Mark Didriksen

Update from the war zone in Portland.

Pritzker: “The Trump administration is following a playbook: Cause chaos, create fear and confusion, make it seem that peaceful protesters are a mob by firing gas pellets and tear gas canisters at them. Why? To create the pretext for invoking the Insurrection Act.”

The Trump regime is dissolving the Union unilaterally, that's what these actions *are*—repudiation of the American constitutional order vis-a-vis federalism.

He can’t take tariff money and give it to anyone, so that is bs. Congress has to pass another farm bailout bill just like they had to the last time Trump wrecked their businesses. So farmers will have to embrace socialism again since they can’t compete in market capitalism.

Jeffries: "The next time you have something to say about me, don't cop out through a racist and fake AI video. When I'm back in the Oval Office, say it to my face."

Bessent Text Leak: Message Suggests Argentina Bailout Is Backfiring Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins texted Bessent to point out that Argentina scored a big soybean deal with China after a U.S. bailout — while U.S. farmers were out of luck.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins texted Bessent to point out that Argentina scored a big soybean deal with China after a U.S. bailout — while U.S. farmers were out of luck.

MAGA have been dismissing reports on inflation for months, saying it must be a Democrat hoax. Even FOX are saying inflation is bad now - are they part of a Democrat hoax too?

Van Hollen: I will just say that anybody who thinks we're on the way to authoritarianism is wrong. We are there

No money for veterans or the homeless or hungry children, but plenty of money for Argentina’s unpopular leaders.

Trump’s Ouster of Jimmy Kimmel Is Much Worse than You Think It Is Anna Gomez, the FCC’s lone Democratic commissioner, tells TNR that her boss’ move violates both the First Amendment and the Communications Act. Democrats must extract consequences.

NEWS --> Anna Gomez, the lone Dem on the FCC, tells me the Trump admin's pressure to oust Jimmy Kimmel may be unlawful as well as unconstitutional. FCC chair Brendan Carr may be committing censorship in violation of federal law.

That and much more in my new piece:
newrepublic.com/article/2006...

A free and democratic society cannot silence comedians because the President doesn’t like what they say.

This is an attack on free speech and cannot be allowed to stand.

All elected officials need to speak up and push back on this undemocratic act.

The union representing the musicians from Jimmy Kimmel’s band releases a statement calling the FCC’s pressure on Disney “state censorship.”

It’s happening. The takedown of Jimmy Kimmel is likely the start of a campaign to use the murder of Charlie Kirk as a pretext to use the power of the White House to wipe out Trump’s critics and his political opponents.

But we aren’t powerless. We can mobilize and organize. Now.

Missourians Could Block the GOP Gerrymander With a Referendum Vote Read more here.

NEW: For years, Missourians have possessed the constitutional right to a referendum that allows them to veto laws passed by the legislature. Now, they’re laying the groundwork to exercise this right to block the GOP's proposed congressional gerrymander from being enacted.

@jenrice.bsky.social

Mamdani: Why should I debate Trump's puppet when I could debate Trump himself? If Trump is serious about this, he should come to New York City. We can have as many debates as he wants about why he is cutting snap benefits for hungry New Yorkers just to fund tax cuts for his billionaire donors

Trump administration illegally froze billions in Harvard funds, judge rules The ruling is a legal victory for Harvard but the White House says it will appeal the decision.

A federal judge in Boston said she found it "difficult to conclude anything other than that [the Trump administration] used antisemitism as a smokescreen for a targeted, ideologically-motivated assault on this country's premier universities, and did so in a way that runs afoul of [federal law]."

AOC: If anybody says “this isn’t fair, I'm gonna have to divest all my stocks if I run for congress” maybe you should stay home.

Why didn’t some of the Epstein survivors speak out earlier? “I thought someone was going to kill me,” one explained.

As another asked, “Why did the government work so hard to protect Jeffrey Epstein and not victims like me?”

Massie: "The Speaker of the House just offered a fig leaf to my colleagues. They're gonna vote on a non-binding resolution today that does absolutely nothing ... they're allowing the DOJ to curate all of the information that the DOJ is giving them ... the perpetrators are being protected"

No notes

This is how it’s done.

"There has just never been a president in recent American history who has gone out of his way to free more criminals and accommodate more crimes than Donald Trump," says @chrislhayes.bsky.social.

It was never about a real “invasion” or “emergency.”

It was always about getting troops in place to suppress Trump’s critics and advance Trump’s agenda.

Remember how Noem said the troops would “liberate” Californians from their chosen elected leadership.

This is an intimidation attempt.

​CNBC anchor on Trump's firing of BLS commissioner: "We're politicizing the jobs number. That's not a market confidence building headline. I feel like I'm being punked."

"Politicizing stuff to this level ... creates a level of distrust which I don't think is very healthy long term”

Happy Friday to everyone who might be concerned that he has possession of the nuclear codes, blames the messenger for tanking the economy & would gladly pardon a monster to save his own thin orange skin.

Schiff: "On the good news side, Trump just got a third Air Force 1. He's building a $200m ballroom at the White House. So his personal economy is doing really well. But for average Americans, their prices are going up, their job prospects are going down ... "

The Do Something crowd was mighty quiet when this young man spoke up. Isaiah is running for TX-18. Let's support a young Democratic candidate.

The moment that Fed Chair Powell calls out Trump live on camera for making up numbers.

Trump's Epstein Problem is Officially a Massive Political Scandal The WSJ Report shows that this is a coverup that includes the President, the AG, the FBI Director and the GOP Congress

This is now officially a massive scandal with a coverup that includes the President, the Attorney General, the FBI Director, and the GOP Congress messagebox.substack.com/p/trumps-eps...

American Steel Just Got More Expensive. Buyers Blame Tariffs.

On a visit to a school bus factory, I was told that American steel producers are taking advantage of the tariffs to raise their prices. FULL STORY FREE LINK:

www.nytimes.com/2025/07/22/b...