The Arab-Americans who didn't vote for Kamala Harris because she didn't speak out enough against Israel's conduct of the war was complicit in genocide. Congrats, folks, you got Trump who wouldn't mind if Israel pushed the Palestinian's out of their areas so he could develop them. Trump Gaza!
FYT. Nothing changed. Still complicit and in denial about it.
A predictable scapegoat too (even though more people disagreed) for the party of human rights and the "rules-based order."
And likely not the biggest reason people didn't vote (for Democrats.)
Which is why it's frustrating/annoying/time-wasting to chase down every stupid thing (Gulf of Mexico, etc) or waste time on every Republican echo chamber. Dems, focus, please.
Step one: accurate elections for the midterms
Step two: pick the right people to be elected, folks that can stand up with a resonant message to show how the GOP betrayed and steals from their base. The Dems don't need convincing (most of the time - maybe those idiots who thought that sitting on their hands would be a "vote" like someone cared if they didn't come out of their room).
Isabeau's quote of Heather Cox Richardson was absolutely spot on. Hitler and Mussolini used the same non-stop firehose of rumor, scandal, outrage and misdirection to confuse and numb people into submission.
I agree with you, Steely_D about the message. I think that message largely has to focus on jobs, the cost of living, and the economy in general. Show how Trump's actions have made life more expensive (killing the $35/month cap on insulin, the increased cost of groceries, housing) and will slash government benefits (Medicaid, Medicare, SNAP).
At this point I don't know if Americans are so vigilant about the loss of their rights and freedoms. But the party should openly fight for them as pillars of the American way of life.
"...- maybe those idiots who thought that sitting on their hands would be a "vote" like someone cared if they didn't come out of their room."
The Arab-Americans who didn't vote for Kamala Harris because she didn't speak out enough against Israel's conduct of the war. Congrats, folks, you got Trump who wouldn't mind if Israel pushed the Palestinian's out of their areas so he could develop them. Trump Gaza!
âYou must be truly f*cking stupid if you think weâre not transparent.â
â Heather Cox Richardson 5/17/25
Which is why it's frustrating/annoying/time-wasting to chase down every stupid thing (Gulf of Mexico, etc) or waste time on every Republican echo chamber. Dems, focus, please.
Step one: accurate elections for the midterms
Step two: pick the right people to be elected, folks that can stand up with a resonant message to show how the GOP betrayed and steals from their base. The Dems don't need convincing (most of the time - maybe those idiots who thought that sitting on their hands would be a "vote" like someone cared if they didn't come out of their room).
In the past day, Trumpâs social media account has also attacked wildly popular musical icons Bruce Springsteen and, somewhat out of the blue, Taylor Swift. Dutifully, media outlets have taken up a lot of oxygen reporting on âshellgateâ and Trumpâs posts about Springsteen and Swift, pushing other stories out of the news.
In his newsletter today, retired entrepreneur Bill Southworth tallied the times Trump has grabbed headlines to distract people from larger stories, starting the tally with how Trumpâs posts about Peanut the Squirrel the day before the election swept like a brushfire across the right-wing media ecosystem and then into the mainstream.
In early 2025, Southworth notes, as the media began to dig into the dramatic restructuring of the federal government, Trump posted outrageously about Gaza, and that story took over. When cuts to PEPFAR (the Presidentâs Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) and the U.S. Agency for International Development threatened lives across Africa, Trump turned the conversation to white South Africans he lied were fleeing âanti-white genocide.â
Southworth calls this ânarrative warfare,â and while it is true that Republican leaders have seeded a particular false narrative for decades now, this technique is also known as âpolitical technologyâ or âvirtual politics.â This system, pioneered in Russia under Russian president Vladimir Putin, is designed to get people to vote an authoritarian into office by creating a fake world of outrage. For those who do not buy the lies, there is another tool: flooding the zone so that people stop being able to figure out what is real and tune out. The administration has clearly adopted this plan.
As Drew Harwell and Sarah Ellison of the Washington Post noted in early March, the administration set out to portray Trump as a king in order âto sell the country on expansionist approach to presidential power.â The team set out not just to confront critics, but to drown them out with a constant barrage of sound bites, interviews with loyalists, memes slamming Democrats, and attack lines. âWeâre here. Weâre in your face,â said Kaelan Dorr, a deputy assistant to the president who runs the digital team. âItâs irreverent. Itâs unapologetic.â
The White House brought right-wing influencers into the press pool, including at least one who before the election was exposed as being on the Russian payroll. Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung, who before he began to work for Trump was a spokesperson for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, said their goal was âFULL SPECTRUM DOMINANCE.â
Dominating means controlling the narrative. That starts with perceptions of the president himself. Trumpâs appearances have been deeply concerning as he cannot follow a coherent thread, frequently falls asleep, repeatedly veers into nonsense, and says he doesnât know about the operations of his government.
Yesterday, after journalist S.V. Date noted that the administration has posted online only about 20% of Trumpâs words, Cheung told Date âYou must be truly f*cking stupid if you think weâre not transparent.â
The White House also pushed back dramatically against a story that appeared in Business Insider Monday, comparing Donald Trump Jr. to former president Joe Bidenâs son Hunter. The White House suggested it would take legal action against Business Insiderâs German parent company.
Controlling the narrative also appears to mean manipulating the media, as Russians prescribed. Last month, Jeremy Kohler and Andy Kroll of ProPublica reported that Trump loyalist and political operative Ed Martin, now in charge of the âWeaponization Working Group,â in the Department of Justice, secretly seeded stories attacking a judge in a legal case that was not going his way. Martin has appeared more than 150 times on the Russia Today television channel and on Russian state radio, media outlets the State Department said were âcritical elements in Russiaâs disinformation and propaganda ecosystem,â where he claimed the Democrats were weaponizing the court system. Now he is vowing to investigate Democrats and anyone who criticizes the administration.
As Trumpâs popularity falls, Trumpâs political operators have spent in the âhigh seven figures,â Alex Isenstadt of Axios says, to run ads in more than 20 targeted congressional districts to push lawmakers to get behind Trumpâs economic program. âTell Congress this is a good deal for America,â the ad says. âSupport President Trump's agenda to get our economy back on track.â
In their advertising efforts, Muskâs mining of U.S. government records is deeply concerning, for the treasure trove of information he appears to have mined would enable political operatives to target political ads with laser precision in an even tighter operation than the Cambridge Analytica program of 2016.
The stories the administration appears to be trying to cover up show a nation hobbled since January 20, 2025, as MAGA slashes the modern government that works for ordinary Americans and abandons democracy in order to put the power of the United States government into the hands of the extremely wealthy.
As of today, my retirement portfolio has regained the $25k loss as of April 8th (Big Beautiful Tariff Week). Thanks Donnie, for listening to your billionaire buddies who took you to the woodshed & the global meltdown so that you finally blinked like an idiot schoolboy and pulled back on the mess you created. Youâre a genius, what an amazing victory!
As of today, my retirement portfolio has regained the $25k loss as of April 8th (Big Beautiful Tariff Week). Thanks Donnie, for listening to your billionaire buddies who took you to the woodshed & the global meltdown so that you finally blinked like an idiot schoolboy and pulled back on the mess you created. Youâre a genius, what an amazing victory!
The man who's fascinated by the word 'groceries' and shower heads? Who lately "doesn't know" fundamental things? Not exactly what you'd call a policy wonk or a serious thinker.
There's (homegrown) staff for taking care of business like immigration (below) or a genius-level tariffs plan.
It is just amazing how this Administration is gutting America and making it weaker and more susceptible to being played by our enemies. Our actions further isolate us from our allies and weaken our standing in the world. The countries that view us as great or powerful dwindle daily. Putin is a prod Pappa these days. The prodigal son shines brightly.
When this is all over our reputation and relationships will take decades to repair.
Truth Is Now Treason: The Trump Administrationâs War on Intelligence
By Tony Pentimalli
In Washington, silence is now safety. Speak the truth, and you vanish.
Thatâs not hyperbole. Itâs the doctrine of Donald Trumpâs second term, where facts are no longer just inconvenientâtheyâre punishable.
Tulsi Gabbard, once a marginal outsider in American politics, is now the Director of National Intelligence. And last week, she carried out one of the most brazen political purges in modern U.S. intelligence history. She fired the top two officials at the National Intelligence Council: Michael Collins and Maria Rykoff. Their offense? Producing a sober, apolitical intelligence assessment that shattered the Trump administrationâs entire legal pretext for mass deportations under the Alien Enemies Act.
Let that sink in. Two of the most respected, seasoned intelligence professionals in Americaâwith over 60 years of combined serviceâwere fired not for misconduct, but for accuracy.
The assessment they produced, dated April 7 and partially declassified days before their dismissal, examined whether Venezuelaâs Maduro regime was directing the violent criminal network known as Tren de Aragua inside the United States. Their conclusion: No. While the Venezuelan government had created a permissive environment, there was no evidence of coordination or control. The gang was operating independentlyânot as a foreign arm of state-sponsored aggression.
That conclusion directly contradicted Trumpâs March 15 executive order, which invoked the Alien Enemies Actâlegislation originally passed in 1798 and previously used only three times in American historyâto declare Tren de Aragua a national security threat acting on behalf of the Maduro regime.
The administrationâs response? Not to retract, not to reevaluateâbut to retaliate.
Collins and Rykoff were fired within a week. Not quietly. Not subtly. It was a message. And that message was heard throughout the intelligence community.
âThis is not just a staffing decision,â said former CIA Director John Brennan. âThis is a calculated act of political warfare against truth itself. Analysts across the community are terrifiedânot of the enemies abroad, but of the loyalty tests at home.â
These are not dramatic flourishes. These are the cold mechanics of authoritarianismâfiring civil servants for delivering facts, then rewriting the narrative to fit political aims. And weâve seen it before. At the CIA, diversity, equity, and inclusion officers have been reassigned or terminated. Climate analysts at the Pentagon have been purged. The Department of Educationâs Office for Civil Rights has been gutted. And DOJ voting rights lawyers who refused to follow politically motivated orders have found themselves under scrutiny or reassigned.
Gabbardâs transformation is emblematic. Once the voice of skepticism about regime change wars, she now enforces domestic political loyalty tests. Her betrayal of principle is not just ironicâit is catastrophic.
The Alien Enemies Act has never been used this way. In World War II, it was a legal scaffold for Japanese internment. In Trumpâs hands, it has become a dragnet for migrantsâmany of whom are being funneled into El Salvadorâs notorious Mariona prison, where overcrowding, disease, and abuse are systemic and well-documented by international observers.
And what happens when the intelligence no longer supports the policy? You fire the intelligence officers.
Rep. Jim Himes, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, laid it out plainly:
âAbsent evidence to justify the firings, the workforce can only conclude that their jobs are contingent on producing analysis aligned with the Presidentâs agenda, rather than truthful and apolitical assessments.â
And Congress has done what? No emergency hearings. No subpoenas. No public condemnation from the Senate Republicans who once claimed to be defenders of national security. Just silenceâand silence is complicity.
Meanwhile, the international stakes grow more dire. Intelligence is not a domestic toyâit is the bedrock of Americaâs credibility abroad. Allies will now hesitate to share intelligence with a politicized agency. Foreign governments will question whether American briefings are based on data or dogma. And adversariesâRussia, China, Iranâare watching us cannibalize our own expertise.
This isnât just about Collins and Rykoff. Itâs about every future intelligence officer. What conclusion will they write when they know their job, their clearance, and their livelihood depend on aligning with a false narrative?
We should remember the timeline. In February, career analysts began pushing back. In March, Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act. In April, the NIC released its assessment. And in May, the firings began. Thatâs not a policy arcâitâs a descent into autocracy.
This is not theoretical. These decisions have real human cost. Thousands have already been deported under this false pretense. Families torn apart. Asylum-seekers handed over to brutal regimes. And a chilling silence from those tasked with safeguarding democracy.
Michael Collins and Maria Rykoff told the truth. They did their jobs. They served their country with integrity. For that, they were purged.
The firings must not be met with silence. Congress must investigate. Whistleblowers must be protected. The courts must demand accountability. And every American must understand: if the truth is now treason, then every one of us is in danger.
Because when speaking honestly becomes a punishable act, tyranny is no longer looming.
Itâs here.
*Tony Pentimalli is a political analyst and commentator fighting for democracy, economic justice, and social equity. Follow him for sharp analysis and hard-hitting critiques on Facebook and BlueSky
@tonywriteshere.bsky.social
@highlight
It is just amazing how this Administration is gutting America and making it weaker and more susceptible to being played by our enemies. Our actions further isolate us from our allies and weaken our standing in the world. The countries that view us as great or powerful dwindle daily. Putin is a prod Pappa these days. The prodigal son shines brightly.
When this is all over our reputation and relationships will take decades to repair.
Truth Is Now Treason: The Trump Administrationâs War on Intelligence
By Tony Pentimalli
In Washington, silence is now safety. Speak the truth, and you vanish.
Thatâs not hyperbole. Itâs the doctrine of Donald Trumpâs second term, where facts are no longer just inconvenientâtheyâre punishable.
Tulsi Gabbard, once a marginal outsider in American politics, is now the Director of National Intelligence. And last week, she carried out one of the most brazen political purges in modern U.S. intelligence history. She fired the top two officials at the National Intelligence Council: Michael Collins and Maria Rykoff. Their offense? Producing a sober, apolitical intelligence assessment that shattered the Trump administrationâs entire legal pretext for mass deportations under the Alien Enemies Act.
Let that sink in. Two of the most respected, seasoned intelligence professionals in Americaâwith over 60 years of combined serviceâwere fired not for misconduct, but for accuracy.
The assessment they produced, dated April 7 and partially declassified days before their dismissal, examined whether Venezuelaâs Maduro regime was directing the violent criminal network known as Tren de Aragua inside the United States. Their conclusion: No. While the Venezuelan government had created a permissive environment, there was no evidence of coordination or control. The gang was operating independentlyânot as a foreign arm of state-sponsored aggression.
That conclusion directly contradicted Trumpâs March 15 executive order, which invoked the Alien Enemies Actâlegislation originally passed in 1798 and previously used only three times in American historyâto declare Tren de Aragua a national security threat acting on behalf of the Maduro regime.
The administrationâs response? Not to retract, not to reevaluateâbut to retaliate.
Collins and Rykoff were fired within a week. Not quietly. Not subtly. It was a message. And that message was heard throughout the intelligence community.
âThis is not just a staffing decision,â said former CIA Director John Brennan. âThis is a calculated act of political warfare against truth itself. Analysts across the community are terrifiedânot of the enemies abroad, but of the loyalty tests at home.â
These are not dramatic flourishes. These are the cold mechanics of authoritarianismâfiring civil servants for delivering facts, then rewriting the narrative to fit political aims. And weâve seen it before. At the CIA, diversity, equity, and inclusion officers have been reassigned or terminated. Climate analysts at the Pentagon have been purged. The Department of Educationâs Office for Civil Rights has been gutted. And DOJ voting rights lawyers who refused to follow politically motivated orders have found themselves under scrutiny or reassigned.
Gabbardâs transformation is emblematic. Once the voice of skepticism about regime change wars, she now enforces domestic political loyalty tests. Her betrayal of principle is not just ironicâit is catastrophic.
The Alien Enemies Act has never been used this way. In World War II, it was a legal scaffold for Japanese internment. In Trumpâs hands, it has become a dragnet for migrantsâmany of whom are being funneled into El Salvadorâs notorious Mariona prison, where overcrowding, disease, and abuse are systemic and well-documented by international observers.
And what happens when the intelligence no longer supports the policy? You fire the intelligence officers.
Rep. Jim Himes, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, laid it out plainly:
âAbsent evidence to justify the firings, the workforce can only conclude that their jobs are contingent on producing analysis aligned with the Presidentâs agenda, rather than truthful and apolitical assessments.â
And Congress has done what? No emergency hearings. No subpoenas. No public condemnation from the Senate Republicans who once claimed to be defenders of national security. Just silenceâand silence is complicity.
Meanwhile, the international stakes grow more dire. Intelligence is not a domestic toyâit is the bedrock of Americaâs credibility abroad. Allies will now hesitate to share intelligence with a politicized agency. Foreign governments will question whether American briefings are based on data or dogma. And adversariesâRussia, China, Iranâare watching us cannibalize our own expertise.
This isnât just about Collins and Rykoff. Itâs about every future intelligence officer. What conclusion will they write when they know their job, their clearance, and their livelihood depend on aligning with a false narrative?
We should remember the timeline. In February, career analysts began pushing back. In March, Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act. In April, the NIC released its assessment. And in May, the firings began. Thatâs not a policy arcâitâs a descent into autocracy.
This is not theoretical. These decisions have real human cost. Thousands have already been deported under this false pretense. Families torn apart. Asylum-seekers handed over to brutal regimes. And a chilling silence from those tasked with safeguarding democracy.
Michael Collins and Maria Rykoff told the truth. They did their jobs. They served their country with integrity. For that, they were purged.
The firings must not be met with silence. Congress must investigate. Whistleblowers must be protected. The courts must demand accountability. And every American must understand: if the truth is now treason, then every one of us is in danger.
Because when speaking honestly becomes a punishable act, tyranny is no longer looming.
Itâs here.
*Tony Pentimalli is a political analyst and commentator fighting for democracy, economic justice, and social equity. Follow him for sharp analysis and hard-hitting critiques on Facebook and BlueSky
@tonywriteshere.bsky.social
@highlight
