The notion that our nation is a republic ended when Chief John Roberts decided to give the President full immunity for crimes committed while in office, so they have no one to blame but themselves... 🤦♀️
We have a self proclaimed dictator. He insists he can do what he wants. Supreme Court justices NEED to be independent, not loyal to a dictator. Any justice who is loyal to the dictator need to be impeached and removed.
We have a lunatic running the country in to the ground. We lost EVERYTHING we know to be honest, caring, and good. We NO longer have a Congress. The Constitution is the document that Trump ignores when issuing an executive order (he has spoken of suspending it). The founders had the foresight to predict a tyrant like Trump would one day attempt to wield unchecked power as President. It's beyond time for a new constitution!
How did we get here? Are we going to allow this to continue?
Just got my tee which reads "We the People" are PISSED OFF! This 👇
I agree (except as to the full immunity part*) but would put the end 14 years earlier, in 2010, when Citizens United was decided:
“The Supreme Court’s 2010 ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission is a controversial decision that reversed century-old campaign finance restrictions and enabled corporations and other outside groups to spend unlimited money on elections. While wealthy donors, corporations, and special interest groups have long spent money on campaigns, their role has ballooned as a result of Citizens United and subsequent decisions, resulting in a fusion of private wealth and political power unseen since the late 19th century.” Brennan Center for Justice 29-Jan-25 https://tinyurl.com/yrm26vfz
*Core constitutional powers (absolute immunity); other official acts (at least presumptive immunity); unofficial acts (no immunity) Trump v. US (2024), all as for former presidents; see pp. 6, 41-42) https://tinyurl.com/48s7rwyu
I see Citizens United as a culprit except that the shitty judges on the court were appointed by Bush, Bush and Trump! They are all horrid, and Reagan was before them.
I am in the EU and it cannot get free of the US militarily fast enough for my taste. Europe is not just working on getting free of US military equipment and Big US Tech. There is constant effort to support people developing tech that will stand in place of US tech. So, I am learning a lot more about tech than I would have otherwise.
Now, some of my meetings are still held still on Zoom, although the French government told their employees they may not use Zoom for government business, but my other online meetings are met in Hostpoint. It is Swiss and it is simpler, but may not hold as large a group as Zoom. It has a feature for multiple people to screen share, and that is all we need.
My husband is working to retire his Macbook and has replaced it with a German brand that supports Linux. He had a work account at the university he worked at in the US, and is transferring his information over to a German email account. I have a different German company for my Indivisible Group email, and then a Swiss one for my personal email and our VPN. I am going to switch over from Gmail too.
Then, we have been slowly getting rid of our streaming services in the US, but still have Netflix and HBO. If either of them support ICE with services they will be gone too. We got rid of Amazon Prime. Parmount is gone, all of my other streaming services. So, now MUBI which is a UK based company. We also use the free German ARD Mediatek to watch things.
Family members chart their periods with French based app. As a family we are trying to make sure we are not supporting businesses that support ICE. My group is going to be boycotting Amazon, Hilton and Enterprise Rent-a-Car. We will picket it.
The rule of thumb of people here who are aware of this now is, if you can, get rid of it. See what else is out there. In Germany the Chaos Computer Clubs, of which many, many cities have branches, are sponsoring a first Sunday of the month boycott of Big US Tech, and they hold workshops on that day to help people learn about alternatives. This is a boycott idea that began in December. Indivisible Abroad is discussing how we can develop a campaign to get our governments and businesses to divest from Palantir. Americans stateside should be doing this too. In a year X should be replaced with W in Europe. It will be a social media platform that follows the EU Digital Services Act Laws. It is being beta tested now and is supposed to be ready by the end of the year.
I also attended a Green Party sponsored Webinar on Alternatives to US AI in Europe. So, Europe is looking to get off of dependency on US tech, so Trump is going to be selling things even more to his autocratic buddies, and if they have access to tech that was supposed to be denied to China, who will then have a multitude of buddies from which to acquire it. So much for the race against China. This is why Trump cannot stand up to China, because grift is an addiction with him. He cannot even breathe without doing something transactional.
Linda, what an exceptionally good (informative and helpful) response. Thank for enlightening me about possibilities I knew nothing about and today do not (yet) know enough. Another gaping hole in my knowledge. The more we dig, the deeper the hole, until one day climbing out may not be accomplished with ease. Maybe you are finding a better way. Consider:
CNBC reporters with no engineering experience “vibe-coded” a clone of Monday.com’s workflow-management platform in less than an hour.
Artificial intelligence coding startup Replit is now letting users create and publish mobile apps for Apple devices using only natural language prompts, the latest evolution in so-called vibe coding. Two CNBC reporters with no engineering experience “vibe-coded” a clone of Monday.com’s workflow-management platform in less than an hour. When they released their story, Monday.com’s stock tanked.
CNBC’s Deidre Bosa and I used Anthropic’s AI coding tool “Claude Code” with the goal of creating a replacement for Monday.com, a project management platform with a $5 billion market cap. We didn’t expect to get anywhere — we’re not developers and we don’t have any coding experience. But we have become adept at vibe-coding tools, which are AI tools that can build functioning apps based on commands in plain English from users, including those with limited technical chops.
We started out simple, telling Claude to build a project management dashboard similar to Monday, with features like multiple project boards, assigned team members and a status dropdown. It spit out a working prototype in minutes. Monday.com’s stock plummeted about 21% on Monday after the project management platform issued weak guidance as it grapples with rising concerns that artificial intelligence is disrupting the software business model.
Linda, if you have time and interest, this is an excellent one hour "Offline with Jon Favreau" podcast from 14-Feb-2026 (Crooked Media - the core group all are "Obama Bros." https://crooked.com/network/)
Podcast: AI company Anthropic has a new, values-oriented “constitution” that they’re feeding their chatbot, Claude. Amanda Askell, the company’s in-house philosopher, joins Offline to talk about what it means to teach ethics to an LLM https://crooked.com/podcast/the-philosopher-teaching-ai-to-be-good/ Dr. Askell has a Ph.D. in philosophy and is "teaching" ethics to this LLM. https://askell.io/ Enjoy! KH
Consider stepping back one more step. IMO, the disasters that became Citizens United and Trump v. U.S. have their origins in court compositional changes from 2005 to 2020, including the appointments by Bush 43 of Roberts (2005) and Alito (2006); the net zero replacement of reactionary Scalia with far-right Gorsuch (Trump, 2017); the replacement of Kennedy (a centrist and moderate voice of reason) with far-right Kavanaugh (Trump, 2018); Ginsberg’s death and center-right Barrett’s appointment (Trump, both in 2020). The three 2017-2020 Trump appointments + Roberts and Scalia + the (n)ever free-thinking Thomas (1991, Bush 41) made possible the 6-3 decision in Trump v. U.S. in 2024.
Typical dictator, the law he’s using now doesn’t apply (what a surprise) but it will take going to court all over again to stop this. The one good thing with this law is that these tariffs expire in 150 days from inception. That’s written into the language.
He's trying to do it under the Trade Act 1974, instead of the IEEPA. But the Trade Act 1974 doesn't give him as much "freedom" as he thought he had under the IEEPA. The max a tariff can be is 15% (which he increased it to this morning) and it expires after 150 days or sooner (if Congress votes to kill it).
SEC. 122. BALANCE-OF-PAYMENTS AUTHORITY. (a) Whenever fundamental international payments problems require special import measures to restrict imports— the President shall proclaim, for a period not exceeding 150 days (unless such period is extended by Act of Congress)—
So, he has declared that, with certain preferred exemptions, he will use this section to impose 150 day tariffs at 15%. My question is what stops him on day 151 from repeating the process with tariffs of 14.9% (or an other number, even 15% again), until judicially enjoined (or some related binding action is taken by Congress. Yeah, right)?
I was thinking the same. It's the obvious work-around, unless there's something else in the Act (section 123??) that prevents it.
But yes -- while DJT and Fox News all yelled at SCOTUS over yesterday's ruling, the real source of their ire should be Congress -- as that's who establishes what a president can or cannot do (as it relates to tariffs). SCOTUS was merely pointing out that he was offside the chosen Act.
So it would be up to Congress to amend the Trade Act (2026?) to clear up if a President could just "do it again" on Day 151 or not.
Still, it is somewhat of an irritant for him to have to jump through the 150-day hoop. And he still can't impose more than 15%.
I see that they are now trying to shift to using embargos instead -- but they don't make money off of that, and it would preclude Americans (and manufacturers) from obtaining things that they want, even if at a higher price.
SEC. 301. ACTIONS BY UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE.
(c) SCOPE OF AUTHORITY.—
(1) For purposes of carrying out the provisions of subsection (a) or (b) or section 306(c), the Trade Representative is authorized to—
(A) suspend, withdraw, or prevent the application of, benefits of trade agreement concessions to carry out a trade agreement with the foreign country referred to in such subsection; (B) impose duties or other import restrictions on the goods of, and, notwithstanding any other provision of law, fees or restrictions on the services of, such foreign country for such time as the Trade Representative determines appropriate;
Yes, that particular Section got mentioned as "other things in the toolkit".
The problems they may face:
- The other country would invoke reciprocal actions, especially if this is viewed as some sort of unfair action contrary to the operation of the agreement. This kind of stuff happens all the time, and was happening during the IEEFA tariffs too. So how could this be different? Well, a tariff is one thing, but this action opens up a whole bunch of things beyond just a tariff.
- This could lead to WTO appeals, which could have a greater impact on the instigating country. A WTO judgment would affect domestic courts in determining fault and remedies in subsequent litigation. Of course, the Admin could choose to ignore the ruling, but then that sets a precedent of the USA being an "unfair/unreliable trading partner" -- essentially affects the 'credit rating' of trade of the country, in terms of reliability for honouring business agreements. So, other countries would be less interested in trading with USA if they could have reliable trade with other countries instead. A slippery slope!
- The other country might simply choose not to ship the product to the USA, because of these actions. Instead, they find other markets. This is all fine, I guess, when talking about one-off products. But if the products are part of significant manufacturing supply chains, that could have a dire effect on the costs and AVAILABILITY of inputs, and on factories in the USA (if not other trading partners, too).
He can’t (these are a new, different tariff under a different statute-15% for everybody) but he is (until this new illegal scheme runs through the courts). Under the statute the executive is allowed to tariff for 150 days but only under a certain specific economic condition- one that is definitely not happening. So basically, knowing it’s illegal, he’s doing it until it’s litigated- but that will likely take longer than the 150 days the new statute would allow these tariffs to go on anyway. By the time he’s told no on these by SCOTUS (he won’t listen to a lower court) 150 days will have passed anyway. He’s really just 1) being a dick and 2) adding to the eventual refund amount, unless he wiggles out of that. It’s all still just trying to do an end run around getting Congressional approval of tariffs. (Could be he’s profiting somehow and that’s why he’s extending this clear lawlessness.)
Exactly! I read a lot of people writing things like "he can't do that" - when, in fact, he can and will...when/if stopped he'll find a new way because apparently nobody can stop him. I've been asking this since 2016...he cares nothing about our laws and he never has. Blame all the magas that continue to support him; and those magas who are too scared to try and stop him...
At least I know no MAGA will make it to Heaven... and that's a great relief, since I'm old. lol And that's my belief: get your own if you want to criticize! :) lol
No one will act except WE THE PEOPLE. This problem did not escape the minds of the Founders. From The Federalist Papers: No. 78 (Hamilton) - The Judiciary Department (May 28, 1788) https://tinyurl.com/2u4b34x6 and https://tinyurl.com/2wyypwz9
"Whoever attentively considers the different departments of power must perceive, that, in a government in which they are separated from each other, the judiciary, from the nature of its functions, will always be the least dangerous to the political rights of the Constitution; because it will be least in a capacity to annoy or injure them. The Executive not only dispenses the honors, but holds the sword of the community. The legislature not only commands the purse, but prescribes the rules by which the duties and rights of every citizen are to be regulated. The judiciary, on the contrary, has no influence over either the sword or the purse; no direction either of the strength or of the wealth of the society; and can take no active resolution whatever. It may truly be said to have neither FORCE nor WILL, but merely judgment; and must ultimately depend upon the aid of the executive arm even for the efficacy of its judgments."
Just as the Insurrection not one person was held accountable instead America in all her efn brilliance rewarded the treasonous Republican Party with seats of power and the WH
Republican Party has ignored NUMEROUS court orders and we see nothing happen
The law is only as good as the ppl that enforce them
They aren't republicans...they are the maga party. And all those that call themselves republicans, yet they support this regime...they cannot be republicans. lol
We need global assistance on this. He needs to be tried and convicted by a higher court, a just and honest court. Americans are fresh out of honest and justice at the moment. 🤥🤡
(Sigh) there is NO HIGHER court on the planet, per se.
Everybody keeps pointing to the ICC, but that organization can only try cases along narrow situations, some of which, Trump might eventually fit -- Crimes Against Humanity (but it will take more than the killings so far to hit that threshold), Aggression to other countries/member states (but that one is 100% dependent upon the UN Security Council referring it to ICC -- and USA has a veto on that decision!). With Iran, maybe War Crimes (depending how he carries it out).
And even if any of that might apply, ICC can't do anything with a non-member state (which USA is), again unless UN Security Council refers it.
Finally, the ICC has no police force at its disposal to arrest an indicted person -- it's dependent upon the police forces of member states (again, which the USA is not). So the worst here is that he will only travel to USA territory, Israel, several of the Arab Emirates (United or otherwise), Russia and Iran (hmm) -- places that are also not members of ICC and thus would not arrest him.
Of course, now that he's set the precedent for a foreign power to pluck a leader/head-of-state from wherever the person is located (to face criminal charges), perhaps France could, with their brand new nuclear sub, sneak up to Palm Beach, pluck him off the golf course, and sail away underwater before US Navy could find them (not likely, but maybe the Navy would look the other way??). The French might not go for that because then they would be trapped with him underwater in close quarters -- the alleged flatulence probably would kill the crew!
But sorry, no, there is no "higher law" to rescue this situation.
Dictators always double down. It is the DADD rule. I am going to take a break from reading about this and his hope that when I return someone has put him in a straightjacket and given him the meds he needs to calm his brain down.
Buried in the files Bondi and Patel will not release under orders from the 10 year BFF of DeadPedoMan: NYT 10-Feb-26 https://tinyurl.com/37vaz3k5: "The files also contain documents showing that Mr. Epstein expressed an interest in 2013 in meeting Mr. Lutnick’s nanny and had her résumé sent to him. Mr. Lutnick said Tuesday that he did not know if the nanny had met Mr. Epstein, or if she was one of the nannies Mr. Lutnick had brought to the island, adding he “had no idea what that was about.”"
Lutnick may not have been a rapist, but may have been a pimp, panderer, and was a business partner with Epstein, probably knowing he was running the honeypot operation. Supposedly they were partners in an advertising business.
Also obstrution of justice may be an ongoing issue.
Google: Howard Lutnick and Jeffrey Epstein were business associates primarily between 2012 and 2014, according to unsealed Justice Department records. While Lutnick previously claimed to have severed all ties with Epstein in 2005, the "Epstein files" released in early 2026 revealed several shared financial and social entanglements:
Adfin Solutions Inc. (2012–2014): On December 28, 2012, both men signed documents on behalf of their respective companies—Epstein through Southern Trust Company and Lutnick through a Cantor Fitzgerald affiliate—to acquire stakes in this advertising technology firm.
Property Transaction (1996–1998): Records show a historical real estate connection where Epstein sold a Manhattan property in 1996 that Lutnick eventually purchased in 1998 to use as his primary residence.
Continued Interaction:
2011: The two scheduled drinks at Epstein’s home.
2012: Lutnick and his family visited Epstein’s private island, Little Saint James, for lunch in December.
2015: Lutnick invited Epstein to a fundraiser for Hillary Clinton hosted at Cantor Fitzgerald.
2017: Epstein donated $50,000 to a UJA-Federation of New York dinner honoring Lutnick.
Lutnick, the current U.S. Secretary of Commerce, has maintained that these interactions were limited and mostly coordinated through assistants.
I believe there were some wealthy women who also got "massages" from Epstein's young girls. Women can also be offenders, like Maxwell...she raped these girls as well.
Also, fathers have been known to introduce their children to sex...of course, to teach them all about it. (puh-leezze) And they've been known to trade children with other daddies. So, don't count him out of being an offender... In any case, he knew about the children, but he did not report the trafficking or the sexual abuse.. And he might even have known of the murders committed. What a demonstration of how well they lie... And how the protect each other..
However, now that Andy has been arrested, I suspect his cohorts might be a bit scared that he'll turn them in...hope he has loyal protection and doesn't end up killing himself like the others.
Knowing and not acting in a meaningful way to stop it is odious, bordering on consent, which borders on complicity. Many others likely knew more but did less
There are professionals who are mandated to report suspected child abuse of all kinds: counselors, teachers, etc. I thought all adults morally had to do this. LOL Morals are nonexistent with these wealthy folks.
Geri, by vocation, I am a mandatory reporter. I would meet my obligation if it arose. As for greater morality you suggest to be an obligation, I suppose (and I am not big on bible recitations) that may evoke the Good Samaritan story. Ethics may dictate the moral obligation to help (e.g., doctors) and I think, the legal obligation to continue to help if you start, at least in many places). But,, more broadly, I wonder how any of us might define current US social ethics and mores to to someone unfamiliar with them. It appears that the 0,1% about which you spoke would say: "I got mine; you get yours."
I don't see how they could work that closely for so long without something else going on, and he brought his nannies to the island.... Like, what?? Who brings their kids and nannies.... ??
Ladies, if this is your first time registering to vote and you’re not using your maiden name, please apply for a passport now. Because of the voter suppression they are putting on us. It will be necessary. Everyone else please check your voter status to make sure you’re good things have
changed. Please share
this, millions of votes could be lost because people aren’t aware .
WE MUST VOTE IN HUGE NUMBERS ! 💙💙💙💙
this millions of votes could be lost because people don’t realize what’s going on.
Here is my pro tip. Make sure you have 6 mo left on your current passport. This will allow for any delays. The passport offices are not backed up at the moment.
Thank you Lynn. Also, ladies, get to it immediately. I thought my “papers” for voting were in order, but some places are being rather picky about what they will accept. I’m a Veteran and a Born citizen and yet I still have to jump through hoops. It’s disgusting and I’m telling my granddaughters not to change their names if they get married. Sheesh…
I never changed my name...why the heck would I? My husband kept his name and I kept mine and it's worked for 43 years. I am not property, so I never changed it. It's caused me some problems as so many people are stunned to meet an old lady who never changed her name. Why didn't you? they ask... You're married??? Did you get married in a church? smdh No doubt they'll find another way to stop my vote. (It's yes to all of those questions btw. And those questions show how stuck these folks are in outdated ways, imo.)
You're so great for this PSA it's important we have everyone especially women to get on…I am registered but still checked yesterday if I had birth certificate and marriage license…women need to do it now…if you're on Instagram post this message also
When I got my new passport last year, I had to provide marriage/divorce certificates and documents of name change. Based on that, I believe that the passport will suffice as proof of name.
My birth name was happily given up when I got married (abusive father) and I got rid of my husband's name upon divorce (you marry abusive men when that's what you know 😢), but I didn't want my birth name back after divorce, so I took my mum's maiden name instead - three names and do I know where all that paperwork is?? Nope. I have a passport but it doesn't match my birth certificate - who knows what will happen.
You need to apply for a new passport . THIS kind of thing is EXACTLY what they are counting on !!!
You may have to go to the courts for duplicates of the paperwork.. but you have time . It seems passports are going to be needed to survive here , temporarily I hope !!
Yes , Lynn. Thanks for this. I am worried that young adults ❤️ will wait till the last minute and won’t have documentation. PLEASE, parents, act now and help your voting age kids get their birth certificates. Getting a passport now is worth every penny. Young voters are more motivated to vote than ever before!
Another way for republicans to cheat. This requirement is in the SAVR Act that has passed the House and is currently being considered by the Senate. If it passes it will apply nationwide and remove an estimated 20 million voters on the rolls. Call your Senators.
My senators and congressman are running on their close ties with the current regime and current leader. The ads make me sick to my stomach. One senator told me that the people voted for trump and he'll vote with trump as well...No representation here.
Also, these democrats voted for the SAVE ACT too...How about those folks in their districts/states write and shame them? :(
I'm unaware of data that support that conclusion. Can you enlighten me? Was the victory you assert of the popular vote or the determinative electoral college vote?
Do they love him (vs. indifference, not dislike) or does this represent the reality that those who expressed (or suggested) dissent or otherwise demonstrated possession of a moral compass that pointed to true magnetic north have been dispatched?
I suspect those military members who know that President Heel Spurs was a draft dodger, and those generals and admirals who attended Secretary Kegsbreath's required pep rally at Quantico, are not members of his cult and may be quite skeptical of him. Certainly, retired General Mark Hertling at The Bulwark and Tom Nichols at The Atlantic think that many if not most military officers are, at least silently, opposed to Trump. However, Kegsbreath has been trying to fire or force retirement on anyone who he thinks is less than completely loyal to himself and POTUS. So, if Dems don't gain complete control of Congress after November, or if they don't win the 2028 presidential election, the Trumpers may be able to capture the military in 2-3 years, just like they are capturing the media, SCOTUS and the CEO's.
They are returning to the GOP ways that existed since Hayes (R) stole the election from Tilden (D) in 1876 in an horrific bargain ending reconstruction that lasted until FDR in implemented progressive fair-trade (reduced tariff) economic policies c. 1934
"The tariff was an important, and highly partisan, political issue during the late nineteenth century. Republicans supported high protective tariffs and Democrats endorsed moderate tariffs for revenue purposes only. This partisan conflict came to a head in what became known as the Great Tariff Debate of 1888. Although Democrats introduced a brief period of lower tariffs in 1913 (along with an income tax to create a revenue alternative to the tariff), Republican protectionism reemerged after World War I when high tariffs were imposed again. The tumultuous interwar years were marked by the excesses of protectionism and a later shift toward free trade. The Smoot-Hawley Act of 1930, perhaps the most infamous tariff in U.S. history, raised import duties to high levels on the eve of the Great Depression. Contrary to many assertions, however, Smoot-Hawley accounted for only a small part of the large decline in U.S. trade in the early 1930s. Smoot-Hawley raised the average tariff from 40.7 percent to 47 percent, roughly a 20 percent increase in rates, which translates into just a 5 to 6 percent increase in the relative price of imports."
Historical Perspectives on US Trade Policy National Bureau of Economic Research; The Reporter (1-Dec-1998) https://tinyurl.com/32z8um8x
trump's brain is eaten by a severe bout of syphilis. Here he comes again "punishing" the entire world, perhaps even the Universe to display his unbound "power".
Yes. Not only does MadKingDonny think he rules the US, but his dementia is advancing, and now he thinks he rules the world. Please CONGRESS or anybody PLEASE get him and his ass-kissing sycophants out of the WH. Impeach, 25th, whatever. Put them behind bars!
Trump will always suss out an end run around any limits placed on his "presidency." He's got an enormous nose that always smells ways to work around the law or use it to his benefit. No surprise he's now trying to work around the SCOTUS ruling.
I will NOT watch the State of the Union Address (I'll be watching the People's State of the Union sponsored in part by Meidas), but I will be curious to see if Trump can prevent himself from lashing out at the nine SCOTUS justices who will be seated in front of him. My bet is that his handlers will tell him to keep his mouth zipped but that his inner rage will leave him unable to control himself and he'll say something very nasty about SCOTUS.
Excellent question. Rather than responding with my opinion, let me ask you what do you think is likely to happen? In Part 1, you said "they need to arrest him" at the SOU. So "they" there probably is not the GOP. In Part 2, you ask whether "they will still be able to hold on to the power." I assume "they" here does refer to the GOP. I am struggling with just who "they" is.
The Republican Congress has not been a check on Trump’s abuse of power. If you think he has been abusing his Presidential power and destroying democracy, only you the American people voting for a Democratic Congress can be a check on him. A Democratic majority in Congress will work, instead, to lift up the American people, not the would be king.
He is not listening to your complaints and criticism everyday you report. Notice he keeps going. You are letting him do as he pleases. You are doing nothing to stop him and he knows this. Playing defence is not effective. You must stop him. Otherwise what’s the point of complaining?
The only legal means (that I can find) you have are:
1) convincing reps/senators . . . or
2) flipping the house(s) . . .
and gradually reigning him in.
Either by legislation, impeachment, or 25th Amendment-type actions (bonus points if you can make it a charge of treason, as that takes out the whole cabinet, including Vance). But all three of these need majorities in Congress to pull off (either by statute or to prevent him from vetoing the legislation).
So, convincing the politicians why it is in their interest to do above is the only legal routes you have. Mobilizing everyone to have 1:1 meetings, etc. (some of this is a numbers game -- if the politician is up for election, especially). You (collectively) are on a time clock here. Rest of the world is shifting away from American influence. They aren't going to wait until 2028.
After that, everything else is illegal (at least, in terms of norms and usual constitutional process. But America has been there before, unfortunately. Oh, and the problem is bigger than just DJT -- it will all come roaring back if underlying issues do not get resolved (Christian Nationalism, for starters)).
Of course, now that he's set the precedent of having a foreign power just kidnap a head of state (in their own country), you could always beg some other country to sail up to Palm Beach and pluck him off the golf course . . . . I wonder if the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has some patrol boats handy . . . . . :-/
(I say this in frustration, as the expression "two wrongs do not make a right" is how the world's legal minds would look at it. But there's some desperation/irony here!)
Sorry - but frankly, USA is running out of options. And rest of world is running out of patience. I know it's frustrating -- but the lectures are not "snotty". The pain is felt elsewhere, too (maybe not the ICE pain, but certainly unemployment from industries affected by trade issues). And the world is not waiting for USA to solve this. Already, most of the influential countries are working to bypass trading with USA and are starting to trade directly with each other instead. USA will become an island unto itself within the next few years or so if the course doesn't change. Sorry if that doesn't fit your election cycle. World will not wait forever. Very frustrating for everyone (well, other than Trump Family, Tech Bros, and million/billion-aires).
I know this is a downer...but some scientists believe we have already passed the point of no return in regards to the climate crisis. We will continue to have more frequent and intense storms. Our water, which is being poisoned by certain companies for pennies on the dollar, will not grow food. Our soil will be so full of poisons it also will make growing food more difficult. Animals will go extinct, our oxygen levels will decrease as well. I'm not even sure this planet will be able to support any life, the way we're going. Not only will the world's humans not wait...but our planet also cannot take much more, imo.
I forgot two more very legal things that people can do!
1) BOYCOTT any product/service of the enablers. So, stop using Amazon (I use it to research products, then go to other websites or the companies themselves to order product). Minimize the use of Apple if you can (court's out if they are a true enabler, as they have resisted some decrees but have also paid brides/tribute). Court's out on Microsoft -- pretty sure Gates is in the Epstein Files to some degree. But last summer, he's on record (in spirit of Buffet) saying "tax me 2%-5% more -- if you did that to all million/billionaires, all the ills of Affordable Care Act, SNAP, this/that/other things would all go away. Society would have fewer problems. It's the obligation of those with wealth to give back to help those in need." But MS has had to cave to some pressures (they've cancelled email accounts of some judges and prosecutors (those investigating possible American war crimes in Afghanistan) at the ICC, on direction of the admin). Though they are on record with other countries saying "we can locate your OneDrive files, etc., on servers in your country so as to resist any warrants from the US Government. Maybe that was after they hit the ICC (which is located in Belgium). Definitely don't buy pillows from the MyPillow guy!
2) FIFA World Cup: Don't buy tickets, encourage others to not buy tickets. Contact event sponsors to have them take stances about domestic issues. Boycott them where appropriate (might depend upon the nature of their sponsorship or company). Don't attend the games -- hurt the system economically, for backing DJT (and their stupid peace prize).
2a) If you do want to attend games, do it in Canada and Mexico instead. Related: ENCOURAGE more of the games to be played in those countries rather than USA.
Don't underestimate the power of the boycott. Canada, especially, and many people in Europe have discovered that a little bit of effort with this goes a long way, if many people do it. Florida winter rentals/tourism is greatly impacted, Las Vegas is being sucker-punched, and the KY Bourbon industry lost a hefty portion of its revenue (forcing several distilleries to pause production for all of 2026. All of this because most of them voted for the Idiot-in-Chief). Instead, those countries have discovered that their own domestic product is often as good, or imported products from countries other than USA. For Christmas dinner/holidays, we found everything from either domestic suppliers, Mexico (produce), Europe (all the chocolates, candies, and nuts). Only American sourced-product was celery and cranberries (and I've found a Canadian source for cranberries, subsequently. Still working on the celery). And tourism - well, there's the rest of the world to explore!
So pick your favourite enabling villain/company, grab some like-minded friends, and start taking the protest to them (hey, look what happened to Tesla in the early months, during the DOGE crap!).
OR the East Pacific, as they seem to have shifted more to that zone more of late (maybe do both, to increase the chances! Tell him he'll be paid $1B in crypto if he goes on both excursions . . . .)
Thanks for the update. Who is going to stop the pedophile in chief from ignoring the Supreme Court and continuing to impose tariffs at will?
The notion that our nation is a republic ended when Chief John Roberts decided to give the President full immunity for crimes committed while in office, so they have no one to blame but themselves... 🤦♀️
We have a self proclaimed dictator. He insists he can do what he wants. Supreme Court justices NEED to be independent, not loyal to a dictator. Any justice who is loyal to the dictator need to be impeached and removed.
We have a lunatic running the country in to the ground. We lost EVERYTHING we know to be honest, caring, and good. We NO longer have a Congress. The Constitution is the document that Trump ignores when issuing an executive order (he has spoken of suspending it). The founders had the foresight to predict a tyrant like Trump would one day attempt to wield unchecked power as President. It's beyond time for a new constitution!
How did we get here? Are we going to allow this to continue?
Just got my tee which reads "We the People" are PISSED OFF! This 👇
https://libtees.dashery.com/products/78782439-we-the-people-are-pissed-off-t-shirt
I agree (except as to the full immunity part*) but would put the end 14 years earlier, in 2010, when Citizens United was decided:
“The Supreme Court’s 2010 ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission is a controversial decision that reversed century-old campaign finance restrictions and enabled corporations and other outside groups to spend unlimited money on elections. While wealthy donors, corporations, and special interest groups have long spent money on campaigns, their role has ballooned as a result of Citizens United and subsequent decisions, resulting in a fusion of private wealth and political power unseen since the late 19th century.” Brennan Center for Justice 29-Jan-25 https://tinyurl.com/yrm26vfz
*Core constitutional powers (absolute immunity); other official acts (at least presumptive immunity); unofficial acts (no immunity) Trump v. US (2024), all as for former presidents; see pp. 6, 41-42) https://tinyurl.com/48s7rwyu
I see Citizens United as a culprit except that the shitty judges on the court were appointed by Bush, Bush and Trump! They are all horrid, and Reagan was before them.
I am in the EU and it cannot get free of the US militarily fast enough for my taste. Europe is not just working on getting free of US military equipment and Big US Tech. There is constant effort to support people developing tech that will stand in place of US tech. So, I am learning a lot more about tech than I would have otherwise.
Now, some of my meetings are still held still on Zoom, although the French government told their employees they may not use Zoom for government business, but my other online meetings are met in Hostpoint. It is Swiss and it is simpler, but may not hold as large a group as Zoom. It has a feature for multiple people to screen share, and that is all we need.
My husband is working to retire his Macbook and has replaced it with a German brand that supports Linux. He had a work account at the university he worked at in the US, and is transferring his information over to a German email account. I have a different German company for my Indivisible Group email, and then a Swiss one for my personal email and our VPN. I am going to switch over from Gmail too.
Then, we have been slowly getting rid of our streaming services in the US, but still have Netflix and HBO. If either of them support ICE with services they will be gone too. We got rid of Amazon Prime. Parmount is gone, all of my other streaming services. So, now MUBI which is a UK based company. We also use the free German ARD Mediatek to watch things.
Family members chart their periods with French based app. As a family we are trying to make sure we are not supporting businesses that support ICE. My group is going to be boycotting Amazon, Hilton and Enterprise Rent-a-Car. We will picket it.
The rule of thumb of people here who are aware of this now is, if you can, get rid of it. See what else is out there. In Germany the Chaos Computer Clubs, of which many, many cities have branches, are sponsoring a first Sunday of the month boycott of Big US Tech, and they hold workshops on that day to help people learn about alternatives. This is a boycott idea that began in December. Indivisible Abroad is discussing how we can develop a campaign to get our governments and businesses to divest from Palantir. Americans stateside should be doing this too. In a year X should be replaced with W in Europe. It will be a social media platform that follows the EU Digital Services Act Laws. It is being beta tested now and is supposed to be ready by the end of the year.
I also attended a Green Party sponsored Webinar on Alternatives to US AI in Europe. So, Europe is looking to get off of dependency on US tech, so Trump is going to be selling things even more to his autocratic buddies, and if they have access to tech that was supposed to be denied to China, who will then have a multitude of buddies from which to acquire it. So much for the race against China. This is why Trump cannot stand up to China, because grift is an addiction with him. He cannot even breathe without doing something transactional.
Linda, what an exceptionally good (informative and helpful) response. Thank for enlightening me about possibilities I knew nothing about and today do not (yet) know enough. Another gaping hole in my knowledge. The more we dig, the deeper the hole, until one day climbing out may not be accomplished with ease. Maybe you are finding a better way. Consider:
CNBC reporters with no engineering experience “vibe-coded” a clone of Monday.com’s workflow-management platform in less than an hour.
Artificial intelligence coding startup Replit is now letting users create and publish mobile apps for Apple devices using only natural language prompts, the latest evolution in so-called vibe coding. Two CNBC reporters with no engineering experience “vibe-coded” a clone of Monday.com’s workflow-management platform in less than an hour. When they released their story, Monday.com’s stock tanked.
CNBC’s Deidre Bosa and I used Anthropic’s AI coding tool “Claude Code” with the goal of creating a replacement for Monday.com, a project management platform with a $5 billion market cap. We didn’t expect to get anywhere — we’re not developers and we don’t have any coding experience. But we have become adept at vibe-coding tools, which are AI tools that can build functioning apps based on commands in plain English from users, including those with limited technical chops.
We started out simple, telling Claude to build a project management dashboard similar to Monday, with features like multiple project boards, assigned team members and a status dropdown. It spit out a working prototype in minutes. Monday.com’s stock plummeted about 21% on Monday after the project management platform issued weak guidance as it grapples with rising concerns that artificial intelligence is disrupting the software business model.
• CNBC 5-Feb-2026 https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/05/how-exposed-are-software-stocks-to-ai-tools-we-tested-vibe-coding.html
• CNBC 9-Feb-2026 https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/09/monday-com-stock-ai-software.html
• CNBC 15-Feb-2026 https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/15/ai-startup-replit-launches-feature-to-vibe-code-mobile-apps.html
• The Atlantic 18-Feb-2026 https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/02/ai-white-collar-jobs/686031/?gift=8h-ND1FuiIZ4VZp5QuIbsHCZIONgXCLALSmMvNizrIc&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share
That is very interesting. A brilliant use of the system. Hats off to you KH.
Linda, if you have time and interest, this is an excellent one hour "Offline with Jon Favreau" podcast from 14-Feb-2026 (Crooked Media - the core group all are "Obama Bros." https://crooked.com/network/)
Podcast: AI company Anthropic has a new, values-oriented “constitution” that they’re feeding their chatbot, Claude. Amanda Askell, the company’s in-house philosopher, joins Offline to talk about what it means to teach ethics to an LLM https://crooked.com/podcast/the-philosopher-teaching-ai-to-be-good/ Dr. Askell has a Ph.D. in philosophy and is "teaching" ethics to this LLM. https://askell.io/ Enjoy! KH
I agree that the “Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission” started this steam roller on its way. And, “immunity” sealed the deal.
As for Jesse Watters-cheated on his first wife said it all for me.
Consider stepping back one more step. IMO, the disasters that became Citizens United and Trump v. U.S. have their origins in court compositional changes from 2005 to 2020, including the appointments by Bush 43 of Roberts (2005) and Alito (2006); the net zero replacement of reactionary Scalia with far-right Gorsuch (Trump, 2017); the replacement of Kennedy (a centrist and moderate voice of reason) with far-right Kavanaugh (Trump, 2018); Ginsberg’s death and center-right Barrett’s appointment (Trump, both in 2020). The three 2017-2020 Trump appointments + Roberts and Scalia + the (n)ever free-thinking Thomas (1991, Bush 41) made possible the 6-3 decision in Trump v. U.S. in 2024.
Love the T-shirt. My buddy bought a hat, red of course, with the words in white “Is he dead yet?”
I still love the Greenland version of the MAGA hat. Make American Go Away
That court needs to be removed as business number one for any democratic congress. IMPEACH! IMPEACH! IMPEACH! IMPEACH!
Not impeach, he must be removed!!!!!
Looking at you, Clarence Thomas!
But WILL ‘OUR’ (so called) Supreme Court ENFORCE these TARIFFS THE SC REFUSED ‘CIC Bloatus’ from continuing to wield Unfair ILLEGAL unchecked power?!
C’mon Supreme Court. Enforce tariffs NOW!! FDT
I'm not sure I agree with the self proclaimed part of the dictatorship...the entire GOP congress has appointed him as dictator.
Just complain everyday. He will not stop. He must be confronted and stopped.
However, his behavior is helping Democratic candidates. Even MAGAs are learning to understand that tariffs are not their friends.
Trump has already said this morning that he CAN continue his Tarrifs and is continuing as before. Can he do this???
Until some authority stops him
He’ll just find another “loophole” to apply as he continues to VIOLATE the Rule of Law…
The only thing that WILL STOP him is to put him away in prison where he should have been YEARS AGO..!!
I would like to see his unpatriotic cult-enablers STOP giving him stupid ideas. He's too dumb to come up with this crap on his own!
Typical dictator, the law he’s using now doesn’t apply (what a surprise) but it will take going to court all over again to stop this. The one good thing with this law is that these tariffs expire in 150 days from inception. That’s written into the language.
He's trying to do it under the Trade Act 1974, instead of the IEEPA. But the Trade Act 1974 doesn't give him as much "freedom" as he thought he had under the IEEPA. The max a tariff can be is 15% (which he increased it to this morning) and it expires after 150 days or sooner (if Congress votes to kill it).
‘‘Trade Act of 1974’’. [19 U.S.C. 2101] As Amended Through P.L. 119-75, Enacted February 3, 2026. Some of the relevant language of this 206 page pdf file is on pdf p. 14 https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/COMPS-10384/pdf/COMPS-10384.pdf
SEC. 122. BALANCE-OF-PAYMENTS AUTHORITY. (a) Whenever fundamental international payments problems require special import measures to restrict imports— the President shall proclaim, for a period not exceeding 150 days (unless such period is extended by Act of Congress)—
So, he has declared that, with certain preferred exemptions, he will use this section to impose 150 day tariffs at 15%. My question is what stops him on day 151 from repeating the process with tariffs of 14.9% (or an other number, even 15% again), until judicially enjoined (or some related binding action is taken by Congress. Yeah, right)?
I was thinking the same. It's the obvious work-around, unless there's something else in the Act (section 123??) that prevents it.
But yes -- while DJT and Fox News all yelled at SCOTUS over yesterday's ruling, the real source of their ire should be Congress -- as that's who establishes what a president can or cannot do (as it relates to tariffs). SCOTUS was merely pointing out that he was offside the chosen Act.
So it would be up to Congress to amend the Trade Act (2026?) to clear up if a President could just "do it again" on Day 151 or not.
Still, it is somewhat of an irritant for him to have to jump through the 150-day hoop. And he still can't impose more than 15%.
I see that they are now trying to shift to using embargos instead -- but they don't make money off of that, and it would preclude Americans (and manufacturers) from obtaining things that they want, even if at a higher price.
My guess is that the next step (or one taken concurrently) would be under this section, starting on pdf page 123, in particular, Section 301 (c)(1)(B) ("impose duties" … “fees”) https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/COMPS-10384/pdf/COMPS-10384.pdf
SEC. 301. ACTIONS BY UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE.
(c) SCOPE OF AUTHORITY.—
(1) For purposes of carrying out the provisions of subsection (a) or (b) or section 306(c), the Trade Representative is authorized to—
(A) suspend, withdraw, or prevent the application of, benefits of trade agreement concessions to carry out a trade agreement with the foreign country referred to in such subsection; (B) impose duties or other import restrictions on the goods of, and, notwithstanding any other provision of law, fees or restrictions on the services of, such foreign country for such time as the Trade Representative determines appropriate;
Yes, that particular Section got mentioned as "other things in the toolkit".
The problems they may face:
- The other country would invoke reciprocal actions, especially if this is viewed as some sort of unfair action contrary to the operation of the agreement. This kind of stuff happens all the time, and was happening during the IEEFA tariffs too. So how could this be different? Well, a tariff is one thing, but this action opens up a whole bunch of things beyond just a tariff.
- This could lead to WTO appeals, which could have a greater impact on the instigating country. A WTO judgment would affect domestic courts in determining fault and remedies in subsequent litigation. Of course, the Admin could choose to ignore the ruling, but then that sets a precedent of the USA being an "unfair/unreliable trading partner" -- essentially affects the 'credit rating' of trade of the country, in terms of reliability for honouring business agreements. So, other countries would be less interested in trading with USA if they could have reliable trade with other countries instead. A slippery slope!
- The other country might simply choose not to ship the product to the USA, because of these actions. Instead, they find other markets. This is all fine, I guess, when talking about one-off products. But if the products are part of significant manufacturing supply chains, that could have a dire effect on the costs and AVAILABILITY of inputs, and on factories in the USA (if not other trading partners, too).
If congress haven’t imposed tariffs, can’t other countries say, nah? WHO is going along with the illegal tariffs in the first place?
No.
He can’t (these are a new, different tariff under a different statute-15% for everybody) but he is (until this new illegal scheme runs through the courts). Under the statute the executive is allowed to tariff for 150 days but only under a certain specific economic condition- one that is definitely not happening. So basically, knowing it’s illegal, he’s doing it until it’s litigated- but that will likely take longer than the 150 days the new statute would allow these tariffs to go on anyway. By the time he’s told no on these by SCOTUS (he won’t listen to a lower court) 150 days will have passed anyway. He’s really just 1) being a dick and 2) adding to the eventual refund amount, unless he wiggles out of that. It’s all still just trying to do an end run around getting Congressional approval of tariffs. (Could be he’s profiting somehow and that’s why he’s extending this clear lawlessness.)
Who will stop him?
Exactly! I read a lot of people writing things like "he can't do that" - when, in fact, he can and will...when/if stopped he'll find a new way because apparently nobody can stop him. I've been asking this since 2016...he cares nothing about our laws and he never has. Blame all the magas that continue to support him; and those magas who are too scared to try and stop him...
At least I know no MAGA will make it to Heaven... and that's a great relief, since I'm old. lol And that's my belief: get your own if you want to criticize! :) lol
If I were Roberts (which I know I ain't) I'd convene a contempt hearing for Trump's conduct. He's a party in the case!
🤞
TREASON!
No one will act except WE THE PEOPLE. This problem did not escape the minds of the Founders. From The Federalist Papers: No. 78 (Hamilton) - The Judiciary Department (May 28, 1788) https://tinyurl.com/2u4b34x6 and https://tinyurl.com/2wyypwz9
"Whoever attentively considers the different departments of power must perceive, that, in a government in which they are separated from each other, the judiciary, from the nature of its functions, will always be the least dangerous to the political rights of the Constitution; because it will be least in a capacity to annoy or injure them. The Executive not only dispenses the honors, but holds the sword of the community. The legislature not only commands the purse, but prescribes the rules by which the duties and rights of every citizen are to be regulated. The judiciary, on the contrary, has no influence over either the sword or the purse; no direction either of the strength or of the wealth of the society; and can take no active resolution whatever. It may truly be said to have neither FORCE nor WILL, but merely judgment; and must ultimately depend upon the aid of the executive arm even for the efficacy of its judgments."
No one
Just as the Insurrection not one person was held accountable instead America in all her efn brilliance rewarded the treasonous Republican Party with seats of power and the WH
Republican Party has ignored NUMEROUS court orders and we see nothing happen
The law is only as good as the ppl that enforce them
This judicial has held no Republican in contempt
What Republican Party? This group is unrecognizable
They aren't republicans...they are the maga party. And all those that call themselves republicans, yet they support this regime...they cannot be republicans. lol
We need global assistance on this. He needs to be tried and convicted by a higher court, a just and honest court. Americans are fresh out of honest and justice at the moment. 🤥🤡
(Sigh) there is NO HIGHER court on the planet, per se.
Everybody keeps pointing to the ICC, but that organization can only try cases along narrow situations, some of which, Trump might eventually fit -- Crimes Against Humanity (but it will take more than the killings so far to hit that threshold), Aggression to other countries/member states (but that one is 100% dependent upon the UN Security Council referring it to ICC -- and USA has a veto on that decision!). With Iran, maybe War Crimes (depending how he carries it out).
And even if any of that might apply, ICC can't do anything with a non-member state (which USA is), again unless UN Security Council refers it.
Finally, the ICC has no police force at its disposal to arrest an indicted person -- it's dependent upon the police forces of member states (again, which the USA is not). So the worst here is that he will only travel to USA territory, Israel, several of the Arab Emirates (United or otherwise), Russia and Iran (hmm) -- places that are also not members of ICC and thus would not arrest him.
Of course, now that he's set the precedent for a foreign power to pluck a leader/head-of-state from wherever the person is located (to face criminal charges), perhaps France could, with their brand new nuclear sub, sneak up to Palm Beach, pluck him off the golf course, and sail away underwater before US Navy could find them (not likely, but maybe the Navy would look the other way??). The French might not go for that because then they would be trapped with him underwater in close quarters -- the alleged flatulence probably would kill the crew!
But sorry, no, there is no "higher law" to rescue this situation.
Well, if one believes in an eternal afterlife, the higher law takes place upon death...upon meeting their Maker.
Hmm … just spitballing here Kathie but I’m a thinkin’ the forthcoming controlling Democratic majorities in Congress … or the Grim Reaper.
Personally and preferably not in that order.
Dictators always double down. It is the DADD rule. I am going to take a break from reading about this and his hope that when I return someone has put him in a straightjacket and given him the meds he needs to calm his brain down.
I think he is like a cockroach that can survive anything— even a nuclear blast. But I applaud the idea of a straight jacket whole heartedly.
🤞
please please, somebody find out what happened to lutnik's nannies!!
Buried in the files Bondi and Patel will not release under orders from the 10 year BFF of DeadPedoMan: NYT 10-Feb-26 https://tinyurl.com/37vaz3k5: "The files also contain documents showing that Mr. Epstein expressed an interest in 2013 in meeting Mr. Lutnick’s nanny and had her résumé sent to him. Mr. Lutnick said Tuesday that he did not know if the nanny had met Mr. Epstein, or if she was one of the nannies Mr. Lutnick had brought to the island, adding he “had no idea what that was about.”"
Lutnick may not have been a rapist, but may have been a pimp, panderer, and was a business partner with Epstein, probably knowing he was running the honeypot operation. Supposedly they were partners in an advertising business.
Also obstrution of justice may be an ongoing issue.
Google: Howard Lutnick and Jeffrey Epstein were business associates primarily between 2012 and 2014, according to unsealed Justice Department records. While Lutnick previously claimed to have severed all ties with Epstein in 2005, the "Epstein files" released in early 2026 revealed several shared financial and social entanglements:
Adfin Solutions Inc. (2012–2014): On December 28, 2012, both men signed documents on behalf of their respective companies—Epstein through Southern Trust Company and Lutnick through a Cantor Fitzgerald affiliate—to acquire stakes in this advertising technology firm.
Property Transaction (1996–1998): Records show a historical real estate connection where Epstein sold a Manhattan property in 1996 that Lutnick eventually purchased in 1998 to use as his primary residence.
Continued Interaction:
2011: The two scheduled drinks at Epstein’s home.
2012: Lutnick and his family visited Epstein’s private island, Little Saint James, for lunch in December.
2015: Lutnick invited Epstein to a fundraiser for Hillary Clinton hosted at Cantor Fitzgerald.
2017: Epstein donated $50,000 to a UJA-Federation of New York dinner honoring Lutnick.
Lutnick, the current U.S. Secretary of Commerce, has maintained that these interactions were limited and mostly coordinated through assistants.
He took his kids to Epstein island, what a guy, ...........and by the way what a mother.
I believe there were some wealthy women who also got "massages" from Epstein's young girls. Women can also be offenders, like Maxwell...she raped these girls as well.
Also, fathers have been known to introduce their children to sex...of course, to teach them all about it. (puh-leezze) And they've been known to trade children with other daddies. So, don't count him out of being an offender... In any case, he knew about the children, but he did not report the trafficking or the sexual abuse.. And he might even have known of the murders committed. What a demonstration of how well they lie... And how the protect each other..
However, now that Andy has been arrested, I suspect his cohorts might be a bit scared that he'll turn them in...hope he has loyal protection and doesn't end up killing himself like the others.
How could anyone even partly human do that? Oh, yeah, right. Never mind.
Precisely
Knowing and not acting in a meaningful way to stop it is odious, bordering on consent, which borders on complicity. Many others likely knew more but did less
There are professionals who are mandated to report suspected child abuse of all kinds: counselors, teachers, etc. I thought all adults morally had to do this. LOL Morals are nonexistent with these wealthy folks.
Geri, by vocation, I am a mandatory reporter. I would meet my obligation if it arose. As for greater morality you suggest to be an obligation, I suppose (and I am not big on bible recitations) that may evoke the Good Samaritan story. Ethics may dictate the moral obligation to help (e.g., doctors) and I think, the legal obligation to continue to help if you start, at least in many places). But,, more broadly, I wonder how any of us might define current US social ethics and mores to to someone unfamiliar with them. It appears that the 0,1% about which you spoke would say: "I got mine; you get yours."
I don't see how they could work that closely for so long without something else going on, and he brought his nannies to the island.... Like, what?? Who brings their kids and nannies.... ??
How old were the Nannie’s?
I don't know but why did he bring them??
Ladies, if this is your first time registering to vote and you’re not using your maiden name, please apply for a passport now. Because of the voter suppression they are putting on us. It will be necessary. Everyone else please check your voter status to make sure you’re good things have
changed. Please share
this, millions of votes could be lost because people aren’t aware .
WE MUST VOTE IN HUGE NUMBERS ! 💙💙💙💙
this millions of votes could be lost because people don’t realize what’s going on.
I voted yesterday in our primary (TX). I already have my VALID passport.
you are lucky. i’m hearing of many women (even with passports) being turned away! vote early ladies!!
I hv been wondering if I should renew my Passport (good until 2027 now before Trump decides to close the passport offices or dept.
Here is my pro tip. Make sure you have 6 mo left on your current passport. This will allow for any delays. The passport offices are not backed up at the moment.
Thank you Lynn. Also, ladies, get to it immediately. I thought my “papers” for voting were in order, but some places are being rather picky about what they will accept. I’m a Veteran and a Born citizen and yet I still have to jump through hoops. It’s disgusting and I’m telling my granddaughters not to change their names if they get married. Sheesh…
I tell young women the same thing. Not worth it to change your name. Don't even hyphenate it.
I never changed my name...why the heck would I? My husband kept his name and I kept mine and it's worked for 43 years. I am not property, so I never changed it. It's caused me some problems as so many people are stunned to meet an old lady who never changed her name. Why didn't you? they ask... You're married??? Did you get married in a church? smdh No doubt they'll find another way to stop my vote. (It's yes to all of those questions btw. And those questions show how stuck these folks are in outdated ways, imo.)
I knew there was a reason I never changed my maiden name.
Smart girl!
You're so great for this PSA it's important we have everyone especially women to get on…I am registered but still checked yesterday if I had birth certificate and marriage license…women need to do it now…if you're on Instagram post this message also
I post this about 40 times a day, every where I am . We ALL NEED TO .. we CAN CHANGE OUR FUTURES 💙💙💙💙
Is a passport enough or should I add my maiden name, change my name?
When I got my new passport last year, I had to provide marriage/divorce certificates and documents of name change. Based on that, I believe that the passport will suffice as proof of name.
Mahalo for that information 🌺💙
My birth name was happily given up when I got married (abusive father) and I got rid of my husband's name upon divorce (you marry abusive men when that's what you know 😢), but I didn't want my birth name back after divorce, so I took my mum's maiden name instead - three names and do I know where all that paperwork is?? Nope. I have a passport but it doesn't match my birth certificate - who knows what will happen.
Someone took their passport and was still denied
Every one please share this !!
You need to apply for a new passport . THIS kind of thing is EXACTLY what they are counting on !!!
You may have to go to the courts for duplicates of the paperwork.. but you have time . It seems passports are going to be needed to survive here , temporarily I hope !!
Yes , Lynn. Thanks for this. I am worried that young adults ❤️ will wait till the last minute and won’t have documentation. PLEASE, parents, act now and help your voting age kids get their birth certificates. Getting a passport now is worth every penny. Young voters are more motivated to vote than ever before!
Re the Board of Peace. Could you please research where the $10 billion promised by the US is coming from and where it goes to.
LOL I can't prove it, but I suspect the 10 Billion is coming from our taxes...and it's going to the prez. :(
That's exactly what is happening
Another way for republicans to cheat. This requirement is in the SAVR Act that has passed the House and is currently being considered by the Senate. If it passes it will apply nationwide and remove an estimated 20 million voters on the rolls. Call your Senators.
My senators and congressman are running on their close ties with the current regime and current leader. The ads make me sick to my stomach. One senator told me that the people voted for trump and he'll vote with trump as well...No representation here.
Also, these democrats voted for the SAVE ACT too...How about those folks in their districts/states write and shame them? :(
Jared Golden, ME
Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, WA
Henry Cuellar, TX
Ed Case, HI
He should have been stopped SO long ago !!!!
Should have NEVER been allowed to Start.
The army needs to arrest the whole lot of them and take them down to Gitmo
Who in (or outside of) the military would lead that charge given that it likely is treason?
Once the task you describe had been completed, who would be in charge of the US?
What happens after that to return the US to a voter-controlled republican democracy?
The election was won by harris and waltz. So they should be inaugurated.
I'm unaware of data that support that conclusion. Can you enlighten me? Was the victory you assert of the popular vote or the determinative electoral college vote?
The army loves Trump. Don't expect any help from "our" military.
Do they love him (vs. indifference, not dislike) or does this represent the reality that those who expressed (or suggested) dissent or otherwise demonstrated possession of a moral compass that pointed to true magnetic north have been dispatched?
I suspect those military members who know that President Heel Spurs was a draft dodger, and those generals and admirals who attended Secretary Kegsbreath's required pep rally at Quantico, are not members of his cult and may be quite skeptical of him. Certainly, retired General Mark Hertling at The Bulwark and Tom Nichols at The Atlantic think that many if not most military officers are, at least silently, opposed to Trump. However, Kegsbreath has been trying to fire or force retirement on anyone who he thinks is less than completely loyal to himself and POTUS. So, if Dems don't gain complete control of Congress after November, or if they don't win the 2028 presidential election, the Trumpers may be able to capture the military in 2-3 years, just like they are capturing the media, SCOTUS and the CEO's.
It is all about red lines, inflection points and hard decisions that must be made
CECOT in El Salvador. Let these fascist bastards get a taste of what they inflicted on those they sent there last year.
Congressional Republicans no longer exist. Except for a few, they are empty souls. They sold those souls to their pathetic leader.
They are returning to the GOP ways that existed since Hayes (R) stole the election from Tilden (D) in 1876 in an horrific bargain ending reconstruction that lasted until FDR in implemented progressive fair-trade (reduced tariff) economic policies c. 1934
"The tariff was an important, and highly partisan, political issue during the late nineteenth century. Republicans supported high protective tariffs and Democrats endorsed moderate tariffs for revenue purposes only. This partisan conflict came to a head in what became known as the Great Tariff Debate of 1888. Although Democrats introduced a brief period of lower tariffs in 1913 (along with an income tax to create a revenue alternative to the tariff), Republican protectionism reemerged after World War I when high tariffs were imposed again. The tumultuous interwar years were marked by the excesses of protectionism and a later shift toward free trade. The Smoot-Hawley Act of 1930, perhaps the most infamous tariff in U.S. history, raised import duties to high levels on the eve of the Great Depression. Contrary to many assertions, however, Smoot-Hawley accounted for only a small part of the large decline in U.S. trade in the early 1930s. Smoot-Hawley raised the average tariff from 40.7 percent to 47 percent, roughly a 20 percent increase in rates, which translates into just a 5 to 6 percent increase in the relative price of imports."
Historical Perspectives on US Trade Policy National Bureau of Economic Research; The Reporter (1-Dec-1998) https://tinyurl.com/32z8um8x
trump's brain is eaten by a severe bout of syphilis. Here he comes again "punishing" the entire world, perhaps even the Universe to display his unbound "power".
Yes. Not only does MadKingDonny think he rules the US, but his dementia is advancing, and now he thinks he rules the world. Please CONGRESS or anybody PLEASE get him and his ass-kissing sycophants out of the WH. Impeach, 25th, whatever. Put them behind bars!
Man this Pedo-criminal needs to be arrested immediately
Trump will always suss out an end run around any limits placed on his "presidency." He's got an enormous nose that always smells ways to work around the law or use it to his benefit. No surprise he's now trying to work around the SCOTUS ruling.
I will NOT watch the State of the Union Address (I'll be watching the People's State of the Union sponsored in part by Meidas), but I will be curious to see if Trump can prevent himself from lashing out at the nine SCOTUS justices who will be seated in front of him. My bet is that his handlers will tell him to keep his mouth zipped but that his inner rage will leave him unable to control himself and he'll say something very nasty about SCOTUS.
This all non-lawyer Stephen Miller's idea. That guy belongs UNDER the prison, he can even take his wife, too.
Might family separation be more consistent with his views? (Do unto others ...?)
👍
They need to arrest him at the State of the Union
Who is "they" please, and on based on what indictment or specification of charges?
Do you think when he croaks they will still be able to hold on to the power?
Excellent question. Rather than responding with my opinion, let me ask you what do you think is likely to happen? In Part 1, you said "they need to arrest him" at the SOU. So "they" there probably is not the GOP. In Part 2, you ask whether "they will still be able to hold on to the power." I assume "they" here does refer to the GOP. I am struggling with just who "they" is.
All Dems should attend and when he starts to speak, stand up and file out, backs to him
remove him immediately
Sure! How?
Thanks, Ben! This was a good update.
The only one ripping the USA off is Trump and his criminal cabal.
Thanks, Ben!!
Rex Tillerson said it all ! "Trump's a MORON".
I believe there was a present participle adjective between the words "a" and "moron" when Tillerson said it. 🤔
The Republican Congress has not been a check on Trump’s abuse of power. If you think he has been abusing his Presidential power and destroying democracy, only you the American people voting for a Democratic Congress can be a check on him. A Democratic majority in Congress will work, instead, to lift up the American people, not the would be king.
Let's hope we still have free and fair elections. AND that this time, if it's close democrats will demand a recount...unlike Harris/Walz.
He is not listening to your complaints and criticism everyday you report. Notice he keeps going. You are letting him do as he pleases. You are doing nothing to stop him and he knows this. Playing defence is not effective. You must stop him. Otherwise what’s the point of complaining?
The only legal means (that I can find) you have are:
1) convincing reps/senators . . . or
2) flipping the house(s) . . .
and gradually reigning him in.
Either by legislation, impeachment, or 25th Amendment-type actions (bonus points if you can make it a charge of treason, as that takes out the whole cabinet, including Vance). But all three of these need majorities in Congress to pull off (either by statute or to prevent him from vetoing the legislation).
So, convincing the politicians why it is in their interest to do above is the only legal routes you have. Mobilizing everyone to have 1:1 meetings, etc. (some of this is a numbers game -- if the politician is up for election, especially). You (collectively) are on a time clock here. Rest of the world is shifting away from American influence. They aren't going to wait until 2028.
After that, everything else is illegal (at least, in terms of norms and usual constitutional process. But America has been there before, unfortunately. Oh, and the problem is bigger than just DJT -- it will all come roaring back if underlying issues do not get resolved (Christian Nationalism, for starters)).
Of course, now that he's set the precedent of having a foreign power just kidnap a head of state (in their own country), you could always beg some other country to sail up to Palm Beach and pluck him off the golf course . . . . I wonder if the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has some patrol boats handy . . . . . :-/
(I say this in frustration, as the expression "two wrongs do not make a right" is how the world's legal minds would look at it. But there's some desperation/irony here!)
Sorry - but frankly, USA is running out of options. And rest of world is running out of patience. I know it's frustrating -- but the lectures are not "snotty". The pain is felt elsewhere, too (maybe not the ICE pain, but certainly unemployment from industries affected by trade issues). And the world is not waiting for USA to solve this. Already, most of the influential countries are working to bypass trading with USA and are starting to trade directly with each other instead. USA will become an island unto itself within the next few years or so if the course doesn't change. Sorry if that doesn't fit your election cycle. World will not wait forever. Very frustrating for everyone (well, other than Trump Family, Tech Bros, and million/billion-aires).
I know this is a downer...but some scientists believe we have already passed the point of no return in regards to the climate crisis. We will continue to have more frequent and intense storms. Our water, which is being poisoned by certain companies for pennies on the dollar, will not grow food. Our soil will be so full of poisons it also will make growing food more difficult. Animals will go extinct, our oxygen levels will decrease as well. I'm not even sure this planet will be able to support any life, the way we're going. Not only will the world's humans not wait...but our planet also cannot take much more, imo.
I forgot two more very legal things that people can do!
1) BOYCOTT any product/service of the enablers. So, stop using Amazon (I use it to research products, then go to other websites or the companies themselves to order product). Minimize the use of Apple if you can (court's out if they are a true enabler, as they have resisted some decrees but have also paid brides/tribute). Court's out on Microsoft -- pretty sure Gates is in the Epstein Files to some degree. But last summer, he's on record (in spirit of Buffet) saying "tax me 2%-5% more -- if you did that to all million/billionaires, all the ills of Affordable Care Act, SNAP, this/that/other things would all go away. Society would have fewer problems. It's the obligation of those with wealth to give back to help those in need." But MS has had to cave to some pressures (they've cancelled email accounts of some judges and prosecutors (those investigating possible American war crimes in Afghanistan) at the ICC, on direction of the admin). Though they are on record with other countries saying "we can locate your OneDrive files, etc., on servers in your country so as to resist any warrants from the US Government. Maybe that was after they hit the ICC (which is located in Belgium). Definitely don't buy pillows from the MyPillow guy!
2) FIFA World Cup: Don't buy tickets, encourage others to not buy tickets. Contact event sponsors to have them take stances about domestic issues. Boycott them where appropriate (might depend upon the nature of their sponsorship or company). Don't attend the games -- hurt the system economically, for backing DJT (and their stupid peace prize).
2a) If you do want to attend games, do it in Canada and Mexico instead. Related: ENCOURAGE more of the games to be played in those countries rather than USA.
Don't underestimate the power of the boycott. Canada, especially, and many people in Europe have discovered that a little bit of effort with this goes a long way, if many people do it. Florida winter rentals/tourism is greatly impacted, Las Vegas is being sucker-punched, and the KY Bourbon industry lost a hefty portion of its revenue (forcing several distilleries to pause production for all of 2026. All of this because most of them voted for the Idiot-in-Chief). Instead, those countries have discovered that their own domestic product is often as good, or imported products from countries other than USA. For Christmas dinner/holidays, we found everything from either domestic suppliers, Mexico (produce), Europe (all the chocolates, candies, and nuts). Only American sourced-product was celery and cranberries (and I've found a Canadian source for cranberries, subsequently. Still working on the celery). And tourism - well, there's the rest of the world to explore!
So pick your favourite enabling villain/company, grab some like-minded friends, and start taking the protest to them (hey, look what happened to Tesla in the early months, during the DOGE crap!).
Maybe he could go fishing on a small boat in the Caribbean
OR the East Pacific, as they seem to have shifted more to that zone more of late (maybe do both, to increase the chances! Tell him he'll be paid $1B in crypto if he goes on both excursions . . . .)
And given a small friend that looks like his Qatari getaway to Argentina palace