Political news and stuff I want to share. 8-13-2026

Inbox: LGBTQ org @EqualityFlorida is condemning an attack text linking to a 2020 report about CD 24 candidate @ShevrinJones being turned away from a blood drive due to his sexuality.

Equality, which endorsed Jones, says it didn't pay for the text, which the text says it did. pic.twitter.com/6fd6bpPhYm
— Jesse Scheckner (@JesseScheckner) August 11, 2026

Since you’re too afraid to debate me, how about you “hold me accountable” on a football field instead. Tackle, no pads like we used to play when we were kids. I’d be happy to show you much I love football. https://t.co/6oQ6sunxZn
— Dr. Abdul El-Sayed (@AbdulElSayed) August 12, 2026

TOWN HALL CALLER: Hi Paxton, nice to meet you. I'm just wondering — why did you cheat on you wife?

KEN PAXTON: Um. I'm not going to talk about personal issues that relate to my family, just like I don't think you would want to discuss your marriage on a call with thousands of… pic.twitter.com/9en7qlSdVM
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 11, 2026

Every parent wants to keep their children safe, and vaccines are among the most powerful tools for doing that, making deadly diseases preventable. @WHO is concerned that recent changes to US immunization policy are not aligned with decades of evidence that show when children… pic.twitter.com/vCfgJFrFGK
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) August 12, 2026

NEW: Fetterman pledges not to campaign against Republican Dave McCormick

“I would never, ever move against my friend,” Fetterman told me in an interview.

It’s not clear whether Fetterman will still be in politics in 2030, when McCormick’s seat opens up, but his promise is super…
— David Sivak (@DISivak) August 11, 2026

Authoritarianism isn’t down the street or around the corner — it's here right now.

The For Our Republic Act lays out a clear roadmap of the actions Congress can take to fight back against Trump’s authoritarian takeover and save our republic!https://t.co/3QKQvPhRwa
— Senator Jeff Merkley (@SenJeffMerkley) August 5, 2026

Jon Ossoff's Georgia Senate opponent, Mike Collins, when asked if he supports the $1.8B slush fund for January 6th rioters:

"That’s easy. Yes.” pic.twitter.com/N9QD2DkRUo
— Headquarters (@HQNewsNow) August 11, 2026

That’s Dominic Box who proudly says he’d do it again.

He lies about what he did that led to his charges, especially after he illegally entered the capitol he actively tried to get more people in.

Like most Jan 6’ers he wouldn’t listen to his attorneys (they all thought they… pic.twitter.com/VlzsxorGlq
— 🪴Laurie (@Laurieluvsmolly) August 11, 2026

Donald Trump and Mike Collins want to pay your tax dollars to violent thugs who ransacked the Capitol to undermine our elections and attacked police officers on January 6th. Georgians will vote accordingly. https://t.co/rnkRI1vU5s
— Jon Ossoff (@ossoff) August 12, 2026

I helped pass this law in 2020. It's purpose is to prevent drug traffickers, Russian & Chinese kleptocrats, and other international criminals from setting up anonymously owned companies to hide their money in the US. Trump's Treasury Dept. is doing this to help criminals. 1/ https://t.co/k7zRPDlwoH
— Tom Malinowski (@Malinowski) August 12, 2026

"Beneficial ownership information" is just a record of who actually owns a company. That's all that was being reported here, so that we didn't have LLCs in Delaware laundering millions of dollars through the US and into offshore banks on behalf of totally anonymous people. 2/
— Tom Malinowski (@Malinowski) August 12, 2026

Treasury deleting the beneficial ownership info it already gathered is utterly crazy. This database was not public — it was just for law enforcement to use in investigating crimes. It's like Trump ordering the deletion of the FBI's fingerprint database. 3/
— Tom Malinowski (@Malinowski) August 12, 2026

Why is the Trump administration doing this? I don't know. But it's certainly good news for rich Russians who want to buy his condos, or Gulf royals buying his fake crypto. The true identities of people he's done business with, if registered with Treasury, will now be deleted. 4/
— Tom Malinowski (@Malinowski) August 12, 2026

Last but not least, this is totally illegal!

Congress passed a law — with strong Republican support BTW — saying Treasury had to collect and keep beneficial ownership info. The Trump administration cannot say "we're just not going to do it." 5/
— Tom Malinowski (@Malinowski) August 12, 2026

This will find its way to court. It will be struck down.

But the deletion of data currently available to law enforcement may be irreversible.

It's one of the most lawless and corrupt things this administration has done, and that's saying a lot.
— Tom Malinowski (@Malinowski) August 12, 2026

Illegal voter suppression and an attempt to rig the 2026 midterm election

https://www.tumblr.com/saywhat-politics/820172074894163968/trump-trampled-voter-privacy-by-feeding-info

‘Brink of constitutional crisis’: DOJ declines to end $1.8B ‘anti-weaponization’ fund in writing

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.”

Trump Is Keeping Money From Venezuelan Oil Sale in Offshore Account

Why does the the president need a slush fund in a country run by an autocracy that has already bribed him one. And where in hell did he sell the oil to? Hope fully the article will explain this. Hugs

“There is no basis in law for a president to set up an offshore account that he controls so that he can sell assets seized by the American military,” Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren told Semafor. “That is precisely a move that a corrupt politician would be attracted to.”

https://newrepublic.com/post/205327/trump-money-venezuelan-oil-sale-account

This is completely unprecedented.

ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP/Getty Images

Donald Trump greets Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani during a meeting aboard Air Force One in Doha on October 25, 2025.

President Trump is keeping proceeds from the first sale of Venezuelan oil in an offshore bank account based in Qatar, according to reporting from Semafor. The sale was worth $500 million.

This unprecedented move is yet another middle finger to Venezuelan sovereignty and once again raises questions about the president’s cozy relationship with the Qatari government.

“There is no basis in law for a president to set up an offshore account that he controls so that he can sell assets seized by the American military,” Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren told Semafor. “That is precisely a move that a corrupt politician would be attracted to.”

That seems to be exactly what Trump is doing. Trump has vowed to “indefinitely” control Venezuela’s oil, claiming the proceeds will be given back to the U.S. and Venezuela.

Still, it remains unclear just how that money held in Qatar will benefit the Venezuelan people the administration claims to care about.

tRump openly grifting and stealing money clips from NS now. You can tell from the video headlines which grift / money steal is which

Of course tRump gets to control the money himself and he claims he will control all of Gaza with the goal of creating a beachfront resort and hotel complex with no input from the Palestinian people nor any mention of where they will live. It is a total money making gambit with no humanitarian aid allowed for the Palestinians at all. No food, no healthcare, nothing. It is like they simply will not be there one way or the other. Hugs

What is the US treasury not secure enough? Who is getting the money? Who bought the oil. As the report says this is all to side step the legalities that would or could arise if the money was held under the US legal system in the US. Which leads to questions. Again who is getting the money and why? Is this going to tRump and family while the US taxpayer gets the bill for securing the ill gotten gains? Is it so creditors can’t collect their legally due money again so tRump and family get to keep it. See my issue with all this? The US is being led by a mob boss wannabe gangster. Hugs

I put this one here with because tRump needs to be a total authoritarian strong man dictator to be able to grift and steal as much money as possible both from the US treasury along with other sources. Hugs

Jack Smith calls for House committee to release full videotape of his deposition

Jack Smith calls for House committee to release full videotape of his deposition

by Ashleigh Fields – 12/24/25 11:35 AM ET

Former special counsel Jack Smith wants the recording of his full deposition to a House panel released.

His attorneys sent a letter Dec. 18 to House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) requesting that his closed-door deposition be made public.

“Mr. Smith respectfully requests the prompt public release of the full videotape of his deposition. Doing so will ensure that the American people can hear the facts directly from Mr. Smith, rather than through second-hand accounts,” wrote Lanny A. Breuer and Peter Koski, Smith’s lawyers.

“We also reiterate our request for an open and public hearing. During the investigation of President Trump, Mr. Smith steadfastly followed Justice Department policies, observed all legal requirements, and took actions based on the facts and the law. He stands by his decisions,” they added.

In the deposition, Smith defended his decision to bring charges against then-former President Trump for attempting to overturn the 2020 election.

“Our investigation developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and to prevent the lawful transfer of power,” Smith said in prepared opening remarks, portions of which were obtained by The Hill.

“Our investigation also developed powerful evidence that showed President Trump willfully retained highly classified documents after he left office in January 2021, storing them at his social club, including in a bathroom and a ballroom where events and gatherings took place.

“He then repeatedly tried to obstruct justice to conceal his continued retention of those documents,” he added.

Smith said he’d do it all again if presented with the same facts during his testimony, which lasted more than nine hours.

Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) advocated for the release in a post Wednesday on social platform X.

“I was there. There is no reason not to release the video and transcript,” he said in reply to a CBS News reporter’s post about the letter. “If @Jim_Jordan refused Jack Smith’s request for a public hearing — like every other Special Counsel — because he allegedly wanted to avoid the 5-minute rule, he got that.”

Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.) told The Hill on the day of Smith’s testimony that he wouldn’t oppose public testimony.

“I do think that we’re dealing with unprecedented events here, so it’s entirely appropriate. And I think people on both sides, maybe for different reasons, think that what happened here bears scrutiny,” Kiley said.

Jordan said last week he had not ruled out public testimony.