of revenue. This year, it finished fifth.
Headed by former Trump adviser Carlos Trujillo, Continental Strategy has multiplied its revenue by over 22 times in the first three quarters of 2025 in comparison to the same period in 2024. It reported $18.2 million in revenue in the first nine months of 2025, a staggering jump from the same period last year when it took in about $800,000.
Mercury Public Affairs, where Wiles formerly served as co-chair, reported a total of $19.1 million in revenue in the first three quarters of 2025, over double what it earned in the same period last year.
Top issues
Businesses and foreign governmentsflocked to Trump-connected lobbying firms amid confusion and concern over which imports and countries would be affected by tariffs. As a result, the number of clients who hired lobbyists to address tariff policy more than tripled between the first three quarters of 2024 and 2025, reaching 342. window.addEventListener(“message”,function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[“datawrapper-height”]){var e=document.querySelectorAll(“iframe”);for(var t in a.data[“datawrapper-height”])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data[“datawrapper-height”][t]+”px”;r.style.height=d}}});
Lobbyists have said that the strategies to affect trade policy have changed since the first Trump administration. To have influence, lobbyists need to have close personal relationships with the president and those serving under him.. Brian Ballard attributed the growth of his firm to attracting clients concerned about tariffs.
Along with tariffs, trade lobbying has also seen an increase in clients, with the number of clients in the first nine months of 2025 increasing 40 percent compared to the same period last year, rising to 1,570. Trade was also the fifth most lobbied issue from Q1 to Q3 in 2025.
The miscellaneous health industry, which includes health organizations that aren’t health professionals, health services and HMOs or pharmaceuticals, more than doubled its lobbying spending in the first three quarters of 2025 compared to the same period last year. The Trump administration’s cuts to Medicaid and a potential lapse in funding for the Affordable Care Act have spurred more lobbying activity. In the first nine months of 2025, the industry spent $13.8 million on lobbying. window.addEventListener(“message”,function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[“datawrapper-height”]){var e=document.querySelectorAll(“iframe”);for(var t in a.data[“datawrapper-height”])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data[“datawrapper-height”][t]+”px”;r.style.height=d}}});
The industry’s top spender was Kidney Care Partners, which spent $945,000. The groups the organization represents include dialysis providers and pharmaceutical companies. In 2025, they’ve hired lobbyists to consult on Medicaid and Medicare issues and other health issues.
Lobbying in public education policy has come primarily from “school choice” advocacy groups, followed by organizations focused on strengthening or reforming public schools. The industry spent $902,000 in the first nine months, a 97 percent increase compared to the same period last year.
Invest in Education Policy, a conservative organization that works to advance school choice, was the highest spender in public education policy. The group spent $500,000 to lobby for the Educational Choice for Children Act of 2025 and the One Big Beautiful Bill. The Educational Choice for Children Act was included in Trump’s OBBB package passed earlier this year. It will provide a tax credit to generate money for families’ educational expenses, including private school tuition.
Thank you all for reading! You’re all giving me so much strength to carry on. What a privilege to have you as interlocutors. Unfortunately, I also have bills to pay, especially in the next few weeks, so I must do a bit of self-promo, even though I really hate it.
My work is entirely powered by you, dear readers! If you want to support my goal of making a living from these comics, the best way is to subscribe at www.patreon.com/assignedmale . It can be for any amount, you can get a yearly discount, and you can cancel anytime. If you wish to show your appreciation for the work I’ve been doing lately, you can send me a coffee at www.ko-fi.com/sophielabelle .
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Another great (and free!) way to support my work is to react to this post and leave a comment to make sure that more people see it.
Either way, keep shining, stay hydrated, and watch your posture. Love you all!! Sophie
California became the first state to ban most law enforcement officers, including federal immigration agents, from covering their faces while conducting official business.
Federal agents stand guard while blocking a road leading to an agricultural facility in Camarillo, Calif., where federal agents and immigration officers carried out an operation on July 10.Daniel Cole / Reuters file
LOS ANGELES — The Trump administration filed a lawsuit Monday over California’s new laws banning federal agents from wearing masks and requiring them to have identification while conducting operations in the state.
The federal government has argued the laws threaten the safety of officers who are facing “unprecedented” harassment, doxing, and violence and said it will not comply with them.
California became the first state to ban most law enforcement officers, including federal immigration agents, from covering their faces while conducting official business under a bill that was signed in September by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
The law prohibits neck gaiters, ski masks and other facial coverings for local and federal officers, including immigration enforcement agents, while they conduct official business. It makes exceptions for undercover agents, protective equipment like N95 respirators or tactical gear, and it does not apply to state police.
Newsom also signed legislation requiring law enforcement to wear clear identification showing their agency and badge number while on the job. The laws require federal law enforcement agencies to issue a mask policy by July 1, 2026, and a visible identification policy by Jan. 1, 2026.
“California’s anti-law enforcement policies discriminate against the federal government and are designed to create risk for our agents. These laws cannot stand,” U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a press release.
The lawsuit said there have been multiple incidents where Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers were followed and their families threatened. It cites a case of three women in Los Angeles who are being accused of livestreaming while following an ICE agent home and posting the address on Instagram.
“Given the personal threats and violence that agents face, federal law enforcement agencies allow their officers to choose whether to wear masks to protect their identities and provide an extra layer of security,” the lawsuit said.
Newsom has called the practice of masked federal agents arresting people across the state “dystopian.”
Critics have raised concerns about the increased role of federal agents in local policing and often unidentified agents conducting immigration enforcement activities.
“If the Trump administration cared half as much about public safety as it does about pardoning cop-beaters, violating people’s rights, and detaining U.S. citizens and their kids, our communities would be much safer,” a spokesperson for Newsom’s office said in a statement.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation issued a memo in October to law enforcement agencies across the country advising officers to clearly identify themselves in the field. It cited several incidents where masked criminals posed as immigration officers robbed and kidnapped victims.
The federal government also said in its lawsuit that the laws violate the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution, which prohibits states from regulating the federal government. It said the law banning federal officers from wearing masks discriminates against the federal government because it exempts state police.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office said it was reviewing the complaint.
“It’s problematic when Californians can’t tell the difference between a law enforcement officer who is charged with protecting them and a criminal who is attempting to cause them harm,” Bonta’s office said in a statement. “The FBI itself has warned that the practice of ICE agents obscuring their identity has led to a rise in copycats committing crimes, threatening public safety and eroding trust in law enforcement.”
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