Exactly! Citizens are being murdered because Trump and the cult in Congress and SCOTUS are in the full time business of protecting a convicted felon and sex abuser living in the people’s house. All of this is a deadly distraction.
WE the People need to hear from these supporters, giving huge amounts of money to back these actions! Boycott their businesses! Shameful display of their connections? Speak up! Uncover and reveal these people and organizations immediately!
NYT: "Chief executives of Target, Best Buy, General Mills and Cargill were among more than 60 large Minnesota companies to issue a public letter on Sunday calling for an “immediate de-escalation of tensions” in the state.
"The letter marks the first time the most recognizable businesses in Minnesota have weighed in on the turmoil in Minneapolis amid the aggressive crackdown by federal immigration agents, which have sparked widespread protests throughout the city."
Joyce, I truly thank you for explaining in detail all the totally unlawful and brutal deaths trump and his buddies are causing. It breaks my heart when I see more deaths of innocent people continuing. Will we ever find peace in our great country again.??
David, since I never ever liked the guy or his TV failures or his “slouching twice toward our White House,” I shall and will not ever be embarrassed or feel anything but disgust when anyone mentions Don tha Con-Felón, a wasted piece of protoplasm.
Sadly, if you seriously believe that Trump will EVER be held to answer for any acts he has committed in the past, you should immediately stop smoking that crack and start recognizing the power of the Presidency, particularly the pardon power. Trump will not leave office again with ANY risk of any federal crimes being charged against him.
Assuming the GOP nominee doesn't win the 2028 election, he will either execute a personal pardon for himself (not to mention literally dozens if not hundreds of accomplices) or will do a step aside on Jan 19 and have JD sworn in for one day before leaving office so that JD can issue a pardon for Trump. He might even do both just to be absolutely sure he has an ironclad defense.
Anyone thinking that Trump and his outlaws will ever be held accountable in federal court for any crimes definitely doesn't understand what is happening in Washington these days. The power of the pardon is REAL and pretty much unlimited other than the restrictions that you can't issue a pardon for crimes in the future (an anticipatory pardon) and that they only apply to federal crimes, not purely state ones.
Hopefully a future Congress and President will recognize the disaster that this has created with a renegade President and amend the Constitution to much more seriously restrict the way pardons can be issued and who they can be issued to. But right now, it is mostly unrestricted and you are a fool if you think Trump isn't going to use it in a very wide and unrestricted way when he next leaves office.
The Epstein files have not been forgotten. Democratic members of Congress continue to work for their release including litigation asking the court to appoint a special prosecutor to take over the handling and release of the files. I see articles about these actions almost every day, they seldom make it to the front page of newspapers or broadcast news. They are brought up regularly on various MS NOW programs.
Can we please not forget that the rule of law matters, there's more to it than the Epstein files, and it was in trouble before Trump was elected the first time? Sometimes I wonder what you Epstein obsessives are trying to avoid.
Sorry, I’m missing something here. When people abroad think of Americans, they think of Trump. When people think about the Epstein files, they think of Trump.
If you were to ask for my image of "America" I would say most Europeans see it as a rather dopey but kindly big brother - who has got mixed up and led astray by some vile human beings. Think Forrest Gump on Fentanyl.
Maybe Cassidy will grow a spine and join Tillis in full throated opposition to Trump? HCR is right, and we need to focus on this: 16 Republicans could bring an end to funding for ICE, and 23 could impeach Trump if they would join Democrats. We need citizens to make it their job to call and email members of Congress right now, every day when we aren’t out in the streets peacefully protesting. Take the gloves off. Stop being silent to “get along.” We won’t make it to November elections at this rate.
I wouldn’t say Tillis has exactly been a full throated opposition to Trump. He said “Trump is getting bad advice”. Failure to recognize that Trump is the seed of our destruction in this situation.
I wish I had said all of the smart things I have been passing along, but I always am careful not to take credit for them. I posted two of the today among these posts: "the shot heard round the world" and the fact that we're in a time of "shakedowns" mob-like by this administration. The other thing I'll share is that someone noted that this is no longer about DJT, that monsters do what monsters do and can't help themselves. The blame is with those who choose to follow the monster. I have friends who often say that this awfulness isn't about DJT, and now I better understand that he couldn't exist without those choosing to follow. Self-evident, I know....
Yes, all of our relatives, associates, neighbors who continue to accept this regime and the propaganda spouted by all the close members are culpable. If they are not calling their representative and senators to do their jobs of oversight, they are culpable.
It would only take 20 GOP Senators to CONVICT Trump of an impeachment assuming the House can muster up the 3 or 4 Representatives to impeach him. Remember impeachment is only the beginning, then you need the Senate to convict by a 2/3 vote to remove him from office. Sadly 20 GOP Senators are almost certainly NEVER going to materialize to remove Trump from office. Last time after he was already OUT of office, we could only get 7 GOP Senators to join 50 Democrats during the second impeachment trial.
In the middle of all this chaos, thanks for reminding us that the SAVE act is back. We'll be making some noise about that, sounding the alarm. And can we also remind Bondi, as I believe Gov Walz has done, that rather than demanding Minnesota release voting and welfare records, that she should work on releasing the Epstein files, since the law was passed to release them in December. Our hearts are heavy, but also on fire. We are staying engaged in this push back, and we stand with Minnesota and their remarkable turnout on Friday. Thank you, Joyce!
Your post, Deb, makes me want to use the word "shakedown" again to describe what the government is doing with the states, or attempting to do. Very gangsterish.
So Bill Cassidy that cast the deciding vote to approve RFK Jr is disturbed by the shooting. Oh, really? Now that he's seen RFK lie about vaccine schedules & Noem & Bovino & trump lie about another killing of an American citizen he's "disturbed". He's a goddam doctor & senator he should be furious! I'm sick to death of the House & Senate use such "genteel" language when describing their feelings about cold blooded murders & then to see the regime smear the victims & lie, lie, & lie some more. They should be furious! They should be be standing on the Capitol steps every day making statements, angry aggressive statements. No, I don't like violence but I'm afraid the gloves have to come off NOW! If not, I can see that grotesque excuse for a human in the White House with his equally grotesque SecDef send in airborne troops with guns blazing!
I agree with your assessment of Bill Cassidy. And now Susan Collin’s is yet again concerned, (She is infamously, everlastingly concerned, for what it’s worth.)
I am trying to comment/respond with some sort of intelligence and I just can't... I am overwhelmed with grief, anger, frustration, and more. What has happened to our nation? I am 71 and have seen/been involved in a lot of stuff, but nothing like this - at least I don't think so. I place the majority of blame on tRump and his right wing followers. (I will stop myself from saying more.) Has there ever been another more evil American leader? I'm calling it a day/night. Sleep well. We have a lot more to do.
The answer to your (I suspect rhetorical) question is no, no other American president has been as or more evil than Trump. We've had some bad presidents, but none of them were psychopaths, or aspired to have the power of a fascist dictator, until 45/47.
And none surrounded themselves with the gang of bad actors that he has, both there legally and those who aren’t: think the disaster of Musk and DOGE and especially Steven Miller.
Well, Nixon certainly surrounded himself with quite a few bad actors. His Attorney General went to federal prison and served 19 months, not exactly a short term in the pen for a man who was 64 years old at the time. And the entire Watergate "crew" served prison terms from 16 months to 4 years. Nixon's "henchmen" John Erlichman and HR Halderman both served 18 months in prison.
I think Trump has done a lot of bad things, but Nixon was equally felonious and got lucky that Ford gave him a blanket pardon for his crimes.
I sometimes reflect back on the Viet Nam era with the unpopular war and the Kent State killings and then Nixon and Watergate. Those were dark days. It gives me hope for today that the nation recovered (?) from that mess. But one important difference is that Nixon left because his party told him to leave and the efforts to end the war were somewhat bipartisan. There isn’t as much appetite today for doing the right thing and this is a big hole to climb out of, Stay tuned!
If Nixon had been held accountable, instead of being pardoned by Ford, we wouldn’t be in this predicament. The precedent that was set was that presidents are above the law.
Your comment made me think of a couple of things, Laura. First, when the Watergate tapes first made the news support for Nixon among Republican voters stayed at around 50%. By the time he was convinced — by members of his own party — to leave office, Nixon’s support among GOP voters had climbed back up to almost 60%. Most Republicans probably felt he should have stayed in office. In today’s environment something like Watergate wouldn’t have budged the needle even a little for GOP voters. In fact support would almost certainly rise.
But the really difficult question for me is what might/should happen when (oh please let it be ‘when’ not ‘if’) Democrats regain control of Congress and the White House. The offenses committed by Trump et al have been egregious and vast: corruption, graft, attempting to overturn an election, ignoring court orders, murdering American citizens… need I continue? Surely there must be accountability. But how? Even in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War there was uncertainty and discomfort about whether and how to punish Jefferson Davis and others who literally fought against the American government. Today, with the far right media universe fueling anger, lies, and distrust, coming up with a mechanism for establishing guilt would be a nightmare. Remember, Fox didn’t bother to cover most of the J6 hearings. As for Truth and Reconciliation — are such things even possible anymore?
All of which is to say that you’re probably right about Ford’s pardon. And would be 100% right had you said that Trump should have been held convicted by the Senate. But I have trouble seeing anything like that today. Can you imagine Tucker Carlson, Lindsay Graham, Jim Jordan, Hannity, and all the others thinking ‘gee, maybe the safety of the country is more important than money or attention so maybe I’ll keep my mouth closed’? Me either. But I sure as hell want to have an opportunity to actually debate the issue with Trump finally out of office and Steven Miller sent to wherever he belongs.
Unfortunately, for exactly the same reasons as the Ford pardon of Nixon, neither Trump nor Stephen Miller nor almost anyone else associated with Trump II will ever see the inside of a federal prison as I fully expect Trump will provide all with the necessary blanket pardons for all crimes that may have been committed during this administration. This will include a self-pardon and may also include a "step aside" by Trump on Jan 19 before leaving office so that Vance can issue a presidential pardon of Trump just in case a future Supreme Court holds self-pardons as invalid.
I was angry at the time with the Ford pardon but I don’t know how I feel today. I will give Ford the benefit of the doubt, his intentions were honorable to try to move the nation beyond Watergate. I would never advocate for any pardon of Trump today, that scumbag should twist slowly in the wind. Bitter, yes I am!!
Sorry, I think that was all BS by Ford. He wasn't honorable at all, and his pardon permitted Nixon to escape any accountability. And don't worry, Trump isn't going to be twisting in the wind any time soon unless he is REALLY a complete idiot. Anticipate blanket pardons for ALL the day before he leaves office. I expect they will have them all ready for signature well in advance of that date. They might even have them ready now!
I am 80 and yours are my exact sentiments. I am a patriot and a tender heart. I have always been the family peace keeper. For the first time in my life, I have had acyear to feel real hate. It hurts to have these feelings. Hard to believe but this is the first time I have been very worried about the state of affairs. This is really the first time I have seen a President so evil , so self centered and so unqualified to hold the office. He is filled with anger and has surrounded himself with like minded people. He is really a danger to us and democracy. God help us all.
A dark cloud of oppression has descended over our country. Setting aside the knowing and willing impotency of Congress, the Supreme Court, the last bastion in the preservation of our liberties, is either blind to it or willing enablers of it. Being on the cusp of being an octogenarian. I may not live to see the restoration of our democracy, but I have no doubt that posterity will view this Congress and this Supreme Court with contempt for allowing Trump and his thugs to oppress the American people and the American dream.
And we have south africans like thiel and musk in possession of all our personal data to slip into the voting apparatus..they need to be prosecuted and their taxpayer funded contracts cancelled.. mars can wait, and so can the surveillance state.
John Robert’s is a central figure in bringing the woes the people of this nation, and its government institutions are experiencing. Read Lisa Graves’ excellent book, “Without Precedent- How CJ Roberts and His Accomplices Rewrote the Constitution and Dismantled Our Rights.” A page-turner.
I think it is safe to say that most of us STILL do not see true leadership, strong leadership with good offense strategies such as in Schumer or Jeffries. Lots of fire and passion from more junior members such as AOC and Chris Murphy etc. WHERE is the boldness in the Dems? As much as Bill Kristol has been a Republican with awful values, he has some good ideas that he has shared on BlueSky and for the life of me I have NO IDEA why the Dems arent taking a hint, so here are his ideas and if anyone reading this can help get traction, great:
"Dems should introduce legislation now defunding ICE and CBP operations in Minnesota, so they have to leave the state. One sentence bill. Demand an immediate vote. Maybe refuse to vote for cloture on any funding bills (or other bills) until a vote. Make the GOP Congress break w/ Trump or own it all.Dems should introduce lots of such legislation, demand hearings and debate, make a huge fuss, use paid media to call out GOP members who are blocking their consideration--and make clear this GOP Congress is enabling the madness.Yes, the GOP controls Congress. That's why it's key to show Congress COULD stop the madness. And it's not just the DHS bill. Congress could repeal the prior multi-year $75b for DHS; set up a special investigative "committee (cf. Watergate); amend the Insurrection Act; etc."
Congress is utterly ineffective against executive branch. Most people i know in NY and southern connecticut can barely deal with traffic. Which is endless and overwhelming
And what's the likelihood voting machines will be pre-programmed or tampered with. Is anyone expecting freexsnd fair election? Will ice be monitoring polling places in blue states? Instead of poll watchers maybe there need to be life ins salesmen. Or body armor salesman.
Meanwhile back at the ranch, the folks with black markers are spending endless hours redacting the names of those involved in Epstein’s child abuse and money laundering scheme.
The mills of the gods grind slow but exceedingly fine.
I really believe it’s the money laundering, bribes and payoffs that the wealthy and powerful fear most. How high and deep does this go? SC maybe? Their benefactors? Banks and foreign actors? Churches? Kompromat?
This is not just trump, it's the Epstein class. It's Alan Dershowitz and Les Werner and Prince freaking Andrew and Rudy Giuliani and....Jamie Dimon? Larry summers?
I am interested to hear what Minneapolis and Minnesota state officials have
to say, when appropriate, about the crime scene where Mr. Pretti was killed by federal agents.
I am quite skeptical that the crime scene retained detailed resemblance to its state immediately after the shooting once federal agents finally allowed state and local investigators access.
I am skeptical with reason that agents responsible to this DHS would have taken steps to preserve all evidence prior to being ordered by a judge.
What a shame to have so little reason to have trust in rule of law because of an out of control DHS and DOJ
Re the save act, non republicans will have to produce report cards from high school plus id like voting, citizenship, name changes, height, nutritional status, etc. Republicans will just have to agree to or actually shoot suspicious people like anyone not voting for the fuhrer. Or something similar.
Thank you, for the article, Professor, I am upset about this killing. On prime news Secretary Noem said , Mr. Peritti bit an ice agent’s finger off what a big fat liar. That Secretary Noem is. I hope this week ice agents are arrested for murder or civil rights violations.
Can we please not forget the Epstein files?
Exactly! Citizens are being murdered because Trump and the cult in Congress and SCOTUS are in the full time business of protecting a convicted felon and sex abuser living in the people’s house. All of this is a deadly distraction.
Precisely. Establish a police state to protect a pedophile …
This is the face of white supremacy? Alfred E. Newman’s?
This is being acted out in Minnesota as a pretext to delcare a national emergency and invoke marshal law and cancel the elections.
The four current Republican U.S. House members representing Minnesota are Brad Finstad, Tom Emmer, Michelle Fischbach, and Pete Stauber.
There was a general strike on Saturday. More to come.
Minnesota is home to Republican major donors. They have outsized influence.
We need to pressure them.
What they should do is TELL ICE to leave.
WE the People need to hear from these supporters, giving huge amounts of money to back these actions! Boycott their businesses! Shameful display of their connections? Speak up! Uncover and reveal these people and organizations immediately!
NYT: "Chief executives of Target, Best Buy, General Mills and Cargill were among more than 60 large Minnesota companies to issue a public letter on Sunday calling for an “immediate de-escalation of tensions” in the state.
"The letter marks the first time the most recognizable businesses in Minnesota have weighed in on the turmoil in Minneapolis amid the aggressive crackdown by federal immigration agents, which have sparked widespread protests throughout the city."
What they should do is ask ICE to leave.
Joyce, I truly thank you for explaining in detail all the totally unlawful and brutal deaths trump and his buddies are causing. It breaks my heart when I see more deaths of innocent people continuing. Will we ever find peace in our great country again.??
David, I think you mean the Trumpstein files.
The Frankenstein files?
NOT until ALL EPSTEIN MATERIAL is publicly released!
Not only are Republicans tainted … we all are … by this crass and craven child.
David, since I never ever liked the guy or his TV failures or his “slouching twice toward our White House,” I shall and will not ever be embarrassed or feel anything but disgust when anyone mentions Don tha Con-Felón, a wasted piece of protoplasm.
We will never forget the Epstein files. The recent ICE murders will be two more criminal acts to add to a growing list for trump to answer for.
Sadly, if you seriously believe that Trump will EVER be held to answer for any acts he has committed in the past, you should immediately stop smoking that crack and start recognizing the power of the Presidency, particularly the pardon power. Trump will not leave office again with ANY risk of any federal crimes being charged against him.
Assuming the GOP nominee doesn't win the 2028 election, he will either execute a personal pardon for himself (not to mention literally dozens if not hundreds of accomplices) or will do a step aside on Jan 19 and have JD sworn in for one day before leaving office so that JD can issue a pardon for Trump. He might even do both just to be absolutely sure he has an ironclad defense.
Anyone thinking that Trump and his outlaws will ever be held accountable in federal court for any crimes definitely doesn't understand what is happening in Washington these days. The power of the pardon is REAL and pretty much unlimited other than the restrictions that you can't issue a pardon for crimes in the future (an anticipatory pardon) and that they only apply to federal crimes, not purely state ones.
Hopefully a future Congress and President will recognize the disaster that this has created with a renegade President and amend the Constitution to much more seriously restrict the way pardons can be issued and who they can be issued to. But right now, it is mostly unrestricted and you are a fool if you think Trump isn't going to use it in a very wide and unrestricted way when he next leaves office.
Personal attacks aside, that’s what I am hoping for too. We can right this ship if we have the will to do it. We’ll see about trump..,
They are busy destroying all the documents that have Trump’s name or pictures
A mammoth job.
The Epstein files have not been forgotten. Democratic members of Congress continue to work for their release including litigation asking the court to appoint a special prosecutor to take over the handling and release of the files. I see articles about these actions almost every day, they seldom make it to the front page of newspapers or broadcast news. They are brought up regularly on various MS NOW programs.
Superb!
INDEED!! I have NOT!!
Can we please not forget that the rule of law matters, there's more to it than the Epstein files, and it was in trouble before Trump was elected the first time? Sometimes I wonder what you Epstein obsessives are trying to avoid.
Always sunny in Trumplandia.
Perhaps, but I don’t feel that is accurate.
Which? The taint or the Epstein files?
Sorry, I’m missing something here. When people abroad think of Americans, they think of Trump. When people think about the Epstein files, they think of Trump.
I'm abroad - and I don't think of trump.
If you were to ask for my image of "America" I would say most Europeans see it as a rather dopey but kindly big brother - who has got mixed up and led astray by some vile human beings. Think Forrest Gump on Fentanyl.
My European friends think it's frightening.
And wish they knew how to help me stop it but are afraid I'll be killed.
Maybe Cassidy will grow a spine and join Tillis in full throated opposition to Trump? HCR is right, and we need to focus on this: 16 Republicans could bring an end to funding for ICE, and 23 could impeach Trump if they would join Democrats. We need citizens to make it their job to call and email members of Congress right now, every day when we aren’t out in the streets peacefully protesting. Take the gloves off. Stop being silent to “get along.” We won’t make it to November elections at this rate.
I wouldn’t say Tillis has exactly been a full throated opposition to Trump. He said “Trump is getting bad advice”. Failure to recognize that Trump is the seed of our destruction in this situation.
Tillis is surely still growing a spine.
As well he should, since he’s not running again.
Not running is a spine-growth supplement.
Which makes you ask - why did they run in the first place, if the only time they'll do their duty is when they are leaving?
I wish I had said all of the smart things I have been passing along, but I always am careful not to take credit for them. I posted two of the today among these posts: "the shot heard round the world" and the fact that we're in a time of "shakedowns" mob-like by this administration. The other thing I'll share is that someone noted that this is no longer about DJT, that monsters do what monsters do and can't help themselves. The blame is with those who choose to follow the monster. I have friends who often say that this awfulness isn't about DJT, and now I better understand that he couldn't exist without those choosing to follow. Self-evident, I know....
Yes, all of our relatives, associates, neighbors who continue to accept this regime and the propaganda spouted by all the close members are culpable. If they are not calling their representative and senators to do their jobs of oversight, they are culpable.
These “disgruntled” Republicans should change parties.
It would only take 20 GOP Senators to CONVICT Trump of an impeachment assuming the House can muster up the 3 or 4 Representatives to impeach him. Remember impeachment is only the beginning, then you need the Senate to convict by a 2/3 vote to remove him from office. Sadly 20 GOP Senators are almost certainly NEVER going to materialize to remove Trump from office. Last time after he was already OUT of office, we could only get 7 GOP Senators to join 50 Democrats during the second impeachment trial.
In the middle of all this chaos, thanks for reminding us that the SAVE act is back. We'll be making some noise about that, sounding the alarm. And can we also remind Bondi, as I believe Gov Walz has done, that rather than demanding Minnesota release voting and welfare records, that she should work on releasing the Epstein files, since the law was passed to release them in December. Our hearts are heavy, but also on fire. We are staying engaged in this push back, and we stand with Minnesota and their remarkable turnout on Friday. Thank you, Joyce!
Your post, Deb, makes me want to use the word "shakedown" again to describe what the government is doing with the states, or attempting to do. Very gangsterish.
So Bill Cassidy that cast the deciding vote to approve RFK Jr is disturbed by the shooting. Oh, really? Now that he's seen RFK lie about vaccine schedules & Noem & Bovino & trump lie about another killing of an American citizen he's "disturbed". He's a goddam doctor & senator he should be furious! I'm sick to death of the House & Senate use such "genteel" language when describing their feelings about cold blooded murders & then to see the regime smear the victims & lie, lie, & lie some more. They should be furious! They should be be standing on the Capitol steps every day making statements, angry aggressive statements. No, I don't like violence but I'm afraid the gloves have to come off NOW! If not, I can see that grotesque excuse for a human in the White House with his equally grotesque SecDef send in airborne troops with guns blazing!
I agree with your assessment of Bill Cassidy. And now Susan Collin’s is yet again concerned, (She is infamously, everlastingly concerned, for what it’s worth.)
I have two words for Susan Collins.
"Graham Platner"
I hope he is keeping her awake at night.
Don't discount Susan Collins''"concern".
It's been her secret weapon all along.
But for doing what, one might ask (in a friendly way, Jen)
I am trying to comment/respond with some sort of intelligence and I just can't... I am overwhelmed with grief, anger, frustration, and more. What has happened to our nation? I am 71 and have seen/been involved in a lot of stuff, but nothing like this - at least I don't think so. I place the majority of blame on tRump and his right wing followers. (I will stop myself from saying more.) Has there ever been another more evil American leader? I'm calling it a day/night. Sleep well. We have a lot more to do.
The answer to your (I suspect rhetorical) question is no, no other American president has been as or more evil than Trump. We've had some bad presidents, but none of them were psychopaths, or aspired to have the power of a fascist dictator, until 45/47.
And none surrounded themselves with the gang of bad actors that he has, both there legally and those who aren’t: think the disaster of Musk and DOGE and especially Steven Miller.
Well, Nixon certainly surrounded himself with quite a few bad actors. His Attorney General went to federal prison and served 19 months, not exactly a short term in the pen for a man who was 64 years old at the time. And the entire Watergate "crew" served prison terms from 16 months to 4 years. Nixon's "henchmen" John Erlichman and HR Halderman both served 18 months in prison.
I think Trump has done a lot of bad things, but Nixon was equally felonious and got lucky that Ford gave him a blanket pardon for his crimes.
I sometimes reflect back on the Viet Nam era with the unpopular war and the Kent State killings and then Nixon and Watergate. Those were dark days. It gives me hope for today that the nation recovered (?) from that mess. But one important difference is that Nixon left because his party told him to leave and the efforts to end the war were somewhat bipartisan. There isn’t as much appetite today for doing the right thing and this is a big hole to climb out of, Stay tuned!
If Nixon had been held accountable, instead of being pardoned by Ford, we wouldn’t be in this predicament. The precedent that was set was that presidents are above the law.
Your comment made me think of a couple of things, Laura. First, when the Watergate tapes first made the news support for Nixon among Republican voters stayed at around 50%. By the time he was convinced — by members of his own party — to leave office, Nixon’s support among GOP voters had climbed back up to almost 60%. Most Republicans probably felt he should have stayed in office. In today’s environment something like Watergate wouldn’t have budged the needle even a little for GOP voters. In fact support would almost certainly rise.
But the really difficult question for me is what might/should happen when (oh please let it be ‘when’ not ‘if’) Democrats regain control of Congress and the White House. The offenses committed by Trump et al have been egregious and vast: corruption, graft, attempting to overturn an election, ignoring court orders, murdering American citizens… need I continue? Surely there must be accountability. But how? Even in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War there was uncertainty and discomfort about whether and how to punish Jefferson Davis and others who literally fought against the American government. Today, with the far right media universe fueling anger, lies, and distrust, coming up with a mechanism for establishing guilt would be a nightmare. Remember, Fox didn’t bother to cover most of the J6 hearings. As for Truth and Reconciliation — are such things even possible anymore?
All of which is to say that you’re probably right about Ford’s pardon. And would be 100% right had you said that Trump should have been held convicted by the Senate. But I have trouble seeing anything like that today. Can you imagine Tucker Carlson, Lindsay Graham, Jim Jordan, Hannity, and all the others thinking ‘gee, maybe the safety of the country is more important than money or attention so maybe I’ll keep my mouth closed’? Me either. But I sure as hell want to have an opportunity to actually debate the issue with Trump finally out of office and Steven Miller sent to wherever he belongs.
Unfortunately, for exactly the same reasons as the Ford pardon of Nixon, neither Trump nor Stephen Miller nor almost anyone else associated with Trump II will ever see the inside of a federal prison as I fully expect Trump will provide all with the necessary blanket pardons for all crimes that may have been committed during this administration. This will include a self-pardon and may also include a "step aside" by Trump on Jan 19 before leaving office so that Vance can issue a presidential pardon of Trump just in case a future Supreme Court holds self-pardons as invalid.
I wish I could say you’re missing an important point or something but it sounds like you’re absolutely right.
I was angry at the time with the Ford pardon but I don’t know how I feel today. I will give Ford the benefit of the doubt, his intentions were honorable to try to move the nation beyond Watergate. I would never advocate for any pardon of Trump today, that scumbag should twist slowly in the wind. Bitter, yes I am!!
Sorry, I think that was all BS by Ford. He wasn't honorable at all, and his pardon permitted Nixon to escape any accountability. And don't worry, Trump isn't going to be twisting in the wind any time soon unless he is REALLY a complete idiot. Anticipate blanket pardons for ALL the day before he leaves office. I expect they will have them all ready for signature well in advance of that date. They might even have them ready now!
Old enough to also remember those days.
I am 80 and yours are my exact sentiments. I am a patriot and a tender heart. I have always been the family peace keeper. For the first time in my life, I have had acyear to feel real hate. It hurts to have these feelings. Hard to believe but this is the first time I have been very worried about the state of affairs. This is really the first time I have seen a President so evil , so self centered and so unqualified to hold the office. He is filled with anger and has surrounded himself with like minded people. He is really a danger to us and democracy. God help us all.
A dark cloud of oppression has descended over our country. Setting aside the knowing and willing impotency of Congress, the Supreme Court, the last bastion in the preservation of our liberties, is either blind to it or willing enablers of it. Being on the cusp of being an octogenarian. I may not live to see the restoration of our democracy, but I have no doubt that posterity will view this Congress and this Supreme Court with contempt for allowing Trump and his thugs to oppress the American people and the American dream.
And we have south africans like thiel and musk in possession of all our personal data to slip into the voting apparatus..they need to be prosecuted and their taxpayer funded contracts cancelled.. mars can wait, and so can the surveillance state.
Well said D. O. Olson!
Thiel is from Germany. Perhaps he inherited some Nazi genes.
John Robert’s is a central figure in bringing the woes the people of this nation, and its government institutions are experiencing. Read Lisa Graves’ excellent book, “Without Precedent- How CJ Roberts and His Accomplices Rewrote the Constitution and Dismantled Our Rights.” A page-turner.
Give me a figure on what percentage of the population would see that as a "page turner"?
The best selling book in the US in 2025 was a fantasy sequel.
"Tell me things that don't exist - not the real horror. . ."
I think it is safe to say that most of us STILL do not see true leadership, strong leadership with good offense strategies such as in Schumer or Jeffries. Lots of fire and passion from more junior members such as AOC and Chris Murphy etc. WHERE is the boldness in the Dems? As much as Bill Kristol has been a Republican with awful values, he has some good ideas that he has shared on BlueSky and for the life of me I have NO IDEA why the Dems arent taking a hint, so here are his ideas and if anyone reading this can help get traction, great:
"Dems should introduce legislation now defunding ICE and CBP operations in Minnesota, so they have to leave the state. One sentence bill. Demand an immediate vote. Maybe refuse to vote for cloture on any funding bills (or other bills) until a vote. Make the GOP Congress break w/ Trump or own it all.Dems should introduce lots of such legislation, demand hearings and debate, make a huge fuss, use paid media to call out GOP members who are blocking their consideration--and make clear this GOP Congress is enabling the madness.Yes, the GOP controls Congress. That's why it's key to show Congress COULD stop the madness. And it's not just the DHS bill. Congress could repeal the prior multi-year $75b for DHS; set up a special investigative "committee (cf. Watergate); amend the Insurrection Act; etc."
Congress is utterly ineffective against executive branch. Most people i know in NY and southern connecticut can barely deal with traffic. Which is endless and overwhelming
And what's the likelihood voting machines will be pre-programmed or tampered with. Is anyone expecting freexsnd fair election? Will ice be monitoring polling places in blue states? Instead of poll watchers maybe there need to be life ins salesmen. Or body armor salesman.
My god, this is such a circus. Thank you, Joyce for helping us keep it together.
Meanwhile back at the ranch, the folks with black markers are spending endless hours redacting the names of those involved in Epstein’s child abuse and money laundering scheme.
The mills of the gods grind slow but exceedingly fine.
I really believe it’s the money laundering, bribes and payoffs that the wealthy and powerful fear most. How high and deep does this go? SC maybe? Their benefactors? Banks and foreign actors? Churches? Kompromat?
This is not just trump, it's the Epstein class. It's Alan Dershowitz and Les Werner and Prince freaking Andrew and Rudy Giuliani and....Jamie Dimon? Larry summers?
I am interested to hear what Minneapolis and Minnesota state officials have
to say, when appropriate, about the crime scene where Mr. Pretti was killed by federal agents.
I am quite skeptical that the crime scene retained detailed resemblance to its state immediately after the shooting once federal agents finally allowed state and local investigators access.
I am skeptical with reason that agents responsible to this DHS would have taken steps to preserve all evidence prior to being ordered by a judge.
What a shame to have so little reason to have trust in rule of law because of an out of control DHS and DOJ
"What a shame"??? - You sound like Schumer!
(Sorry to be so insulting. . .)
It's a GOD DAMN DISGRACE!!!!
Thank you for the update.
If the courts do not protect Americans from ICE gestapo then what do peaceful demonstrators do? Is it a civil war?
Trump and his allies are corrupted. The work you do is critical!!
Thank you
Joyce 💕
For keeping us up-to-date…
The mind has
to process
so much & absorb shocks
& fear along
the way
Thank you for your sharing your knowledge & expertise
You are
a Jewel 💎
Isn’t tampering w/evidence
a felony?
How is that
ever going
to be justified ?
“How many deaths will it take til we know that too many people have died…”
the answer is still blowing in the wind 💨
Re the save act, non republicans will have to produce report cards from high school plus id like voting, citizenship, name changes, height, nutritional status, etc. Republicans will just have to agree to or actually shoot suspicious people like anyone not voting for the fuhrer. Or something similar.
Thank you, for the article, Professor, I am upset about this killing. On prime news Secretary Noem said , Mr. Peritti bit an ice agent’s finger off what a big fat liar. That Secretary Noem is. I hope this week ice agents are arrested for murder or civil rights violations.