Idiocracy was a cautionary tale. At least President Camacho wanted to fix problems.

Remember that Trump appointed himself as chair of the Kennedy Center and replaced the board of directors with loyalists who then voted "unanimously" to put Trump's name on the building's facade. A command that Trump no doubt issued unilaterally, and then made compliance mandatory because he's a wannabe King who naturally feels compelled to slap his name and likeness on every American symbol that has room for it. The Kennedy Center was then forced to shut down for "renovations," but really it was because several artists, musicians and performers that were scheduled to appear at the Kennedy Center also cancelled their performances out of protest against the Trump administration's continued attacks on free expression. Trump is the least deserving person to have their name attached to what used to be one of the most prominent arts centers in the country before he defiled it with not just his namesake, but by also making the Kennedy Center a *centerpiece* of MAGA's culture wars. It's also quite amusing that most artists included in the lineup for Trump's birthday concert turned rally backed out because they came to realize that it is meant to be a tribute to Trump, rather than a non-partisan celebration of America's 250th anniversary. Trump proved them right when he decided that the new headliner for the event would be *him,* which is just humiliating and pathetic on so many levels. Trump, like any dictator would, is co-opting America's memory and birthday to memorialize himself. Rather then celebrate our country's history, Trump is exploiting the circumstances of America's 250th to make it all about him and to commemorate his imaginary achievements. Trump is politicizing America's anniversary while disguising his own birthday military parades and his UFC events on the White House lawn as a celebration of an American experiment that he is actively undoing. It's plain to see that Donald Trump is not "America first," he is Trump first, always. America's upcoming 250th birthday will NOT be an occasion celebrating our country's memory and the staying power of our uniquely American democracy because Trump is turning it into a celebration of HIM, and more importantly, because Trump is eroding the very principles upon which our Republic was founded. Everything Trump does is antithetical to American values and traditions, which is unsettlingly ironic considering how he clamors on and on about "patriotism" and accuses so many others of "treason." America's 250th will arrive as Trump is defiling every democratic norm imaginable and wiping his dirty ass with the constitution. And just as he has been plastering his name and image on everything and using taxpayer money to build grotesque monuments to himself around D.C., he will make the most of our anniversary only to glorify and honor himself, and demand that the United States of America be synonymous with Donald Trump. And you know what Trump won't tell you? That he's doing all of this now because when he's finally gone, no one will want to honor him with monuments and parades.

"Christian" women are signaling that they want to relinquish their right to vote. But it's not as much about their choice or their rights as it is about restricting the rights of women who tend to vote against them. If the religious right can find even a small handful of examples of women willing to give up their right to vote, it then becomes a justification for stripping all women of their right to vote. Which doesn't make sense, but it doesn't have to. These kinds of conservatives are under the impression that women's independence movements seek to deprive *them* of rights and freedoms. But that's not the case. Equal rights for women gives them the freedom of choice to be a tradwife if they really want to, while also giving other women the freedom to choose a different life for themselves. But that's not how many conservatives perceive it. They see equality as an assault on *their* rights. They see themselves as victims when rigid structures in place face resistance, when people become more and more aware of the inherent injustices and inequities within the system. This is because they've been on the winning side of an unjust status quo for so long. So when that status quo is challenged, it amounts to some kind of egregious violation of their rights, freedoms and privileges. Nevermind that they've lost nothing. It's the fact that others might *gain* equal rights, opportunities or footing that's really frustrating for them. Others who have been either historically repressed or constrained by the rules of an unfavorable institution.

Trump’s Name Is Removed From Kennedy Center Facade: Now this is a birthday gift that's truly suitable for Trump. Americans are literally celebrating outside the Kennedy Center as workers remove Trump's namesake which has defiled the building's exterior. Of course Trump has ordered that the process be concealed from the public because he's an insecure and malignant narcissist. Still, crowds have gathered to cheer as the Kennedy Center's facade is restored to its rightful appearance. The American people did not vote for taxpayer funded vanity projects. nytimes.com/video/us/politic…

Republicans are now the party of the trillionaire (Epstein) class. We have a kleptocratic authoritarian in power who is picking our pockets and ushering in the greatest redistribution of wealth in a generation; stealing from the poor to give to the rich while monetizing his presidency to the tune of BILLIONS. Meanwhile, Republicans are cheering for multi-national corporations and their wealthy, right-wing executives as they monopolize and meddle in all forms of media. They are concentrating economic power into the hands of the rich, ruling class. "World's first trillionaire" is a dystopic phrase. Elon Musk is a fraud. His net worth skyrocketed after he donated hundreds of millions to Trump's campaign and used his wealth and status to influence the election. He's playing casino games with SpaceX's IPO knowing the house made certain he would win. These obscenely rich transhumanists want you to believe they are "liberators," "one of us" so they can use your support to amass control over infrastructure and information, and to concentrate wealth and power at the top. Republicans safeguard the ultra wealthy from accountability and criticism while insisting that the richest and most powerful among us are being victimized. Their party protects billionaires and the ruling class; arguing that they are inherently superior and a precious minority. The irony. They push back against "tax the rich" policies, claiming that billionaires "earned" their wealth and supply jobs while benefitting workers. This is a myth alongside "trickle down" economics. These billionaires do not "pay their fair share" because they avoid taxable income. The argument that the top 1% pays significantly more in income taxes is misleading. The richest among us pay a small fraction of income tax. Data shows that billionaires pay as little as under 1%, or one tenth of a percent. Ironically, they are more likely to be included in the "40%" of non payers. Billionaires invest in themselves and their businesses, not their workers, (e.g. stock buybacks) nor labor rights, better working conditions, higher wages, etc... Billionaires often inherit their wealth and they become richer through exploitative practices that reinforce economic inequality. They exploit a system that exploits others. They obtain more wealth by sitting on it and they are rewarded just for being rich with tax cuts, tax breaks, incentives, handouts, subsidies... Their money makes money for them. For the ultra-rich, "salaries are for suckers." Their wealth accumulates exponentially while our incomes are fixed and don't keep up with inflation. They avoid labor and accrue infinite wealth. Their motto is "socialism for the rich, rugged individualism for the poor." Reagan instilled the idea into the Republican consciousness that poverty is a moral failing, when it's an economic trap. The wealth of billionaires is tied to the value of oligarchs, markets, corporations, financial institutions, and the status of the macroenvironment. So when Republicans talk about improving the economy, they really mean improving the lives of the super wealthy. They praise the market and "strong" economic figures, but fail to recognize the underlying data that reveal oncoming crises and deepening inequalities. This broken system taxes income over wealth; encourages the rich to stockpile their wealth, hoard it in tax havens, and take out loans to avoid paying taxes on it. Debt is a powerful tool for them, but a burden for us. In fact, billionaires will often take out MORE loans to pay off their existing ones, and the banks will always accommodate them. These billionaires have significant influence over election outcomes and the political leverage to dictate policy. For the rich to continue amassing wealth, a portion of the populace must endure exploitation and economic repression. An uncomfortable truth that Republican voters consent to out of some misplaced sense of loyalty towards their rulers.

"World's first trillionaire" is more dystopic than worthy of congratulations. Elon Musk is a fraud. He's everything his supporters accuse George Soros of being. Besides all the anti-semitic accusations of course. His net worth has skyrocketed ever since he donated hundreds of millions of dollars to Trump's campaign and presidency and used his wealth and status to influence the outcome of the election. And now he's playing casino games with SpaceX's IPO while the house has already guaranteed he will win. He's also used his wealth and power to dictate US policy, divulge and steal Treasury/financial information, slow down his competitors and to ultimately turn Twitter into a cesspit of MAGA hate and bigotry, and white nationalist propaganda. His mindless followers might be unsuspecting of him, but to everyone else he's a conman. Because make no mistake, these out of touch, transhumanist billionaires, I'm sorry—TRILLIONAIRES, right-wing tech oligarchs, pro-Trump corporate sycophants, whatever you want to call em, are not the "saviors of humanity" that they identify themselves as... They presume that anyone whose net worth does not rival their own is inferior. They want you to believe they are "liberators," that they are "one of us" so that they can use your support to amass control over infrastructure and information, and to concentrate economic power and resources into the hands of the few. Instead of using their immense wealth, power, political influence and resources to solve problems at home, instead of helping the many who are enduring humanitarian crises around the world (some of which they themselves are the CAUSE), they're shooting their dicks into orbit in the hopes that their legacy will be one that allows future generations of Bezoses, Musks, immortality seekers and awkward technogoons the chance to turn this planet into their domain, then colonize a moon, or another planet while the rest of us continue to suffer back on earth where all the plebeians belong. Elon Musk sued Sam Altman out of spite and pettiness because he wouldn't let Tesla absorb OpenAi. Therein lies Musk's "business model." At a certain point, wealth continues to accumulate exponentially on its own. In Musk's case, his "work" is to watch that wealth accumulate, then use it to establish political and financial connections that allow him to bypass rules, regulations, to abuse the law, and even defy ethical and democratic norms that we, the people, are eternally confined to. And please note that Musk is not building these dick-shaped rockets, he's no engineer, he's not even a successful delegator, he's just slapping his logo on em, while according to former Space X employees, overworking and mistreating the people maintaining his program for him.

Both of Trump's impeachments contained witness testimonies and received bipartisan support. Both impeachment proceedings presented clear-cut evidence and had cases based on constitutional grounds. Trump and his supporters have insisted over and over again that he was impeached the first time for a "perfect phone call." Aside from this being an utterly misleading phrase popularized by Trump himself and parroted by the pro-Trump media, the evidence of the case showed that Trump chose to pause military aid to Ukraine in 2019 after he demanded dirt on Joe Biden from Zelensky. This aid included things like medical supplies, communications gear, financial support, and defensive weapons, among other things. The frozen aid package contained weapons, support tools and war supplies that were *crucial* in helping Ukraine push back Russian military advances. Furthermore, there's evidence that Rudy Ghouliani was a central figure in the 2019 Trump-Ukraine scandal. Investigations and witness testimony revealed a plot involving the disgraced former mayor to dig up that "dirt" on Joe Biden. Also note that Russian sponsored forces were waging war inside of Ukraine's borders throughout Trump's entire presidency, and Trump neglected to do anything about it. As far as his second impeachment goes, Trump and his followers have been trying to whitewash the violence, terror and upheaval of January 6th for years, as well as the crimes carried out by Trump and his co conspirators, like their efforts to overturn the election and foment a riot at the Capitol. But the January 6th investigation revealed the following: • Donald Trump conspired to overturn the election; took actions to "defraud the United States" and disenfranchise tens of millions of Americans. • Trump attempted to install loyalists like Jeffrey Clark into high ranking positions of power before the results were certified. Clark would support Trump's baseless claims of election fraud and try to use the power of the justice department to overturn the election results. Many DOJ officials threatened to resign if Clark was appointed. • Trump also pressured several state officials to change the outcome of the election in their states. • Trump and his allies schemed to generate and submit slates of fake electors in several key states to replace the legitimate electors certified by those states. • Trump also tried intimidating Mike Pence into rejecting the certified electoral votes in Congress. When Pence pushed back, Trump responded by insulting and bullying him so he might follow through on the unconstitutional demand. Republicans initially voted *against* a bipartisan commission to investigate Jan 6th, yet had the gall to accuse the resulting, bipartisan inquiry of being some "witch hunt" aimed at Trump and his followers. For months leading up to the election, Trump promoted election denying lies, dangerous propaganda, conspiracy theories and misinformation. Trump's inflammatory rhetoric, his many false claims, his refusal to concede defeat, his efforts to disrupt the transfer of power, his violence inciting speech and online posts, and his direct invitation to his supporters helped facilitate the events of January 6th. The investigation also revealed that many Trump supporters brought deadly weapons with them to the Capitol. Testimony showed that Donald Trump knew about these weapons; claiming that his supporters weren't "here to hurt him," and that they should "take the fucking mags [magnetometers] away," he continued, "let my people in, they can march to the Capitol from here. Let the people in, take the fucking mags away." The investigation also revealed Trump's inaction as the riot was unfolding. For 187 minutes, Trump refused to take any public action to stop the violence. Trump was watching the ensuing chaos on television from his private dining room next to the oval office. It was concluded that Trump chose NOT to stop the violent assault on our Capitol.

Even if the US does manage to secure some kind of deal, which Iranian officials are conveying is unlikely, it will still amount to a colossal failure on every level. Trump has bungled this war, and in the process has humiliated himself AND our country since it began. He didn't even have the authority to go to war, and worse yet, he had no coherent strategy to begin with. He ignored lessons from history about what happens when we try "regime change" and lie about nuclear weapons to go to war in the middle east. He also dismissed explicit warnings about Strait of Hormuz closures early on. After the devastating toll that Trump's war has inflicted on the world, on the American economy and taxpayer, on our alliances, on our global reputation, on our munitions stockpile, on US troops and bases overseas, on dead civilians and CHILDREN, on the millions of displaced Iranian and Lebanese people, on the global energy market, etc, Iran has only GAINED leverage in negotiations and Trump will have to accept a deal that's far more conciliatory than the one Obama helped negotiate through diplomacy, NOT war. The truth is, The US has failed to accomplish much of anything in Iran. The Islamic Regime is now more entrenched and is emerging as a more punishing militant dictatorship. The IRGC also remains a powerful authority in the region with deeper ties to the hardline Ayatollah. Iran still maintains its hold on nuclear materials and missile supplies. And the Iranian people have most certainly not been "liberated." In fact, the people of Iran have lost more than anyone else. And to make matters worse, both China and Russia have benefited strategically from the war in Iran and the Russia-China-Iran axis has become a more hardened relationship. Iran also now has a greater hold on the Strait of Hormuz and is using this as a bargaining chip to extract major concessions from the US on matters related to their possession of nuclear weapons material, drones and ballistic missiles, their future control over the Strait, their support for terrorist proxies, sanction relief, and among other things, the Islamic regime's staying power. And in all probability, Iran will receive war reparations that include billions in unfrozen assets after MAGA complained for years about Obama "gifting" Iran money that was theirs to begin with. Money they can use to restore their military and weapons systems, or purchase weapons and military technologies from China Iran doesn't even have to enrich more uranium right away because the war has demonstrated that they have other tools of leverage at their disposal. Even then, Iran was not building a nuclear weapon. All US intelligence assessments, even Trump's own DNI came to the same conclusion. A top US counterterrorism official also resigned, stating that "Iran never posed an imminent threat." Trump and his cabinet LIED to Americans about the pretext for this war. Netanyahu has been pushing the same warnings for decades too. Iran was committing to its end of the previous nuclear deal before Trump ripped it up. This was according to US intelligence, the International Atomic Energy Agency and even Trump administration officials at the time. Obama's diplomacy intended to avoid a war and box in Iran's nuclear program. Iran only began taking steps towards enriching uranium AFTER Trump abandoned the JCPOA out of spite. In other words, Iran's nuclear program became more advanced than it would have been under Obama's deal. After withdrawing from that deal, Trump failed to approach a new agreement in any earnest or competent manner. His efforts were doomed from the start But that didn't stop him from blaming Obama and Iran for his own failures, which provided him with a false pretext to go to war. And now Trump will be lucky to accept a deal that is anywhere near as nuclear deterring and restrictive as Obama's—a deal that will cater to Iranian demands that they couldn't make before the war.

Ill break it down for you: Starting with how DOGE's elimination of USAID has led directly to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people worldwide, a significant portion of them CHILDREN mind you, and has also caused humanitarian crises around the globe. Reporting also indicates that DOGE's cuts to foreign aid have crippled efforts to contain the Ebola virus outbreak in Africa. As it stands, this is becoming one of, if not the worst Ebola outbreak on record. Musk's/DOGE's actions have also allowed China to fill the void left by USAID's termination. Yes, while Trump is alienating the rest of the world, China is building up its global influence. And to make matters worse, cuts to USAID did absolutely nothing to address the debt/deficit because it made up such a small portion of the budget to begin with. The decision to abolish USAID has tarnished our good will and favorable reputation on the world stage. Squandered our soft power and strategic advantages. Lost us geopolitical leverage, diplomatic credibility, and the capacity to counter Russian and Chinese influence in these regions. This all came with a very cheap price tag. The Trump Administration/DOGE also cut funding for the screwworm monitoring program and the USDA animal disease program. DOGE also laid off over a thousand employees from the USDA's animal and plant health inspection service. These cuts happened just before the US lifted restrictions of Mexican cattle imports, which reversed Biden era import bans on bison, horse and cattle after an outbreak of the parasite in central America. That outbreak prompted a state of emergency and cases began spreading through Mexico. And now the Screwworm has returned to the US for the first time in 60 years. Elon Musk's entire DOGE operation amounted to a tremendous waste of resources and a fraudulent effort in itself. DOGE was never acting on behalf of the American people, but was pursuing an agenda that was fueled by the right's culture wars and the narcissistic, shallow ambitions of an unelected billionaire and his team of unqualified teenage lackeys who all believed they were the main character in Mr. Robot or something. This effort was driven by the ideological convictions of a small group of incompetent "DOGE Bros." There was nothing sincere or strategic about it. One might say it's all been quite *wasteful.* Many of DOGE's cancelled contracts, for instance, related to the elimination of perceived "DEI" programs. Most of the cancellations listed had nothing to do with DEI, and deliberately included businesses that were disproportionately run by women and minorities. Meaning that this effort was far more ideological than strategic. Elon and his Muskrats were simply going after whatever agencies they perceived as operating under some radical left agenda. And all the while, there was never any acknowledgement of the fact that he had massive conflicts of interest, his companies were subsidized to the teeth and he was taking active steps to protect his own interests, steal treasury data, slow down his competitors and manipulate information. Most of Musk's claims about DOGE's "cost cutting" and "fraud" eliminating efforts were inaccurate or flat out unfounded. Musk also took credit for "saving costs" where credit wasn't due. For example, he bragged about cancelling contracts that weren't going to be renewed in the first place. DOGE deliberately obfuscated data and quietly deleted many of its claims from its own website. And even then, its so-called "wall of receipts" was still riddled with accounting errors, outdated data or other miscalculations. At the same time, DOGE was gutting agencies responsible for scientific research and preserving public health, agencies like the CFPB, which exists to protect consumers from financial predators, In other words, it was colossal failure. You want to talk about fraud? Look no further, the call is coming from inside the house—the WHITE HOUSE.

Remember that Trump appointed himself as chair of the Kennedy Center and replaced the board of directors with loyalists who then voted "unanimously" to put Trump's name on the building's facade. A command that Trump no doubt issued unilaterally, and then made compliance mandatory because he's a wannabe King who naturally feels compelled to slap his name and likeness on every American symbol that has room for it. The Kennedy Center was then forced to shut down for "renovations," but really it was because several artists, musicians and performers that were scheduled to appear at the Kennedy Center also cancelled their performances out of protest against the Trump administration's continued attacks on free expression. Trump is the least deserving person to have their name attached to what used to be one of the most prominent arts centers in the country before he defiled it with not just his namesake, but by also making the Kennedy Center a *centerpiece* of MAGA's culture wars. This is because the MAGA movement lacks a unique and popular culture of their own. At the same time, the federal government has been eliminating funding for the arts while also doing things like targeting exhibits at Museums that educate people about aspects of American history like slavery and Jim Crow. These exhibits have been deemed too "woke" for their focus on uncomfortable historical truths. These actions are historically consistent with that of dictators, fascists, KINGS even... And no, calling Trump a dictator or a king does not amount to "inciting violence," especially when it's accurate. It's also quite amusing that most artists included in the lineup for Trump's birthday concert turned rally have backed out because they came to realize that it is meant to be a tribute to Trump, rather than a non-partisan celebration of America's 250th anniversary. Trump proved them right when he decided that the new headliner for the event would be *him,* which is just humiliating and pathetic on so many levels. Trump, like any dictator would, is co-opting America's memory and its birthday to memorialize himself. Rather then celebrate the American experiment, Trump is exploiting the circumstances to make it about him, to commemorate his imaginary achievements and poison American history.

🤦 First of all, if the Strait of Hormuz is "open," WHY ARE YOU STILL BLOCKADING IT!? More than that, there is a clear indication that the Strait remains, in fact, CLOSED. Traffic through the Strait has slowed to a standstill. The number of vessels traveling in and out of the Strait of Hormuz has decreased substantially and it has stayed this way. Just TWO transits were recorded on June 7th. Before the war, the average number of ships transiting the Strait was about 130 per day. Some trackers put the figure higher, closer to 153 transits per day. The strait has been effectively closed to most commercial shipping, causing the largest maritime trade disruption since World War II. The IRGC is enforcing selective passage and blocking most Western flagged vessels while the US is blockading Iranian ports. Around 2,000 vessels are stranded. THE STRAIT IS NOT "OPEN." We're fighting a war to reopen a strait that was already open before the war because Trump conceded bargaining power to Iran and taught them that they could use their control over the Strait of Hormuz to extract concessions from the US government. The Iranian regime is only MORE entrenched now. Yes, after the devastating toll and cost of Trump's war, the Islamic Regime is only more hardened and is emerging as a more punishing militant dictatorship. So much for "liberating" the people of Iran. Meanwhile, the IRGC is now a more powerful authority in the region with deeper ties to the hardline Ayatollah. Millions of Iranian and Lebanese people have been displaced, thousands of innocent civilians have been killed, including hundreds of children, US troops are dead, US bases are damaged, our munitions stockpile is depleted, our global reputation and our alliances have been irrevocably sullied... The world economy is in shock, the global oil trade has been destabilized, the American taxpayer has been fleeced... And for what!? Fucking nothing. Iran has only GAINED LEVERAGE IN NEGOTIATIONS. Worse yet, now Trump will end up accepting a deal that's FAR MORE conciliatory to Iran than the one Obama negotiated through DIPLOMACY, NOT WAR!

By ALL accounts, Iran was committing to its end of the bargain under Obama's JCPOA—a deal that Trump abandoned out of SPITE. This included strict limitations on uranium enrichment and centrifuges, Iran agreeing to sunset provisions and shipping 98% of its stockpile out of the country, the destruction of their Plutonium cores, placing all of their facilities and their uranium supply chain under rigorous monitoring and more. Obama's diplomacy intended to AVOID a war and box in Iran's nuclear program. US intelligence, the International Atomic Energy Agency, and even Trump admin officials at the time all indicated that Iran was upholding its side of the deal. But because Trump withdrww, Iran's nuclear program became more advanced than it would have been under the JCPOA. Trump, the genius deal maker, failed repeatedly to negotiate a new one. So he chose to shift the onus on Obama and Iran and invented a false pretext to go to war. Rather than rely on diplomacy, he bombed Iran TWICE during negotiations and then launched the US into an unjustified, open-ended, and illegal war of choice. Trump went from insisting Iran "unconditionally surrender," to accepting a ceasefire proposal that included massive concessions because he NEVER had a coherent strategy. Iran's demands included sanction relief, war reparations, $20 billion in unfrozen assets, control over the Strait of Hormuz and command of their ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programs. Also the ability to sell oil at free market rates, to impose tolls on ships and tankers, and to continue funding its proxies and terrorists groups. The Islamic Regime was in no position to make these demands before the war. Trump also dismissed concerns about Strait of Hormuz closures even though he was explicitly warned that Iran would resort to this countermeasure; This caused global trade disruptions, market shocks and surging oil prices, and above all else, offered Iran the perfect bargaining chip. Trump's war has inflicted a devastating toll on the American and world economy; creating a global energy crisis unlike anything we've seen in modern history. Millions have been displaced from their homes and thousands of innocent civilians have been killed; including CHILDREN at the hands of the US military. US troops are dead and some of our overseas bases have been damaged by Iranian attacks. War crimes have been committed and bombs have decimated schools, hospitals, heritage sites, non military infrastructure and huge energy facilities. Trump's war has irrevocably damaged our alliances. Conflict has been reignited between Israel and Hezbollah. Our munitions stockpile has been depleted. Russia now has the budget revenues to continue funding its war in Ukraine. China has also made significant strategic gains. And worse yet, Trump's war has hardened the Russia-China-Iran axis. Meanwhile, the repressive Islamic regime is now MORE entrenched and is emerging as a more punishing, militant dictatorship. The IRGC is still a powerful authority in the region and has deeper ties to the hardline Ayatollah. Iran still maintains its nuclear materials and missile supplies. And the people of Iran have NOT been "liberated." In fact, they've lost more than anyone. The US has failed to accomplish any of Trump's constantly shifting "objectives," and after everything, Iran has only GAINED leverage in negotiations. Meaning Trump will be forced to accept a deal that is far more conciliatory than the one Obama negotiated through diplomacy, NOT WAR. Additionally, Iran doesn't have to enrich uranium right away. This war has demonstrated that they have other weapons and tools of leverage at their disposal. Iran can still rebuild its nuclear program and use reperations to restore its weapons systems and military, or even purchase Chinese weapons and war technologies. These outcomes could have been avoided if Trump hadn't ripped up Obama's deal out of no other reason than pettiness.

After Tanya Simon's firing, Weiss brought in Nick Bilton to replace her. > Bilton, a documentary filmmaker and a former tech columnist at The New York Times, told the gathered staffers that Weiss “loves this institution,” according to the recording. Pelley interrupted Bilton and pushed back, accusing Weiss of “murdering” the venerable newsmagazine, which debuted in September 1968. > “She does not love this place,” Pelley told Bilton, according to the recording. “She was brought in to kill it, and she’s been doing exactly that.” Bilton has zero traditional TV news experience, yet was chosen over seasoned broadcast producers. Weiss's decision to replace a highly successful EP of a broadcast powerhouse with a print journalist just goes to show how unqualified she is for her job. All in all, Weiss is utterly unqualified for her position, and any experience she's had in the past as a "journalist" was mired in ethical misconduct. She's another "anti-woke" fanatic and victim of "cancel culture," "DEI" this, gender that, and whatever boogeyman of the week is ruining western civilization. She brands herself as another repressed voice speaking truth to power, but she obfuscates facts, misrepresents herself, and exploits and lies about others for stories that she falsely presents as truth seeking; disguising her unethical behavior as challenging the status quo. Trump has appointed loyalists into director positions within agencies like the FCC where they carry out his authoritarian whims against his critics in the media; applying regulatory pressures on companies to silence those who criticize him and/or his policies. And in Weiss's case, she's particularly accommodating of the president. It shouldn't have to be said, but if you have any principles at all, you don't submit to the demands of a wanna-be dictator hell bent on tightening the government's grip on the media—no matter the cost. Because as a consequence of surrendering to Trump's unconstitutional attacks against the media, he emerges feeling more empowered than ever as his administration continues its aggressive campaign against free speech and the free press.

One of the biggest frustrations expressed by Scott Pelley and other staff at CBS/60 minutes centers around Bari Weiss's incompetence and unprofessionalism. Veteran members of CBS have criticized Weiss's handling of deadlines, her lack of television experience and her constant interference. Weiss has been accused of enforcing "politically motivated script changes" hours after the show's deadline. She's been appointing inexperienced leaders over accomplished broadcast producers. She's also been criticized for instilling an "environment of fear and isolation" at CBS. > Media reporters noted that Weiss's office suite at CBS News has been physically locked to visitors, requiring a highly unusual special keycard access just to speak with the network chief. Correspondents accuse her of "weaponizing editorial fear" and allowing too much corporate meddling. And her sweeping purge of longtime staff and legacy figures at 60 minutes has caused chaos and massive operational problems for the show. Weiss had the audacity to approach the staff at 60 Minutes and ask them, "why do people think 60 Minutes is biased?" Of course she provided no evidence to back up her bad faith question and just ended up frustrating the crew because despite her own reservations, 60 Minutes is a time honored program that's known for its extensive, independent and highly professional journalism. After taking over, she began purging the show of career reporters, producers and leadership without any real cause. These are people who had just overseen a huge jump in ratings for the show too. Tensions came to a boil when Weiss nixed a story about Trump's immigration policies because it wasn't favorable enough towards Trump. Correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi was fired after *"collid[ing] with Weiss last year over the decision to postpone a “60 Minutes” segment about the Trump administration’s deportation of Venezuelan men to a prison in El Salvador."* The story, "Inside CECOT" was initially shelved by Weiss because she said it "lacked balance." It was modified and eventually aired earlier this year to include "corporate-mandated government responses." > Alfonsi alleged the story was abruptly pulled for “political reasons.” Weiss said it was “not ready” for air. The segment, titled “Inside CECOT,” ultimately aired in January and featured statements from the White House and the Department of Homeland Security that were not in the original version. Anderson Cooper resigned in protest over what he says was new management compromising the integrity of the show by avoiding stories that could cause friction with the Trump administration. The former executive producer, Bill Owens resigned over concerns about corporate pressures and censorship. Tanya Simon was a fixture at 60 minutes and was Owen's replacement. Under her leadership the show had been performing exceptionally well, with ratings up 9% over the previous year. But she was fired for political reasons because she resisted Weiss's efforts to interfere in the editorial independence of staff and change the entire tone of the show to reflect Weiss's own *biases* and preferential treatment towards the administration. Scott Pelley accused CBS/Bari Weiss of trying to "inject bias" into stories. In an interview with The New York Times, Pelley said that while trying to put together a story about the ICE presence and protests in Minnesota, Bari Weiss emailed him after reviewing the footage, saying something to the effect of "can we make the protestors look more violent?" > Pelley... said “new management” had instructed him to “inject falsehoods and bias into a politically sensitive story” and told him to report unverified assertions. Pelley’s firing marked the end of his nearly 40 year run at CBS News. 1/2

Let's make something clear. Trump and his administration are the ones undermining our elections. They deliberately sow distrust and promote election denying conspiracy theories with no facts or evidence to back any of it up, and this becomes the basis for their nationwide voter suppression efforts. Republicans knew exactly what they were doing when they schemed their way through the courts to dilute the minority vote by challenging section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Their goal wasn't to prevent gerrymandering, but to expand the practice. Republicans are consolidating power by suppressing the vote and disenfranchising large swaths of democratic voters. Republicans try to disguise their voter suppression tactics as a painstaking effort to "protect election integrity," but they're not protecting anything other than their own political interests and electoral advantages. They have been suppressing the vote for years while taking advantage of voter geography. The GOP has also frequently targeted election procedures/conveniences like early voting, mail in balloting, polling accessibility and extended polling hours, existing voting laws, automatic/same day voting registration, ballot boxes, ranked choice voting, voting rights, standardized election security measures... Ask yourself WHY!? Why Republicans are hell bent on making the voting process more challenging and meticulous, especially for citizens located in urban areas and cities, and with no evidence whatsoever that supports the need for these interventions. They have the gall to claim that they're safeguarding our elections from a growing list of foreign and domestic threats while making every effort to do the opposite. This whole campaign really started escalating post Jan 6th when they realized they could exploit MAGA's unwitting belief in Trump's "big lie" to breed distrust in our elections. Their strategy has been to amplify Trump's lies about "rigged" elections while also relying on all of the conspiracy theories, baseless allegations, and misinformation that have emerged in recent years to deceive the public and advocate for excessive and widespread voting restraints. Republicans are also abusing their trifecta and their control over state legislatures to give themselves the unilateral say on how maps are drawn—no referendum necessary. And in recent years especially, Republicans have been taking advantage of the naivety and cynicism of their voters to empower themselves with more legal authority to challenge election results and restrict the voting process. To make matters worse, Trump has been mobilizing trigger happy ICE thugs to US cities around the country where he likely plans to use this paramilitary force to intimidate voters in upcoming elections. Then there's Trump's threats to "nationalize" US elections, just another example showing the lengths that Trump and Republicans will go to erode democracy and centralize power. So much for "states rights..." Other systemic problems impede free and fair elections too. Issues that Republicans have either deliberately ignored or have failed to properly address. Like foreign election meddling and the awful Citizens United ruling. Like campaign finance corruption and the political power and influence of billionaires. If MAGA is truly intent on "protecting election integrity," they should focus on the myriad systemic issues that Trump/Republicans continue to exploit to their advantage instead of obsessing over baseless conspiracy theories. Sadly, they've managed to distract their voters from their ongoing efforts to undermine the Democratic process by instead appealing to their culture war grievances and scapegoating immigrants, minorites and marginalized groups who they insist you blame for all of our nation's problems, like non-existent, widespread voter fraud. As it turns out, Republicans have always been the REAL threat to election security.

Can you say DISTRACTION? On top of all the evidence already implicating Trump in Epstein's heinous crimes against children, and on top of all the evidence revealing Trump's deep ties (and best friendship) to the world's most notorious child sex trafficker; including his efforts to cover up his crimes and the crimes of rich and powerful Epstein associates... NEW information has just dropped that further exposes Trump's vile sexual misconduct with young girls trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein, and his administration's desperate attempts to sweep it under the rug: For one, new reporting reveals that Trump “knew and funded underage sex parties” at his golf course. Another report discloses how Epstein victim, Sarah Ransome, claimed that Trump had sex with a girl in Epstein's trafficking ring, and that Trump had a "predilection for nipples" (gross) and that he "aggressively flicked and sucked hers" (even grosser). Ransome says she saw evidence of this when "they looked incredibly painful as they were red and swollen." MOREOVER, Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan of the New York Times revealed through their reporting about the Trump administration, that conversations around handling the Epstein scandal have taken place in the situation room... This is EXTREMELY telling. In case you're not aware, "the situation room" is the White House's most secure conference facility. It's located in the basement of the West Wing, it's designed for the most sensitive national security conversations. It's also typically reserved for genuine crises: terrorism threats, military operations, foreign policy emergencies. Think the bin Laden raid, nuclear negotiations, disaster response, etc... A room built for discussing America's gravest national security threats was used to do damage control for Trump and to communicate ways to cover up Trump's connection to Epstein and his sex trafficking operation. What this tells us is that Trump and his allies saw the political fallout of the Epstein controversy as a crisis for Donald Trump and the administration. A serious enough threat to deserve the most secure conference room available to them. The most secure conference room in the country. It also indicates that they did not want the conversations they were having recorded. Not through normal channels at least. And it frames the whole "situation" as essentially a political cover operation.

The Iran War’s Devastating Butterfly Effect: The latest episode of "The Daily" discusses in depth the rippling repercussions of the war in Iran. If you want to know how Trump's war is wreaking a devastating toll on the world, no less the American people and economy, give it a listen. Don't be shy MAGA, step outside your comfort zone, live a little, escape the echochamber. nytimes.com/2026/06/10/podca…

Every founding father embraced the radical idea at the time of separating church from state because they understood the dangers in not only restricting religious freedom, but also the dangers of a national religion or church; specifically the kind of persecution that arises out of this religious nationalism. They rejected the church of England and the divine right of Kings because they witnessed the spiritual tyranny that it gave birth to. They also believed that there should be no established religion or religious test for office. Thomas Jefferson is often credited with coining the phrase "a wall of separation between church and state." Jefferson was a skeptic who created his own Bible that removed all references to miracles. George Washington was an Anglican who abstained from taking communion after the revolution. He rarely mentioned Jesus Christ. John Adams was a Unitarian who rejected the notion of the Trinity. James Madison was fervently opposed to the union of religion and government and stated as much. John Locke too warned of the dangers of a state, religious authority.

In 2025, the U.S. consumed an average of about 20.6 million barrels per day, or a total of about 7.52 billion barrels for the year. Even if this has any inkling of truth to it, which it mostly likely doesn't, it's not going to change anything