Skip to content

Month: May 2025

Who Needs The Best When You Have Trump?

Published by digby on May 24, 2025

The Wall St. Journal isn’t happy:

The Trump Administration has frozen billions in federal grants to Harvard University, threatened its tax-exempt status, and sought to dictate its curriculum and hiring. Now the government seems bent on destroying the school for the offense of fighting back. And for what purpose?

That’s how we read the Department of Homeland Security’s move Thursday to bar foreign students from attending the world-renowned institution. That’s 6,800 students, or a quarter of Harvard’s student body, whose futures are suddenly in disarray. It’s also a short-sighted attack on one of America’s great competitive strengths: Its ability to attract the world’s best and brightest.

[…]

This will be terribly damaging to America’s ability to attract talented young people who bring their enterprise and intellectual capital to the U.S. Non-citizens accounted for more than half of doctoral degrees in AI-related fields in 2022. Many have gone to work at U.S. companies like Nvidia or started their own.

The National Foundation for American Policy finds that “immigrants have founded or cofounded nearly two-thirds (65% or 28 of 43) of the top AI companies in the United States, and 70% of full-time graduate students in fields related to artificial intelligence are international students.” Immigrants have also started more than half of America’s privately-held startups valued at $1 billion or more.

Even if it’s modified, Ms. Noem’s order will echo around the world as a signal that the U.S. is no longer open to educate the world’s brightest young people. Foreign students will get the message and take their talents elsewhere. China’s politburo must be laughing at their good luck that their main adversary is hamstringing itself—first with tariffs that make its firms less competitive, and now with an assault on immigrant talent.

I can kind of understand why Trump is destroying higher education and scientific research. With America no longer a 21st century modern society and we are all going to work in sweatshops and factories, who needs it? Let other countries lead the world in innovation and progress. We’re going to compete with Bangladesh.

Inside The Rabbit Hole

Published by digby on May 24, 2025

I came across this rant on Xitter where such things are so common you can’t avoid them. I just thought you’d like to see one since I know you have many better things to do than go over to that hellsite. (The only reason I do is to pull videos that are hard to find or impossible to use from other sites.)

It’s an update on Pizzagate. You remember that one right? It was perpetrated by Jack Posobiec, who is now hanging around the White House and travelling with the president. It’s still a thing in right wing circles where they continue to be obsessed with pedophilia:

PIZZAGATE IS NO LONGER A CONSPIRACY. The media has been lying long enough and they still do. It’s not is it real or why would they? It’s because, why wouldn’t they? You can’t just talk about horrific stuff and selling kids in emails. Especially when your a government employee.

They may be some sick people, but they’re not stupid, even though they mocked you for years right to your face, thinking they would never get caught. It’s time to start holding these people accountable and end this conspiracy nonsense, and for the media to come clean and stop lying to the people.

This is why nobody believes a thing they say anymore and why their ratings are at their lowest in history. Not only has the FBI known about these pizza and other words and symbology codes from the early 1990s from “Operation Innocent Images,” an FBI sting that took down tons of online child sexual predators.

They also knew about Epstein and even hung up on a woman who was trafficked herself and had the proof to take down Epstein then, and this was back in 1996. The question is why? Why would they hang up?

The answer is because all this child trafficking and abuse has been going on for centuries. Archeologist even are finding evidence that this ties back to wealthy elite families and hierarchy structures of society and their actual development of them where elite families performed child sacrifice on the regular.

Some were literally born into these horrific satanic lifestyles with Satanic ritual abuse happening on the regular along with child sacrifice to the most elite intelligence agencies in the world using children as a blackmail tool to control world leaders, which is exactly what we are in the middle of today with our own government officials, if they’re not bribed or compromised already.

Child trafficking is big business and one child can be used multiple times a day, unlike drugs. RFK Jr. just confirmed that even the Biden/Harris administration with the cartels and their own HHS were heavily involved with child trafficking.

It’s so big of a problem that cartels are now even fighting each other over plazas which is basically, “turf,” or “property.” Biden’s HHS were even using taxpayer funds to fly these children with a CIA escort directly to their trafficker.

The point is Pizzagate was always real. There are code words for this kind of abuse and elite, wealthy government officials, celebrities, and an uptick in regular people are all involved, and it is now at a level that we have never seen before.

Multiple school teachers are now being arrested across the country for rap*ng their own students every single day. Even our own officials in government are passing laws to reduce penalties if you sexually assault a child.

Why would you ever pass a bill or law like that? This problem needs to be addressed at a nationwide scale, by our government and taken care of or we, as a population, as a society, will never move forward. We can’t have children being rap*ed and m*rdered and our politicians blackmailed. Period.

They’ve been mocking you for years and rubbing it in your face, and the mainstream media has been covering it up for years saying that all this is debunked when it never has been.

That’s only part of it. The rest is just as cracked.

I’m sure pedophiles come in all political shapes and sizes but there sure seem to be a whole lot of right wing pastors and politicians regularly getting arrested on child molestation charges. Maybe that’s why these crazy freaks are so obsessed. It’s an everyday occurrence in their world.

Anyway, I thought it was sort of interesting to see that this is still out there. The right is full of loons. And some of them are running the country.

Collaborators

Published by digby on May 24, 2025

Philip Bump comments on how the new Tapper and Thompson book feeds into the Republican narrative about Joe Biden:

Consider a recent Truth Social post from the president in which he suggests that former president Joe Biden’s team was (inexplicably) guilty of treason. He said (emphasis added):

This is nonsense, of course. But note the autopen part, a reference to a tool that can automatically apply a signature to a document. It’s not just that Donald Trump is saying Biden was taken advantage of, leveraging the (wildly overblown) discussion about Biden’s competence. He’s also implying that those actions were invalid, with aides making and enacting decisions without his authorization.

Again, there’s no evidence for this. In fact, it’s often the case that presidents sign onto things they don’t particularly care about on advice of their staffers. I don’t think, for example, that it was Biden’s idea to grant a lifetime achievement award to the rapper KRS-One any more than I think it was Trump’s idea to celebrate Holy Week by noting “Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and culminating in the Paschal Triduum.” Presidents have teams that take care of the minutiae of governing — and of politicking.

What Trump’s doing, though, is trying to undercut the validity of Biden’s work as president. He’s making it easier to dismiss actions undertaken by Biden and legislation signed by Biden as invalid and ignorable. The window for revoking Biden actions under the Congressional Review Act is closed, but Trump can still stoke skepticism and backlash against them.

Yes. And I’d really like to thank Tapper and Thompson for helping them do that.

Speaking of not knowing what you’re signing:


Now That Woke Is Dead

Published by digby on May 24, 2025

We can go back to normal

What?

Fox News’ Jesse Watters send a correspondent to Capitol Hill this week to tackle one of the more pressing issues of our time: What do Republican congressmen think about Watters’ “rules for men”?

Watters unveiled this inspired list in March. It urges men to avoid such unmanly activities as eating soup in public, crossing their legs and drinking from a straw, among other things.

“One of the reasons you don’t drink from a straw is the way your lips purse,” Watters said on Fox News’ “The Five” at the time. “It’s very effeminate.”

Apparently, this is a thing.

They cross their legs.

Yeah, this is what’s happening in the “manosphere” the Democrats are scrambling to penetrate and/or emulate. Great stuff.

Some Boss Messaging

Published by Tom Sullivan on May 24, 2025

Pulling no punches

“The last check on power after the checks and balances of government have failed are the people.”

“His Lordship” Trump has always had “Kneel before Zod” fantasies. And for “every kneel shall bow” evangelicals, he’s a natural object of veneration. They’ve been taught their whole lives since Sunday school to want a king but have grown tired of waiting for their heavenly one. Donald Trump is eager to fill in. Fuck that.

So you may have heard that Trump is lashing out this week at superstar musicians who shine brighter and refuse to kneel. He’s demanding federal investigations of Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Bruce Springsteen and Bono (he’s not even an American).

Democracy Docket reports on the pushback from a very unbowed Springsteen who went out of his way in a pulls-no-punches speech to show who’s Boss:

In reality, Trump’s rant was ignited by Springsteen’s acerbic comments on stage at two concerts in Manchester, England last week. Springsteen, who is 75 and has taken part in American political and social protests since he played the No Nukes festival at Madison Square Garden in 1979, spoke more directly than any major entertainment figure has since Trump’s inauguration. Before those words sink into the oozing quicksand of daily outrage and click-chasing Trump media coverage, it’s worth a closer look at the message — because I think it’s an important moment in the evolution of the growing opposition to this authoritarian gang.

First, it’s important to note that Springsteen’s words were scripted. I watched the videos from both nights, and the words were clearly on the lyrics prompter that major artists use on stage. This was no rant of the moment — it was intentional, targeted and as carefully crafted as any song off Darkness on the Edge of Town. Springsteen posted a video and a full transcript to his website. This was a plan.

“In my home, the America I love, the America I’ve written about, that has been a beacon of hope and liberty for 250 years, is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration,” Springsteen told his Manchester audiences.

“There’s some very weird, strange and dangerous shit going on out there right now,” he said.

These are Springsteen’s seven key talking points (annotated with links):

  1. In America, they are persecuting people for using their right to free speech and voicing their dissent. This is happening now.
  2. In America, the richest men are taking satisfaction in abandoning the world’s poorest children to sickness and death. This is happening now.
  3. In my country, they’re taking sadistic pleasure in the pain they inflict on loyal American workers. 
  4. They’re rolling back historic civil rights legislation that has led to a more just and plural society.
  5. They are abandoning our great allies and siding with dictators against those struggling for their freedom.
  6. They are defunding American universities that won’t bow down to their ideological demands.
  7. They are removing residents off American streets and, without due process of law, are deporting them to foreign detention centers and prisons. This is all happening now. 

This is a list devoid of fatty media outrage and flabby distraction — it cuts to the bone of American values in this imperfect republic, and it gets to the heart of the current struggle. As Springsteen said: “A majority of our elected representatives have failed to protect the American people from the abuses of an unfit president and a rogue government. They have no concern or idea for what it means to be deeply American.” 

This was just previews. I can’t wait until he brings the “Land of Hope and Dreams” tour to his home stages. His shows will need increased security.

“Let’s pray.”

* * * * *

Have you fought dictatorship today?

No Kings Day, June 14th
The Resistance Lab
Choose Democracy
Indivisible: A Guide to Democracy on the Brink
You Have Power
Chop Wood, Carry Water
Thirty lonely but beautiful actions
Attending a Protest Surveillance Self-Defense

Republican Chainsaw Massacre Of Medicaid

Published by Tom Sullivan on May 24, 2025

Insult? Meet injury.

Courtesy of Democracy Labs earlier this week, an interactive map showing how Donald Trump’s House budget bill impacts hurts every district and county in the country. Yours included.

Take my district for example, there in the western mountains of North Carolina. We’re still recovering from the natural disaster last September when Helene devastated our area. Now comes a GOP-made disaster:

Edwards, a Republican represents NC-11 district.

The district has 143,465 Medicaid/CHIP recipients.
The district would lose $ 1.80 billion in funding under the Republican budget.

Senators:
Thom Tillis (R)
Ted Budd (R)

Speaking of NC-11 … Heather Cox Richardson notes that slashing Medicaid/CHIP for our district adds insult to injury (I’m adding HCR’s links):

The third story is that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has denied North Carolina’s request that it honor a commitment made by President Joe Biden to pay for 100% of the costs for removal of debris after Hurricane Helene devastated the western part of the state in September 2024. That storm killed 107 people in western North Carolina and destroyed or damaged 75,000 homes, as well as destroying roads and leaving mounds of debris.

As Zack Colman of Politico reported yesterday, the storm hit in the last weeks of the 2024 presidential campaign, and Trump undermined FEMA’s response, lying that it was not present and telling North Carolinians that the Biden administration could not help them because it had taken money from FEMA for undocumented immigrants. None of what he was saying was true, but MAGA mouthpieces picked up his criticisms and exaggerated them, claiming that the federal government intended to steal people’s land, that Biden had directed the storm to western North Carolina, and that 28 babies had frozen to death in FEMA tents—all lies, but lies that slowed recovery as riled-up people who believed them refused assistance, threatened officials, and demanded investigations.

Trump suggested he would respond more effectively to voters in North Carolina, and two of the hardest-hit counties there, Avery and Haywood, backed him in 2024 by margins of 75.7% and 61.8%, respectively, similar to those it had given him in 2016 and 2020.

Once in office, though, Trump began to talk of eliminating FEMA. Now the White House has told North Carolina residents they’re on their own as they try to dig out from Hurricane Helene.

MAGA, y’all.

* * * * *

Have you fought dictatorship today?

No Kings Day, June 14th
The Resistance Lab
Choose Democracy
Indivisible: A Guide to Democracy on the Brink
You Have Power
Chop Wood, Carry Water
Thirty lonely but beautiful actions
Attending a Protest Surveillance Self-Defense

Friday Night Soother

Published by digby on May 23, 2025

Red wolf cubs at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo:

Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon praised zoo personnel at a press conference today announcing the new arrivals.

“There’s fewer than 20 of these wolves in the wild population today,” McMahon said. “The fact that we have six puppies here now is a really significant milestone for our team here overall.”

The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists red wolves as a critically endangered species, and Humboldt penguins as a vulnerable species.

The red wolf pups were born on May 3 to Evie (mother) and Sage (father).

“Red wolves are the most critically endangered canine species in the world,” said Theo Cambpell, the zoo’s carnivore collection manager. “And it’s just such a huge deal that we’ve had them here. We haven’t had them since the 90s so we’re really excited to bring them on.”

The wolf pups are currently nursing in their den, out of sight of zoo visitors.

“Around a month they might start exploring outside,” Campbell said. “I can’t guarantee an exact day, but they can see now. And they are starting to explore.”

Here are some red wolf pups from another litter a few years ago. So cute:

When A Lunatic Wakes Up On The Wrong Side Of The Bed

Published by digby on May 23, 2025

He’s going for it, full force:

Aaaand:

Build plants to grow French wine, make Italian cheese, make Danish ham and Dutch beer? I guess who needs it, right? We have wine and cheese and ham. Back when America was great we didn’t have any of them furrin foods in our “grocery” stores. (It’s an old-fashioned word, dontcha know?) I remember as a kid being awestruck when we’d go to Cost Plus and saw foreign goods I’d never heard of. Cadbury chocolate and Chinese noodles and amazing rugs and linens from around the globe. Looks like we’re going back to that. You’ll eat Hershey’s and nothing else. And you vill like it!

We don’t even want to talk about the pharmaceuticals, many of which are centered in Europe. Better hoard your meds people. Looks like there’s going to be all kinds of shortages or price hikes. (And he’s already issued insane threats to those countries so who knows what all this means.)

And we will not need any more smart phones for several years when they start making them here. Of course, they’ll cost $5,000 but we have lots of time to save up.

And yes, it’s perfectly appropriate for the president of the United States to dictate to Harvard that they get rid of their foreign students (as well as all their scientific research and anything else he decides he doesn’t like) because he wants their leader to crawl on their bellies and pledge their fealty to him. Or else.

Trump woke up on the wrong side of the bed and decided to wreck everything today. As I wrote on BlueSky earlier:

We are dealing with an ignorant, avaricious, pathological liar and malignant narcissist who is drunk with power and suffering from encroaching dementia.

Oh, and he’s surrounded by ruthless henchmen, lowlife criminals and opportunists eager to do his bidding.

I asked if there is precedent for this. I think that combination is pretty unusual. The first one that sprang to my mind was Caligula.

He’ll be long dead before the consequences of his horrific reign are fully felt but there are plenty of his sycophants, enablers and accomplices who won’t be. Let’s hope they have to pay a price for what they’ve done.

Hey, Latinos For Trump. You Ok With This?

Published by digby on May 23, 2025

ICE wrestled Alabama worker to the ground & detain him for hours—he is a U.S. citizen.

Young man was begging & shouting, “I am a U.S. citizen”—but that didn’t stop ICE agents from dragging him off to a detention center.

His family said that ICE agents did release him after he was finally given the opportunity to prove he was a U.S. citizen—but only after many hours.

Better carry your papers with you if you look Latino. Another one:

Machado was driving to work Wednesday with two other men when he was stopped by ICE agents near his home, he said. Confused by the scene, Machado said he didn’t know what was happening and why agents surrounded his pickup truck. 

“They just got out of the car with the guns in their hands and say, ‘turn off the car, give me the keys, open the window,’” Machado told Telemundo 44’s Rosbelis Quinoñez, who first reported his story. “Everything was really fast.”

“They didn’t ask me for any ID,” Machado said. “I was telling the officer if I can give him ID, but he said just keep my hands up, not moving. After that, he told me to get out of the car and put the handcuffs on me.” An agent then asked Machado how did he get into the U.S. and if he was awaiting a court date or if he had a pending immigration case.

“And I told him I was an American citizen,” Machado said. “He looked at his other partner like, you know, smiling, like saying, can you believe this guy? Because he asked the other guy, ‘Do you believe him?’”

He was released after they finally let him show his papers.

Machado said the experience shook his faith in Trump’s immigration enforcement efforts.

“I was a Trump supporter,” he said. “I voted for Trump last election.”

Machado said he thought the Trump administration would “just go against criminals, not every Hispanic looking, like, that they will assume that we are all illegals.”

“That’s what they’re doing, now,” Machado said. “They’re just following Hispanic people.”

Immigration lawyers advise residents and citizens to always keep ID with them.

I hope these stories are percolating through the Hispanic communities and people are hearing about it. It should chill anyone in this country who looks vaguely Latino. Or MIddle Eastern. Or Asian or Black for that matter. White too if you’re trying to return to the country from a foreign country. When you think about it, who can’t they roust on suspicion of being a foreigner?

ICE is a rogue police agency that’s been given license to literally detain anyone they choose. Being a citizen is no protection. Carry your papers. Who knows when some armed thug in jeans and a face mask will come up on you and demand them.

Even the Nazis wore uniforms.