mark
Common Dreams
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[l] at 1/15/26 4:11pm
Today, President Donald Trump unveiled a healthcare plan which his administration claims will lower drug costs and insurance premiums.Public Citizen Health Care Policy Advocate Eagan Kemp issued the following statement:"Trump's Great Healthcare Plan is impressive only in the fact that it isn't great, wouldn't substantively improve healthcare, and isn't even detailed enough to be considered a plan.“Trump and his cronies have had more than a decade to come up with something beyond 'concepts of a plan' but have failed time and time again. The American people are suffering under a broken health care system that has been made worse by Trump and his MAGA allies. “By passing tax cuts for billionaires and paying for them through health care cuts for tens of millions of people, Trump and Republicans showed their disdain for everyday Americans. In the short run, the Senate must follow the lead of the House and pass a clean three-year extension of the ACA subsidies. “In the longer term, we must finally pass Medicare for All, an actually great healthcare plan, to finally guarantee everyone in the U.S. can get the care they need throughout their lives without financial barriers."
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[l] at 1/15/26 1:22pm
The American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Minnesota, Covington & Burling LLP, Greene Espel PLLP, and Robins Kaplan LLP filed a class-action lawsuit today against the Trump administration on behalf of three community members — and a class of similarly situated people — whose constitutional rights were violated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection(CBP), and other federal agents.Over the past six weeks, the Trump administration has increased its deployment of federal forces by the thousands. Masked federal agents in military gear have ignored basic human rights in their enforcement activity against Minnesotans, especially targeting Somali and Latino communities.The Trump administration has been clear in its targeting of the Somali and Latino communities through Operation Metro Surge. President Trump called people from Somalia “garbage,” said “we don’t want them in our country,” and told them to “go back to where they came from.” Following Trump's comments, ICE and CBP agents have indiscriminately arrested — without warrants or probable cause — Minnesotans solely because the agents perceived them to be Somali or Latino.In their lawsuit, the three Minnesotans challenge the administration’s policy of racially profiling, unlawfully seizing, and unlawfully arresting,people without a warrant and without probable cause. This is a violation of Minnesotans’ constitutional rights to equal protection and against unreasonable seizures.Plaintiff Mubashir Khalif Hussen is a 20-year-old U.S. citizen. On Dec. 10, 2025, he was walking to lunch in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood when he was stopped by multiple masked ICE agents. When Hussen realized he was being stopped by ICE, he began repeating, “I’m a citizen. I’m a citizen.” But the agents refused to look at Hussen’s ID.ICE agents put Hussen into an SUV and drove him to the Whipple building in south Minneapolis. Only after being shackled, having his fingerprints taken, and showing a photo of his passport card to an individual at the Whipple building was Hussen let go.“At no time did any officer ask me whether I was a citizen or if I had any immigration status,” said Hussen. “They did not ask for any identifying information, nor did they ask about my ties to the community, how long I had lived in the Twin Cities, my family in Minnesota, or anything else about my circumstances.”“ICE and CBP’s practices are both illegal and morally reprehensible,” said Catherine Ahlin-Halverson, staff attorney with the ACLU of Minnesota. “Federal agents’ conduct — sweeping up Minnesotans through racial profiling and unlawful arrests — is a grave violation of Minnesotans’ most fundamental rights, and it has spread fear among immigrant communities and neighborhoods. No one, including federal agents, is above the law.”“The government can’t stop and arrest people based on the color of their skin, or arrest people with no probable cause,” said Kate Huddleston, senior staff attorney with the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project. “These kinds of police-state tactics are contrary to the basic principles of liberty and equality that remain a bedrock of our legal system and our country.”“The people of Minnesota are courageously standing up to the reign of terror unleashed by the Trump administration,” said Robert Fram, senior counsel with Covington & Burling. “We are proud to stand with them and assist in any way that we can.”“The massive presence of ICE agents as part of Operation Metro Surge has disrupted civic life in the Twin Cities. Minnesotans are at risk of being stopped by ICE while going to work or shopping for groceries,” said Greene Espel attorney Kshithij Shrinath. “We will continue to stand with our community and the rule of law.”If you have been questioned, stopped, arrested, or detained by ICE where the officers did not have a warrant or where the encounter appeared to be the result of racial profiling, visit aclu-mn.org/ice-feds-form.The complaint is here: https://assets.aclu.org/live/uploads/2026/01/COMPLAINT-HUSSEN-v.-NOEM-1.pdf
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[l] at 1/15/26 1:20pm
Today, in a split 2-1 decision, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a district court ruling that found Mahmoud Khalil’s detention and removal likely unconstitutional. Today's order does not weigh in on the core First Amendment arguments in his case but holds that the district court did not have subject matter jurisdiction over Mr. Khalil’s immigration proceedings. The opinion does not go into effect immediately and the Trump administration cannot lawfully re-detain Mr. Khalil until the order takes formal effect, which will not happen while he has the opportunity to seek immediate review. Mr. Khalil’s legal team has several legal avenues they may pursue, including seeking review en banc from the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, which would allow all judges from the Third Circuit to weigh in. “Today’s ruling is deeply disappointing, but it does not break our resolve,” said Mahmoud Khalil. “The door may have been opened for potential re-detainment down the line, but it has not closed our commitment to Palestine and to justice and accountability. I will continue to fight, through every legal avenue and with every ounce of determination, until my rights, and the rights of others like me, are fully protected.” In June 2025, a federal judge district court judge Michael E. Farbiarz granted Mr. Khalil’s request for a preliminary injunction after concluding that he would continue to suffer irreparable harm if the government continued efforts to detain and deport him on the basis of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s determination under the “foreign policy ground,” a rarely used deportation provision of the federal immigration statute, that Mr. Khali’s lawful protected speech would “compromise a compelling U.S. foreign policy interest.” Judge Farbiarz also found that Mr. Khalil was likely to succeed on the merits of his constitutional challenge to his detention and attempted deportation on the “foreign policy ground.” In a separate order, Judge Farbiarz released Mr. Khalil on bail after determining that he presented neither a danger nor a flight risk and that extraordinary circumstances justified his temporary release while his habeas case proceeded. “Today’s decision is deeply disappointing, and by not deciding or addressing the First Amendment violations at the core of this case, it undermines the role federal courts must play in preventing flagrant constitutional violations,” said Bobby Hodgson, deputy legal director at the New York Civil Liberties Union. “The Trump administration violated the Constitution by targeting Mahmoud Khalil, detaining him thousands of miles from home, and retaliating against him for his speech. Dissent is not grounds for detention or deportation, and we will continue to pursue all legal options to ensure Mahmoud's rights are vindicated.” The Trump administration and Department of Homeland Security illegally arrested and detained Mr. Khalil in direct retaliation for his advocacy for Palestinian rights at Columbia University. Shortly after, DHS transferred him 1300 miles away to a Louisiana detention facility — ripping him away from his then eight-months pregnant wife and legal counsel. During the 104 days he remained in ICE custody, Mr. Khalil missed the birth of his first child, among other important moments. Mr. Khalil is represented by Dratel & Lewis, the Center for Constitutional Rights, CLEAR, Van Der Hout LLP, Washington Square Legal Services, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU), the ACLU of New Jersey, and the ACLU of Louisiana. The order and dissent can be read here. All case materials can be found here, here, and here. This press release is available online here.
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[l] at 1/15/26 12:03pm
Today, President Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act to send military troops to Minneapolis. The threat comes a week after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent shot and killed Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother in a south Minneapolis neighborhood, and hours after reports that ICE shot two additional Minneapolis residents. The following is a statement from Hina Shamsi, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s National Security Project: “Invoking the Insurrection Act is unnecessary, irresponsible, and dangerous. President Trump is continuing to stoke fear in a situation his administration created by unleashing lawless, armed federal agents against our communities. It’s hard to think of another instance in which a president would deploy troops to enable further federal deprivation of people’s rights. “The real risk to people’s safety comes from ICE and other federal agents’ violence against our communities, and the killing of Renee Good starkly shows what happens when ICE operates without accountability. But no matter what uniform they wear, armed federal agents and military troops are bound by our constitutional rights to peaceful assembly, freedom of speech, and due process. If troops or federal agents violate these boundaries, they and their leadership must be held accountable. “What’s needed now is not federal escalation, but deescalation. Congress must demand these mass federal law enforcement forces leave Minneapolis and refuse to fund ICE and CBP until the administration backs down.”
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[l] at 1/15/26 11:48am
Senate Banking Committee Chair Tim Scott (R-S.C.) delayed the committee vote on the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act that addresses cryptocurrency, which was originally scheduled for today at 10 a.m. ET. This decision followed a tweet by Brian Armstrong, CEO of Coinbase, the largest U.S.-based crypto exchange, withdrawing his support for the bill. In a letter to senators, Public Citizen opposes the bill. Bartlett Naylor, economist for Public Citizen, released the following statement:“This bill deserves far more consideration so that any final law will block scams, prevent illicit finance, and expel Trump from his massive crypto grift. It is chilling that, at least on the surface, Chair Scott’s decision follows the direction of a single industry player whose company plowed tens of millions of dollars into political spending, documented in numerous Public Citizen reports, and isn’t getting 100% of what the crypto bros want.”
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[l] at 1/15/26 11:47am
A new Data for Progress poll, fielded after the U.S. invasion of Venezuela, finds that a majority of voters (57%) view Trump as a pro-war president. Additionally, voters think the U.S. should be less involved in foreign conflicts and believe that U.S. regime change usually turns out for the worse. 62% of voters say the U.S. should prioritize spending on social welfare programs over the military, including 61% of Independents.Only 29% think U.S.-backed regime change usually turns out for the better.69% of persuadable voters think the Trump administration is more focused on intervening in Venezuela than on lowering costs.“Despite Trump’s desperate attempts to be rewarded for his supposed peacemaking, a majority of voters still view him as a pro-war president,” said Ryan O'Donnell, Executive Director of Data for Progress. “Voters are frustrated over not being able to afford groceries and rent. They would much rather see our government focus on bringing costs down at home instead of sending our military abroad to capture oil resources and kidnap foreign leaders.”A majority of voters also say that the invasion was primarily motivated by the U.S. wanting to increase its control over Venezuelan oil resources. However, only 37% of voters think this should be a higher priority than investing in the development of clean energy like solar and wind in the U.S. (59%).Read the full poll here.
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[l] at 1/15/26 10:23am
Ahead of attending the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, which begins on 19 January, Amnesty International’s Secretary General, Agnès Callamard, said:“The ‘spirit of dialogue’, the theme for this year’s meeting in Davos, has been painfully and increasingly absent from international affairs of late. President Trump’s first year back in office has seen the United States withdraw from multilateral bodies, bully other states and relentlessly attack the principles and institutions that underpin the international justice system. At the same time, the likes of Russia and Israel have continued to make a mockery of the Geneva and Genocide Conventions without facing meaningful accountability.“A few powerful states are unashamedly working to demolish the rules-based order and reshape the world along self-serving lines. Unilateral interventions and corporate interests are taking precedence over long-term strategic partnerships grounded in universal values and collective solutions. This was evident in the Trump administration’s military action in Venezuela and its stated intent to ‘run’ the country, which the president himself admitted was at least partially driven by the interests of US oil corporations. Make no mistake: the only certain consequence of vandalizing international law and multilateral institutions will be extensive suffering and destruction the world over.“When faced with diplomatic, economic and military bullying and attacks, many states and corporations have opted for appeasement instead of taking a principled and united stand. Humanity needs world leaders, business executives and civil society to collectively resist or even disrupt these destructive trends. It requires denouncing the bullying and the attacks, and strong legal, economic, and diplomatic responses. What should not happen is silence, complicity and inaction. It also demands engaging in a transformative quest for common solutions to the many shared and existential problems we face. The ‘spirit of dialogue’, the theme for this year’s meeting in Davos, has been painfully and increasingly absent from international affairs of late. Amnesty International’s Secretary General, Agnès Callamard “We need UN Security Council reform to address abuse of veto powers, robust regulation to protect us against harmful new technologies; more inclusive and transparent decision-making on climate solutions; and international treaties on tax and debt to deliver a more equitable, rights-based global economy. But this will only be achievable through cooperation and steadfast will to resist those who seek to strongarm and divide us.”Agnès Callamard will be attending the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos throughout its duration from 19 to 23 January. She will be available for media interviews on a range of human rights issues, including: Israel’s ongoing genocide against the Palestinians in GazaThe USA’s military action in Venezuela, Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, and the conflicts in Sudan, DRC and MyanmarThe importance of revindicating and revitalizing multilateralismThe need for global tax and debt reform and universal social protectionThe urgent need for a full, fast, fair and funded fossil fuel phase-outThe need to massively scale up climate finance, including to address loss and damageBig Tech, corporate accountability and the risks of deregulationHow to limit the harmful impact of artificial intelligence on human rights, including the right to a healthy environment
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[l] at 1/15/26 8:17am
On social media today, Donald Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act, which would allow him to deploy military forces in Minnesota. Lisa Gilbert, co-president of Public Citizen, issued the following statement in response: “Invoking the Insurrection Act to deploy military forces against the American people is the exact opposite of what Minneapolis — and the country — needs right now. “The violence in Minneapolis is being perpetrated by ICE. The solution is to end the ICE surge, not to further militarize the city. Deploying military forces against the city and its citizens would be a doubling down on the threat Americans are facing from their own government. “Trump should abandon this idea immediately and stop threatening to use the military against the American people.”
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[l] at 1/14/26 4:38am
A new report by the Copernicus Climate Change Service shows that 2025 was the third hottest year on record, marking the first time that a three-year period has exceeded the 1.5°C limit. Experts warn that based on the current rate of warming, the 1.5°C heating threshold will likely be breached by the end of 2030, or over a decade earlier than predicted. The report notes that air temperature over global land areas was second warmest, while the Antarctic saw its warmest annual temperature on record. Temperature rise in 2025 was mainly due to “the build-up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, from continued emissions and reduced uptake of carbon dioxide by natural sinks”–underscoring the urgent need for a fossil fuel phaseout.Just two weeks into 2026, wildfires ravaged parts of Australia and Argentina, and South Africa, a snowstorm brought disruption in Europe, and floodwaters inundated Indonesia.Savio Carvalho, 350.org Managing Director for Campaigns and Networks, said: “Another year in the top three hottest on record, and communities everywhere are feeling it. Extreme weather isn’t rare anymore—it’s driving up food prices, insurance premiums, water shortages, and upending daily life across the globe.Governments know fossil fuels are the cause of climate breakdown, yet they keep stalling on the transition. We don’t have the luxury of wasting time or taking side paths – we are running out of time. We need to do what’s right now: a global phase out of fossil fuels is urgent. We already have the renewable energy solutions we need–what’s missing is the political will. We can prevent the worst if we act now.”Fenton Lutunatabua, 350.org Program Manager Pacific & Caribbean, said:“We cannot afford to let the 1.5 degree target slip away. We literally cannot afford the financial cost of it. In the Pacific, climate disasters are costing us billions of dollars in recovery and rebuilding. A world beyond 1.5 degrees would devastate our resources even more. The cost of this trajectory extends beyond finances, it threatens the very existence of our people. Entire villages in Fiji are being uprooted and relocated, losing connection to traditional lands and fishing grounds. Atoll nations like Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands are grappling with both adaptation and addressing the reality of potential forced migration. To give up on 1.5 degrees is to say that any of these realities are acceptable. Every fraction of a degree we can save is a chance at a livable future for our people. We can only do that by moving beyond fossil fuels as rapidly as possible.” Meanwhile, Indonesia experienced some of the worst climate-fueled disasters in 2025. More than 1,100 lives were lost in Sumatra after a rare tropical cyclone triggered flash floods, while 18 were killed in Bali’s worst flooding in decades. Bali flood victims, including a 350.org organizer, are suing the Indonesian government for damages, following an International Court of Justice ruling on state accountability for climate harms. Suriadi Darmoko, 350.org Organizer and plaintiff in Bali climate lawsuit, said:“Entire communities are still buried in mud. Thousands of families are still grieving and struggling to have their basic needs met. We refuse to be treated as mere climate disaster victims. Our leaders have kept the world hooked on fossil fuels even as they knew decades ago it would lead to such tragedies. The Indonesian government must honour its commitments to limit temperature rise below 1.5 C and take immediate action to phase out fossil fuels. Science and justice is on our side — we’ll make sure that big polluters pay for climate devastation.”
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[l] at 1/13/26 10:13pm
The atrocities and the fury mount. Astoundingly, after a murderous thug shot a mother of three in the face in broad daylight - "He didn't kill her because he was scared, he killed her because she wasn't" - state terror has ramped up with more lies, goons, attacks on "gangs of wine moms," brutish agitprop literally echoing the Nazis'. So when mini-Bovino went to take a leak at a store, the people's wrath, a bittersweet splendor, erupted. Their/our edict: "Get the fuck out."For now, Trump's America keeps getting scarier and uglier. He's threatened to (illegally) withdraw the US from the world’s most vital climate treaty and 65 other agencies doing useful work. He's trashing a once-thriving economy because he doesn't know how it works, scapegoating longtime Fed chair Jerome Powell, who's (startlingly fighting back, flipping off autoworkers, admiring non-existent ballrooms. After (illegally) killing over 100 Venezuelans and abducting their president - Chris Hedges: "Empires, when they are dying, worship the idol of war" - he called oil executives to a dementia-ridden meeting where in a reality check one brave skeptic argued Venezuela is historically "uninvestable." He ordered invasion plans for Greenland - wait what - that joint chiefs are resisting as "crazy and illegal": “It’s like dealing with a five-year-old.” And in a supreme irony overload, he's menacing U.S. protesters while warning Iran's killers of protesters they'll "pay a big price" and urging Iran's people to "take over your institutions." We can't even.Meanwhile, in Minnesota, he's sending yet more thugs, persisting in calling Renée Good "a professional agitator" - Professional Agitators 'R Us! - and warning a besieged, traumatized community, "THE DAY OF RECKONING & RETRIBUTION IS COMING!" Up is down and MAGA minions dutifully follow suit. Tom Homan: "We've got to stop the hateful rhetoric. Saying this officer is a murderer is dangerous. It’s ridiculous. It’s just gonna infuriate people more." Newsmax and GOP Rep. Pete Sessions agree: Dems have to quiet their "rhetoric," cease "honking of horns," and stop "putting an iPhone on your face." "STOP THE MADNESS," shrieks David Marcus on Fox, blasting "organized gangs of wine moms" across the country - Wine Moms 'R Us! - using Antifa tactics to "harass and impede" ICE: "It's not civil disobedience. It isn’t even protest. It’s just crime." Here, Renée Good was "a trained member" of groups "executing missions that put law enforcement and the public in harm’s way," probably all part of "criminal conspiracies."To support the insane narrative that the brazen murder of a mother of three in her car in public constitutes "an attack on our brave law enforcement," DHS released crude, "pathological," Goebbels-worthy propaganda that repeats the first day's lies and includes footage of when Good "weaponized her vehicle” by “speeding across the road" while failing to mention it was when "she had just been shot in the fucking face and her dead foot hit the pedal." No wonder the mindless carnage goes on. A thug leers to a cuffed protester she should've "learned her lesson," she asks what lesson, he snarls, "Why we killed that fucking bitch." And gangs of goons rampage door-to-door, barging into households of kids with guns and tasers ready. One brave, calm woman records it all, demands a warrant, barks get your hands off me, mocks how big and bad they are flashing a light in her face and sneers that, on the street, "You're all some pussies without that shit on your chest...Your mamas raised a bitch if you can wear that outfit proudly." — (@) Last week both Illinois and Minnesota, and each state's targeted cities, filed federal lawsuits to end their invasions by thousands of armed, masked, violent goons racially harassing, terrorizing and assaulting their communities. The courts may yet halt the deadly mayhem; the regime sure as shit won't. In the wake of the DOJ's predictable, outlandish announcement they won't investigate Good's murder, multiple attorneys in the civil rights division - for decades "America’s last line of accountability when federal agents kill" - have resigned, the latest in a flood of departures totaling over 250, a 70% reduction. In their stead, the FBI seized control of the "investigation" after blocking local law enforcement's access to evidence. Kash's Keystone Cops are now looking into, not Jonathan Ross, but Good and her "possible connections to activist groups" - also, because there truly is no low, her widow's. "This isn’t a cover-up," said one former DOJ attorney. "It’s the end of civil rights enforcement as we've known it."Experts say the escalating malfeasance and accompanying thuggery are the logical culmination of a longtime "culture of violence" within border control agencies. Ryan Goodman of Just Security describes a scathing 2013 report, commissioned but then buried, that specifically cites agents' proclivity for standing in front of blocked vehicles as a pretext to open fire on drivers attempting to flee a tense encounter. Thank God we don't see that anymore. Nor do we have to see Stephen Miller's nightmare vision of Dems in power making "every city into Mogadishu or Kabul or Port-au-Prince," complete with roaming convoys of masked, armed, hefty hoodlums snatching people off the streets, dragging them out of their cars, beating them up, kneeling on their necks (illegal under post-George-Floyd Minnesota law), and brutalizing them for unknown offenses until they go limp, fate unknown, like in this video by Ford Fischer last week. For MAGA, ICE proudly represents "the fearsome power of the American state." But don't call them fascists. — (@) It was sick Greg Bovino's knee on that neck. Then he went on Sean Hannity's show to praise Jonathan Ross for shooting Renée Good three times in the face - "Hats off to that ICE agent" - because "a 4,000-pound missile is not something anyone wants to face." Hannity readily agreed it was "not even a close call...There is no ambiguity for anyone with eyes to see that (Good) had been taunting officers," which is not true, also definitely a death penalty offense. Later, Bovino claimed that 90% of the public "are happy to see us." Last week, a YouGov poll disagreed, finding a majority of Americans disapproved of the murderous job ICE is doing, and almost half support abolishing it entirely. That may be why, when Bovino went to take a piss last week at a Target in St. Paul, accompanied by a phalanx of surly stormtroopers with itchy trigger fingers and nervous cameras held aloft, they were met by pure, gut-level fury, and a crowd of we the people with no fucks left to give. More video from Ford Fischer of News2Share.A handy transcript: "You’re a fucking bum. you’re a bitch. and if your wife’s got a problem, fuck her, too. you guys are all bitches. you can’t do shit to me. you can’t do a thing. get the fuck out of here. get the fuck out. nobody wants you here. right. get the fuck out. walk the fuck, you stupid bitches. get the fuck out of here. coward. you’re a fucking coward, bitch. you’re a fucking bitch. fuck you. hold on, babe, I’m on the phone with these bitch-ass niggas. get the fuck out of here. get the fuck out of here, you stupid bitches. you’re a fucking coward piece of shit. fuck you. and if you didn’t have a gun or a vest, I would beat the shit out of you. take that fucking badge off, and that fucking gun, and see what happens to you. you shut the fuck up, you’re not fucking tough. you’re a bitch and get the fuck out, you fucking pussy. you fucking bitch-ass white boys. I’ll fucking spit on you. fucking get out of here. get the fuck out. shut the fuck up. get the fuck out of here. get the fuck out of here. get the fuck out. nobody wants you here." — (@) Among Minnesota's ICE victims was a Marine veteran who said she was following agents "at a safe distance" when they rammed the car, broke the window, dragged her out by the neck, slammed her face into the ground, tightly cuffed her and snarled, per their memo, "This is why we killed that lesbian bitch." Shaken, she told a reporter, "I took an oath, and they're spitting on it. They're Nazis. They're Gestapo. This isn't Germany." Not yet. But close, says James Fell's Sweary History: "Those who cannot remember the past need a history teacher who says 'fuck' a lot." When ICE Barbie, "this puppy-killing, plasticized bag of fascism" called Good a domestic terrorist, he notes, her podium read, "One of Ours, All of Yours" - the phrase Nazis used when the Resistance killed "murderous motherfucker" Reinhard Heydrich, and Nazis retaliated by killing thousands of Czechs and most of the village of Lidice, where they (wrongly) thought the assassins came from. Kill one of ours, we murder all of yours: "This is what DHS is threatening should people dare to resist the American Gestapo."Dark echoes keep coming. In more Goebbels-worthy agit-prop, the Dept. of Labor just posted a bizarre musical photo montage captioned, "One Homeland. One People. One Heritage," which even X's AI chatbot Grok noted is just like the Nazi slogan, "Ein Volk, Ein Reich, Ein Führer" - One People, One Realm, One Leader. Huh, said many: "Sounds familiar," "Sounds better in the original German," "I didn't have DOL dropping race-baiting propaganda with moody techno music on my 2026 Bingo card," "I remember this one from history books," "Can't wait for the sequel! Labor Creates Liberty!" and, "That 1930s retro energy really matches the new vibe." The video added, "Remember who you are, American." Rob Kelner responded, "I remember who I am. I am the grandchild of immigrants, in a nation that welcomed all four of my grandparents, dirt poor...fleeing tyranny." We have fallen so far, and lost so much. But some truths remain: "There is no world in which these are the good guys. None.""Get it all on record now. Get the films. Get the witnesses. Because somewhere down the road of history, some bastard will get up and say that this never happened." - Dwight D. Eisenhower, Commander of the Allied Forces, on atrocities committed by the German Nazis. Sorrowfully, we are hereArt/photo by Mr. Fish
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[l] at 1/11/26 10:12pm
This evening, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell released a video statement revealing that Trump’s Department of Justice issued grand jury subpoenas to the Federal Reserve “threatening a criminal indictment” related to his testimony to the Senate Banking Committee over the summer. In the message, Chair Powell said he would refuse to be intimidated and would “stand firm in the face of threats.” In response, Lisa Gilbert, co-president of Public Citizen, issued the following statement: “Tonight, Jerome Powell called out the Trump administration in a bold defense of the rule of law. The Federal Reserve decisions should not be subject to intimidation and bullying by Trump loyalist prosecutors.The Department of Justice should serve the rule of law, not the vindictive instincts of an authoritarian president. And it should never misuse its criminal enforcement powers to pursue pretextual prosecutions against the president’s political opponents or those who show a modicum of independence.”
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[l] at 1/10/26 12:18am
It was shocking how quickly the psychopaths in power launched their vicious lies about Renée Good—"violent rioter," "domestic terrorist," "self-defense"—shot in the face for trying to drive away from ICE. It's all bullshit, proven by stunning new video from the killer's own phone. Bafflingly, JD Vance posted it, thinking it proved his smears. How sick is he? Good was "pure sunshine ...kindness radiated out of her," says her wife. "We stopped to support our neighbors. We had whistles. They had guns."Renée Nicole Macklin Good, a 37-year-old mother of three and widow of a veteran, was dropping off her youngest child, 6, at a Minneapolis school when she encountered an ICE raid at 34th Street and Portland Avenue; it was the second day of a 30-day "surge" of siccing America's Gestapo on the state's Somali-American population. On Instagram, Good described herself as "a poet and writer and wife and mom and shitty guitar strummer from Colorado"; she and her wife Becca had recently moved there, finding what Becca called "a vibrant and welcoming community" with a strong sense of people "looking out for each other."Horrific, widely viewed footage shows what happened next: The sirens and unmarked cars, masked thugs getting out, Good's car straddling the road, protesters shouting and then, suddenly, screaming as one goon approaches her window, yells "Get out of the fucking car," and fires off three shots through the windshield as Good's car careens wildly off and crashes. Multiple cellphone videos and eyewitness accounts concur: Good was trying to turn around, let one ICE car pass ahead, backed up slightly to turn to the right, pulled forward and around the agent - a few feet away - as he shot her three times in the face.The horror kept coming. Witnesses said Good slumped in her car onto a blood-soaked air bag for up to 15 minutes with no medical attention as protesters yelled and wept. One man asked agents if he could check her pulse. They said no. "I'm a physician," he pleaded. "I don't care," said the thug, claiming "we have our own medics." "Where the fuck are they?" shrieked a distraught woman. Emergency responders finally arrived without a stretcher; they carried Good away, said one woman, "like a sack of potatoes." Mayor Jacob Frey was livid: "To ICE, get the fuck out of Minneapolis. We do not want you here."Despite the clear, stark evidence, the fascist propaganda machine shot into high gear. In Texas, ICE Barbie, cosplaying in a ludicrous cowboy hat, proclaimed "an act of domestic terrorism...a woman attacked (ICE) and attempted to run them over." Dead-eyed DHS spokesbot Tricia McLaughlin raved about "a violent rioter” who "weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over law enforcement officers." Vance called Good "a deranged leftist." In an incendiary post, Trump ripped a "disorderly" woman "obstructing and resisting" who "then violently, willfully, and viciously ran over the ICE officer...It is hard to believe he is alive."More to the point, it is hard to believe how brazenly, brutishly, remorselessly these motherfuckers can spew their fucking lies in the face of demonstrable, overwhelming reality, demanding we not see what we see or hear what we hear. Eventually, even Trump had to back down, slightly, after both the Washington Post and New York Times committed a rare act of journalism - the Times, to his face - and declared the video entirely contradicted his vile fantasy. Then, on Friday, the right-wing, Minnesota-based Alpha News released 47-second footage of the scene from the phone of ICE agent Jonathan Ross, Renée Good's murderer.An Iraq War veteran, Ross has worked for ICE since 2015 and is also a firearms instructor and SWAT team member; he was injured last summer when he was dragged by the vehicle of a fleeing suspect. The footage shows Ross arriving and walking around Renée Good's red Honda recording with his phone; he circles back to her window as another agent curses and tries to open her door. Sitting behind the wheel, her dog in the back, Good smilingly tells the agent, "It's fine, dude, I'm not mad at you." Seconds later, shots ring out. Ross stands safely away as her car veers off. Audio catches a man muttering, "Fucking bitch." Inexplicably, both Fox News and J.D. Vance posted the footage. "Watch this, as hard as it is," Vance wrote. "Many of you have been told (Ross) wasn’t hit by a car, wasn’t being harassed, and murdered an innocent woman." The footage, he said, proves Ross "fired in self-defense” when his "life was endangered” by Good. What the ever-loving fuck. Ross, he adds, "deserves a debt (sic) of gratitude. This is a guy who’s actually done a very important job for the United States of America." AOC speaks for us all: "I understand that Vance believes shooting a young mother of three in the face three times is an acceptable America that he wants to live in, and I do not... I do not believe the American people should be assassinated in the street." — (@) Good was ICE's ninth victim. Her murder - a white woman, not brown guy, it must be noted - has prompted nationwide outrage, and a GoFundMe that aimed to raise $50K is now at over a million. “This is an execution plain and simple,” said journalist Krystal Ball. "If your Trump love or immigrant hatred has you justifying murder, please seek help.” "We're a Third World country now," said Jesse Ventura, citing the history of 1930s Germany. "That's what happens in a dictatorship - in comes the military." And on the "giddy sadism" we see daily, "All of us, citizens and immigrants alike, are being ruled by people who think life is a privilege bestowed by authority, and death is a fair penalty for disobedience."Still, it goes on. They are still assaulting people, usually brown, sometimes citizens. In a clumsy, nasty encounter in North Carolina, they attacked two U.S. citizens in their car and only gave up when both guys kept filming the abuses. The lesson: "Film them. Always." In Minneapolis, they blithely moved on from murdering Renee Good to terrorize workers at a nearby childcare center and students at a high school, tackling people, handcuffing two staff members and firing teargas at bystanders until the schools were forced to shut down. "They're just animals," said one school official. "I've never seen people behave like this."Meanwhile, Renée Nicole Good is being mourned, in the words of her mother, as "an amazing human being" and "one of the kindest people I’ve ever known.." On Friday, Renée's wife Becca Good released a moving statement thanking all the people who have reached out to support their family: "This kindness of strangers is the most fitting tribute because if you ever encountered my wife, Renée Nicole Macklin Good, you know that above all else, she was kind. In fact, kindness radiated out of her...Renee lived by an overarching belief: there is kindness in the world and we need to do everything we can to find it where it resides and nurture it where it needs to grow."She described moving to Minnesota, "like people have done across place and time...to make a better life for ourselves. Here, I had finally found peace and safe harbor. That has been taken from me forever... We were raising our son to believe that no matter where you come from or what you look like, all of us deserve compassion and kindness. Renée lived this belief every day... We thank you for ensuring that Renee’s legacy is one of kindness and love. We honor her memory by living her values: rejecting hate and choosing compassion, turning away from fear and pursuing peace, refusing division and knowing we must come together to build a world where we all come home safe to the people we love."
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[l] at 1/9/26 12:17pm
CODEPINK condemns President Donald Trump’s dangerous threat to “start hitting land” inside Mexico, a sovereign nation, a major U.S. ally, and home to 130 million people.By declaring, “we are going to start now hitting land… The cartels are running Mexico,” Trump is openly threatening U.S. strikes and special operations on Mexican soil under the same failed “war on drugs” logic that has already devastated Latin America.For more than 20 years, Washington has sold militarized drug policy as the solution. Plan Colombia, for example, poured billions of U.S. dollars into the Colombian military and police under the promise of cutting cocaine at the source. Yet even the U.S. Government Accountability Office review found that potential cocaine production in Colombia was higher in 2006 than in 2000. The pattern is always the same: more troops, more weapons, more funding for security forces, and in return, more violence, more displacement, more human rights abuses. And the more weapons the U.S. pumps into the region, the more cartels acquire military-grade firepower of their own, often trafficked or diverted from the very same U.S. weapons pipeline. The only thing that doesn’t disappear is the drug trade.Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum has categorically rejected U.S. military intervention in Venezuela and Mexico, insisting that Mexico is a “free and sovereign country” and that foreign armies will not be allowed to operate on its territory. She has insisted that cooperation on security is possible, but only without violations of sovereignty: “Cooperation, yes; subordination and intervention, no.” Trump claims cartels are “killing 250,000 to 300,000 Americans a year” and uses that to justify escalation. But we know that what actually drives the overdose crisis is a U.S. health system built around profit, not care, pharmaceutical companies and distributors that flooded communities with opioids and domestic demand, economic despair, and lack of treatment, not a lack of foreign bombs. The war on drugs has been a political cover to avoid confronting Wall Street pharma, poverty, racist policing, and a deadly health system at home. We reject Trump’s attempt to dehumanize an entire nation, to normalize violations of the U.N. Charter, which explicitly prohibits the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, and to turn Latin America, historically a zone of peace, into a battleground for U.S. military experiments, fresh off the operation in Venezuela and open threats toward Cuba and Colombia.If the U.S. can bomb Mexico under the excuse of “cartels,” then no country in the region is safe.We stand with the people of Mexico, with President Claudia Sheinbaum’s rejection of intervention, and with all those in the region who say: No to U.S. wars. NO TO U.S. interventionNo to the militarization of Latin AmericaYes to sovereignty, solidarity, and life.
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[l] at 1/9/26 12:13pm
The following is a statement from Nancy Altman, President of Social Security Works, in response to the Social Security Administration’s reported plans for a nationwide system: “Before Donald Trump was elected in 2024, the number of Social Security beneficiaries was at an all-time high, while staffing to administer our earned Social Security benefits was at a fifty-year low. So how did the Trump administration respond? It forced out thousands of the Social Security Administration’s most experienced employees.Scrambling to address this self-inflicted wound, the administration has announced plans to cut field offices in half and is rushing out a new way of dealing with workload that is designed to fail. If implemented, it will have catastrophic consequences for Social Security beneficiaries, and the public more generally. Essentially, it would mean that someone who needs help with their Social Security could get directed to a SSA staffer across the country, instead of at their local field office. For example, someone in Richmond, Virginia seeking to claim survivor benefits after the loss of a loved one might be helped by someone in New Orleans, Louisiana. Once the claim is initiated, if there is suspicion that you may not be who you say you are, and you are asked to come into an office and prove your identity, must you fly to New Orleans? Must someone who has not worked on your case take it over? Must you start the application process all over again?This plan is massively inefficient and will create numerous problems, including: Social Security often interacts with state laws. For example, eligibility for Social Security spousal benefits can depend on how a state treats common law marriages. The same with the need to understand worker compensation laws, which differ in every state. Already overworked SSA staffers can’t realistically become experts in the laws of all 50 states. Is the plan to rely on artificial intelligence rather than a trained civil servant who has been processing claims in their community for decades? The law requires the public to provide original documents for certain claims, not just uploaded or xeroxed copies. To change this would require an act of Congress. Moreover, the documents, like green cards or driver’s licenses, are not ones that people can easily mail and be without for even a day. How will that work if the staffer handling the case is across the country? If people have difficulties resolving Social Security issues, they may contact their member of Congress for help. Constituent services staffers are trained to deal with the local SSA office, and would have a far harder time helping resolve cases that are being handled across the country. A nationwide system might have superficial appeal and sound efficient to someone who has to google what Social Security is. The reality is that field offices have been the backbone of our successful Social Security system for almost a century. They are part of our communities.The reason for this poorly thought-through idea seems to be the self-inflicted problem of an understaffed agency. There’s a much better solution: Reverse last year’s cuts and fully staff our Social Security field offices.”
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[l] at 1/9/26 10:30am
On behalf of Common Cause and three Wisconsin voters, attorneys from Law Forward, the ACLU’s national Voting Rights Project, and the ACLU of Wisconsin filed a motion Thursday to intervene in the Trump administration’s lawsuit against the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) over its refusal to hand over confidential information about registered state voters.The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) seeks to force WEC to turn over voters’ sensitive personal information, including driver’s licenses and partial Social Security numbers. Law Forward and the ACLU are representing Common Cause and individual voters potentially impacted by the Trump administration’s case.The DOJ’s request for this data is reportedly in connection with never-before-seen efforts by the Trump administration to construct a national voter database that could be used to disenfranchise eligible voters across the country.“The Trump administration’s intrusion into state election administration is unprecedented in the history of the United States and entirely unwarranted,” said Doug Poland, Law Forward’s Director of Litigation. “WEC is acting within its authority to withhold this information, which is clearly protected under state law. The data being sought is also protected by federal law that prohibits the creation of a national voter database of the type that the administration appears to be assembling.”According to news reports, these efforts are being conducted with the involvement of the Department of Homeland Security and individuals who have previously sought to compel states to engage in aggressive purges of registered voters or have abused voter data to mass challenge voters in other states.“The DOJ has made no secret about its intent to share sensitive information gathered from state voter rolls with agencies like ICE and DHS. If provided this data, the Justice Department could easily manipulate the data to spread disinformation about voting and attempt to baselessly target eligible voters and remove them from the rolls,” said Ryan Cox, legal director at the ACLU of Wisconsin. “We’ve seen this play out in numerous other states, and there is no reason to believe that this administration wouldn’t weaponize Wisconsinites’ private data toward those same ends. We must prevent this federal power grab and protect our democracy from these corrupt partisan stunts.”Common Cause is asking the federal court to allow it to intervene as a defendant in the case to protect the voting and privacy rights of its members and all Wisconsin voters. Others seeking to intervene as defendants include members of groups at risk of disenfranchisement, including voters who are naturalized citizens or who have a prior felony conviction. These registered voters could have inaccurate or out-of-date information in state and federal data sets."Unelected Washington bureaucrats obsessed with spreading election conspiracies have no right to your private data,” said Bianca Shaw, Common Cause’s Wisconsin State Director. “This directive recklessly puts voters’ private data at risk so the Trump administration can score cheap political points. Common Cause will keep fighting to protect voters’ data privacy.”“The federal government’s request for sensitive voter data jeopardizes not only Wisconsinites’ right to vote, but also their right to privacy, which is protected by state and federal law,” said Megan Keenan, staff attorney with the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project. “USDOJ’s lack of transparency about safeguards, access, and uses of sensitive voter data raises serious concerns about misuse or abuse — including risks that this information could be weaponized to justify aggressive voter purges that wrongfully remove eligible voters from the rolls. We stand with Wisconsin voters and against this unlawful federal overreach.”The DOJ lawsuit was filed in federal court in Madison on December 18, 2025, one week after the bipartisan WEC voted against releasing this information, citing state law. In addition to filing its complaint, the DOJ also filed a motion asking the federal court to order WEC to turn over the requested voter data. Wisconsin is among the 21 states, as well as the District of Columbia, that the Trump administration has sued to obtain voter data, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. Before the case proceeds, the federal court will likely rule on various motions, including the motions to intervene and, if Common Cause is permitted to intervene, on its motion to dismiss the lawsuit.Common Cause previously filed a lawsuit in Nebraska to protect state voter data and has joined with the ACLU Voting Rights Project to file motions to intervene as defendants in DOJ lawsuits against Colorado, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Washington D.C. to protect voters’ sensitive data.
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[l] at 1/9/26 7:42am
The latest jobs report shows the United States added 50,000 jobs in December 2025, and prior months revised down by a combined 76,000 jobs. The unemployment rate remains elevated at 4.4% and is near its highest levels of the past four years. The December report caps a year of sluggish job growth, with the fewest number of jobs added outside of a recession since 2003. Hiring slowed sharply over the course of 2025 as Trump’s erratic economic policies froze the labor market.Groundwork Collaborative’s Chief of Policy and Advocacy Alex Jacquez released the following statement:“December’s job report confirms that Trump’s reckless trade policies and lifeless economy are costing Americans dearly. Working families face sluggish wage growth, fewer job opportunities, and never-ending price hikes on groceries, household essentials, and utilities. Despite the President’s endless attempts to deflect and distract from the bleak economic reality, workers and job seekers know their budgets feel tighter than ever thanks to Trump’s disastrous economic mismanagement.”Job growth in 2025 fell far behind last year’s pace. Total job growth in 2025 was just 584,000, compared to 2 million jobs added in 2024 — a 71% slowdown.Job gains remain narrowly concentrated in a small number of sectors. In December, job gains were concentrated in education and health services. Retail trade lost 25,000 jobs this holiday season, as budgets continue to be squeezed. The U.S. is shedding blue-collar jobs for the first time since the pandemic, with roughly 60,000 job losses in manufacturing, transportation and warehousing, and mining in 2025 while construction jobs stall out.Long-term unemployment remains elevated. The number of people unemployed for six months or more remains at 1.9 million, increasing by roughly 400,000 compared to the year before. This points to rising financial strain for job seekers and growing unease among workers about job stability.Official payroll statistics may overstate the number of jobs the economy is creating. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell warned in December that headline job gains may be overstated by as many as 60,000 jobs per month. This is because the Bureau of Labor Statistics has to estimate job gains and losses at new and closing businesses that are difficult to survey directly. The lackluster jobs reports throughout 2025 may paint an overly rosy picture of the labor market. New hiring has ground to a halt. The latest Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey data show that job openings fell to about 7.1 million in November from nearly 7.5 million in October, while the hiring rate dropped to 3.2 percent, one of the lowest levels since April 2020, when the pandemic-induced recession was underway. According to data from Challenger, Gray & Christmas, U.S. employers sharply pulled back on hiring plans in 2025. Announced hires fell to about 508,000, down 34 percent from nearly 770,000 in 2024, the lowest annual total since 2010, signaling much weaker employer confidence in expanding their workforce.
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[l] at 1/9/26 7:40am
President Trump is expected to meet with oil industry executives today to discuss their cooperation with his plans to take over Venezuela’s oil industry. Representatives from Chevron, Exxon, ConocoPhillips, and Continental Resources are expected to attend. Chevron is the last remaining U.S. oil company in Venezuela, and widely seen as best positioned to profit from U.S. aggression in the country. Exxon and ConocoPhillips left the country after former Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez’s renegotiation of their contracts in 2007. If a U.S.-friendly government were installed in Venezuela, it is more likely that their claims would be paid. Continental Resources is run by major Trump ally Harold Hamm, and is one of the few oil companies to have publicly expressed interest in investing in Venezuela since Trump’s strikes. Oil Change International U.S. program manager Allie Rosenbluth said: “American fossil fuel companies who’ve bought access to the Trump administration stand to benefit most from Trump’s illegal acts of aggression in Venezuela. Today’s meeting is meant to ensure the future of Venezuela is being shaped in a way that maximizes Big Oil profits and Trump’s power. “Meanwhile, the Venezuelan people, U.S. taxpayers, and our climate are being set up to pay the price. At least 75 people in Venezuela have already been killed by the Trump administration’s strikes. Many others stand to be harmed by the chaos created by Trump’s fossil-fueled imperialism. “U.S taxpayers are already footing the bill for Trump’s attacks on Venezuela, as well as for $35 billion worth of giveaways to the fossil fuel industry each year. If U.S. government agencies are pulled in to provide guarantees and financing for U.S. companies to continue oil production in Venezuela, U.S. taxpayers will be forced to pay even more, even as this administration refuses to fund healthcare, housing, and other necessities for working people. “Our climate can’t afford any new oil and gas development, let alone on the scale Trump envisions for Venezuela, and our world can’t afford new wars. Existing oil and gas reserves are enough to push us past 1.5 degrees of warming, putting communities across the world in danger from climate-fueled hurricanes, fires, and droughts.“Trump’s aggression in Venezuela is leading us to a hotter, more polluted, and more dangerous world – all to enrich himself and his fossil-fuel donors. Today’s meeting is proof of that. To protect our communities from climate disasters and more wars for oil, we need to reject extractive energy models and build democratic systems that prioritize community health and safety.”
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[l] at 1/8/26 5:20am
US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order withdrawing the United States from 66 international organizations, including the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the 1992 treaty that underpins all global climate cooperation, and the global scientific authority Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). President Trump said that these organizations promote “radical climate policies” and global governance that “no longer serve American interests.”While President Trump claims American taxpayers have spent billions with "little return" on global treaties and organizations, the UNFCCC's Paris Agreement alone has reduced projected warming by 2100 from 3.6°C to 2.7°C because of international climate cooperation. This week’s anniversary of the climate-fueled LA wildfires, which displaced 100,000 Americans from their homes, should also serve as a reminder to the US President of what climate chaos means for its own citizens.Savio Carvalho, 350.org Managing Director for Campaigns and Networks said: "The US is shooting itself in the foot by becoming the only country in the world unwilling to participate in humanity's great race to save the planet and future generations. Renewable energy is fast reshaping the global economy. Walking away from the UNFCCC in a desperate attempt to cling to a dying fossil fuel era won’t bring economic strength, but weakness and isolation. This won’t stop us from rising up to demand that the US, the world's largest historical emitter, fulfills its moral duty to cut its emissions and support climate-vulnerable nations. It won’t stop the more than 80 countries who showed us at COP30 that they are determined to chart a roadmap for a fossil-free future. President Trump cannot stop the global momentum towards clean energy and climate justice–but he is ensuring that the US loses out on billions in global climate investments and surrenders its standing as a global leader, as more businesses, governments, and frontline communities build the clean energy economy of the future.” Fenton Lutunatabua, 350.org Program Manager Pacific & Caribbean said:"Global climate cooperation should not be at the mercy of the US government's decisions, and we continue to look to our own people for true climate leadership. Despite rich nations stalling action, the Pacific has consistently championed an end to climate-destroying fossil fuels, and led the world to the historic climate ruling at the International Court of Justice. Now is not the time other high-polluting nations to be shirking their climate responsibilities, like the US. While those in power seek to tear the global community apart, it is more important than ever that we remain united in our fight to secure a safe and livable future for our children." Masayoshi Iyoda, 350.org Japan Campaigner said: “US President Trump has crossed a line that we absolutely need to hold–not just to protect the planet, but the people, including Japanese citizens still reeling from last year’s heatwaves. But while this delivers another blow to global climate cooperation, the fact that no other country has yet followed the US’ withdrawal from the Paris Agreement shows that this unpopular move will not gain traction. We urge the Japanese government to exert diplomatic efforts to urge Trump to remain part of the global climate regime. This should not be used as an excuse for Japan’s own inaction on climate. We call on Prime Minister Takaichi to clearly state that Japan remains committed to the UNFCCC process, and will accelerate a fast and fair transition away from fossil fuels.”
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[l] at 1/7/26 12:57am
For the anniversary of the Jan. 6 riot that almost toppled democracy (more quickly than now), the hacks and crackpots in power have concocted a deranged revisionist history of such "evil," "pathological," "Stalin-level propaganda" it's somehow dragged us even further through the looking glass. In its telling, "orderly patriots" marched to the Capitol, Democrats who "masterfully reversed reality" "staged the real rebellion," and Trump "triumphed over tyranny." Up is down. What the fuck. Orwell lives.A few days ago, Robert Reich described the Jan. 6 insurrection as "the most shameful day in American history." He later wisely upped the ante to draw a direct line from that crime to all the rest, including his capture of Maduro, arguing they're all based on the same disturbing premise: "The hubris of omnipotence." Many have made the same connection, calling Jan. 6 a stark "fork in the road" whose moral implications - supremacy of political loyalty over the rule of law - poisoned all that followed. It became "the moment we lost the plot," "a riot that never ended," not "the final, violent death spasms of the cult of Trump" as many thought but "the dawn of Trump’s total liberation." Today, amidst all the gaslighting, denial, lies, the ongoing, well-fed hubris, we pay the price. A few weeks ago, former special counsel Jack Smith appeared before the House Judiciary Committee, testifying that his team had "proof beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 election and to prevent the lawful transfer of power." We all know Trump should be behind bars. Tragically, he isn't, because he inexplicably weaseled his way into getting elected, a complicit, lawless SCOTUS gave him an unconscionable lifeline, Merrick Garland was a dud, Biden got old, and Smith was forced to drop the case. Since then, Trump has blasted ahead with his revenge tour, his toadies have gutted the DOJ, the far-right, fueled by Charlie Kirk's death, has soared, and truth has lost at every mournful turn.And so to Trump's "day of love” as framed by a demented J6 website, widely deemed "disgusting lies," "an absolute disgrace," and "a despicable, shameful distortion of reality by a lawless, rogue White House." With a stark black and white banner portraying a supposed gallery of villains composed of - surprise! - Democrats, along with traitorous Cheney and Kinzinger, it opens with the florid claim, "President Trump took decisive action to pardon January 6 defendants who were unfairly targeted, overcharged, and used as political examples... They were punished to cover incompetence." It boasts Trump, on his first day in office, pardoned nearly 1,600 "patriotic Americans...treated as insurrectionists by a weaponized Biden DOJ" for "exercising their First Amendment rights."Blasting Nancy Pelosi for creating "a scripted TV spectacle to fabricate an 'insurrection' narrative and pin blame on President Trump" and flaunting contextless quotes - "We have totally failed" - it claims Pelosi "repeatedly" acknowledged responsibility for “catastrophic security failures" after refusing Trump's gracious offer of 10,000 National Guard troops for protection (not, all of it). Thus did wily Dems reverse reality: "In truth it was the Democrats who staged the real insurrection by certifying a fraud-ridden election, ignoring widespread irregularities, and weaponizing federal agencies to hunt down dissenters. This gaslighting narrative allowed them to persecute innocent Americans, silence opposition, and distract from their own role in undermining democracy.”Then, a timeline of fictional events: Trump "invites patriotic Americans" to DC for "a peaceful and historic protest against certifying the stolen 2020 election." He "speaks to hundreds of thousands of supporters." The crowd "responds with massive enthusiasm." The march "is orderly and spirited." Capitol Police "fire tear gas, flash bangs, and rubber munitions, deliberately escalating tensions." The "stolen election is certified" despite "hidden suitcases of ballots," also "exploding water pipes"? Trump is "silenced," "weaponized prosecutions," "FBI entrapment," "fabricated indictments," "rigged show trials," "Trump prevails despite relentless Deep State efforts to imprison, bankrupt, and assassinate him," and of course "God’s unmistakable grace." Whew.The triumphant finale: Trump "corrected a historic wrong - freeing Americans who were unjustly punished in one of the darkest wrongs in modern American history" - reportedly, when faced with the task, saying fuck it and giving all 1,600, even the most vile, a free ride 'cause he was too lazy to go through each case. He pardoned "patriotic citizens viciously overcharged, denied due process and held as political hostages by a vengeful regime." Those victims of "merciless persecution (for) the simple act of peacefully walking through the Capitol" were "finally freed from years of cruel imprisonment" as he "ended the nightmare of weaponized justice and delivered long-overdue vindication to those betrayed by those leaders sworn to protect them."Speaking of: Since then, Republicans have spinelessly toed the line. To date, unholy Mike Johnson's even refused to install a legally mandated plaque at the US Capitol honoring the brave and still damaged souls in law enforcement who tried to stop the mayhem; challenged, he argues the plaque is "not implementable" as written, and that alternatives offered by Democrats "do not comply with the statute." On Tuesday's anniversary, dozens of Dem lawmakers held a forum to recount their experiences of the traumatic event and honor those who fought to protect them and uphold the law; they gathered in the basement where many had hidden that day after the Speaker's office declined their requests for a hearing room or larger auditorium upstairs.History repeats itself, first as tragedy, then as farce. Also on Tuesday, a twisted, ragtag "family reunion" of several dozen rioters came to D.C. to march again, ostensibly to commemorate Ashli Babbitt, who was killed as she tried to breach the Capitol; the administration paid $5 million to settle a wrongful death lawsuit with her family. The pardoned rioters, many of whom are similarly seeking millions in damages, marched draped in MAGA gear. "This is about redemption," said one. "This is the life force of MAGA." Some tangled with a handful of counter-protesters - "Eat Shit Donald Trump" - and a small fight began when one thug tried to seize the bullhorn from a protester’s hands. She was handcuffed by the police. Color us shocked.Since Trump's sweeping pardons, even of the worst of the worst, at least 33 rioters have been re-arrested for other crimes. The charges include plotting the murder of FBI agents who investigated Jan. 6 cases, and violent assault - punched a woman in the throat, stomped on a man’s chest at a bar. Three have been arrested for rape, and six have been charged with child-sex crimes, including child rape and child pornography, because only the best. After a five-year manhunt, the DOJ also just indicted the guy accused of planting pipe bombs outside DNC and RNC headquarters the night before Jan. 6, 2021; he's detained pending trial, but oops - it turns out the stable genius may have already pardoned him.Others pop up in a sordid "Where Are They Now" round-up. Former Proud Boys leader and self-proclaimed “Western chauvinist" Enrique Tarrio, who formed a militia-like Ministry of Self-Defense unit,” got a 22-year-sentence, with terrorism charges included, before being pardoned. He joined Tuesday's march; before that, he was last seen getting charged with another assault, but feds declined to prosecute him. Jan. 6 shaman Jacob Chansley last made the news when he filed an unhinged $40 trillion lawsuit against Trump, declaring himself "the first legal President of the New Constitutional Republic of the United States." In that capacity, he ordered the printing of a $40 trillion coin, and gave himself $1 trillion "for my years worth of pain and suffering."Of other Jan. 6 heroes, one was arrested on a felony charge after his off-leash dogs viciously attacked multiple people, sending four to the hospital. One was arrested for driving a van loaded with weapons near Barack Obama's home; he also livestreamed threats against Jamie Raskin, threatened to blow up a federal building, and was convicted on a weapons and hoax bomb threat charge. One was arrested for making a “terroristic threat" against Rep. Hakeem Jeffries. One, Jared Wise - "Kill ‘em! Kill ‘em!” - works at the DOJ under Ed Martin, who represented Jan. 6 defendants. And one, the Instigator-In-Chief, just overthrew the president of Venezuela in violation of the U.N. Charter and international law, among many other crimes. He has yet to serve any time; somehow, horrifyingly, he is still babbling in public.Despite the attempts at revisionist history, "Americans remember that day for a simple reason – we watched it happen." - Gregory Rosen, former DOJ prosecutor of Jan. 6 defendants.
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[l] at 1/6/26 10:17am
The Trump administration’s proposal to dramatically ramp up offshore oil drilling could lead to 4,232 oil spills, dumping 12.1 million gallons of oil into ocean waters, according to an analysis by the Center for Biological Diversity.The Center’s spill analysis of Trump’s draft 2026-2031 leasing plan is based on historical data and federal records.“Our analysis shows that Trump’s ridiculously reckless drilling plan could cause thousands of new oil spills, threatening almost every U.S. coast,” said Kristen Monsell, oceans legal director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Nobody wants beaches and marine life coated in crude, but that’ll be our future if Trump’s scheme goes forward. Every new drilling project signs us up for decades of problems, and our wildlife and coastal economies will suffer the most.”Today’s analysis assumes average spill rates for platforms and pipelines based on 1974-2015 data. It does not include catastrophic events like the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon disaster, which released more than 210 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.Trump’s draft plan calls for as many as 34 offshore oil and gas lease sales over the next five years. It could open up as much as 1.27 billion acres of federal waters to drilling off California, Alaska and in the Gulf of Mexico. That amount is far more than previous administrations have offered. It is in addition to 36 offshore oil lease sales mandated in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.The Center’s oil spill calculations and estimates for each planning area are available here and FAQs for the projections are here.By the administration’s own estimates, the increase in extraction and fossil fuel combustion could also add as much greenhouse gas pollution to the atmosphere as burning nearly 200 billion pounds of coal.Several imperiled species are at risk from increased drilling:PacificSea otter: Known for their thick furry coats, sea otters once inhabited the entire U.S. Pacific coast, all the way from Alaska down to Baja California. Sea otters are especially vulnerable to oil spills that coat their fur, ruining their natural insulation against the cold. Otters already face oil spill threats from existing offshore drilling near the southern part of their current range, and expanded drilling could halt recovery and reintroduction efforts.Southern resident killer whale: These orcas spend most of their time in the Pacific Northwest, but regularly travel as far south as Monterey, California. Running into an oil spill in Northern California could devastate this genetically distinct population, which is down to just 74 individuals.Blue whale: The largest seasonal aggregation of these enormous mammals occurs in the Santa Barbara Channel off California, an area already at risk of oil spills from existing drilling nearby. Blue whale populations have been steadily growing since whaling wiped out an estimated 99% of the species, but they still have a long way to go.Pacific leatherback sea turtle: As ancient as the dinosaurs, these turtles migrate all the way from Indonesia and then along the West Coast to feed on jellyfish and other gelatinous prey. Leatherbacks are the heaviest reptiles on Earth, and their population is already declining from existing threats such as fishing gear entanglement.Gulf of MexicoBlack-capped petrel: These far-traveling seabirds forage in the Gulf of Mexico and off the Atlantic coast, returning to raise their young on Hispaniola, the island of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Also called diablotín, or “little devil,” for their eerie night calls, the petrel’s population has declined quickly, and oil spills could kill the food sources they fly hundreds of miles to find. Additionally, artificial lighting from offshore oil platforms disorients migrating seabirds and even causes them to collide with platforms.Rice’s whale: The critically endangered Rice’s whale lives in the Gulf year-round, and only about 50 individuals remain. Scientists estimate that the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster killed about 20% of their population, and another major spill could wipe them out completely. As surface swimmers, the whales are also prone to ship strikes. Seismic airgun blasting used by the oil and gas industry disrupts their ability to communicate, find mates and care for their young.Kemp’s ridley sea turtle: Beaches along the Gulf are the primary nesting sites for these turtles, which have rebounded from near-extinction thanks to breeding programs and conservation interventions. But they are still highly imperiled and their continued recovery relies on a healthy Gulf ecosystem, which more oil spills could easily disrupt.AlaskaBowhead whale: Arctic oil drilling and climate charge are the primary threats for these cold-water giants. Bowhead populations have come back from the brink thanks to commercial whaling prohibitions, but the whales are now contending with a changing habitat due to melting sea ice.Pacific walrus: The Center has been fighting for endangered species protections for the blubbery tusked walrus for almost two decades. Exploratory offshore drilling in the Chukchi Sea posed a huge risk to walrus habitat, until the Center and allies blocked the project. Trump’s plan revives the threat.Cook Inlet beluga whale: The population of these small, white whales is only about 330. They face threats from existing oil and gas extraction, commercial shipping and climate change. Cook Inlet is already crowded with industry and at risk of spills, and ramping up drilling could be fatal for these belugas.
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[l] at 1/6/26 6:44am
Five years ago, our nation’s Capitol was stormed by rioters. They were there because President Trump lied about the outcome of the 2020 election. And five years later the threat to American democracy hasn’t faded – it has evolved, expanded, and grown more dangerous. Public Citizen’s co-president Lisa Gilbert issued the following statement on the 5th anniversary of the January 6th insurrection: "On January 6th five years ago, a sitting U.S. president incited violence against our nation in a shameless attempt to overturn a democratically-held election.This day must live forever in our memory, so that we continue to seek accountability for the perpetrators and work tirelessly to safeguard our democracy from future lawlessness. “As we reflect on the solemn anniversary of the insurrection, we must grapple with the reality that the same president is back in office. And that his disdain for the rule of law and disregard of the U.S. Constitution are more brazen than ever, amplified by endless incendiary rhetoric and reckless actions. From the unwanted and unlawful military deployments of the national guard to U.S. cities to the indefensible and brazenly unlawful kidnapping of a foreign leader for the benefit of fossil fuel corporations, this president’s authoritarianism is a real and living threat to our democracy and it demands vigilance and resistance from us all.”

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