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Elon Musk

Democrats Blast GOP For Risking Shutdown On Orders From Elon Musk

House Democratic leaders strongly criticized Republicans on Thursday for falling in line with billionaire Elon Musk’s demand to scrap legislation that will fund the federal government.

Following criticism from Musk (which was later echoed by President-elect Donald Trump), Republicans pulled the continuing resolution that had bipartisan support. In addition to supporting ongoing government operations, the bill contains disaster relief for thousands of Americans affected by hurricanes and other natural disasters in recent months.

If the House doesn’t come up with a stopgap appropriations bill by Friday, it could trigger a partial government shutdown.

“That bipartisan agreement has now been detonated because House Republicans have been ordered to shut down the government and hurt the very working-class Americans that many of them pretend to want to help,” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said at a press conference.

Musk led the uprising against the bill along with failed presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. Both men are part of the gaggle of billionaires and millionaires who make up the upper echelon of Trump advisers. The duo has been appointed to lead the unofficial Department of Government Efficiency, which claims it will cut $2 trillion in government spending.

House Minority Whip Katherine Clark castigated Republicans for how their actions will affect middle-class families and business owners.

“What's really hard is you are already struggling to pay your bills, and all of a sudden the aid for your small business that you thought was coming is going to not come because Elon Musk and Donald Trump decided to inject this chaos and hardship into your life,” Clark said.

Hard-line Republicans who oppose the bill have indicated that as payback for this budget proposal, they may withhold support for Speaker Mike Johnson in the leadership elections scheduled for January when Congress reconvenes. The GOP has a very small majority in the House despite the party’s success in the recent election.

Jeffries was asked if Democrats might back Johnson in the upcoming speaker election in exchange for including some Democratic priorities in the next funding bill. His answer was succinct: “No.”

Even as Democrats slam Musk and Trump for their disruptive actions, members of the Republican caucus are voicing support for the South African multibillionaire and chaos agent.

During an interview on Fox Business, Rep. Andy Barr of Kentucky was asked if Musk is exerting undue influence over Congress from his unelected position.

“No, I don't think so. I think this is exactly what the American people voted for,” he responded.

Musk reportedly spent at least $250 million to prop up Trump in the election and now has congressional Republicans doing as he demands. The Democratic Party’s leadership has now shown it’s not on board with the Musk-GOP alliance.

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.

Vivek Ramaswamy

Billionaires Herding GOP Into Revolt Against Spending Bill

Led by billionaires who have been appointed by Donald Trump to wield massive influence over his incoming administration, Republican members of Congress are rejecting a last-ditch spending bill just days before a possible government shutdown.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has had to reach across the aisle for Democratic assistance to pass the continuing resolution legislation ahead of Friday, the last day before funding dries up. But hard-line Republicans in his own party have voiced their opposition to the bill, which contains economic aid for those hit by recent hurricanes and some relief for farmers.

It looks like they’re taking their cues from the likes of failed presidential candidate and billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy, who Trump appointed to lead the advisory (and completely unofficial) Department of Government Efficiency alongside multibillionaire Elon Musk. The obscenely wealthy duo wants the bill killed.

In a TikTok video, Ramaswamy claimed that he read the entirety of the 1,500-page bill released Tuesday night “that blows away your taxpayer money.”

@vivekramaswamy

Congress wants to waste your money without telling you, make sure that doesn’t happen

“Real-time advice to Congress: go back to the drawing board, start with a blank slate & do this the right way,” Ramswamy later wrote.

Musk also voiced his displeasure with the bill Tuesday, writing, “This bill should not pass.”

In a Wednesday morning appearance on Fox News, Johnson disclosed that he had been involved in a text chain with Musk and Ramaswamy overnight, trying to assuage their concerns over the legislation. Following that conversation, both billionaires have continued to attack the bill. Ramaswamy has even posted what he says should be a one-page “clean” funding bill that isn’t a “pork-fest” like the current legislation.

Echoing the billionaires, Texas Sen. John Cornyn asked, “How on earth did a 3 month Continuing Resolution grow into this Cramnibus.” In response, Musk called it “a nightmare bill.”

“Any member of the House or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in 2 years!” Musk wrote in a separate post. Musk spent at least $250 million to help elect Trump and has said he will put more of his immense fortune into molding the Republican Party in his image.

Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene jumped on the bandwagon, writing, “I agree with @elonmusk and @VivekGRamaswamy 100% on the CR!”

Similarly, Florida GOP Rep. Kat Cammack said she was against the bill and claimed the deal is “doing credible damage” to the party.

Incredibly, even Trump is now reportedly expressing his opposition to the bill, according to Axios, while Politico reports that Johnson is already weighing a spending Plan B—which leads one to wonder who is truly wielding the most influence over the GOP.

Not only is the current rebellion a headache for Johnson’s immediate concerns about the bill passing, but it could hurt his bid to be reelected speaker in January, when Congress reconvenes.

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) told reporters that he will not vote for Johnson, and if others follow suit the process could echo the multiple rounds of voting that former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) had to endure.

The billionaires have made their demands known and some of the Republican Party’s most prominent figures are giving them what they want—even if working-class Americans have to suffer the consequences.

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.

Mike Johnson

Right-Wing Rage Over Budget 'Dumpster Fire' May Endanger Speaker

Speaker Mike Johnson may face a leadership challenge in the new year after angering conservatives in the House.

Republicans are running up against the Dec. 20 deadline to pass a stopgap appropriations bill to fund the federal government, or else a partial shutdown could be triggered. Despite operating with a Republican majority since the 2022 election, the party has been unable to pass the legislation in a timely fashion.

Congressional leaders are negotiating over the size of disaster and farm relief, which is needed to respond to recent hurricanes and other natural disasters, as well as continuing trade issues triggered by Donald Trump’s trade war with China started when he was last president.

But the disorganized process of agreeing to the bill’s contents is provoking derogatory comments from the most conservative House members. South Carolina Republican Rep. Ralph Norman of the right-wing Freedom Caucus told Politico that his fellow conservatives are “frustrated with the outcome.” A tentative deal on the new spending prompted Republican Rep. Eric Burlison of Missouri to describe it as “garbage” and a “total dumpster fire.”

Texas Rep. Chip Roy was even more blunt, calling the agreement “negotiated crap” and complaining “we’re forced to eat this crap sandwich” because of the hurried process and the looming deadline.

Johnson will need the votes of at least some of the members put off by the process when the new Congress is seated in January and leadership elections are held. Despite the party’s success in the 2024 elections, the maximum number of seats they are projected to hold is 222 of the 435 seats in total.

In January of this year the party had an extremely contentious race for the speakership, with then-Rep. Kevin McCarthy surviving 15 rounds of voting before eventually prevailing. That turned out to be the least of McCarthy’s worries, because by October he had been ousted in a vote sparked by conservative Republicans.

In spite of Republican political success, the party’s time in charge of Congress has been marked by turmoil. The majority has had to rely on votes from Democrats to keep basic government functions operational, which has in turn angered the most conservative factions of the Republican caucus.

Johnson emerged from the McCarthy mess as leader, but he was clearly not the first choice but rather someone the party settled on. Now he will need to rely on that lukewarm support and fresh feelings of resentment to keep him in the presidential line of succession.

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.

Mitch McConnell

McConnell Complains About Trump -- After Persistently Enabling Him

Outgoing Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell wrote an essay in Foreign Affairs magazine critiquing Donald Trump for supporting isolationism. But for years, McConnell has enabled Trump’s political power, allowing the president-elect to isolate the country and back America’s adversaries.

McConnell endorsed Trump in the 2024 election, despite Trump’s open disdain for international cooperation and his opposition to NATO allies helping Ukraine resist attacks from Russia.

In his essay, McConnell praised Trump for using force against Syria in 2018, but added, “But Trump sometimes undermined these tough policies through his words and deeds. He courted Putin, he treated allies and alliance commitments erratically and sometimes with hostility, and in 2019 he withheld $400 million in security assistance to Ukraine. These public episodes raised doubts about whether the United States was committed to standing up to Russian aggression, even when it actually did so.”

The criticism of Trump’s longstanding openness to Putin is ironic considering McConnell’s own history on the topic of Russia.

During the 2016 election cycle, then-President Barack Obama’s administration sought to release a bipartisan statement alerting the public to Russia’s attempts to influence the result of that year’s presidential campaign. However, McConnell “dramatically watered down” the document, according to former White House chief of staff Denis McDonough. President Joe Biden, who was involved in those negotiations as vice president, said in a 2018 interview that McConnell “wanted no part of having a bipartisan commitment that we would say, essentially, ‘Russia’s doing this, stop.’”

When Trump was in office, McConnell was muted in response to Trump’s positive overtures to hostile nations.

In a 2018 interview, Trump said that he and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un “understand each other,” despite decades of political oppression and brutality by the North Korean regime.

When journalists asked McConnell to comment on the statement, McConnell replied, “What I think is that it would be wonderful is if we ended up with a denuclearized Korean Peninsula and I hope that’s where this all ends.”

In April, McConnell complained that Trump’s influence delayed passage of funds to help Ukraine. “Our nominee for president didn’t seem to want us to do anything at all,” McConnell lamented. “That took months to work our way through it.”

Just a few months later, McConnell voted to send Trump back to the White House, where he will be free to pursue the foreign policy agenda that McConnell claims he is largely opposed to.

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.

Kari Lake

Trump Names Conspiracy Kook Kari Lake To Head Voice Of America

Donald Trump has chosen former local TV anchor, conspiracy theorist, and two-time election loser Kari Lake to head Voice of America. As head of the network, she will be in charge of its reporters and will shape how America is perceived around the world.

VOA is an international media network funded by the United States founded in 1942. The network reaches approximately 326 million people per week and has been the international face of America at pivotal moments in world history.

During World War II, VOA broadcasts were aired to Nazi-led Germany and the rest of Europe providing an American perspective to many who would otherwise not hear it. The network served a similar purpose during the Cold War, providing the American point of view behind the Soviet-led “Iron Curtain.”

VOA has traditionally been editorially independent but with the Lake selection, Trump is likely to restart efforts he began in his first term to turn the VOA network into another pro-Trump propaganda outlet. After all, Lake has referred to journalists reporting accurate information as “monsters.”

Lake is coming off of her second election loss, as she was defeated in her bid for Arizona’s open Senate seat by Rep. Ruben Gallego, a Democrat. Lake also lost the 2022 gubernatorial race in Arizona against now-Gov. Katie Hobbs.

After losing that race, Lake promoted a conspiracy theory that she had actually won the race. In a December 2022 speech, Lake identified herself as a “proud election-denying deplorable.”

In fact, Lake first gained national prominence for her promotion of conspiracy theories. After Trump lost the 2020 election to President Joe Biden, Lake frequently falsely described the election as “stolen.” Lake even called for Arizona’s official election results, where Biden defeated Trump, to be decertified.

Lake’s cultlike devotion to Trump extends beyond supporting his election conspiracies and his hardline anti-immigrant stance. She was once infamously photographed vacuuming a red carpet before meeting with Trump.

In addition to election denialism, Lake also has connections to the extremist QAnon movement. QAnon believers promote a debunked conspiracy theory about global elites trafficking children and stealing their blood. In January, Lake headlined a political fundraiser organized by wealthy QAnon supporters.

Trump’s previous administration threatened the editorial independence of Voice of America after it accurately reported negative news on Trump and then-Vice President Mike Pence. Now, with the planned installation of Lake, the network will be led by a fellow traveler in Trump’s world of conspiracies.

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.

Poll: Americans Don't Trust Trump, Oz Or RFK Jr. To Protect Public Health

Poll: Americans Don't Trust Trump, Oz Or RFK Jr. To Protect Public Health

Donald Trump and his picks to lead American health care policy do not have the support of the public, according to a poll released Wednesday.

The Axios/Ipsos American Health Index poll shows that only 32 percent of Americans trust Trump on health issues. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, fares even worse with only 30 percent. And only 23 percent of Americans trust Mehmet Oz, Trump’s choice to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Trump’s picks to lead the National Institutes of Health, Jay Bhattacharya, and the FDA, Marty Makary, fare even worse with support levels of 15 percent and 14 percent, respectively. But it’s likely that many Americans have no idea who those two people are, and that’s why they don’t trust them.

By contrast, Anthony Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director, enjoys 45 percent trust. Trust is even higher for existing health agencies, with 66 percent of Americans trusting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and 62 percent backing the National Institutes of Health.

His years of attacking the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, certainly doesn’t help Trump’s trustworthiness on health care. Since he began his political career in 2015, Trump has pushed for repealing the program while offering nothing (to this day) to replace it. Trump backed legislation in 2017 that would have left millions of Americans without coverage and was thwarted by a unified Democratic Party and three breakaway Republican senators.

The history of his nominees on health issues also brings significant negatives to the table.

Kennedy has peddled debunked conspiracy theories on a host of medical issues, most notably his false assertion that childhood vaccination is connected to autism. Oz, a failed Senate candidate and former TV host, has been criticized for peddling dubious pills and supporting the privatization of Medicare.

Bhattacharya is an economist at Stanford University who proposed largely allowing COVID-19 to spread—despite the virus’ significant public health risk—while Makary, a professor at Johns Hopkins University, opposed mandatory vaccination, even though vaccination was ultimately key to restoring normalcy across the world.

Arguably, the biggest failure that Trump is associated with in his first presidential term was related to health care. On his watch, over 396,800 Americans died from COVID-19—following months of Trump repeatedly misinforming the public on the severity of the virus and denying states the resources they needed to fight infections.

This new poll from Axios/Ipsos shows that Trump’s narrow election win has not given him any kind of boost on the key issue of public health, and the low quality of his nominees isn’t helping.

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.

Dinesh D’Souza

Trump Propagandist D'Souza Admits '2000 Mules' Movie Is A Fraud

Right-wing pundit and author Dinesh D’Souza has now admitted that the central premise of his election conspiracy film and accompanying book, 2,000 Mules, is false.

In the 2022 film, D’Souza cited the right-wing activist group True the Vote to claim cell phone geolocation data proved that volunteers for nonprofits were stuffing ballot boxes with votes in favor of President Joe Biden, helping him to defeat Donald Trump in the 2020 election.

“We recently learned that surveillance videos used in the film may not have actually been correlated with the geolocation data,” said a statement quietly posted to D’Souza’s website on Monday.

“I now understand that the surveillance videos used in the film were characterized on the basis of inaccurate information provided to me and my team. If I had known then that the videos were not linked to geolocation data, I would have clarified this and produced and edited the film differently,” he added.

D’Souza’s note apologized to Mark Andrews, a Georgia man recorded on video footage that was used in the movie with his face blurred. In the original version of the film, D’Souza narrated the scene with Andrews and said, “What you are seeing is a crime. These are fraudulent votes.”

Despite D’Souza’s attempt to lay all the blame at the feet of True the Vote, this claim was the central premise of his movie and accompanying book.

Salem Media Group, which published the book and distributed the film version, previously apologized to Andrews and said the company would no longer distribute the book or film.

Georgia law enforcement agencies previously debunked the film’s allegations but the right-wing provocateurs—led by prominent figures like Trump—have touted the allegations and similar conspiracies for years.

D’Souza is a longtime conservative commentator and activist who made the transition to conspiracy theorist several years ago. He has written and directed eight movies since 2012 attacking Democrats and liberals. Among the films are 2016: Obama’s America, supposedly depicting the dystopia that would occur if President Barack Obama won reelection in 2012; Death of a Nation, which compared Trump to Abraham Lincoln; and the debunked tract 2000 Mules.

There was a gap in D’Souza’s filmmaking because in 2014 he pleaded guilty to federal charges of making illegal contributions to the Senate campaign for Wendy Long, the Republican nominee in New York’s 2012 Senate race. Despite D’Souza’s attempt to help, Long lost to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand by 46 percentage points.

D’Souza was later pardoned by Trump in 2018, reflecting Trump’s habit of delivering politically for figures who have lavished him with praise—similar to the FBI director nomination he recently offered to Trump fanfic writer Kash Patel.

The D’Souza saga is a microcosm of the right-wing media world and conservative culture in general, where utterly false and easily debunked claims are promoted for years on end, only to quietly be cast off when people are no longer paying attention.

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.

Tom Homan

Fox Hosts Offer Public Relations Advice To Promote Mass Deportations

Fox News hosts are advising the incoming Trump administration to hire public relations professionals so it can control coverage of the fallout from immigration policies like mass deportation.

On Monday’s edition of Fox & Friends, co-host Brian Kilmeade said incoming Trump “border czar” Tom Homan “needs a PR team” once the administration begins advancing its immigration agenda.

Kilmeade laid out a scenario where liberal critics of Homan might discuss children and families affected by the new policies.

“I think it’s important, when Tom Homan rolls this out, they want to show the image of Tom Homan callously saying these families that have been here nine years and they’re just trying to work under the radar they’re the problem,” Kilmeade added.

Lawrence Jones, his fellow co-host, agreed. “You know what’s going to happen on the other side. You’re going to have AOC and company crying at the gates, again.” Jones concluded, “You’ve got to have a media strategy.”

His reference to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) was a frequently mentioned (in conservative circles) 2018 protest she participated in against the Trump administration’s family separation policy and children being housed in a tent city in El Paso, Texas.

The international and domestic fallout to the separation policy was a hallmark of Trump’s first term and what the Fox hosts are hoping to avoid via their on-air advice. Concerns are elevated following a recent appearance from Homan on Fox where he said the incoming administration would pursue cutting off federal funds from states whose governors refuse to comply with mass deportation.

Not only was the United States criticized around the world on family separation, but reunification of those families is also a project that the Biden administration has had to focus on for four years—with some families still torn apart.

The advice offered by the Fox hosts is not merely punditry, but an acknowledgement that there is a revolving door between the political world around Trump and the conservative network. Trump hires faces from Fox, implements Fox-backed policies, and Fox responds by manipulating the news to assist Trump and amplifying pro-Trump rhetoric and ideas.

In this instance Fox is effectively giving Trump a heads-up and marching orders, and history shows he is very likely to do as instructed.

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.

Boebert Investigating 'Underwater Alien Bases' -- With Your Tax Dollars

Boebert Investigating 'Underwater Alien Bases' -- With Your Tax Dollars

Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) gave a possible preview of the upcoming Republican congressional majorities’ priorities during a House Oversight Committee hearing on Wednesday. The topic: underwater alien bases.

The loyal Donald Trump ally initiated her bonkers investigation during a hearing entitled “Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena: Exposing the Truth.”

The controversial Colorado representative, who overwhelmingly won her new congressional district, asked witnesses if they were aware of any “known instances of recovered materials or technologies that are not of human origin” that were connected to “advanced bioscience defense programs” within the U.S. government. After the witnesses said they were unaware of any such recovery, the congresswoman got into the details.

“There are rumors that have come up to the Hill of a secretive project within the Department of Defense involving the manipulation of human genetics with what is described as nonhuman genetic material potentially for the enhancement of human capabilities,” Boebert said.

Boebert did not explain the source of the “rumors” but what she described is similar to scenarios laid out by notorious conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, who has claimed a secret elite is melding alien genetics with humans to create a new species. It is also possible that Boebert was describing the comic book superhero Aquaman, who is the product of relations between mythical merfolk and humans. She did not elaborate.

One witness, right-wing anti-renewable energy activist Michael Shellenberger, told Boebert that the Pentagon is actively working to hide details of encounters between the Navy and possible aliens.

Boebert took this moment as a launching point to ask, “Are there any accounts of [unidentified anomalous phenomena] emerging from or submerging into our water, which could indicate a base or presence beneath the ocean’s surface?”

Shellenberger couldn’t confirm or deny Boebert’s underwater alien base theory but told the congresswoman he had seen footage of “an orb coming out of the ocean and being met by another orb.”

There was a 2023 report of a small golden orb found on the sea floor in Alaska; scientists are unclear about its origin. But the details of that story are not nearly as dramatic as Shellenberger’s description of orb-on-orb interaction.

As far as the “base” theory Boebert floated, she could again be making a reference to Atlantis, where “Aquaman” lives with the other Atlanteans in DC Comics; the Atlantis of Marvel Comics where the similarly powered Namor the Sub-Mariner resides; or it could even be the Atlantica of Disney’s “Little Mermaid,” where Ariel and her family of merfolk live and sing under the sea.

The congresswoman did not elaborate during this taxpayer-funded line of questioning.

But the moment very likely telegraphs the direction the incoming GOP-led government is likely to take. Since Republicans took control of the House in 2022, they have used their majority power to pursue conspiracy theories and crusades against their political opponents, like the investigation into President Joe Biden’s son Hunter and his infamous laptop.

For Republicans, the drive to push conspiracies comes directly from the top. After all, President-elect Trump launched birther conspiracy theories against rivals Barack Obama and Nikki Haley and has alleged climate change is a Chinese “hoax.” So America can expect even more probes into the underwater alien base mystery, and the entire country will finance the insanity.

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.

Donald Trump

Trump's Win Is A Presidential 'First' In So Many Embarrassing Ways

If Vice President Kamala Harris had won the 2024 election, inauguration day in 2025 would have seen several landmark firsts in American history: the first woman, the first Black woman, and the first Asian woman—sworn in as president.

Instead, Donald Trump won, and he will be the “first” in far more embarrassing ways.

Trump will be the first president in American history who will be sworn in after having been impeached. Twice. Trump was impeached for his plot to use the powers of the presidency to pressure Ukraine into smearing President Joe Biden. Later, Trump was impeached for his role in whipping up his supporters to attack the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Trump will also be the first inaugurated U.S. president with two federal indictments under his belt. He has been indicted for attempting to interfere in the electoral process in the 2020 election following his defeat against Biden. Trump was also indicted for improperly taking classified documents and keeping them at his Mar-a-Lago estate, notably in the bathroom next to the toilet.

At a more local level, Trump’s conviction in New York on 34 felony counts will go with him into the Oval Office. Trump made history when he was convicted by a jury of his peers for trying to influence the outcome of the 2016 election via hush payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels.

That presidential first will be paired with Trump’s upcoming sentencing for those convictions—the kind of thing even former President Richard Nixon did not have to contend with.

Trump will also be the first president to be found liable for sexual abuse. In 2023, a New York jury awarded writer E. Jean Carroll $5 million for Trump abusing her in 1996. The jury also found that Trump had defamed Carroll in repeated public statements personally attacking her and her allegations.

There has never been a president sworn in with racketeering charges hanging over their head, but Trump has broken through that barrier. He is currently facing charges in Georgia related to his schemes to subvert the 2020 election in that state. The Georgia prosecutor who brought the case against Trump, Fani Willis, was reelected on Tuesday night.

These blots on Trump’s record were known for months and in spite of them—perhaps even because of them—Republicans chose him as their nominee and never backpedaled even as more details of his actions became public.

Now he and the party are breaking new ground ahead of his second inauguration, but it is a far cry from breaking the glass ceiling.

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.

Searing New Harris Ad Shows Horror Of Abortion Bans Close Up

Searing New Harris Ad Shows Horror Of Abortion Bans Close Up

The Harris-Walz campaign released a new ad on Wednesday featuring the story of a Texas woman who was denied access to an abortion under that state’s abortion ban—and almost died as a result.

In the ad, Ondrea and her husband explain that at 16 weeks of pregnancy, her water broke and doctors informed them that their much-wanted baby would not survive. This happened in 2022, after the conservative majority on the Supreme Court overturnedRoe v. Wade, triggering Texas’ abortion ban.

Three of the six justices who formed the court majority were appointed by Donald Trump, and all six were appointed by Republican presidents. Trump has praised the justices for the “genius” of their decision.

The state’s ban would not allow Ondrea to have an abortion, and she later developed a septic infection that led to a six-hour emergency surgery. That resulted in a massive incision from her breast to her pelvis; she had to stay in the hospital for three weeks because the wound would not close. The couple allowed photos of the wound and footage of Ondrea’s scar to be shown in the ad.

The ad juxtaposes the couple’s ordeal with audio of Trump bragging, “I am the one that got rid of Roe v. Wade.” Trump’s voice arguing in 2016 that “there has to be some sort of punishment” for an abortion also plays over footage of the thick scar bisecting Ondrea’s torso.

In a longer video released by the campaign, Ondrea places the blame for her trauma squarely on Trump.

“[Trump] did this to me. It almost cost me my life and it will affect me for the rest of my life,” she says. Her husband Ceasar adds, “Now we may never ever be able to get pregnant again.”

The Harris-Walz campaign said that it would also release a shorter version of the ad to be used in digital advertising targeting men in order to highlight the impact that abortion bans are having on them as well.

Reproductive freedom has been a central focus of Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential bid. Her campaign has released several ads focusing on Trump’s defense of his actions and the fallout for people dealing with the consequences.

Harris supports the restoration of abortion rights and has advocated for federal legislation that will restore the protections of Roe v. Wade.

Harris will be visiting Houston, Texas, on Friday for a campaign rally alongside Democratic Senate candidate Colin Allred. A House member, civil rights lawyer, and former NFL player, Allred has made abortion access a major part of his push to unseat GOP Sen. Ted Cruz, a longtime opponent of abortion rights.

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.

Liz Cheney

Liz Cheney Says GOP's Extremist Abortion Policies Are 'Untenable'

Former Rep. Liz Cheney said the restrictive abortion policies put in place by her fellow Republicans have created an “untenable” situation for millions.

Cheney made the comments during a Monday town hall session in Wisconsin alongside Vice President Kamala Harris. Cheney has endorsed the Democratic nominee’s presidential bid, citing the need to cross party lines to defend democracy against Republican nominee Donald Trump and events like the January 6 attack on the Capitol that he instigated.

“I’m pro-life and I have been very troubled, deeply troubled, by what I have watched happen in so many states since Dobbs,” Cheney said, citing “women who, in some cases, have died, who can’t get medical treatment that they need because providers are worried about criminal liability.”

Her conclusion: “We’re facing a situation today where—I think that it’s an untenable one.”

The 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization by a 6-3 conservative majority on the Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling and allowed Republican-led states to implement and enforce anti-choice laws and regulations. Trump appointed three of the six justices who voted with the court majority.

Cheney warned that there are “fundamentally dangerous” things that have happened in the years following the court’s unpopular decision.

Among the issues Cheney singled out: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s pending lawsuit that seeks to obtain the medical records of women who have crossed state lines to get an abortion. Abortion is illegal in Texas except “when a doctor, in their ‘reasonable medical judgment,’ believes it is necessary to save the life or protect the health of the pregnant patient,” according to the Texas Tribune.

”Even if you are pro-life, as I am, I do not believe … that the state of Texas ought to have the right, as they’re currently suing to do, to get access to a woman’s medical records,” Cheney said.

Cheney also cited cases where women have died because they could not receive abortion care.

As she noted, Cheney has a legislative record of opposing abortion access and even received an “A” rating from the anti-choice group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America. But she said that several states’ extremist actions following the Supreme Court’s decision cause her concern.

Cheney pointed out that Trump has praised himself for appointing the justices who overturned the precedent.

“You just cannot count on him, you can’t trust him,” she said.

Trump has claimed he isn’t affiliated with anti-choice extremists and tried to distance himself from Republican efforts to pass a federal abortion ban. But recent opinion polling has shown that most voters are skeptical, with 51 percent surveyed by Navigator Research saying they believe he would sign such a law.

Harris has argued that those with strong religious objections to abortion should still back efforts to curtail the fallout from Trump’s effort to pack the Supreme Court with justices who eventually nullified the constitutional right to an abortion.

“One does not have to abandon their faith or deeply held beliefs to agree: The government, and Donald Trump certainly, should not be telling a woman what to do with her body,” she said during her September debate against him.

Harris backs federal legislation that would enshrine the protections of Roe in federal law and has said she backs killing the Senate filibuster if it would enable the passage of such legislation. Current Senate rules require that if legislation is filibustered by a single senator, 60 votes are required before an issue can be voted on, even if a majority supports a proposal.

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.

Staging Fake McDonald's Photo Op, Trump Slanders Harris (Again)

Staging Fake McDonald's Photo Op, Trump Slanders Harris (Again)

Donald Trump pretended to be working at a McDonald’s location closed to the public and stocked with his supporters on Sunday. The staged event at the restaurant in Feasterville, Pennsylvania, was part of the long-time conspiracy theorist’s promotion of another evidence-free attack on Vice President Kamala Harris.

The public could not access the restaurant during Trump’s visit and the people who Trump handed food orders to were his supporters who were pre-screened by the Secret Service and put in place before Trump arrived. The supporters were not allowed to make food orders as they would during the normal course of business, but were instead handed packages that Trump gave to them.

A Reddit forum member posted a photo of a letter purportedly written by the owners of the McDonald’s franchise, DG Torresdale LLC, that was posted on the front door. It read, “We plan to be closed on Sunday, October 20 until 4 p.m., to accommodate a visit at the request of former President Trump and his campaign.”

The Republican National Committee rushed to cash-in on the moment, and is now selling T-shirts with Trump dressed up in his McDonald’s apron with the phrase “MAGADonald’s.”

The staged event was meant to further Trump’s conspiracy theory that Harris didn’t work at McDonald’s in her youth. She has often discussed her time working at the restaurant as her motivation for backing policies that help working families.

The McDonald’s conspiracy is the latest in a succession of false stories that Trump has promoted during his time as a public figure. He was the most prominent backer of the racist birther conspiracy against former President Barack Obama and he has falsely claimed that climate change science was a “hoax” created by the Chinese government.

Trump’s allies at the conservative Fox News Channel furthered the conspiracy on Monday during a report on the staged event on “Fox & Friends.”

“There’s just no record of her being there or not being there,” reporter Peter Doocy said. “To our knowledge, there’s no photo of her in the McDonald’s apron, which now there is a photo of Donald Trump in the McDonald’s apron.”

While he stood at the drive-through window, Trump was asked by reporters if he supported raising the federal minimum wage, a policy that would significantly improve the lives of thousands of people who actually work at McDonald’s. Trump ducked the question, and instead said, “I think these people work hard, they’re great.”

Trump has historically opposed minimum wage increases and during his 2020 debate with President Joe Biden said, “How are you helping your small businesses when you’re forcing wages? What’s going to happen, and what’s been proven to happen, is when you do that, these small businesses fire many of their employees.”

Before he launched his own wide array of failed businesses, Trump was born into a wealthy family and given his start with millions in loans backed by his father.

Unlike Trump, Harris comes from a middle-class background and has backed economic policies meant to benefit employees in the service industry. She supports a minimum wage increase and eliminating taxes on tipped income.

While Trump also supports eliminating taxes on tipped income, he also supports large tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy and increased tariffs that would increase taxes for the workers who were a part of his campaign photo op.

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.

Trump Blames Biden And Zelensky -- Not Putin -- For Ukraine War

Trump Blames Biden And Zelensky -- Not Putin -- For Ukraine War

Donald Trump blamed Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the war between his country and Russia, even though it was Russia that invaded Ukraine and seeks to occupy its territory.

Trump made his comments during an interview on Patrick Bet-David’s “PBD Podcast,” which has been a venue for conspiracy theorists and bigots.

“[Zelenskyy] should never have let that war start, the war’s a loser,” Trump said. Trump went on to blame the war that began in 2022 on President Joe Biden, who he blamed for using words “that were the exact opposite of what he should have been saying.”

In reality, the war began in February 2022 after Russian President Vladimir Putin falsely claimed that regions of Ukraine were under control by neo-Nazis and sent his military across the border between the two nations.

The war has claimed the lives of thousands in the region. The Wall Street Journal reported that a confidential Ukrainian estimate of the death toll said that 80,000 of that nation’s troops have been killed and 400,000 wounded. The combined death and wounded total between Russia and Ukraine is a reported 1 million people.

Trump’s characterization of how the war began is in line with his frequently expressed admiration and support for Putin.

Russia authorized a disinformation campaign designed to benefit Trump in the 2016 presidential election, according to a joint assessment by U.S. intelligence agencies, a bipartisan Senate investigation, and the inquiry by special counsel Robert Mueller.

Trump has described Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine as “savvy” and called it a “genius” action.

Journalist Bob Woodward reported in his newly released book War that Trump provided Putin with a COVID-19 test machine for his personal use in 2020, even as Americans struggled to secure medical supplies to deal with the virus.

In his September meeting with Zelenskyy, Trump claimed—without evidence—that Putin wants an end to the war.

Since the war began, the United States under Biden has provided assistance to Ukraine to repel the Russian invasion, as have other NATO nations like the United Kingdom and France. Trump has said on several occasions that he would cut off that aid if he is elected.

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos

J.D. Vance

Trump Surrogates Try (And Fail) To Whitewash His ‘Enemy Within’ Threats

Following backlash to Donald Trump’s statement that the U.S. military or National Guard should be used to contend with his political opponents, Republicans have been struggling to justify and parse his remarks.

In an interview with Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo on Sunday, Trump said that an “enemy from within” is a bigger threat to Americans than any foreign adversary. He said this was a reference to “radical left lunatics” and said they should “be very easily handled by, if necessary, by National Guard—or if really necessary, by the military.”

Among those Trump identified as one of the “lunatics” is one of his frequent critics, California Rep. Adam Schiff.

Trump’s open support of using the armed forces in this way contradicts a frequent claim from the right that the right to bear arms in the Second Amendment is meant as a check on government overreach. The scandal-plagued NRA, who has made that argument while opposing restrictions on guns, is supporting Trump in the election.

Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance, attempted to play damage control the next day when asked by reporters about the precedent-breaking comment.

Asked if going after Americans this way was a justifiable use of power, Vance said, “Is it a justifiable use of those assets if they’re rioting and looting and burning cities down? Of course it is.”

Vance’s comments did not condemn or rebuke Trump’s premise, but instead added extra details that would make a military deployment sound more reasonable.

In an appearance on CNN’s The Lead with Jake Tapper, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin took a different tactic and brought up the notion of immigration policy, something Trump had not invoked.

“It’s my belief that what former President Trump is talking about are the people that are coming over the border that are in fact committing crimes, that are bringing drugs, that are trafficking humans, and that are turning every state into a border state,” Youngkin said.

Tapper pressed him, noting that Trump was not speaking about immigration. He then read a transcript of what Trump told Fox.

In response, Youngkin replied, “I do think that you are misinterpreting and misrepresenting his thoughts.”

Florida Rep. Mike Waltz also appeared on CNN and when confronted with Trump’s statement by anchor John Berman said, “I don't think that's what he said. I think you're connecting some dots there.”

His fellow Florida congressman, Rep. Byron Donalds, took another tactic in his CNN appearance. Without addressing the core substance of Trump’s statement, Donalds said, “Obviously we don’t want to have the United States military—we’re not going to have that be deployed in the United States. It’s been longstanding law in our country since the founding of the republic.”

The Republican fumbling stands in contrast to the clear condemnation of Trump’s statement from the Democratic ticket.

At a rally, Vice President Kamala Harris played video of Trump’s interview along with similar remarks of his and said, “This is among the reasons I believe so strongly that a second Trump term would be a huge risk for America, and dangerous.” She added “Donald Trump is increasingly unstable and unhinged. And he is out for unchecked power. That’s what he’s looking for.”

Her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz, told rally attendees that Trump’s reference to an “enemy from within” is “about you.”

“He’s talking about someone that comes to a rally to express their love and their commitment to our democracy. Donald Trump sees that as an enemy,” Walz added.

The Harris/Walz campaign also released a campaign ad, “Enemy Within,” to highlight Trump’s statement. Clips of his rhetoric are juxtaposed with footage of an interview with former Trump administration official Olivia Troye, who says, “I do remember the day that he suggested that we shoot people on the streets.”

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.

Senator JD Vance

Vance Says Trump 'Salvaged' Obamacare (Which He Tried To Kill)

In an exchange about health care during the vice presidential debate on CBS Tuesday night, Sen. JD Vance claimed that Donald Trump took action to “salvage” the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare, when he was president.

But in reality, Trump tried to kill the law that brought health insurance to millions.

Vance: Donald Trump has said that if we allow states to experiment a little bit, on how to cover both the chronically ill but the non-chronically ill, it’s not just a plan, he actually implemented some of these regulations when he was president of the United States.

And I think you could make a really good argument that it salvaged Obamacare, which was doing disastrously until Donald Trump came along.

In 2017, Trump backed the American Health Care Act, which would have repealed significant portions of Obamacare. According to data compiled by the Congressional Budget Office, if the legislation became law, 24 million people would go uninsured.

The bill passed through the House, which had a Republican majority at the time, and Trump celebrated in the Rose Garden of the White House with congressional leaders. But the bill ultimately failed in the Senate, due to unified opposition from Democrats along with Republican John McCain, Susan Collins, and Lisa Murkowski.

Under President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the health care law has been expanded to cover more people, and Harris has said that she will continue to back the law if she is elected president.

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.