Members phkrause Posted September 29, 2025 Author Members Posted September 29, 2025 The Persistent Push to Depict Luigi Mangione and His Supporters as Terrorists Across the street from the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse, where a crowd of protesters stood behind metal barricades, the chanting began just before 9 a.m. Leading the call and response was a Black man wearing jeans, a basketball jersey, and the signature green hat worn by Luigi, the Nintendo character from the Super Mario Bros. video games. https://theintercept.com/2025/09/25/luigi-mangione-supporters-health-insurance/? What Liberals Get Wrong About Trump’s Executive Order on Antifa Last week, President Donald Trump signed an executive order claiming to designate antifa as a “domestic terror organization.” On Thursday, he issued a directive for his government to pursue antifa. Talk spread of another, imminent order on dismantling left-wing groups. It was the culmination of years of obsessing over antifa. https://theintercept.com/2025/09/27/trump-antifa-terrorism-fascism-activists/? Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted September 29, 2025 Author Members Posted September 29, 2025 Trump to squeeze Bibi today Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at the UN last week. Photo: Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images President Trump's meeting today with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could boil down to a binary choice: Accept my plan for ending the war in Gaza, or risk a public rift with the U.S. and face even worse international isolation, Axios' Marc Caputo and Barak Ravid report. Why it matters: For the first time since he returned to the White House, Trump appears ready to break with Netanyahu on Gaza and pressure him to make peace. Trump told Axios in a phone interview on Sunday that his Gaza plan is in its "final stages" and that Netanyahu is on board. But the Israeli prime minister's public statements have been far more ambiguous. Today's White House meeting includes a lunch and press conference. Trump is hoping to announce a deal after the meeting. Friction point: Trump has never publicly blamed Netanyahu for prolonging the war with Hamas or failing to deliver a deal to free the remaining hostages. But if Netanyahu says no this time, some of Trump's aides think he might turn on the prime minister. Support for Israel and the war in Gaza has sunk to new lows, including at the White House and MAGA world more broadly. "Everyone — and I mean everyone — is exasperated with Bibi," said one administration official familiar with the peace talks. State of play: White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner met Netanyahu in New York for several hours yesterday to try to bridge the remaining differences between the U.S. and Israel over Trump's 21-point peace plan. Both Witkoff and Kushner have "just about had it" with Netanyahu, the Trump adviser claimed: "Steve was handling Israel more, and Jared was with the Arab states. But both are at their wits' end with Israel." Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted September 29, 2025 Author Members Posted September 29, 2025 Trump and Netanyahu say they’ve agreed on a plan to end Gaza war and await Hamas to accept terms WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday they’ve agreed on a plan to end the war in Gaza, but it’s unclear whether Hamas will accept the terms. https://apnews.com/article/trump-netanyahu-israel-hamas-war-gaza-708a08671b8842d7a7a5e250ec51351c? Trump and Netanyahu say they’ve agreed to a plan to end Gaza war and await Hamas to accept terms President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday they’ve agreed to a plan to end the war in Gaza, but it’s unclear whether Hamas will accept the terms. Trump said Israel would have the “full backing” of the United States to take steps to defeat Hamas if it doesn’t accept the proposed 20-point plan.Read more RELATED COVERAGE ➤ WATCH: Mixed reaction in Gaza as Israel's Netanyahu meets Trump to discuss peace plan Airspace violations force NATO to tread a tightrope, deterring Russia without hiking tensions Attack on Dutch-flagged ship off Yemen injures two and prompts crew to abandon vessel Trump and Netanyahu say they’ve agreed on a plan to end the Gaza war. Hamas is now reviewing it WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Monday laid out a 20-point proposal supported by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that would end the war in Gaza and free remaining hostages, leaning heavily into conditions that Hamas has previously rejected. https://apnews.com/article/trump-netanyahu-israel-hamas-war-gaza-708a08671b8842d7a7a5e250ec51351c? Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted September 29, 2025 Author Members Posted September 29, 2025 Trump’s big bill is prompting urgent action in some Democratic states, but not in Republican ones Some Democratic-led states are responding with urgency to Trump's big bill cutting taxes and spending. Republican states are not. The diverging responses highlight the partisan schism over Trump’s signature legislative accomplishment of his second term and raise the question: Are Republican-led states ignoring the financial fallout, or are Democratic-led states overstating the urgency? Read more. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Trump takes his tariff war to the movies announcing 100% levies on foreign-made films Why Trump's AI images of himself capture our attention Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted September 30, 2025 Author Members Posted September 30, 2025 Donald Trump Pushes Racist Conspiracy Theory in String of Late-Night Reposts The president flooded his social media account again. President Donald Trump spent his Sunday night bombarding his Truth Social followers with random conspiracy theory videos. In a flurry of 12 reposts in under 15 minutes, the president promoted several divisive topics, including migration, the racially driven “great replacement theory,” and claims about Islam. Trump, 79, also shared a video that called for the imprisonment of Democrat Adam Schiff. The president’s rapid posting spree began with the federal takeover of Chicago. “Border Patrol will take no nonsense!” Trump wrote, as he began to share a series of videos of troops in downtown Chicago. But things took a sudden turn. As part of his Truth Social binge, Trump also shared a video posted by a MAGA supporter surrounding the great replacement theory. The theory, which has been debunked, dates back to the late 19th century and argues that some Western elites are conspiring to replace white Americans with Asians and Africans in particular. In the video shared by Trump, captioned, “The Great Replacement is no longer conspiracy theory!” the president highlighted a Newsmax segment from April tapping into the MAGA narrative that Democrats allowed migrants to enter the U.S. to vote in the 2024 election. The video claimed that over two million non-citizens were given Social Security numbers. Another video Trump shared on Sunday featured an independent reporter trailing Democratic Senator Adam Schiff, including while he ordered food. “What are you going to do when the deep state can’t protect you anymore,” he asks, before accusing Schiff of treason and calling him a “scumbag.” The video, originally from X, is captioned “Who’s ready to see Adam Schiff in prison?” Schiff had been slamming Trump on his own social media account on Sunday. “Through his corrupt schemes, Donald Trump has made billions in just the last several months alone,” Schiff posted on X. “His personal fortune has ballooned. Sadly, so have the prices you pay for food, medicine, rent and more.” Among his final thread of reposts was an extreme 10-minute Charlie Kirk speech that shows the late right-wing activist claiming that, “immigration without assimilation is an invasion.” Kirk then embarked on a tirade about Islamic immigration and the impact it would have on America’s future. “The women of the West, they get cats, the women of Muslims, they have eight kids,” Kirk, who was assassinated on Sept. 10, said in the video. “The women of the West have abortions, the women of Muslims they have entire communities they can fill. When you import one you get 30 ten years later.” “Immigration without assimilation is an invasion,” Kirk claimed. Trump also posted a video, in which former Oklahoma State Board of Education Superintendent Ryan Walters proudly stated his push for every high school in Oklahoma to have its own Turning Point USA chapter, the Charlie Kirk-founded organization. Walters stood down from his position last week to lead an anti-teachers union group. Trump is no stranger to late-night posting sprees. During his state visit to the U.K., Trump frequently posted content on his social media accounts into the hours. At the time, Attorney General Pam Bondi had noted the president was notorious for operating on minimal sleep. “None of us can keep up with him, we always joke,” Bondi said on The Katie Miller Show. “I don’t know how he does it. I mean, none of us know when he sleeps. He’s working all the time, and it’s just constant for him.” https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump-pushes-racist-conspiracy-theories-in-string-of-late-night-reposts/? Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted September 30, 2025 Author Members Posted September 30, 2025 Trump Flaunts White House Gold in Tone-Deaf Haul Hours After Shooting The president said everyone “freaks out” over the gaudy items. Bling-obsessed Donald Trump has flaunted the gaudy touches he’s added to the White House in a bizarre video showing off his gold haul, but some have called out the timing of his post. The president has treated the White House like his personal design project in his second term, paving over the Rose Garden, remaking the West Wing colonnade, and commissioning a towering new ballroom. Perhaps most notably, however, the 79-year-old former real estate developer has adorned interiors with tacky gold details, trinkets, and other flashy decor. He was eager to boast about his gilded extravagance on Truth Social Sunday. Posting a silent video panning across dozens of glimmering ornaments laid out on a table, Trump wrote, “Some of the highest quality 24 Karat Gold used in the Oval Office and Cabinet Room of the White House.” He bragged, “Foreign Leaders, and everyone else, ‘freak out’ when they see the quality and beauty. Best Oval Office ever, in terms of success and look!!!” However, critics have compared the dazzling display of gold to European royalty and the very excess the United States’ founding fathers aimed to avoid. Others have called out the gilded trimmings, medallions, cherubs, coasters, and moldings for looking tacky and cheap. While he claims everything to be “quality 24 Karat Gold,” Trump previously faced accusations that some of his gold decor can be found at Home Depot for a bargain price. As Trump showed off his haul on Sunday, Americans followed updates on the shooting at a Mormon church in Michigan. A U.S. Marine veteran opened fire at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints chapel and set it ablaze, killing at least four and injuring eight others. Trump posted on Truth Social at around 1 p.m. Sunday that he had been briefed on the “horrendous shooting.” “The suspect is dead, but there is still a lot to learn. This appears to be yet another targeted attack on Christians in the United States of America,” he wrote. “THIS EPIDEMIC OF VIOLENCE IN OUR COUNTRY MUST END, IMMEDIATELY!” Social media users quickly pointed out the timing of Trump’s haul, which went live just after 4:30 p.m., with one asking “HOW is he posting THIS after what happened last night in NC, and today in Michigan?” Another responded to Vice President JD Vance’s post where he said the “entire administration is monitoring things” by slamming, “Monitoring? No Trump is busy bragging about his 24kt gold...” The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment on the president’s video of his gold decor. Trump added even more of his favorite element to the White House last month, securing the FIFA World Cup trophy after begging FIFA President Gianni Infantino to leave it in the Oval Office. While touting his new trophy he didn’t win, he confessed that gold is the way to his heart: “That’s a solid gold trophy. They know how to get to me, you know?” Trump’s taste for gilded spectacles is matched by his appetite for grandeur, as exemplified by the $200 million grand ballroom he has ordered. New renderings for the building show the ballroom—financed in part by corporations such as Google, Palantir, and Lockheed Martin—will be significantly larger than the White House itself and, naturally, feature numerous gold accents. Nearby, the oft-photographed walkway connecting the Executive Residence to the West Wing has been transformed into a colonnade filled with gold-framed images of all of America’s past presidents, except Joe Biden, whom Trump replaced with a photo of an autopen. https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump-brags-about-his-white-house-gold-haul-with-odd-video/? Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted September 30, 2025 Author Members Posted September 30, 2025 Former DACA recipient dies in ICE custody, sparking questions about treatment A 39-year-old former DACA recipient, Ismael Ayala-Uribe, died while in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody at the Victor Valley Global Medical Center in Victorville, prompting scrutiny of conditions at the Adelanto detention center and the federal immigration system. https://local.newsbreak.com/victorville-ca/4261843969765-former-daca-recipient-dies-in-ice-custody-sparking-questions-about-treatment? ps:I wonder how many more have died? And it hasn't been reported????? Trump’s Former White House Lawyer Absolutely Destroys ‘Wholly Unconstitutional, Authoritarian’ Case Against Comey Attorney Ty Cobb, a former member of President Donald Trump’s White House legal team during his first term, said he does not “see any way in the world” that ex-FBI Director James Comey is convicted — before blasting his former boss for going after Comey in the first place. https://www.newsbreak.com/news/4261857343730-trumps-former-white-house-lawyer-absolutely-destroys-wholly-unconstitutional-authoritarian-case-against-comey? Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted September 30, 2025 Author Members Posted September 30, 2025 ? Scramble to shape Trump's peace plan The 20-point "Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict" that President Trump presented yesterday contained significant changes requested by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, infuriating Arab officials involved in the negotiations, sources familiar with the process tell Axios' Barak Ravid. Why it matters: Trump presented the situation as straightforward. He said Israel, the U.S. and its Arab partners were all aligned on a final plan, and Hamas must agree or face annihilation. The behind-the-scenes reality is murkier — and the negotiations could just be beginning. ? Split screen: While Trump and Netanyahu were discussing the plan on camera at the White House, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani was presenting it to Hamas leaders in Doha, a source with knowledge said. The source said Hamas leaders told Al Thani they'll study the proposal in good faith. U.S. officials say they hope to get Hamas' response before the end of the week, though Trump didn't present a firm deadline. ? The intrigue: The deal now before Hamas is significantly different than the one the U.S. and a group of Arab and Muslim countries had previously agreed on. Netanyahu managed to negotiate several edits into the text, in particular on the conditions and timetable for Israel's withdrawal from Gaza, during a marathon meeting on Sunday with White House envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner. Officials from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and Turkey were furious over the changes, the sources said. Witkoff told Fox News that the Trump plan has widespread backing in the Middle East and Europe: "We have a lot of buy-in. Do we have some details to work out? Yes. But you know President Trump ... Everyone is going to be pushed by him." Keep reading. Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted September 30, 2025 Author Members Posted September 30, 2025 An American Friend: The Trump-Appointed Diplomat Accused of Shielding El Salvador’s President From Law Enforcement In August 2020, the president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, went to the U.S. ambassador with an extraordinary request. Salvadoran authorities had intercepted a conversation between a journalist and a U.S. embassy contractor about corruption among high-level aides to the president. https://www.propublica.org/article/ambassador-ronald-johnson-nayib-bukele-trump-el-salvador? Millions Could Lose Housing Aid Under Trump Plan Some 4 million people could lose federal housing assistance under new plans from the Trump administration, according to experts who reviewed drafts of two unpublished rules obtained by ProPublica. The rules would pave the way for a host of restrictions long sought by conservatives, including time limits on living in public housing, work requirements for many people receiving federal housing assistance and the stripping of aid from entire families if one member of the household is in the country illegally. https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-housing-reforms-aid-hud-immigration-homelessness? Arduous and Unequal: The Fight to Get FEMA Housing Assistance After Helene Slogging through a thick slop of mud and rock, Brian Hill passed the roof that Hurricane Helene’s floodwaters had just ripped off someone’s barn and dumped into his yard. Then he peered into the unrecognizable chaos inside what had been his family’s dream home. https://www.propublica.org/article/fema-aid-hurricane-helene-income-disparities? Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted September 30, 2025 Author Members Posted September 30, 2025 US government on brink of first shutdown in almost seven years A partisan standoff over health care and spending is threatening to trigger the first U.S. government shutdown in almost seven years, with Democrats and Republicans in Congress unable to find agreement even as thousands of federal workers stand to be furloughed or permanently laid off. Read more. Why this matters: The government will shut down at 12:01 a.m. EDT Wednesday if the Senate does not pass a House measure that would extend federal funding for seven weeks while lawmakers finish their work on annual spending bills. Senate Democrats say they won’t vote for it unless Republicans include an extension of expiring health care benefits, among other demands, while President Donald Trump and the Republicans are refusing to negotiate at all, arguing that it is a stripped down “clean” bill that should be noncontroversial. Democrats are pushing for an extension to Affordable Care Act tax credits that have boosted health insurance subsidies for millions of people since the COVID-19 pandemic. The credits, which are designed to expand coverage for low- and middle-income people, are set to expire at the end of the year. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ What will happen if there’s a government shutdown at day’s end YouTube to pay $24.5 million to settle lawsuit over Trump’s account suspension after Jan. 6 attack Trump and Hegseth set to meet with hundreds of military leaders as speculation grows A new policy on access at the Pentagon has journalists and the Trump administration at odds Marines say they hit recruiting goals and point to ‘unapologetic’ standards FBI boss Kash Patel gave New Zealand officials 3D-printed guns illegal to possess under local laws Judge suspends Trump administration’s plan to eliminate hundreds of Voice of America jobs Immigration enforcement tactics escalate in Chicago Detainee killed in shooting at Dallas ICE facility identified as 37-year-old man from El Salvador Iowa revokes license of schools superintendent arrested by ICE, saying he is in US illegally Trump administration opens more land for coal mining, offers $625M to boost coal-fired power plants Trump administration brings back some school mental health grants Lawsuit accuses firearms industry group of using gun owners’ personal data to tailor political ads WATCH: North Carolina governor calls for red flag law in wake of coastal bar shootings Louisiana issues a warrant to arrest California doctor accused of mailing abortion pills What Eric Adams’ exit means for the NYC mayor’s race Dar Global to launch a $1 billion project in Saudi Arabia in a deal with Trump Organization FACT FOCUS: Alleged FBI documents do not prove federal agents incited Jan. 6 Capitol attack Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted September 30, 2025 Author Members Posted September 30, 2025 This is Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza The White House has released President Donald Trump’s plan to end the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. The plan stands out from previous ceasefire proposals in that for the first time it tries to outline the key question of how the territory will be ruled after the war. The question now is, will Hamas agree? Read more. What to know: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he supported the plan following a meeting with Trump at the White House on Monday. The proposal would effectively put the territory under international control, deploying an international security force and installing a “Board of Peace” – headed by Trump and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair – to oversee the administration and reconstruction. The proposal states, “Israel will not occupy or annex Gaza,” no one will be forced to leave Gaza, and those who wish to leave will be free to do so and free to return.” If reforms are faithfully carried out, “the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.” RELATED COVERAGE ➤ The Latest: Hamas says it will study Trump’s peace plan before responding Netanyahu apologizes for Israeli strike inside Qatar targeting Hamas leaders Women in Gaza say they were promised food, money or work in exchange for sexual interactions Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted September 30, 2025 Author Members Posted September 30, 2025 What Generals Really Say About Trump and Hegseth Summit: Guru Political analyst David Rothkopf lifts the lid on military leaders’ view of an unusual all-hands meeting on The Daily Beast Podcast. Top military brass aren’t exactly excited about a bizarre “pep rally” with President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, political analyst David Rothkopf revealed on The Daily Beast Podcast. Rothkopf, a foreign policy and national security commentator, predicted that the highly unusual all-hands meeting in Virginia on Tuesday won’t go down well, based on his conversations with several generals, admirals, and other sources close to them. “I can tell you: It is not going down well,” he told Daily Beast Executive Editor Hugh Dougherty. “This is seen as a waste of time, and it offends them at a pretty fundamental level.” Hegseth, who prefers the moniker “Secretary of War,” stirred alarm and controversy last week when he ordered top U.S. military officials all over the globe to convene in Quantico without immediately disclosing a reason. It was later revealed that the mysterious meeting essentially amounts to a photo op where the former Fox News host is expected to deliver a speech on “warrior ethos.” “It’s about getting the horses into the stable and whipping them into shape,” a defense official earlier told CNN. “And the guys with the stars on their shoulders make for a better audience from an optics standpoint. This is a showcase for Hegseth to tell them: Get on board, or potentially have your career shortened.” Rothkopf said the summit is exactly what he would expect from a former Fox News host turned defense secretary. Hegseth served as an infantry officer in the U.S. Army National Guard from 2003 to 2021, with deployments to Guantanamo Bay, Iraq, and Afghanistan, before rising to fame as a co-host of Fox & Friends in 2017. “The guy who is the least qualified secretary of defense in our history, and they’re gonna lecture the career leaders of our military at this particular moment,” Rothkopf said. “We’ve got this guy and he’s flexing like he probably did at a hundred bars over the course of his life, saying, ‘Look at me, I’m a tough soldier.’” The Pentagon did not immediately return a request for comment on Monday. Trump, who has never served in the military and successfully dodged the draft five times, announced over the weekend that he was gatecrashing Hegseth’s rally to send “a good message” to the troops. “It’s really just a very nice meeting talking about how well we’re doing militarily, talking about being in great shape, talking about a lot of good, positive things,” he told NBC News. “You know the expression ‘esprit de corps’? That’s all it’s about.” But Rothkopf said that in military officers’ view, the U.S. is “essentially letting the air out of the tires” by having underqualified officials at the helm of the Defense Department and intelligence agencies. “Getting them all together in a room to listen to this frat boy and this draft dodger lecture them about a ‘warrior ethos’ is, you know, it’s ridiculous,” he said. “So having a pep rally in Virginia led by a couple of nitwits is not what the United States government or the United States military needs right now.” Sought for comment, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly blasted Rothkopf. “This no-name nerd has never served anything except his own checkbook and no one... cares what he has to say about decorated combat Veteran [sic] Secretary Pete Hegseth or warrior ethos,” she said. https://www.thedailybeast.com/what-generals-really-say-about-donald-trump-and-pete-hegseth-summit-david-rothkopf/? Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted September 30, 2025 Author Members Posted September 30, 2025 Eric Trump Wildly Claims Biden Tried to Get His Dad and Melania Divorced Trump’s son says the former president was “at the forefront” of a campaign against the Trump family. Daddy’s boy Eric Trump claimed that the Biden administration tried to incite a divorce between his father and Melania during a wild meltdown on live TV. Eric, who is Donald Trump’s third child with his first wife, Ivana, ranted that the Democrats and justice officials tried to break up his big, happy family. “They tried to get him divorced! They tried to separate our family!” he said. It was a rare public comment about Melania, Trump’s third wife, from anyone in the Trump clan. Eric used an interview on the MAGA-friendly Newsmax network to defend his father’s controversial move to try to end decades of American judicial independence. He attacked the politicians who spoke out against the prosecution of James Comey. The former FBI director was indicted last week after being accused of lying to Congress during sworn testimony in 2020. Eric Trump, 41, insisted that it was he and his father who were the true victims, not Comey. After host Rob Schmitt played a supercut of TV news hosts and Democratic politicians defending Comey, Trump was bristling. He rhymed off a laundry list of examples that showed he was targeted by the Biden administration, saying: “They came after me like I was a dog.” He then pivoted to his father and eventually, after much ranting, made the wild divorce claim. “They tried to impeach my father two times. You know, they went after him for a Russia hoax that did not exist, that was paid for by Hillary Clinton,” he barked, peddling misleading statements often spouted by his father on claims Russia interfered in the 2016 election. “The FBI and the DOJ spied on my father’s campaign. They de-platformed him. They weaponized every attorney general and every district attorney around the country. They indicted him 91 times, 34 times in a bogus trial in New York City,” he continued. He then made the bizarre claim about family meddling, interspersed with a myriad of other issues, some imagined and some with a degree of truth. “They posted his mugshot. He’s the most recognizable person in the world. They posted his mugshot even though they didn’t need to. It totally backfired on him. They gagged him over and over and over! They raided his home! They raided Mar-a-Lago! They tried to get him divorced! They tried to separate our family! They tried to go after our employees! They attacked us. They tried to bankrupt our company. They de-platformed us! They stripped every bank account away from me and the Trump Organization that you can imagine,” he said. Trump concluded, “And Merrick Garland was at the forefront of all of it. And Joe Biden was at the forefront of all of it when they raided our home, when they raided Mar-a-Lago, when they raided Melania’s closet, when they raided 16-year-old Barron’s room.” The outburst comes after Donald and Melania Trump got into a heated exchange aboard Marine One after returning from the United Nations General Assembly. Footage shows the first couple sitting opposite each other on the helicopter as it landed on the White House South Lawn, looking animated as they appear to squabble and point fingers. Author Michael Wolff told the Daily Beast Podcast in May that Trump and Melania are effectively “separated,” and “live separate lives.” “They clearly do not in any way inhabit a marriage as we define marriage,“ Wolff said. The White House, however, has repeatedly labeled Wolff a “lying sack of s--t” and “a fraud.” https://www.thedailybeast.com/eric-trump-wildly-claims-biden-tried-to-get-his-dad-and-melania-divorced/? Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted September 30, 2025 Author Members Posted September 30, 2025 Judge Slams Kari Lake and Blocks Firings in Scathing Ruling The judge fumed that Voice of America leaders provided testimony that was “dripping with indifference” to their legal obligations. A federal judge has blocked Voice of America CEO Kari Lake from firing 500 employees and warned in a blistering decision that her agency’s “disrespect” toward the court merited a trial for civil contempt. Judge Royce Lamberth, a Ronald Reagan appointee, wrote that the only reason he was not initiating contempt proceedings was that the plaintiffs in the case hadn’t asked for them. The court’s decision not to pursue contempt of its own accord “should not be mistaken for lenience toward the defendants’ egregious erstwhile conduct,” he wrote. In March, the congressionally established U.S. Agency for Global Media—overseen by Lake, a former anchor for a Fox affiliate in Arizona—moved to fire about 600 of its 1,040 full-time employees and place another 400 on administrative leave. The move, which was in response to an executive order from President Donald Trump, left just 100 employees to run the agency’s global operations, including its worldwide Voice of America news programming. The employees sued to keep their jobs, and in April, the court issued a preliminary injunction that found the firings arbitrary, capricious, and not in accordance with the law. The ruling instructed USAGM to rehire its employees and contractors, and it also required USAGM to restore Voice of America’s programming in accordance with the agency’s legal mandate to “serve as a consistently reliable and authoritative source of news.” More than a month later, though, Voice of America remained “silent.” Lamberth wrote in his decision. On June 23, the court granted a motion requiring the government to show how it had complied with the original injunction. In the meantime, the agency began running only limited content. At an Aug. 25 hearing, the government’s lawyers said “maybe” there would “eventually” be more firings, but there was “uncertainty” about how many. Hours later, the administration moved to lay off an additional 500 employees and strip them of their protective bargaining rights. Given the timing, it “strains credibility” to think the firings were “uncertain” or a mere “possibility,” as government lawyers repeatedly told the court, wrote Lamberth, who has served with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia since 1987. The revelation came during September depositions with three Voice of America executives, including Lake, that showed the administration never planned to follow the court’s original orders, he concluded. “The court no longer harbors any doubt that defendants lack a plan to comply with the preliminary injunction, and instead have been running out the clock on the fiscal year while remaining in violation of even the most meager reading of USAGM and Voice of America’s statutory obligations,” Lamberth wrote. The Daily Beast has reached out to USAGM for comment. Lee Saunders, president of AFSCME, the union that represents many of the employees involved in the lawsuit, told the Daily Beast in a statement that the ruling was a “major victory” for Voice of America workers and for “those across the globe who depend on” their reporting. “We will continue to fight back against this administration’s attempts to punish Voice of America workers simply for doing their jobs of telling the truth,” Lee said. Federal law requires Voice of America to issue radio broadcasts in specific languages in order to circumvent internet restrictions in countries like China, North Korea, and Russia, but the agency isn’t broadcasting in Mandarin, Russian, or Korean. The law also requires the agency to provide information about developments “in each significant region of the world” and to produce content reflecting “a variety of opinions and voices” from areas plagued by censorship. When it comes to those requirements, “The defendants thumb their noses at Congress’s commands and give responses that are dripping with indifference to their statutory obligations,” Lamberth wrote. Asked whether the continent of Africa, where Voice of America has ceased all operations, counts as a “significant region of the world” for statutory purposes, Lake admitted under questioning that she hadn’t “given it a lot of thought.” She also confessed to not “having an opinion” on the question of which Asian countries lack adequate sources of free information. “These responses are the height of arbitrariness,” Lamberth wrote, noting that the additional firings would “cement” Voice of America’s noncompliance with the law. The lay-offs targeted all of the agency’s radio master control technicians and all but three radio broadcast technicians, even though Voice of America can’t operate without radio engineers. https://www.thedailybeast.com/gop-appointed-judge-slams-kari-lake-and-blocks-firing-attempts-in-scathing-ruling/? Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted September 30, 2025 Author Members Posted September 30, 2025 Trump Trolls Tech Giant Giving Millions to His Monstrous Ballroom YouTube’s settlement sends $22m to the president’s vanity project. Donald Trump gleefully trolled YouTube after it agreed to pay $24.5 million to end a longstanding lawsuit—with most of it earmarked for the president’s monstrous White House ballroom project. On Monday, the Google-owned video giant settled with Trump, whom it had banned from its platform for two years after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riots. Within hours of the announcement of the pay-off, Trump blasted out a Truth Social brag built from a viral tweet. It features an AI-created picture of what appears to be a sad-looking YouTube CEO, Neal Mohan, handing over a giant novelty check to a triumphant Trump outside the White House, as press photographers capture the moment. The caption read, “YouTube SURRENDERS!,” adding, “This MASSIVE victory proves Big Tech censorship has consequences. “Every shadowbanned patriot deserves justice! Trump fought for free speech and WON!” Trump’s post appeared to recycle a graphic shared by the Next News Network X account. The settlement closes one of Trump’s post-Jan. 6 fights with social platforms. Trump’s YouTube account, suspended in 2021 and restored in 2023, remains live. YouTube did not admit wrongdoing and isn’t changing its policy. Under the settlement YouTube will pay $22 million to the Trust for the National Mall, a nonprofit that is raising funds for the ballroom. The remaining $2.5 million will be divided among the co-plaintiffs, including the American Conservative Union and author Naomi Wolf. With the ballroom build in full swing, and a promise that U.S. taxpayers won’t pay a penny, the sizeable settlement has come at an opportune moment for Trump. New renderings revealed this week show a Palladian behemoth—up to roughly 125,000 square feet with Corinthian columns, arched windows, coffered ceilings, and a blizzard of gold accents—dwarfing the executive mansion itself. Trump has said capacity could hit 900 people after “supersizing” plans. Tree clearing on the South Lawn has already kicked off. YouTube’s payout follows earlier deals with Meta and X, which settled Trump’s parallel suits for $25 million and $10 million, respectively. In each case, the platforms avoided admissions of liability as Silicon Valley tech bosses continue to suck up to the president. The Daily Beast has contacted the White House and YouTube for comment. https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump-trolls-tech-giant-youtube-giving-millions-to-his-monstrous-white-house-ballroom/? ps:What a joke this country is becoming!! Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted September 30, 2025 Author Members Posted September 30, 2025 Trump calls for using US cities as a ‘training ground’ for military in unusual speech to generals QUANTICO, Va. (AP) — President Donald Trump on Tuesday proposed using American cities as training grounds for the armed forces and spoke of needing U.S. military might to combat what he called the “invasion from within.” https://apnews.com/article/trump-hegseth-generals-meeting-military-pentagon-0ecdcbb8877e24329cfa0fc1e851ebd2? Editorial: Don’t trust ‘Doctor Trump’ about Tylenol use President Trump is hardly qualified to dispense medical advice — least of all to women who are pregnant. He once touted an antimalarial drug as a cure for COVID-19 and wondered whether injections of bleach might work. https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/09/30/dont-trust-doctor-trump-about-tylenol-use-editorial/? Judge finds the Trump administration unconstitutionally targeted noncitizens over Gaza war protests BOSTON (AP) — The Trump administration violated the Constitution when it targeted non-U.S. citizens for deportation solely for supporting Palestinians and criticizing Israel, a federal judged said Tuesday in a scathing ruling directly and sharply criticizing President Donald Trump and his policies as serious threats to free speech. https://apnews.com/article/marco-rubio-palestinian-demonstrations-universities-24561e3ee9031aad5a83b09925efd674? Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted October 1, 2025 Author Members Posted October 1, 2025 Trump Targets Another Enemy Over Unhinged J6 Conspiracy Theory The president says undercover FBI agents stoked violence at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021—a claim his own administration officials have denied. President Donald Trump suggested the Department of Justice should investigate his own former FBI chief over a conspiracy theory involving the deadly Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021. Over the weekend, the president accused then-FBI Director Chris Wray of planting hundreds of FBI agents in the crowd to stoke violence, a claim so wild that even Trump’s current FBI director, Kash Patel, rejected it during an interview with Fox News. The president nevertheless doubled down on the conspiracy when asked by NBC News whether Pam Bondi’s DOJ should investigate Wray. “I would imagine. I would certainly imagine. I would think they are doing that,” Trump said. Wray, he added, “did a terrible job and we just found out about it.” “I think it’s very inappropriate what he, what he did. And I think a lot of his service was very inappropriate,” he said. “But we haven’t gone beyond that. Don’t forget, we just found out about all of these FBI agents being there.” The comments came just days after Trump’s DOJ indicted Wray’s predecessor, James Comey, who is accused of lying to and obstructing Congress. Trump fired Comey in May 2017 for investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election and replaced him with Wray. The president has insisted that the case against Comey is about “justice” and “not revenge,” despite repeatedly calling for retribution against Comey on social media. In the meantime, the conservative outlet Blaze Media wrote last week that the FBI had embedded 274 plainclothes agents in the mob that stormed the Capitol building in January 2021 in an attempt to overturn Trump’s 2020 election loss. Trump then boosted the claims on Saturday, writing on Truth Social that the FBI had “secretly placed, against all Rules, Regulations, Protocols and Standards, 274 FBI Agents into the Crowd just prior to, and during, the January 6th Hoax.” “This is different from what Director Christopher Wray stated, over and over again!” he added. “That’s right, as it now turns out, FBI Agents were at, and in, the January 6th Protest, probably acting as Agitators and Insurrectionists, but certainly not as ‘Law Enforcement Officials’.” However, a report by the DOJ inspector general’s office found that there weren’t any undercover officers at the Capitol that day. Twenty-six confidential FBI sources did attend, but they weren’t authorized to break into the building. On Saturday evening, Patel clarified that 274 agents had in fact gone to the Capitol, but that they were sent there for crowd control after D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department declared that the gathering had devolved into a riot. That crowd control function “goes against FBI standards,” he told Fox. Trump nevertheless wrote in his Truth Social post that Wray “has some major explaining to do.” “That’s two in a row, Comey and Wray, who got caught LYING, with our Great Country at stake,” he wrote. “WE CAN NEVER LET THIS HAPPEN TO AMERICA AGAIN!” Before securing the indictment against Comey, the president forced out Erik Siebert, who had been Trump’s own pick to lead the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, over Siebert’s refusal to bring charges against Trump’s political enemies. Siebert was replaced by Trump’s former personal attorney, 35-year-old Lindsey Halligan, a former insurance lawyer who doesn’t have any prosecutorial experience. Besides prosecuting Trump’s political foes, she will be responsible for overseeing most of the country’s terrorism and espionage cases, which fall within her office’s jurisdiction because of its proximity to the capital. https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump-targets-another-enemy-over-unhinged-j6-conspiracy-theory/? ps:The crazy thing is most of the so called "my enemies" are all true Republicans, who wouldn't bend over for him!!!!! Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted October 1, 2025 Author Members Posted October 1, 2025 The Cynical Truth About Trump’s Latest Million Dollar Grift: Attorney A former U.S. Pardon Attorney fired by President Trump tells The Daily Beast Podcast why there’s no better time to be a white-collar criminal. Donald Trump’s system for handing out pardons “is the definition of corruption,” according to the U.S. Pardon Attorney he fired in March. Liz Oyer, who served in that role from April 2022 until she refused to recommend the restoration of Trump-supporting actor Mel Gibson’s gun rights, told The Daily Beast Podcast that “it’s a very good time to be a white-collar criminal because of this possibility of getting a pardon” from the president. “There has cropped up a whole pardon economy that extends beyond the president himself to people in his orbit with access to the president” the former public defender told host Joanna Coles, the Chief Creative and Content Officer for the Daily Beast. “It’s been reported that pardon seekers are paying in many cases $1 million or more for high-priced lawyers and lobbyists with connections to Donald Trump to try to get their applications to the front of the line,” she continued. “This is creating really sort of a feeding frenzy around pardons. The pardon process has become a complete financial, transactional process, not something that is rooted in principles of law or justice.” Those who don’t have the means to reach the president are losing out as a result, Oyer explained. “There are, right now, somewhere around 14,000 people who have applied for pardons through the Justice Department, whose applications are being ignored in favor of the wealthy and well-connected, and some of these are individuals who really do have compelling cases for second chances through clemency, but those folks don’t have the ability to jump the line to access the president,” she said. Oyer gave several examples of how Trump “has monetized the pardon power in a way that no president in history ever has” and created a system where “what seems to matter most is political connections, loyalty, and money.” Florida health care executive and tax cheat Paul Walczak, for example, was pardoned three weeks after his mother paid $1 million to attend a Mar-a-Lago dinner. Walczak didn’t have to go to jail or pay back nearly $4.4 million in restitution. Oyer also cited the March pardon of Trevor Milton, the founder of an electric and hydrogen-powered truck startup, who faced charges of defrauding investors. Milton and his wife donated $1.8 million to pro-Trump political action committees before last year’s election. He, too, was spared prison and paying $680 million to shareholders. “Most of the pardon recipients under Donald Trump have been people convicted of large scale white collar fraud crimes... crimes that have involved stealing money from investors, stealing money from taxpayers and the government, frauds on Medicare and Medicaid benefits,” Oyer said. In making these pardon decisions, the administration didn’t seem to have an interest in taking into account Oyer’s input. “Typically the Pardon Attorney has a contact in the Office of the White House Counsel and engages in discussions about pardons through the White House counsel’s office,” Oyer explained. “During this Trump administration, my office was never able to establish that line of communication with the White House.” Regarding her firing, Oyer said that since Gibson had been convicted of a domestic violence misdemeanor, she could not honestly recommend the restoration of his gun rights. “After I left the department, the attorney general went ahead and restored his gun rights anyway, and that’s sort of illustrative of what’s going on in the Justice Department right now,” Oyer continued. “Career experts who are applying their knowledge and expertise neutrally are not valued or even wanted in these discussions if they serve as an obstacle to accomplishing the political objectives of the president.” When approached for comment, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told the Daily Beast: “The only pardon corruption anyone should be talking about is Joe Biden who pardoned and commuted sentences of violent criminals including child killers and mass murderers—and that’s not to mention the proactive pardons he ‘signed’ for his family members like Hunter on his way out the door.” https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-cynical-truth-about-trumps-latest-million-dollar-grift-attorney/? Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted October 1, 2025 Author Members Posted October 1, 2025 The Fatal Flaws in Trump’s Revenge Case Against James Comey Trump’s insistence that the former FBI director be prosecuted is proof that his co-opting of the Department of Justice is now complete. The indictment of former FBI Director James Comey finally gives President Donald Trump a criminal case against one of his perceived enemies. Trump has long blamed Comey for the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. But the price of bringing such an overtly politicized case, with what appears to be extremely weak evidence, will be a steep one for America. Comey is charged with one count of lying to Congress and one count of obstruction of a Congressional proceeding. These two counts make up an indictment so thin on evidence that any responsible prosecutor, myself included, would not have brought it. In fact, that seems to be exactly what has already happened: Erik S. Siebert, the U.S. Attorney who led the investigation into Comey, reportedly concluded there was insufficient evidence to charge him. Career prosecutors also put together a memo outlining the lack of evidence. These conclusions did not sit well with the President of the United States. He fired Siebert for refusing to bring criminal charges. (Siebert apparently also found insufficient evidence to bring charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James, another person on Trump’s s--t list.) In order to fully cleanse the office leadership, Siebert’s top deputy was also demoted and eventually fired. Siebert’s replacement? Trump’s former personal attorney Lindsey Halligan—someone with zero criminal law experience, but who placed third runner-up in the Miss Colorado USA competition in 2009. Halligan’s previous legal chops consist primarily of insurance law; her federal government experience includes working as a White House aide with the assignment to “remove improper ideology” from places like the National Zoo. In her new role, Halligan worked quickly—she had to. To nail Comey, prosecutors were running up against a statute of limitations period due to expire on Sept. 30. But haste makes waste, and the case brought against Comey appears riddled with serious flaws. To start with, Halligan appears to have presented the case herself to a grand jury, and was also the only prosecutor in court to present the indictment to a judge. In both contexts, this is unusual. The U.S. Attorney who is supervising an entire office—in Halligan’s case, one which includes divisions in Alexandria, Richmond, Norfolk and Newport News with over 300 prosecutors, civil litigators and other staff—typically does not have time to personally bring cases to court. The grand jurors convened to hear her case subsequently refused to indict on a third count of making a false statement to Congress. A refusal to indict, otherwise known as a “declination,” is also very rare. In my 11 years as a prosecutor, I saw only one. While this indicates the grand jury was not acting as a rubber stamp, it also calls into question the strength of the charges Halligan presented. Let’s be clear, though: the legal issues go far deeper than Halligan’s shortcomings. The bare-bones indictment appears to rest entirely upon evidence arising from Comey’s 2020 testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee. At that time, Republican Senator Ted Cruz tried to confront Comey over what Cruz characterized as a conflict between his testimony (about whether he had authorized leaks about the FBI’s 2016 investigations involving Hillary Clinton’s emails and Trump) and the testimony of former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe. Specifically, Cruz positioned his summary of McCabe’s words as contradicting Comey’s past assertion that he had never personally leaked information to the media nor authorized such a leak: CRUZ: “Now, what Mr. McCabe is saying and what you testified to this committee cannot both be true. One or the other is false. Who’s telling the truth?” COMEY: “I can only speak to my testimony. I stand by the testimony you summarized that I gave in May of 2017.” But Cruz’s “he said/he said” set-up doesn’t hold up. Comey’s testimony that he did not personally leak, or authorize a leak, appears perfectly consistent with McCabe’s. It was McCabe who leaked, and only told Comey about it afterwards. Reporting now also suggests that the indictment may rest on an alternative set of facts. This scenario involves Comey allegedly lying to Congress about having a close friend leak to the media on his behalf. But it may fare no better since it is not clear at this point whether this friend was employed by the FBI at the time. That matters, because Cruz’s questioning of Comey specifically addressed “someone else at the FBI.” The confusion engendered here is entirely due to the poor crafting of the indictment. And the potentially differing scenarios arising from the same charging document seem likely to confuse jurors hearing the case. But a jury may never hear the case to begin with, because Comey’s defense team will almost certainly seek to dismiss it—arguing that Comey is the victim of selective prosecution and/or that Trump and other White House officials have caused irreparable prejudicial pretrial publicity that renders a fair trial impossible. In normal circumstances, these types of motions rarely win, but this case may be different. A motion for selective prosecution requires proof of intent on the part of the government to have singled out the defendant for reasons such as their political beliefs. Here, though, Trump’s public pressure on Attorney General Pam Bondi to prosecute not only Comey, but a host of his other enemies, makes that showing pretty easy. While it’s often possible to resolve the impact of pretrial publicity by moving a case to a jurisdiction where it’s less well-known, that’s not feasible here—because, really, who won’t be familiar with the president of the United States making loud, prejudicial pronouncements about Comey’s guilt? So Comey, armed with the financial resources and a strong team to fight against weak evidence and a weak prosecutor, may manage to avoid a criminal conviction. Our broader system of justice will not be so fortunate. Trump has now fully brought the Department of Justice under his personal control—and brags about it in ways that no other president would have dared. Even President Richard Nixon, well known for keeping lists of rivals and foes to nobble, knew “that he had to at least make justice look blind when he schemed against his enemies,” explained Columbia University historian and former director of the Nixon Presidential library Timothy Naftali in an interview with The Washington Post. Trump possesses no such concerns, and has managed to remove the critical guardrail that helped constrain Nixon: the integrity and conscience of DOJ leadership. There are, of course, plenty of good line prosecutors with integrity that remain, but it seems clear that the price for showing that integrity is demotion and/or dismissal. The Saturday Night Massacre during Watergate happened when the attorney general and deputy attorney general both resigned rather than follow Nixon’s corrupt orders. That won’t happen here, since Pam Bondi and Todd Blanche were picked precisely because they will do just the opposite. https://www.thedailybeast.com/all-the-fatal-flaws-in-donald-trumps-revenge-case-against-james-comey/? Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted October 1, 2025 Author Members Posted October 1, 2025 Trump Launches Frantic Tariff Spree on Everything From IKEA to Movies The president announces a blitz of new tariffs on social media. President Donald Trump announced he is slapping new tariffs that could hit Hollywood and anyone looking to redecorate with furniture made abroad. Trump, 79, has been posting a series of new tariffs on specific industries over the past few days. On Monday, he announced that he wanted to slap 100 percent tariffs on any movies made outside the U.S., as if to save Hollywood. But he did not get into when the new tariffs would kick in or how they would be imposed. “Our movie making business has been stolen from the United States of America, by other Countries, just like stealing ‘candy from a baby,’” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Therefore, in order to solve this long time, never ending problem, I will be imposing a 100% Tariff on any and all movies that are made outside of the United States,” he added. The president first threatened to impose tariffs on foreign-made movies in May, as it has become less costly to make and cut films elsewhere. On Monday, the president claimed California has been particularly hit hard and took aim at Governor Gavin Newsom as incompetent. It comes as the state has passed a series of its own incentives to bring back and retain the movie industry. Newsom fired back at Trump on Monday that the president was going make seeing movies more expensive. “You’re already paying more for eggs, coffee, toys, shoes, electricity, furniture, cars, and flights,” Newsom posted on X. “Now, Trump wants to raise taxes to see the movies. PAY MORE AND ENJOY NOTHING. That’s Donald Trump’s America.” The president also took aim at any furniture from outside of the U.S. in a separate post, but said more details would follow. “In order to make North Carolina, which has completely lost its furniture business to China, and other Countries, GREAT again, I will be imposing substantial Tariffs on any Country that does not make its furniture in the United States,” he wrote. Since taking office, Trump has imposed a series of tariffs on countries around the globe as he looks to negotiate new deals and reset trade worldwide. While he has backed off from some of his heftier tariffs and delayed others in the hopes of reaching agreements, a number of tariffs have gone into effect. Last week, Trump announced a series of other targeted tariffs that are set to take effect on Wednesday. He announced on social media he would impose a 25 percent tariff on all “Heavy (Big!) Trucks” not made in the U.S. He also announced a 50 percent tariff on all kitchen cabinets, bathroom vanities and other associated products as well as a 30 percent tariff on upholstered furniture made outside the U.S. He called it a matter of national security. “The reason for this is the large scale ‘FLOODING’ of these products into the United States by other outside Countries. It is a very unfair practice, but we must protect, for National Security and other reasons, our Manufacturing process,” he claimed. The president also said the U.S. would impose 100 percent tariffs on any branded or patented pharmaceutical products starting October 1, unless the company is building a plant in the U.S. and construction is already underway. Numerous economists have warned that Trump’s tariffs could show up in the costs for American consumers, but results have been mixed so far with some companies swallowing the increased costs and Americans’ spending remains strong. Inflation ticked up slightly to 2.7 percent year-over-year from 2.6 percent from the year before in July, according to the Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index released on Friday. Not including volatile food and energy costs, prices were up 2.9 percent from a year ago. https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-launches-frantic-tariff-spree-on-everything-from-ikea-to-movies/? Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted October 1, 2025 Author Members Posted October 1, 2025 A Disturbing Diatribe View in browser Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s convocation of hundreds of generals and admirals today turned out to be, in the main, a nothingburger. Hegseth strutted and paced and lectured and hectored, warning the officers that he was tired of seeing fat people in the halls of the Pentagon and promising to take the men who have medical or religious exemptions from shaving—read: mostly Black men—and kick them out of the military. He assured them that the “woke” Department of Defense was now a robust and manly Department of War, and that they would no longer have to worry about people “smearing” them as “toxic” leaders. (Hegseth went on a tirade about the word toxic itself, noting that if a commitment to high standards made him “toxic,” then “so be it.”) All in all, an utterly embarrassing address. But that wasn’t the worst of it. The assembled military leaders likely already knew that Hegseth is unqualified for his job, and they could mostly tune out the sloganeering that Hegseth, a former TV host, was probably aiming more at Fox News and the White House than at the military itself. What they could not ignore, however, was the spectacle that President Donald Trump put on when he spoke after Hegseth. The president talked at length, and his comments should have confirmed to even the most sympathetic observer that he is, as the kids say, not okay. Several of Hegseth’s people said in advance of the senior-officer conclave that its goal was to energize America’s top military leaders and get them to focus on Hegseth’s vision for a new Department of War. But the generals and admirals should be forgiven if they walked out of the auditorium and wondered: What on earth is wrong with the commander in chief? Trump seemed quieter and more confused than usual; he is not accustomed to audiences who do not clap and react to obvious applause lines. “I’ve never walked into a room so silent before,” he said at the outset. (Hegseth had the same awkward problem earlier, waiting for laughs and applause that never came.) The president announced his participation only days ago, and he certainly seemed unprepared. Trump started rambling right out of the gate. But first, he channeled his inner Jeb Bush, asking the officers to clap—but, you know, only if they felt like it. Just have a good time. And if you want to applaud, you applaud. And if you want to do anything you want, you can do anything you want. And if you don’t like what I’m saying, you can leave the room. Of course, there goes your rank; there goes your future. Laughs rippled through the room. Trump then wandered around, lost in the halls of history. He talked about how the Department of War was renamed in the 1950s. (It happened in the late 1940s.) At one point, he mentioned that the Atomic Energy Commission had confirmed that his strike on Iran had destroyed Tehran’s nuclear program. (Iran still has a nuclear program, and the AEC hasn’t existed since the mid-’70s.) He whined about the “Gulf of America” and how he beat the Associated Press in court on the issue. (The case is still ongoing.) The Israeli-Palestinian conflict? “I said”—he did not identify to whom—“‘How long have you been fighting?’ ‘Three thousand years, sir.’ That’s a long time. But we got it, I think, settled.” He added later: “War is very strange.” Indeed. And so it went, as Trump recycled old rally speeches, full of his usual grievances, lies, and misrepresentations; his obsessions with former Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama; and his sour disappointment in the Nobel Prize committee. (“They’ll give it to some guy that didn’t do a damn thing,” he said.) He congratulated himself on tariffs, noting that the money could buy a lot of battleships, “to use an old term.” And come to think of it, he said, maybe America should build battleships again, from steel, not that papier-mâché and aluminum stuff the Navy is apparently using now: “Aluminum that melts if it looks at a missile coming at it. It starts melting as the missile is about two miles away.” Ohhhkayyyy. Even if these officers had never attended a MAGA event or even seen one, they were now in the middle of a typical, unhinged Trump diatribe. The president had a speech waiting for him on the teleprompter, and now and then Trump would hunch his shoulders and apparently pick off a stray word or phrase from it, like a distracted hunter firing random buckshot from a duck blind. But Trump has always had difficulty wrestling Stephen Miller’s labored neoclassical references and clunky, faux Churchillisms off a screen and into his mouth. Mostly, the president decided to just riff on his greatest hits to the stone-faced assembly. As comical as many of Trump’s comments were, the president’s nakedly partisan appeal to U.S. military officers was a violation of every standard of American civil-military relations, and exactly what George Washington feared could happen with an unscrupulous commander in chief. The most ominous part of his speech came when he told the military officers that they would be part of the solution to domestic threats, fighting the “enemy from within.” He added, almost as a kind of trollish afterthought, that he’d told Hegseth, “We should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military—National Guard, but military—because we’re going into Chicago very soon. That’s a big city with an incompetent governor. Stupid governor.” This farrago of fantasy, menace, and autocratic peacocking is the kind of thing that the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan evocatively called “boob bait for the Bubbas” and that George Orwell might have called “prolefeed.” It’s one thing to serve it up to an adoring MAGA crowd: They know that most of it is nonsense and only some of it is real. They find it entertaining, and they can take or leave as much of Trump’s rhetorical junk-food buffet as they would like. It is another thing entirely to aim this kind of sludge at military officers, who are trained and acculturated to treat every word from the president with respect, and to regard his thoughts as policy. But American officers have never had to contend with a president like Trump. Plenty of presidents behaved badly and suffered mental and emotional setbacks: John F. Kennedy cavorted with secretaries in the White House pool, Lyndon Johnson unleashed foul-mouthed tirades on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Richard Nixon fell into depression and paranoia, Ronald Reagan and Joe Biden wrestled with the indignities of age. But the officer corps knew that presidents were basically normal men surrounded by other normal men and women, and that the American constitutional system would insulate the military from any mad orders that might emerge from the Oval Office. Likewise, in Trump’s first term, the president was surrounded by people who ensured that some of his nuttiest—and most dangerous—ideas were derailed before they could reach the military. Today, senior U.S. officers have to wonder who will shield them from the impulses of the person they just saw onstage. What are officers to make of Trump’s accusation that other nations, only a year ago, supposedly called America “a dead country”? (After all, these men and women were leading troops last year.) How are they supposed to react when Trump slips the surly bonds of truth, insults their former commanders in chief, and talks about his close relationship with the Kremlin? In 1973, an Air Force nuclear-missile officer named Harold Hering asked a simple question during a training session: “How can I know that an order I receive to launch my missiles came from a sane president?” The question cost him his career. Military members are trained to execute orders, not question them. But today, both the man who can order the use of nuclear arms and the man who would likely verify such an order gave disgraceful and unnerving performances in Quantico. How many officers left the room asking themselves Major Hering’s question? Related: Pete Hegseth’s Department of Cringe The administration wants military women to know their place. Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted October 1, 2025 Author Members Posted October 1, 2025 Trump admin looks at deep cuts to homeless housing program The Trump administration is expected to dramatically cut funding for a permanent housing program — a move that could potentially reexpose tens of thousands of people to homelessness. https://www.newsbreak.com/news/4264002765871-trump-admin-looks-at-deep-cuts-to-homeless-housing-program? Trump-Pfizer Deal Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer committed yesterday to lowering US drug prices and investing $70B in domestic manufacturing. Several of its medications will be sold at an average 50% discount on a forthcoming federal website, dubbed TrumpRX. The announcements follow the Trump administration’s Sept. 29 deadline for drugmakers to peg US prices to the lowest price across developed countries. In a May executive order, President Donald Trump accused drugmakers of leveraging US research funds and then upcharging Americans to subsidize lower prices abroad. US drug prices in 2022 were nearly three times higher than those in peer nations, according to a 2024 report. Pfizer’s $70B pledge also exempts it from 100% tariffs on branded drugs, which took effect today for companies not building US facilities. Trump said his administration is negotiating deals similar to Pfizer's with other drugmakers and threatened action against those that fail to lower domestic prices. Some industry experts caution that Trump's approach could stifle innovation and raise prices globally. Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted October 1, 2025 Author Members Posted October 1, 2025 Trump Delivers Bonkers N-Word Ramble to Military Chiefs The president darted through a series of random topics in a rant before U.S. generals. President Donald Trump delivered what was a largely rambling and incoherent address before senior military leaders on Tuesday, where he bragged about ending wars, ranted about the Nobel Peace Prize, and even mentioned the “N-words.”Trump, 79, traveled to Quantico, Virginia, where Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had called hundreds of general and flag officers in an unprecedented move to give a speech about the “warrior ethos” and ending wokeness. The president’s remarks sounded more like a low-energy campaign speech full of grievances and his usual musings than one to top military brass. At one point during his speech, Trump brought up rebuilding the U.S. nuclear arsenal when he went off on a tangent about sending a nuclear submarine to the coast of Russia in response to a threat. The president told top generals he could not say if he sent one or two submarines, as if they were not aware of the top secret military activity, and that he called nuclear the “N-word.” “There are two N words, and you can’t use either of them,” Trump said as if thinking aloud to himself. The president often appeared exhausted and changed subjects mid-sentence as he stood in front of a massive American flag. At another point, the president brought up his claim that he ended seven wars and suggested he may have solved the biggest of them all with Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. He said if Hamas did not agree to the plan announced on Monday, it would be very tough on them. He said if it were solved, he would give himself credit for solving “eight plus” wars and suggested he would give himself credit for solving “two or three” wars for the one in Gaza. He noted many of the top generals had been to the Middle East, which he called a big part of the earth. At another point in his address, the president praised himself for being the 45th, 46th, and 47th president. Trump told top generals he did not want the credit for 46, which was when President Joe Biden had won the 2020 election, but Trump said, “I like having it,” as he repeatedly denies he ever lost. Trump also argued that he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize again. He talked about how if he solved Russia’s war in Ukraine, he would have ended eight wars in eight months, noting, “That’s pretty good.” Then he questioned, “Will you get the Nobel Prize?” as if he were speaking to himself. “Absolutely not,” he added. He said it would be a big insult to the country. The president also complained about wanting “big, beautiful, firm paper” for signing military commissions and professed his love for its “real gold writing” at the top while signing commissions. Trump discussed how, when military officials work their whole life to become a general or admiral, the president signs their commissions, and he gets to do that. “Actually, I love my signature, I really do,” Trump declared. The president then questioned the use of an autopen to sign commissions before circling back to more attacks on Biden, who he often criticizes for having used an autopen. Overall, it was a tough audience for the president, who often feeds off energy from his many supporters. The military’s top brass was standing at attention when the president entered and thus did not applaud. “I’ve never walked into a room so silent before,” Trump noted at the start and encouraged them, “If you want to applaud, you applaud.” The president did receive a few laughs from the crowd at times, but his comment that they have to “loosen these guys up a little bit” did not do much to change the formal reception. While much of the president’s speech was jumbled and darted from subject to subject, he did offer a few moments of clarity. He told the group, who he described as “central casting,” that there was no greater honor than serving as their commander in chief. He also said his message was “very simple,” that he was with them and has their backs 100 percent. The president declared they were going to make the military tougher, faster, and more powerful than ever before. But Trump’s direct on-script message was very short-lived. He spoke about how popular it was that he had changed the name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War and noted that a couple of “fake news outlets” did not follow his plan to rename the Gulf of Mexico. He attacked the Associated Press for its stance and was quick to describe the judge in the lawsuit as “liberal.” Trump said on renaming the Defense Department that they “really want no wars,” but sometimes “you have to do it.” At another point, the president briefly mentioned that U.S. cities are a “big part” of war now, but quickly moved on. Later, the president declared before the military leaders that the U.S. was being invaded from within as he has leaned into using military force on U.S. soil. “Only in recent decades did politicians somehow come to believe that our job was to police the far reaches of Kenya and Somalia while America is under invasion from within,” Trump said. “No different than a foreign enemy, but more difficult in many ways because they don’t wear uniforms. At least when they’re wearing a uniform, you can take them out.” Trump also made a head-turning remark about training. “I told Pete we should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military, National Guard, but military because we’re going into Chicago very soon,” Trump said. Trump started to praise the U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities carried out by the military, but he quickly veered into repeating his attacks on CNN and its “scammer reporter” for its coverage of the strikes. He claimed that CNN had “turned off the cameras” amid his criticisms, like the president used to claim they did when he spoke at campaign rallies. With no transition, Trump suddenly declared the U.S. needed to “start thinking about battleships,” which got a laugh from some in the room. Trump, who never served, went on to describe how he used to watch the black and white documentary series Victory at Sea about World War II. “I love Victory at Sea,” Trump declared. https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-delivers-bonkers-n-word-ramble-to-military-chiefs/? Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted October 1, 2025 Author Members Posted October 1, 2025 Pentagon Pete Melts Down at Generals in Deranged Trumpy Rant The Secretary of War announced an overhaul of the military. Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth has summoned top military leaders from across the globe to give a speech in which he raged about fat generals, men with beards, and “dudes in dresses.” In an unprecedented address on Tuesday to outline an overhaul of the military, the former Fox News host also lamented people who complained about toxic leadership, telling the room: “If that makes me toxic, then so be it.” Declaring that words like “bullying” and “hazing” had been “weaponized,” Hegseth announced a full review of the department’s definitions of those terms. Complaint mechanisms would also be reformed, he said, along with the military’s equal opportunity policies. “We are liberating you,” said Hegseth, who controversially got his job despite a number of past sexual assault allegations against him. “No more anonymous complaints, no more repeat complaints, no more smearing reputations, no more endless waiting, no more legal limbo, more sidetracking careers, no more walking on eggshells.” The highly unusual gathering at the Marine Corps base in Quantico, near Washington, was called last week, fueling intense speculation about the significance of gathering such a large number of generals and admirals in one place. Some are stationed in conflict zones, including the Middle East, Europe, or the Indo-Pacific, leaving their posts without their top officers. Speaking over the weekend, Trump had branded the speech as a chance to tell the generals “we love them.” But over 45 minutes, a very animated Hegseth railed against what he called “stupid rules of engagement” in the military, cited Jesus, talked up “the warrior ethos”, and repeated a litany of talking points. “No DEI officers, or dudes in dresses,” he said. “No more climate change worship, no more division, distraction or gender delusions.” Unveiling a 10-point plan to refocus the military, he also banned “beardos”—men with beards—from the military and demanded daily workouts and twice-a-year physical fitness tests. Fitness standards would also be returned to male standards, he added, insisting that he was opposed to women serving. “Frankly, it’s tiring to look out at combat formations, or really any formation, and see fat troops,” he said. “Likewise, it’s completely unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon and leading commands around the country, in the world, it’s a bad look. It is bad, and it’s not who we are.” Hegseth also explained his decision to fire more than a dozen military leaders, many of whom were highly qualified women or people of color, such as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Charles Q Brown Jr, and the first woman to command the Navy, Admiral Lisa Franchetti. “The rationale for me has been straightforward—it’s nearly impossible for me to change a culture from the same people who helped create or even benefited from that culture,” he said. And he announced that basic training would be restored “to what it should be—scary, tough and disciplined.” As such, drill sergeants would have the right to “put their hands on recruits” as long as they weren’t too reckless or broke the law, he said. “Train like your warriors’ lives depend on it, because they do,” said Hegseth, whose military career peaked at the rank of major in the army National Guard. Hegseth’s speech was met with a relatively muted response from the military brass. Trump took the stage after him, noting that: “I’ve never walked into a room so silent before.” The president, who famously avoided the military draft multiple time, then gave a far more subdued address, talking about everything from Joe Biden’s autopen, his love of the word “tariffs”, and the threat of nuclear weapons. “I call it the N word. There are two N words and you can’t use either of them,” Trump said to an awkwardly silent audience. https://www.thedailybeast.com/pentagon-pete-melts-down-at-generals-in-deranged-trumpy-rant/? Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted October 1, 2025 Author Members Posted October 1, 2025 Trump’s Claim Dems Want Healthcare for Migrants Exposed as Fake A New York Times fact-check says the president’s shutdown spin is bogus. Donald Trump’s claim that Democrats want undocumented immigrants to get “free health care” has been exposed as false. The questionable talking point originated with Vice President JD Vance—who said Dems were holding government funding “hostage” for immigrant health benefits—and was repeated by the official X account of Senate Republicans and Speaker Mike Johnson. However, the claim is downright bogus, according to a fact-check by The New York Times. Ahead of Tuesday night’s looming government closure, the line was amplified by Trump, who told Politico, “We don’t want to give illegal aliens the health care of Americans. “[Democrats] want to destroy health care in America by giving it to millions and millions of illegal aliens. And there’s not money for that. Nobody has money for that.” In reality, federal law bars unauthorized immigrants from buying Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace plans or receiving ACA subsidies. They’re also ineligible for Medicaid, Medicare, and CHIP. None of that changes under Democrats’ funding proposal, which aims to extend ACA subsidies for Americans and roll back Medicaid cuts in the GOP’s July law, reports the outlet. It noted Republicans narrowed who counts as “lawfully present” for marketplace subsidies in that July law, and Democrats want to undo that. The Congressional Budget Office estimated in August that around 1.2 million people would lose subsidies and coverage under the GOP restriction, but CBO did not label those people “illegal.” There’s a narrow carve-out of limited federal reimbursements to hospitals for emergency care regardless of migration status—but this is a far cry from comprehensive, subsidized coverage, per The Times. And, according to the independent health policy organization KFF, that has been the case for years. Democratic Sen. Patty Murray, who sits on the Appropriations Committee, told The NYT, “Undocumented immigrants are not eligible to enroll in federally funded health coverage under existing law or Democrats’ funding proposal.” Murray added, “Millions of American citizens will see their health care premiums double next year if Republicans keep refusing to act.” The partisan argument comes as the shutdown edges ever closer. If funding lapses, non-essential federal services will pause, and many essential workers must keep working without pay. The White House has told agencies to draw up layoff plans if a shutdown hits. The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment. https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trumps-fake-claim-over-dems-and-migrant-healthcare/? Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
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