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"cutting Medicaid to pay for bombs" No exit plan. No evacuation plan. $5 billion in under a week. The truth about Trump's war.

So much for “America First.”

In this week’s Truth About newsletter, @themaxburns.bsky.social breaks down the costs of Trump's war (nearly $1B per day, missile shortages, rising executive power) plus the dangerous nonsense from Rubio and Hegseth.

Week 38: The Month of Cons | David Avallone Get more from David Avallone on Patreon

A month of running around to conventions every weekend is over, and now it's time to write some goddamn comics. A preview of art from SAVAGE TALES, news recommendations (@damemagazine.bsky.social & @marisakabas.bsky.social) and the usual navel-gazing. Check it out!

www.patreon.com/posts/week-3...?

Robert F Kennedy Jr: 1 year of failure In his first speech as Secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Robert F Kennedy Jr laid out a plan to restore trust. The COVID-19 pandemic saw public faith in Federal health...

"10 days after his speech about trust & openness,
HHS rescinded a 54yo policy of soliciting public
comments for new regulations, silencing
the voices the stakeholders he pledged
to serve..."

And MUCH more. Powerful rundown of RFK Jr damages @thelancet.com www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

CNN put together a montage of the regime's incoherent talking points about Trump's war on Iran

BREAKING: We @democracydefendersfund.org filed a complaint demanding investigation into Jared Kushner's "Special Envoy for Peace" appt

The peacemaker's firm has BILLIONS in ties to the govts he's negotiating with

Another business deal dressed up as foreign policy

For a story: I'm looking to speak to people of all ages about how uncertainty around access to SNAP and high cost of food is impacting mental health and well-being, especially as new restrictions/work requirements have taken effect. rainesford.alexandra@gmail.com, Signal rstauff.20

Firm Tied to Kristi Noem Secretly Got Money From $220 Million DHS Ad Contracts The company is run by the husband of Noem’s chief DHS spokesperson and has personal and business ties to Noem and her aides. DHS invoked the “emergency” at the border to skirt competitive bidding rule...

John Kennedy got Kristi Noem to admit she has to approve contracts over $10M. (Her deputies can approve up to $5M.)

Then he asked about her $220M propaganda campaign.

www.propublica.org/article/kris...

ICYMI yesterday

What could possibly go wrong with a guy like this in charge?

As the laid off Middle East News Editor, I concur. Management eliminated the positions of every single staff correspondent and bureau chief in the Middle East.

America’s Long War on Iran Didn’t Start This Weekend - Dame Magazine From the 1953 CIA-backed coup to Trump’s latest strikes, America’s attempts to reshape Iran have fueled instability, sanctions, and endless escalation.

In case you’re unfamiliar with our decades of interference in Iran, I wrote up a primer on it for @damemagazine.bsky.social. When Hegseth says that Iran’s been at war with us for decades, he’s got it totally backwards. At the end of the day, that’s us.

America’s Long War on Iran Didn’t Start This Weekend - Dame Magazine From the 1953 CIA-backed coup to Trump’s latest strikes, America’s attempts to reshape Iran have fueled instability, sanctions, and endless escalation.

The U.S. has intervened in Iran repeatedly since 1953 via coups, sanctions, covert action, and diplomacy.

With strikes underway, it’s worth revisiting and understanding that history. Zeb Larson digs in here

Thank you for reading and sharing.

Why ‘Flooding the Zone’ Works for Trump - Dame Magazine Trump’s allies openly described a strategy to overwhelm the press with simultaneous crises. The structure of modern journalism makes it work

Brilliant article by @parkermolloy.com via @damemagazine.bsky.social. The antidote is the also brilliant @hcrichardson.bsky.social and her daily Letters from an American. If you can only read one thing a day to keep sane, her letter synthesizes what’s happening, not just what happened.

Young Baltimore writers share their favorite literary spaces in the city CHARM (Ryan Scott, 8th grader at ConneXions: A Community Based Arts School)  CHARM, the voice of Baltimore, the voice of youth When you’re there, tasks feel complete, like the stars in the night. Work...

Something lovely in a rough day.

baltimorebeat.com/young-baltim...

New details from Epstein files reveal Lutnick had years-long business tie with sex offender The commerce secretary apparently still hasn't come clean on his connection with Epstein.

Reminder: The commerce secretary apparently still hasn’t come clean on his connection with Epstein.

It took over 36-hours for Trump to stand in front of live cameras to talk about the US attack on Iran and of the dead US troops he said "that's the way it is." Wow.

Mississippi’s Black Voters Brace for Elections Ruling That Could Gut Supreme Court Clout Black Mississippians won a Voting Rights Act case that challenges how the state elects supreme court justices. But that victory may be in jeopardy.

Black voters currently make up just shy of a majority in one of the three districts, with the Black-majority Delta region split between two different districts, but only one Black justice currently serves on the court.

Gaaah, this piece by @parkermolloy.com on the strategic use of journalism as a politicking tool gives 🎯 clarity.

Reading this, again, you get the sense that someone at Anthropic knows how the intel community misleads by using definitions of words that are different than everyone else believes. And the people at OpenAI simply don't know or don't care about that.

FLOOD THEM WITH DISAPPROVAL

Given past few months, some pretty easy super cuts to be made

Exactly! This is why we added a $1.00/month level. We want to make it possible for everyone who can support to do so without too much budget impact. We’d much rather have 10,000 for $1, than 1 for $1000.

We also adore them.

Trump Tests Limits With Emergency Powers Over Elections - Dame Magazine With the SAVE Act stalled, Trump allies are pushing emergency powers to reshape the 2026 elections based on false claims about 2020 interference.

With court losses mounting, Trump allies are urging him to assert emergency powers over the 2026 elections.

The basis? Disproven claims about Chinese interference in 2020.

@thewaywithanoa.bsky.social looks at what that move would actually mean.

www.damemagazine.com/2026/02/27/t...

Pick an independent outlet & support them. Sharing the work is also helpful for any independent outlet. @democracydocket.com @liberalcurrents.com @mississippifreepress.org @404media.co - there are so many amazing outlets - a list too long (we'd love your support too) www.damemagazine.com/membership/

So much this.

Really good piece by @parkermolloy.com - it's easy to see the problem, and I naively have been thinking that 10 years is enough time to come up with an effective solution, but the reality is that the administration is very effectively exploiting a structural weakness in the media. Now what?