cspate

Opinion | No wonder Trump is outraged by warnings about illegal orders There’s a reason lawmakers worry about the military being told to ignore the law.

It is not Sen. Mark Kelly who should be facing justice but, rather, Hegseth and the admiral who followed his order. wapo.st/49LrEvh

If Admiral Bradley didn’t realize before that these cowards were setting him up to take the fall, he knows it now. Time to hire a good lawyer.

A 700% APR Lending Business Tied to Dr. Phil’s Son Is Dividing an Alaska Tribe Tribal lender Minto Money has boosted the economy of its Alaska town. But some tribal members are appalled by the millions it’s made off desperate borrowers — much of which, lawsuits allege, has gone ...

Two lawsuits allege that Jay McGraw, son of Dr. Phil, is the “principal beneficiary” of tribal lender Minto Money.

CreditServe, a company that McGraw plays a key role in, controls the operation while “the Tribe is merely a front,” the suits said.

(Published May 2025)

Trump’s Immigration Forces Deploy “Less Lethal” Weapons in Dangerous Ways, Skirting Rules and Maiming Protesters Civil rights and weapons experts cite the consequences of federal agents’ use of crowd control weapons: religious leaders shot with pepper balls and noxious chemicals. A nurse nearly blinded by tear g...

Pastor Jorge Bautista was telling a Border Patrol agent "we come in peace" when the agent fired toxic powder at him, leaving him struggling to breathe.

“No one should be assaulted for being out there protesting,” he says.

With @frontlinepbs.bsky.social

He Vowed to “Protect the Unborn.” Now He’s Blocking a Bill to Expand Medicaid for Wisconsin’s New Moms. Splitting with anti-abortion members of his own party, Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos has refused to join 48 other states in ensuring that vulnerable women have access to potentially lifesaving ...

In 48 other states, new moms have access to Medicaid for up to one year after they give birth. Not in Wisconsin.

There, the limit remains two months. And it’s only because of one man: Assembly Speaker Robin Vos.

By @megomatz.bsky.social

Megyn Kelly is mentally unwell.

Costco joins companies suing Trump for refunds if Supreme Court strikes down tariffs Other companies which have sued for refunds include motorbike maker Kawasaki and cosmetics titan Revlon

Costco says that Trump has illegally raised and assessed tariffs and most refund everything it wrongfully took. www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...

I didn’t see that. That’s incredible.

If a bunch of major retailers joined together to do the same, we could see real, and immediate action on the tariffs.

I love this. Do you think more lawsuits are heading his way?

Usually Trump wears 3-inch extended shoulder pads with his suits to hide his physical pear-shape & to give an illusion of strength.

Here with no shoulder pads & his actual 2-inch shoulders.

So much so that the seam for his shirt’s sleeve is drooped 2-3 inches below his shoulder’s edge.

Sad?

Kelly: “I was notified of a potential court-martial through a tweet by the Secretary of Defense…I think that says a lot about who Pete Hegseth is and what he cares about. He doesn't care about the law…He doesn't care about accountability. He cares about views on his Twitter account.”

Sen. Kelly: “I take the threats from this president seriously. How many times in our country's history have you heard a president of the United States say that members of the Senate and the House should be hanged?…Those words carry a lot of weight…I'm not intimidated by Donald Trump.”

Trump: we’re going to keep America safe. We’re keeping the drugs out!

Also Trump: pardons a guy convicted of trying to bring *hundreds of tons* of cocaine into the US.

Sen. Kelly: “This is about a president who doesn't want anybody to say anything that he does not like. I don't think he understands the Constitution. I think he is ignorant to the Constitution and the rule of law…This isn't about me. This is about what he will do next.”

"An out-of-control bus careening across the American landscape and across the world."

@billkristolbulwark.bsky.social tells @timmiller.bsky.social how the Trump White House can be both collapsing and getting more dangerous at the same time.

That scenario is literally the example the DOD Law of War manual uses to illustrate an illegal order.

Throwing Admiral Bradley under the bus, to deflect from Hesgeth's war crimes. Another reminder for the military not to follow illegal orders, this lot won't protect you.

The Bubble-Wrapped President Trump surrounds himself with those who flatter him in places where he is comfortable.

Trump’s echo chamber:

Very little U.S travel

No rallies or contact with supporters

Right-wing media

Dinners with rich donors and billionaires

Truth Social

Lack of staff to tell him no www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

talking to reporters last night, Trump claimed of Hegseth's double tap strike that "I don't know anything about it," then moments later claimed "I don't who you're talking about" when asked his plan to pardon the former Honduran president

Department of Defense Law of War Manual, Sec. 18.3.2.1 states the "requirement" to refuse illegal orders.

What’s its key example? Wait for it . . . It’s "orders to fire upon the shipwrecked."

“Hello, 911? A Violent Man Is Holding Our Country Hostage" Trump's sadism and lawless hostility were knowable before he retook office. Can America ever overcome its attraction to violent demagogues?

“How broken can a body politic be that a man so violent & broken could be elected twice by tens of millions of Americans? So much was knowable long ago about the hateful & vengeful character of this man who did not hide his demagogic attraction to violence.”
www.americaamerica.news/p/hello-911-...

25% of buy now / pay later users are going into debt to buy groceries.

The average medical debt is $7,931.

The average student loan debt is $39,075

Grocery debt
Medical debt
Student loan debt

We’re driving people into debt for basic necessities while CEOs get more tax breaks.

Top Trump negotiator retains partnership with Ukraine-sanctioned billionaire Steve Witkoff coached a top Putin aide on managing Trump and created a peace plan that mirrored Russian demands

7. On October 20, the United States produced a 28-point “Trump plan” which was less a peace plan than a laundry list of Russian demands.

Reuters reported that the Trump proposal, created by Witkoff, was based on “a Russian-authored paper submitted to the Trump administration in October.”

Opinion | Tennessee's special election should have been a GOP cakewalk — but voters are really sick of Trump Michael A. Cohen: The sudden competitiveness of an election in a heavily gerrymandered Republican district could be a sign of rising political fortunes for Democrats.

OPINION by @speechboy71.bsky.social:

“Nothing says more about the toxicity of Trump and the GOP brand than a Republican candidate in an R+22 seat running away from the president and his party.”

READ MORE:
www.ms.now/opinion/tenn...

Appeals court disqualifies Alina Habba, Trump's former personal lawyer, as acting U.S. attorney in New Jersey A federal appeals court on Monday upheld a lower court decision that disqualified Alina Habba as acting U.S. attorney in New Jersey.

ALERT: Appeals court disqualifies Alina Habba, Trump's former personal lawyer, as acting U.S. attorney in New Jersey

www.cbsnews.com/news/alina-h...

Sex Crimes. State Crimes. War Crimes. We’re detecting a pattern with this administration.

"We have an utterly lawless administration at home and abroad. Do we just have to live with it for at least three more years?" Well, *someone* could do something. A few hundred folks in the Capitol.

Today's Morning Shots from @billkristolbulwark.bsky.social and @eggerdc.bsky.social:

Sex Crimes. State Crimes. War Crimes. We’re detecting a pattern with this administration.

Sex Crimes. State Crimes. War Crimes.

@billkristolbulwark.bsky.social and @eggerdc.bsky.social in Morning Shots, only @thebulwark.com: www.thebulwark.com/p/sex-crimes...

BREAKING: Former Trump lawyer Alina Habba disqualified as New Jersey prosecutor

GALLUP poll: President Trump's job approval rating is 36% positive, 60% negative. It is down among Republicans and independents. One warning sign: just 69% of Republicans approve of his handling of health care, a major 2026 issue. And US approval of Congress has fallen to 14%.