The stories you want. The opinions that matter.
No, thanks
{{ site.specific_data.Twitter }}
Cartoonist Ann Telnaes, Who Quit Post Over Bezos Censorship, Wins Pulitzer

Cartoonist Ann Telnaes, Who Quit Post Over Bezos Censorship, Wins Pulitzer

Cartoonist Ann Telnaes won the Pulitzer Prize for illustrated reporting and commentary on Monday, months after she resigned from The Washington Post over the paper reportedly censoring a cartoon critical of Post owner Jeff Bezos’ relationship with President Donald Trump.

The Pulitzer Prizes are considered the highest award in journalism. In its citation, the Pulitzer committee credited Telnaes for “delivering piercing commentary on powerful people and institutions with deftness, creativity—and a fearlessness that led to her departure from the news organization after 17 years.” Telnaes previously won the award in 2001.

“In a time when the free press is under attack by autocrats in their quest to silence dissent, editorial cartoons and satire are essential for a democracy to survive and thrive,” Telnaes said in a statement. “I’m honored to receive this award and encourage everyone to support their local cartoonist.”

Telnaes left the paper in January after a cartoon she drew was declined for publication by the Post’s editorial page. The sketch depicted Bezos, Mickey Mouse (Disney owns ABC), Meta head Mark Zuckerberg, Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong, and Sam Altman of OpenAI bowing to Trump and offering him money.

Days after the incident, Bezos was among those with front row seats to Trump’s inauguration—an event to which he reportedly donated funds..

Telnaes’ departure was part of a steady stream of figures leaving the paper at the end of 2024 and early this year. Staffers quit after Bezos spiked an endorsement of Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris, and columnists Ruth Marcus and Jennifer Rubin.

Rubin also quit over the Post’s capitulations to Trump.

Bezos has not publicly opposed Trump’s policies like tariffs, even while arguing that the newspaper’s editorial line would openly support “free markets and personal liberties.”

Trump has expressed delight that Bezos is now in his corner. In a March interview, Trump hailed Bezos for “trying to do a real job” in changing the editorial tone at the paper.

As the Trump administration has made a concerted effort to warp press access at the White House in favor of outlets willing to regurgitate right-wing propaganda—or, in the case of the Post, not push back too hard against it—figures like Telnaes have continued to speak out.

Telnaes now operates a Substack for her cartoons, with over 98,000 subscribers. Thousands of people will still see the award-winning work that didn’t bow to Trump—they just won’t see it in The Washington Post anymore.

Kristi Noem

Homeland Security Scheme Offers Migrants $1000 To 'Self-Deport'

The Trump administration is offering undocumented immigrants a paltry $1,000 if they choose to “self-deport” in a “dignified” way.

A Monday release from the Department of Homeland Security said immigrants would be paid the stipend “after their return to their home country has been confirmed” through Customs and Border Protection’s Home App.

“This is the safest option for our law enforcement, aliens and is a 70% savings for US taxpayers,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote in a post on X.

The announcement is a new focal point of President Donald Trump’s ongoing and chaotic policy of mass deportation, with the goal of purging the United States—a nation formed by immigrants—of immigrants. The Trump administration has already been executing that policy by abducting people, some in broad daylight, and forcibly transporting them to foreign nations and the notorious CECOT prison in El Salvador. Some, like Maryland man Kilmar Abrego Garcia, are legally qualified to be in the United States but have nonetheless been removed by Trump’s goons.

The notion that undocumented immigrants would go to such extraordinary lengths to come to the United States, only to upend the life they’ve built for a mere $1,000 is ridiculous on its face. Furthermore, immigration experts who have ridiculed such “self-deportation” policies in the past said migrants who take this offer would often be facing terrible financial straits, violence, or worse in their countries of origin.

Even nonexperts have said such policies are “crazy,” “maniacal,” and “mean-spirited”—at least, that’s how Trump himself described the idea when it was proposed by failed Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney in 2012.

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, said the DHS claim in its release that people opting to take the stipend could possibly return to the U.S. after self-deporting was “wildly deceptive.”

“For many people, this is a lie. Leaving will make their cases much worse,” he wrote. Reichlin-Melnick noted that if a person took the offer, a deportation order could then be handed down in court for failing to appear in court.

Even more concerning is Trump’s long history of lying and misleading on matters both big and small. There is little guarantee based on his track record in the presidency and in his private life that Trump’s administration would fulfill a promise to a migrant.

There are also signs that the policy announcement was intertwined with efforts to promote pro-Trump propaganda on the right-wing Fox News network.

Fox reporter Bill Melugin posted on Monday that he had been given “exclusive” early access to the announcement. He then promoted the announcement in an on-air segment on America’s Newsroom. DHS official Tricia McLaughlin did an interview with that program’s hosts to tout the idea as well.

Fox News also pushed the policy in an online story.

Noem has become notorious for engaging in laughable cosplay while doing public relations appearances pushing Trump’s anti-immigrant agenda. It looks like that hobby is a better use of time and taxpayer funds than the administration’s new and unworkable self-deportation plan.

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.

In Cultish Cabinet Meeting, Trump Lackeys Hawk 'Gulf Of America' Hats

In Cultish Cabinet Meeting, Trump Lackeys Hawk 'Gulf Of America' Hats

The members of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet sat behind red MAGA-style hats emblazoned with the inaccurate terminology “Gulf of America” during a televised White House meeting held on Wednesday.

While the hats are not available on Trump’s official online store as of the time of writing, he has frequently used his presidency to promote MAGA-branded merchandise. It is just one of many ways that Trump has used his publicly funded office to enrich himself.

The administration has tried to push the rebrand of the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America” for months and has successfully convinced digital map providers like Google and Apple to display it. But others have resisted, like the Associated Press, which continues to describe the body of water by its historically accurate and globally recognized name. In response, Trump has banned the AP from covering White House events and has been involved in legal wrangling as he attacks freedom of the press.

As if the whole “Gulf of America” hat thing wasn’t absurd enough, billionaire Elon Musk also attended, wearing two different MAGA-style hats on his head. The attention-hungry move follows reports that he will soon step back from his role in steering the unpopular Trump White House.

Elon Musk is wearing two Trump caps on top of each other

[image or embed]

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) April 30, 2025 at 5:45 PM

Adding to the Cabinet meeting’s cult-like atmosphere, Trump opened the gathering by insisting they share a false reality. Lying, he claimed that it was not his fault that the nation's gross domestic product shrunk in the first quarter of 2025. Instead, he incorrectly blamed former President Joe Biden.

“That’s Biden. That’s not Trump,” Trump complained. “I was very against everything that Biden was doing in terms of the economy, destroying our country.”

In reality, the economy is suffering because of Trump’s chaotic tariff moves. His policies have increased the costs of goods and caused global economic uncertainty. The shrinking economy has virtually nothing to do with the former president.

When Trump took office, the U.S. economy was booming following policies that Biden put in place to recover from the COVID-19-fueled downturn under Trump.

The strange hats and the promotion of a false reality with Trump’s Cabinet of billionaires show evidence of a cult of self-deception. Trump and his team may try to sell a false version of reality to the public, where the Gulf of Mexico is renamed and tariffs are working out—but public opinion polling shows it isn’t working.

Trump is unpopular and so are his ideas, and a red hat isn’t going to make that go away.

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.

Todd Lyons

ICE Chief Wants Mass Deportation To Work 'Like Amazon With Human Beings'

Acting Immigrations and Customs Enforcement Director Todd Lyons told attendees of the Border Security Expo conference in Phoenix, Arizona, on Tuesday that he wants to round up human beings like Amazon deliveries.

He said that the government needs to “get better at treating this like a business” and that he wants the deportation process to work “like [Amazon] Prime, but with human beings.”

Lyons’ dehumanizing language echoes both the rhetoric of past genocidal regimes—including Nazi Germany—and President Donald Trump himself, who has referred to immigrants as “animals,” “not human,” who were “poisoning the blood” of the country.

Other Trump administration officials who attended the conference reinforced Lyons’ harsh anti-immigrant rhetoric.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem gave the keynote speech during the conference, discussing her path from South Dakota governor to her current role within the Trump administration.

Noem, who described immigration at the southern border as “a war and an invasion,” echoed racist mass shooters and members of the white supremacist movement who have frequently characterized immigration as part of an “invasion.”

Similarly, Trump’s “border czar” Tom Homan told the audience that the policy of “family detention,” where children are detained as part of the deportation process, is “on the table.”

In fact, ICE recently detained a mother and three children from Homan’s hometown of Sacketts Harbor, New York, at a facility in Texas.

Homan was recently in the news after complaining about Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York for educating immigrants of their legal rights under the Constitution. In response, she mocked Homan and suggested that he use the Constitution to “learn to read.”

Trump has made opposition to immigration a central part of his identity since becoming a politician in 2015. The remarks from his top administration officials show that the issue remains central to their ideology—and that dehumanization is at its core.

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.

Elon Musk

Musk Wins $5.9B Spacex Contract As He Torches Social Security Agency

Tech billionaire Elon Musk’s space company was recently handed a $5.9 billion contract subsidized by taxpayers, even as his so-called Department of Government Efficiency continues to take a wrecking ball to key government agencies.

The U.S. Space Force announced on April 4 that Musk’s SpaceX was among three companies awarded government contracts for the National Security Space Launch Phase 3 Lane 2 program. Space X will receive more than $5.9 billion of the $13.7 billion in spending that was announced.

Musk is the CEO of SpaceX and owns approximately 42 percent of the company.

While SpaceX is newly flush with government money, Musk’s DOGE has been laying off critical federal workers at multiple agencies. Federal judges have ruled that some of those firings are illegal.

At the Social Security Administration, DOGE has cut 7,000 jobs even though millions of Americans rely on their Social Security payments for day-to-day living. The Washington Post reports that the agency’s website, which citizens use to access information on their benefits, has had repeated outages in recent weeks.

The Post noted that “many of the network outages appear to be caused by an expanded fraud check system imposed by the DOGE team,” according to current and former officials that they consulted. Those sources told the outlet that Social Security’s tech staff didn’t test new software installed by Musk’s group and the computer servers have been unable to handle the traffic.

The revelations come as DOGE has repeatedly lied to the public about how much the rogue agency’s actions have purportedly saved taxpayers. Musk, who is the richest person in the world, has benefited enormously from public spending while attacking and gutting agencies that provide vital services to middle-class families.

Despite Musk continuing to siphon money from the government while attacking it via DOGE, President Donald Trump has made it clear that his crony and biggest political benefactor will not be subject to any guardrails or oversight for corruption.

The arrangement has led to Musk and Trump becoming a major target of grassroots protests. Over the weekend, hundreds of thousands of people across the U.S. took part in “Hands Off” demonstrations, pushing for Trump and Musk to stop their harmful actions and encouraging other lawmakers to stop them.

Musk isn’t the only high-profile billionaire in the MAGA movement making money from the Space Force announcement. Blue Origin, owned by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, will receive over $2.3 billion from the arrangement.

Trump recently offered praise for Bezos, who also owns The Washington Post, after the paper’s pivot in recent weeks to be more MAGA-friendly.

The stock price and revenue for Musk’s other major company, Tesla, have been sinking as he marched in lockstep with Trump. The public has expressed its revulsion and anger at DOGE’s actions even as Republican leaders continue to back the effort. [Musk has lately expressed alarm over Trump's tariff policies.]

But even while Trump’s closest billionaire allies are losing money due to his chaotic and catastrophic tariff policies, they are raking in billions from the government he now leads.

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.

Trump's 'Liberation Day' Rant: Big Tariffs And Crank Conspiracies

Trump's 'Liberation Day' Rant: Big Tariffs And Crank Conspiracies

President Donald Trump wanted the entire world to know about his self-branded “Liberation Day” on Wednesday, during which he announced—in a 48-minute rambling speech, no less—a slew of new tariffs on imported goods.

During his rant, Trump used props, pushed debunked conspiracy theories, and even engaged in a bit of antisemitic dog whistling.

Perhaps most notably, Trump chose to ignore a reporter’s question about families worried about the impact his tariffs will have on their lives. Trump has previously falsely claimed that tariffs are paid by foreign nations, but historically they’ve been passed on as additional costs to U.S. consumers.

Consumer sentiment dramatically fell 12 percent in March as Americans have growing concerns that the economy will worsen thanks to Trump’s policies like these new tariffs.

Touting his tariff decision, which will purportedly impose reciprocal tariffs on several nations (Trump endlessly repeated the term “reciprocal”), Trump then turned to props to sell his message.

Holding a printed-out report showing the alleged necessity of increased tariffs, Trump was handed a large chart, which listed many countries—but not Russia—and the reciprocal tariffs they will be charged. The full list included several odd choices like the uninhabited Heard and McDonald Islands, located in the southern Indian Ocean near Antarctica.

To almost complete silence from the audience, Trump then read most of the chart, offering up commentary on each country (including complaining about the South African government, which has tried to address the effects of racist apartheid policies, and the consternation of Elon Musk).

And in true salesman fashion, Trump paused the proceeding to throw a red MAGA hat into the audience.

Trump stressed the purported necessity of tariffs against Canada, citing Canadian tariffs on milk imports. But those tariffs are mostly a figment of Trump’s imagination, since the transportation of milk does not meet the threshold, which was imposed during Trump’s first term.

“In practice, these tariffs are not actually paid by anyone,” Al Mussell, an expert on Canadian trade issues, explained to CNN in March.

Trying to preempt criticism of his tariff plan, Trump said that “globalists” would be among the many groups objecting to his actions. This term has long been used by the right, including Trump, as an antisemitic dog whistle to imply conspiracies led by Jewish people.

Then, deviating from his tariff messaging, Trump rehashed long-debunked conspiracy theories about the 2020 election being stolen by President Joe Biden. He also bizarrely took credit for supposedly re-popularizing the term “groceries.”

“Groceries, I used it on the campaign. It’s such an old-fashioned term, but a beautiful term. Groceries. It’s a bag with different things in it,” he said.

Trump pushed a trade war against China during his first term, and it was a massive failure that led to billions spent to bail out farmers. Now with his new tariffs, Trump is set to increase costs for millions of Americans.

So, “Liberation Day” for who exactly?

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.

Karoline Leavitt

White House Pushing Smear Campaign Against Atlantic Editor (And His Wife)

As part of ongoing efforts to escape the growing scandal around leaked war plans, Donald Trump’s White House has now resorted to attacking the spouse of The Atlantic's editor Jeffrey Goldberg, who broke the story.

During her daily press briefing on Wednesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt opened a new front in the White House effort.

“If this story proves anything, it proves that Democrats and their propagandists in the mainstream media know how to fabricate, orchestrate, and disseminate a misinformation campaign quite well,” Leavitt said. “There’s arguably no one in the media who loves manufacturing and pushing hoaxes more than Jeffrey Goldberg. Goldberg is an anti-Trump hater. He is a registered Democrat. Goldberg’s wife is also a registered Democrat and a big Democrat donor who used to work under who? Hillary Clinton.”

Leavitt did not offer any evidence that Goldberg makes up stories. In fact, a past Goldberg article that Trump has complained about for years—that Trump called dead veterans “suckers” and “losers”—was later verified by Trump’s former chief of staff, John Kelly.

Goldberg is married to Pamela Ress Reeves, a policy strategist. Her big sin, according to Leavitt, appeared to be her work as director of the State Department’s International Fund for Women and Girls, under the department’s secretary at the time, Hillary Clinton.

The Trump administration and Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency have cut funding for vulnerable women and children around the world.

Leavitt joined the Trump team after praising a January 6 insurrectionist as a “hero” and promoting conspiracy theories about the 2020 presidential election.

In her new position, Leavitt has repeatedly lied on Trump’s behalf. Despite bipartisan uproar about Trump’s decision to pardon January 6 convicts, including many convicted of violent crimes, Leavitt said it didn’t cause much controversy. She followed that up by pushing the falsehood that the Biden administration spent $50 million on condoms for the Gaza Strip, and by awarding a right-wing hoaxer with a pass to the briefing.

The administration is clearly aware the scandal is a problem.

The party has gone after the issue with gusto, alongside their allies at conservative media outlets like Fox News and Newsmax. But instead of coming clean about what was disclosed, firing involved parties, and working to provide a full accounting, the Trump team would rather smear reporters and their closest relatives.

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.

Leland Dudek

Trump's New Social Security Chief Blames DOGE For Massive Cuts And Chaos

Leland Dudek, the acting Social Security commissioner installed by President Donald Trump, reportedly admitted in a closed-door meeting that Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency is behind massive cuts planned at the vital agency.

The Washington Post reports that Dudek made the admission in a meeting held with advocates for the elderly and disabled, legal aides, and senior members of agency staff. According to a meeting participant’s notes, Dudek described DOGE as “outsiders who are unfamiliar with nuances of SSA programs.”

Dudek said the billionaire Republican donor’s emissaries will “make mistakes” but pushed to give them access to the Social Security system that millions of Americans rely on.

Dudek was installed after former acting commissioner Michelle King resigned in February after refusing to give DOGE access to sensitive government data. By contrast, Dudek worked to give DOGE access to data even before getting his promotion.

Last week, the agency announced plans to cut 7,000 jobs despite ongoing staffing concerns and stretched resources affecting wait times and disability hearings.

Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, who served as IRS commissioner under President Joe Biden, told CNBC on Monday that DOGE cuts could lead to a collapse of the Social Security system in one to three months.

“Ultimately, you’re going to see the system collapse and an interruption of benefits,” O’Malley said, and advised people to save funds immediately.

DOGE’s actions come as rhetoric from Trump and Musk has increased concerns that an attack on Social Security—which was signed into law in 1935 by then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt—could be imminent.

During his speech to a joint address of Congress on Tuesday, Trump repeated a lie from DOGE that millions of Social Security payments are being made to people over 160 years old. The lie has been repeatedly debunked. In reality, the old computer system maintaining agency records inaccurately shows recipient ages, and virtually none of those people receive payments. But Trump’s rhetoric helps to undermine trust in the system.

Similarly, in an interview with conservative podcaster Joe Rogan, Musk repeated the longtime conservative lie that Social Security is a “Ponzi scheme.” Invoking such a fiction has often been used as an excuse to attack the system. Musk is the richest person in the world, and unlike most Americans, he has no need for Social Security savings. Killing the program would affect them, but he (and Trump) would be unscathed.

DOGE isn’t being welcomed with open arms throughout the government. On Wednesday, employees of the U.S. African Development Foundation blocked DOGE representatives from accessing their headquarters in Washington, D.C., even as DOGE employees tried to get into the agency’s data systems.

Following revelations of DOGE attacks on multiple systems and the bigoted beliefs of some on the DOGE team, disapproval of the organization has been rising. But the threat to foundational American institutions continues.

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.

Stifling Dissent, GOP Ejects Lawmaker From Trump Speech

Stifling Dissent, GOP Ejects Lawmaker From Trump Speech

Republicans showed their intolerance for dissenting viewpoints once again, this time during President Donald Trump’s primetime speech broadcast across the world.

Speaker Mike Johnson had Democratic Rep. Al Green of Texas removed from Trump’s speech to a joint session of Congress Tuesday night after Green dared to object to Trump as he began to speak.

Green stood up as Trump began, asserting that Trump had “no mandate” for several of his recent actions—seconds after Trump claimed that his small electoral victory was a “mandate” for sweeping changes.

Johnson angrily banged his gavel and ordered Green to “take your seat.” He then called in the sergeant at arms to forcibly eject the Democratic congressman.

The move was unusual and serves as further evidence of Republicans using political power to silence dissenting views. When Republican Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina infamously yelled “You lie!” during former President Barack Obama’s speech in the same room in 2009, Wilson was notably allowed to stay.

This wasn’t even the first moment of the night when Republicans refused to tolerate dissent of any kind.

Earlier in the evening, as Trump entered the room, Republican Rep. Lance Gooden of Texas ripped a sign reading “This is NOT normal” out of the hands of Democratic Rep. Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico.

Republicans only value one kind of speech: their own.

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Why Is Trump Pressing Romania To Release Accused Trafficker Andrew Tate?

Why Is Trump Pressing Romania To Release Accused Trafficker Andrew Tate?

Despite his repeated claims that he is in favor of “law and order,” Donald Trump’s administration is pressuring the Romanian government to roll back travel restrictions on right-wing influencer Andrew Tate, who has been accused of rape and human trafficking.

Tate is currently under house arrest following his 2023 arrest. Tate and his brother, Tristan, along with two other figures, have been accused of luring women to their home, forcing the women into debt, and pressuring them into filming pornographic scenes that were then shared online. They deny the charges.

The men are also facing similar charges in the United Kingdom.

The women who have made the allegations against Tate have spoken out against Trump’s efforts. Matthew Jury, the lawyer representing the four alleged victims, told the BBC they are “absolutely bewildered why the Trump administration has decided to interfere in this way.”

Tate is a self-described misogynist who sells instructional videos instructing men how to pick up women and has advised men to physically assault women who cheat and to force them into sex. He is one of the most prominent figures in the right-wing “manosphere” of content producers popular among conservative audiences.

He is also a Trump supporter. After the 2024 election, Tate praised Trump as a “hero” who “single handedly kept two evil war mongering she witches out of office [sic],” referring to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former Vice President Kamala Harris.

Following his arrest, Tate has become a right-wing cause célèbre. Donald Trump Jr. has described Romania’s legal action against Tate as “absolute insanity,” while Trump financier Elon Musk has praised Tate for his long-shot campaign to run for British prime minister.

During his 2024 campaign, Trump pandered to the misogynist manosphere with multiple interviews and appearances on the podcasts and other streaming shows that make up that world. Those appearances were seen as key to Trump’s improved performance with young men in the election compared to the results in 2016 and 2020.

Trump and figures in his administration like Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have also extolled the virtues of misogynist, right-wing faux masculinity for years—a sentiment embodied by Tate.

Advocating for Tate, even with the distasteful rhetoric the influencer has used and the seriousness of the charges against him, is a way for Trump to show the manosphere and its audience that he is on their side and advocating for them. Many of these men share the world view that decades of fights for sexual equality are suppressing their rights and are yearning for a return to a misogynist system where women’s views and roles are minimized.

Furthermore, Trump himself is an admitted serial assaulter of women. He has bragged about groping women, been accused of sexual assault, and has surrounded himself with other men that have been the subject of similar accusations.

In Trump’s view, Tate is a fellow traveler. Advocating for the misogynist also feeds into the false narratives promoted by Trump, Musk, and other conservative figures that international governments are in on a conspiracy to suppress “traditional” (misogynist) values.

When Trump rails against “woke” mindsets and pushes to purge it from the U.S. government by rolling back civil rights protections, that also applies to global governments. In their distorted view, Romania’s government is being too “woke” by restricting the movement of an accused sex trafficker.

Trump is not tough on crime, as the freed perpetrators of January 6 can attest. But now that also applies to alleged crime in other countries, as long as the cause of fake masculinity can be advanced.

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.

Why The Right's Obsession With Fake Macho Is So Deluded

Why The Right's Obsession With Fake Macho Is So Deluded

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has been a leading voice within the Trump administration for purported masculinity.

Hegseth, who was chosen by Donald Trump to lead the entire U.S. armed forces because he talked tough as a Fox News pundit, has used his new position to extol the virtues of “warfighters” over soft power as the U.S. military’s approach.

This principle might have best been demonstrated when Hegseth threw an axe during an episode of Fox & Friends, nearly killing a musician.

Hegseth had his first real test on the world stage yesterday.  It went about as well as his axe throwing career.

[image or embed]

— Pat Ryan (@pkryan.bsky.social) February 13, 2025 at 5:50 PM

Hegseth has attacked military leadership’s efforts to diversify the ranks, recently saying that the notion that “diversity is our strength” is the “single dumbest phrase in military history.”

He returned to this theme during his recent trip to the NATO summit in Brussels, telling reporters that “we can talk all we want about values. Values are important. But you can't shoot values.”

Hegseth at NATO summit: "We can talk all we want about values. Values are important. But you can't shoot values."

[image or embed]

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) February 13, 2025 at 3:59 PM

Trump has also embraced this “tough guy” ethos for much of his time in the public sphere, from his recently released glowering official portrait—compared to the traditional portraits of former Presidents Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and even George W. Bush—to his repeated arguments that Americans need to be “tough.”

Trump even derided the purported weakness of the entire country with the ableist title of his 2015 book, “Crippled America: How To Make America Great Again.”

While campaigning for former Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024, Obama poked fun at Trump and other Republicans for embracing “the fake macho thing.”

But this has been an issue among Republicans predating Trump.

Bush infamously dressed up in a flight suit and landed an aircraft carrier to prematurely—and incorrectly—declare victory in the Iraq War while his father, George H.W. Bush, claimed that victory in the first Gulf War meant that the United States “kicked the Vietnam syndrome.”

But that isn’t how modern superpowers win wars. Rather, it’s intelligence, coalition building, and strategic planning that end conflicts.

In World War II, the Allied nations did not simply throw military might at the Axis powers in a pure test of “manly” strength. In fact, until the Allies put together a coherent plan of attack in response to German and Japanese aggression, it was the Axis that had more raw firepower.

One of the most vital breakthroughs of that conflict didn’t come from the “warfighters” that Hegseth goes on about, but by a team of dedicated codebreakers at Bletchley Park in England.

Mathematician Alan Turing led the team that cracked the German “Enigma” code, which then allowed the forces on the ground to engage in a strategic fashion, leading to the liberation of Europe and victory in the war. Turing was gay and later persecuted by the British government for his sexual orientation despite his heroism, echoing the attacks on LGBTQ+ military service members that have been renewed by the Trump administration.

Modern military experts—not Fox News pundits—have studied the benefits of diversity in the armed forces, and unlike Hegseth, they know that it’s important.

Dartmouth College professor Jason Lyall analyzed the issue, which he wrote about in a 2020 article for the Washington Post.

“My research shows that inclusive armies fight harder, suffer lower rates of desertion and defection, and exhibit more creative problem-solving on complex battlefields than armies drawn from marginalized or repressed groups,” he wrote. “Victory on the battlefield over the past 200 years has usually gone to the most inclusive armies, not the largest or best-equipped ones. Inclusion, in other words, is good for military effectiveness.”

And despite Hegseth and Trump’s rhetoric, some of the most significant recent U.S. military victories and security advances have come under the leaders the right has attacked for insufficient masculinity.

Osama bin Laden, mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, wasn’t caught because Bush donned his flight suit. Rather, he was apprehended and killed following Obama’s order in 2011.

Many believed that Ukraine would quickly fold when Russia invaded, but Biden stood behind Ukraine and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and Russia has been unable to triumph—though Trump is now pivoting away from that stance.

Conservatives like to talk tough, particularly when bolstering the image of straight, white men over women and ethnic minorities. But modern power is more often than not backed by strategic planning, diplomacy, and soft power. It’s what has been used by the United States and other nations in avoiding another calamity like the World Wars, which were tied to the notion that international conflicts were solely the domain of “warfighters.”

But figures like Hegseth and Trump are locked into the worldview that only people who look like them are legitimate, and everyone else must fall to the wayside. That has historically been the path that leads to unwinnable quagmires, claiming the lives of millions of innocent people.

History tells us that this time won’t be any different.

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.

Elon Musk

State Department Conceals $400 Million Payout To Tesla After Public Outcry

The Trump administration is trying to hide plans to hand $400 million in taxpayer funds to Tesla, the electric car company owned by the world’s richest man—Trump supporter Elon Musk.

On Wednesday, a document published by the State Department laid out plans for the purchase of “armored electric vehicles” from Tesla during fiscal year 2025. But after reporting on the document emerged, it was edited at 9:12 PM and references to Tesla were removed without explanation.

The payout to Tesla, where Musk currently serves as CEO, would come just months after he spent millions to help elect Trump in the 2024 election. Following the election, Trump named Musk to head his Department of Government Efficiency, which has been harassing federal workers and rooting around in sensitive government systems for weeks.

DOGE has been used to purge federal workers and suspend key agencies like the United States Agency for International Development despite lacking congressional authority to do so. In a call to the World Government Summit in Dubai on Thursday, Musk threatened that he would “delete entire agencies.”

The public doesn’t like what they see from Musk and DOGE. A recent poll from Economist/YouGov found that 52 percent of respondents view Musk very unfavorably or somewhat unfavorably, and 63 percent think he has a lot of influence over Trump.

Despite the very clear potential for massive corruption, the White House has claimed that Musk will voluntarily excuse himself from any possible conflicts of interest that arise. But Musk has spent years already intertwined with the federal government thanks to the billions in federal contracts tied up in his other company, SpaceX.

At the same time, the Trump administration has scaled back and stalled ongoing federal investigations of Musk’s companies that began under the Biden administration.

While the State Department order did not specify what part of Tesla’s product line would be purchased, the armored description appears to point to Tesla’s widely derided Cybertruck. The brainchild of Musk, the unsightly Cybertruck has been plagued with endless flaws and multiple product recalls.

Musk claims that he and Trump are working to create a more efficient and transparent federal government. Instead the two have lied and smeared for weeks. Yet Musk stands to make a lot of money thanks to the politician he bankrolled.

That would be classic corruption.

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.

Americans At Risk As DOGE Hackers Hijack Private Data From Treasury

Americans At Risk As DOGE Hackers Hijack Private Data From Treasury

People working with the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency are exposing sensitive Education Department data to artificial intelligence systems that have not been vetted for this use.

The Washington Post reports that DOGE (which is an advisory commission, not a real department) sent the data to Microsoft’s Azure cloud system as part of a process to identify the Education Department’s disbursements. President Donald Trump has said he wants to destroy the department, and attacking the payments is apparently a step toward that goal.

Azure’s system has not been designed to secure the type of data that DOGE is feeding it and could be subject to theft during a cyberattack. Furthermore, AI systems frequently produce wrong and inaccurate results that are presented as factual assertions—meaning that decisions made based on this AI output could be based on nonsense. (Such “hallucinations” have long plagued AI.)

The Post reports the DOGE team has also gained access to personal information from millions of Americans who are part of the vast student loan system. There are no known third-party safety systems or guardrails to ensure that this information remains secure and private.

Similarly, DOGE team members have reportedly bullied their way into the Treasury Department’s sensitive payment system, which administers trillions of dollars flowing through the federal government. Again, there are no known guidelines on how this information, which previously was limited to a very select group of people, is being used and secured.

“They’ve burrowed into the private information of every American, something we should all be alarmed about and should be blocked in federal courts,” Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware said in a CNN interview on Thursday.

Rep. Lori Trahan, Democrat of Massachusetts, also noted, “Donald Trump has handed control of people's personal, financial and health information over to his billionaire donor, Elon Musk. This is corruption plain and simple.”

A coalition of labor unions has sued Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and his department in an attempt to block DOGE’s wild behavior. On Thursday, a federal judge partially blocked DOGE from getting their hands on some of the information.

Yet, despite the concerns about data security and Musk’s haphazard approach to federal agencies (enabled by Trump), congressional Republicans are providing cover for the richest person in the world. They blocked a Democratic effort to compel Musk to testify about his actions.

“It's a puzzling role for many people, certainly on this side of the aisle, and I think for some on yours, who is this unelected billionaire that he can attempt to dismantle federal agencies, fire people, transfer them, offer them early retirement and have sweeping changes to agencies without any congressional review, oversight or concurrence,” Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia, the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, said in response to the Republican maneuver.

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.

Trump Gutted Aviation Safety Panel Days Before Potomac Crash

Trump Gutted Aviation Safety Panel Days Before Potomac Crash

President Donald Trump scrapped an aviation safety committee that had been in place for more than three decades, just a few days before a deadly airplane crash at Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday night.

Officials have said they believe all passengers onboard an American Airlines jet that collided with an Army helicopter over the Potomac River were killed. D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly told reporters, “We are now at the point where we are switching from a rescue operation to a recovery operation.”

Among the passengers on the jet were a group of figure skaters and their coaches on their way home from the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas.

On Jan. 21, his second day in office, Trump sent a memo to members of the Aviation Security Advisory Committee telling them that their membership had been eliminated. The committee made recommendations to the FAA on issues relating to travel safety.

The Trump memo said the gutting of the committee was being done as part of a process of “eliminating the misuse of resources and ensuring that [Department of Homeland Security] activities prioritize our national security.”

The committee was formed by Congress after the terrorist bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, that killed 270 people in 1988.

Kara Weipz, president of Victims of Pan Am Flight 103, criticized the announcement in a statement. “Today’s action by the Trump Administration will undermine aviation security in the United States and across the globe.”

As part of an ongoing effort to upend civil rights gains, Trump also issued an executive order ending diversity recruitment programs at the FAA. The order went out even though the FAA has experienced a shortage of critical air traffic controllers for years.

Tennesse Garvey, who worked as a pilot for 22 years, told NBC News at the time, “It’s incredibly astonishing within this industry, where the goal is to promote aviation safety, that they are getting rid of programs that can help with safety.”

In addition to the elimination of the safety committee, the FAA is currently without a director. Michael Whitaker was supposed to serve a five-year term after being appointed in 2023. Trump megadonor Elon Musk pushed for his ouster after Whitaker fined Musk’s SpaceX for safety violations and Whitaker left on the day Trump was inaugurated.

Conservatives have long advocated for small government, while also pushing to stop government advocacy in favor of diversity and civil rights. With Trump’s actions, the right elevated these concerns despite the safety implications—and now the families and loved ones of the National Airport crash will have to deal with the fallout.

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.

Vance Botches Attempt

Facing Backlash, Vance Defends Trump Pardon Of Violent J6 Criminals

Over the weekend, Democrats and Republicans responded very differently to President Donald Trump’s decision to unilaterally grant pardons to more than 1,500 people who attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 in his name.

Republican leaders struggled to defend him:

Vice President JD Vance appeared on CBS’ Face the Nation, and was asked about the pardons handed out to one offender who used a stun gun to electroshock Capitol Police officer Michael Fanone, and another who hit an officer while wearing brass knuckles.

“Is violence against a police officer ever justified?” host Margaret Brennan asked.

Vance responded, “Violence against a police officer is not justified, but that doesn’t mean that you should have Merrick Garland’s weaponized Department of Justice expose you to an incredibly unfair process.”

On NBC’s Meet the Press, longtime Trump ally and booster Sen. Lindsey Graham was more blunt when asked about Trump’s boost to convicted criminals.

“Pardoning the people who went into the Capitol and beat up a police officer violently, I think was a mistake, because it seems to suggest that’s an okay thing to do,” Graham admitted.

Republicans will face more pressure to answer for Trump’s actions with a resolution that is being introduced by Senate Democrats condemning the pardons. The text of the document says: “Resolved, That the Senate disapproves of any pardons for individuals who were found guilty of assaulting Capitol Police officers.”

Nearly every member of the Senate Democratic caucus has signed on sponsoring the resolution, including all of the members in leadership positions. New Jersey Sen. Andy Kim, who was on the scene as a member of the House during the attack, explained to CBS News why Democrats objected to the pardons.

“It gives the stamp of approval now to political violence, saying that if you conduct political violence, and it's in favor of Donald Trump, for the next four years that you'll be okay,” he said.

A few days after the pardons were first issued, Trump tried to defend his actions in an interview with Fox News. He lied and claimed the convictions were for “very minor incidents.”

Trump on January 6 insurrectionists who assaulted police: "They were very minor incidents."

[image or embed]

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) January 23, 2025 at 2:48 AM

Contrary to this falsehood, the convictions were given out in response to violence committed in the act of attempting to overturn a presidential election. In the case of pardoned Proud Boy leader Enrique Tarrio, he was convicted in federal court of seditious conspiracy against the United States.

In the hours following the pardons former Capitol Police Officer Aquilino Gonell, who was severely injured in the attack, said in a statement “I feel betrayed. Despite what we all witnessed four years ago, the American people voted [Trump] back in office, and one of the first things that he does is pardon the criminals who nearly took my life. It’s a desecration to our service and the sacrifices made to keep everyone safe.”

Yet during the same period where Trump handed out a gift to hundreds of convicted criminals, his administration started a mass deportation anti-immigration initiative that detained a military veteran.

In the first week of his presidency, Trump is already showing that under his leadership the innocent will find trouble, while those who commit violence on his behalf will get a pass.

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.

Pete Hegseth

Despite Serious New Allegations, Senate Republicans Rush Hegseth Confirmation

Senate Republicans are accelerating the timeline for a vote on Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth, even as new allegations of abusive behavior have surfaced.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune filed a motion Tuesday to end the debate on Hegseth’s nomination, which means that the Senate will vote on the nomination by Friday or Saturday.

The motion follows the Senate Armed Services Committee’s 14-13 vote to advance the nomination to the Senate floor. Every Democrat on the committee opposed Hegseth’s nomination, while all of the Republicans supported him despite previous allegations of drunkenness, financial mismanagement, and abuse—including a letter in which his own mother said he was abusive.

On Monday, it was reported that Hegseth’s former sister-in-law, Danielle Hegseth, told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee in a sworn affidavit that he abused his second wife.

In the document, Danielle said that Hegseth’s ex-wife had an “escape plan” in which she would text members of her family for assistance in getting away from him when he became violent. The affidavit also said that she hid in a closet in fear of him.

Hegseth is also accused of being drunk while in military uniform, which is a violation of service laws, while on duty with the Minnesota National Guard.

Danielle also accuses Hegseth of making frequent racist and sexist comments, including arguing that women shouldn’t vote or work and stating that Christians need to outbreed growing Muslim populations.

Hegseth’s attorney denies these allegations.

“There was no question that Pete Hegseth is unqualified and unprepared to be secretary of Defense. The affidavit adds additional weight to a case that is already overwhelming against him,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut, told reporters.

But Republicans were unmoved. Sen. Lindsay Graham, Republican of South Carolina and one of Donald Trump’s top congressional allies, claimed without evidence that the allegations “didn’t happen” and refused to address the concerns about Hegseth’s alleged drinking problem.

The affidavit echoes previous concerns about Hegseth’s alleged pattern of behavior throughout his life.

Trump picked Hegseth following his stint as a Fox News host, during which he praised Trump and established misogynistic stances, like his belief that women should not serve in military combat positions.

Senate Republicans have now proven that they share Trump’s desire to put Hegseth in charge of the most lethal military in human history—regardless of allegations of abuse.

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.

Trump's 'Law And Order' Means Freeing Terrorists And Neo-Nazi Criminals

Trump's 'Law And Order' Means Freeing Terrorists And Neo-Nazi Criminals

Donald Trump is being slammed for granting pardons to more than 1,500 people who violently attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. While Trump and other Republicans have frequently touted the Republican Party as the party of “law and order,” one of his first acts in the presidency gave a green light to the criminal element.

Trump’s pardon unravels hundreds of prosecutions that made their way through the Department of Justice and the criminal courts. Trump called the people who attacked Capitol police officers and were attempting to overturn the presidential election he lost “patriots” and “hostages” in the order.

Before taking office, Vice President JD Vance claimed that people who engaged in violence on January 6 would not be given a pass by Trump. “If you committed violence on that day, obviously you shouldn’t be pardoned,” he told Fox News Sunday on January 12.

That turned out to be a lie.

Among those who will be released thanks to Trump’s actions is former Proud Boy leader Enrique Tarrio. Tarrio was convicted of seditious conspiracy against the United States and sentenced to 22 years in prison in September 2023. U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, who was appointed by Trump, oversaw Tarrio’s case and found that he had engaged in an official act of terrorism. He is expected to be a free man soon.

Another figure helped by Trump’s action is Robert Keith Packer, who attacked the Capitol while wearing an antisemitic shirt reading “Camp Auschwitz,” referencing the infamous death camp where thousands of Jewish people were executed by Nazis during the Holocaust.

Former Capitol Police Officer Aquilino Gonell, who served at the Capitol on Jan. 6, spoke out against Trump’s action.

“One of the first things that he does is pardon the criminals who nearly took my life,” Gonell told HuffPost. “It’s a desecration to our service and the sacrifices made to keep everyone safe. It’s a violation to our democracy and a disgrace to the title he holds once again.”

Gonell sent reporter Sam Stein photographs showing the pro-Trump mob attacking him on Jan. 6, as well as pictures depicting the serious injuries he received.

Former U.S. Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell sent me these pics of what happened to him on Jan. 6 as well as the injuries he endured that day

[image or embed]

— Sam Stein (@samsteindc.bsky.social) January 21, 2025 at 1:29 PM

Harry Dunn, another former Capitol Police officer, told the outlet, “This decision is a betrayal to the officers who were severely injured—and died—as a result of the insurrection. This decision puts Americans at risk as these violent criminals return to their communities. These pardons are a reflection of what abuse of power looks like and what we the people are bound to witness over the next four years.”

Democratic Rep. Maxwell Frost criticized Trump’s pardons, writing, “President Trump pardons Nazi & white supremacist that tried to overthrow the government. Fascists look out for fascists.”

President Trump pardons Nazi & white supremacist that tried to overthrow the government. Fascists look out for fascists.

[image or embed]

— Maxwell Frost (@maxwellfrost.bsky.social) January 21, 2025 at 4:39 AM

One the same day Trump issued the pardons, his administration released an executive order purportedly showing his opposition to criminal activity, promising to restore the federal death penalty. He criticized former President Joe Biden for commuting the sentences of 37 facing the federal death penalty and that his administration would take action to ensure that “these offenders are imprisoned in conditions consistent with the monstrosity of their crimes and the threats they pose.”

The administration also released a list of priorities claiming that crimes against law enforcement would be punished with the death penalty.

Simultaneously, Trump appointed conservative activist Ed Martin to serve as Washington, D.C.’s interim U.S. attorney. Martin served on the board of the Patriot Freedom Project, which advocated for the release of Jan. 6 offenders.

Despite the criticism from law enforcement and members of Congress, the administration continues to stand by the assistance Trump delivered to convicted criminals.

In an appearance on the pro-Trump Fox News Channel, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “I don't think it's causing much controversy.” She later added, “President Trump is restoring faith in our justice system.”

Brian Kilmeade: Does that have anything to do with President Trump pardoning all the J6ers, which is causing some controversy? Trump spox Karoline Leavitt: I don't think it's causing much controversy! ... President Trump is restoring faith in our justice system.

[image or embed]

— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona.bsky.social) January 21, 2025 at 1:23 PM

Trump is the first convicted felon to be elevated to the presidency. On his first day in office, criminals convicted at the highest levels of the justice system received a gift from the most powerful position in the American government.

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.