Nate Schaffran

This morning, the Trump Administration’s Department of War gave me an ultimatum: call up your troops, or we will. It is absolutely outrageous and un-American to demand a Governor send military troops within our own borders and against our will.

Vought’s crusade upends the shutdown fight It was only a matter of time before Russ Vought shook up the shutdown fight.

This is from Steve Womack, Republican appropriator, on whether Democrats should help negotiate a budget solution:
"Why would you do that if you know that whatever you negotiate is going to be subject to the knife pulled out by Russ Vought?"
The *Republicans* have figured this out!

To me this thread points at an answer to both “how should we respond to the right on trans issues,” and “how do we counter MAGA’s appeal to young men?” The solution isn’t to act contrary to our values: it’s to defend them clearly and forthrightly, and show the other path.

Literally the authoritarian playbook:
1. Call your opponents terrorists.
2. Deploy state power against them.

There's nothing subtle or confusing or complex about what's happening. The *outcome* is uncertain but the authoritarianism is right out in the open.

The people who made these decisions were warned what would happen. They knew what would happen. And they chose this anyhow.

Charlie Kirk’s murder is horrific. Every American must condemn political violence.

After such a tragedy, past presidents have worked to heal and bring the nation together.

Trump is using this moment to seize power & silence his political opponents.

We cannot be silent.

You need to know what might be coming.

Trump could have brought the nation together to confront political violence after the murder of Charlie Kirk.

Instead he appears to be preparing to use the shooting as a pretext to destroy his political opposition and consolidate power.

Pritzker: "Any rational person who has spent even the most minimal amount of time studying human history has to ask themselves one important question: once they get the citizens of this nation comfortable with the current atrocities committed under the color of law, what comes next?"

YouTube video by Senator Chris Van Hollen Rafah has been reduced to rubble

In 2024 Sen. Merkley & I visited the Rafah gate on the Egypt-Gaza border. On the other side was Gaza’s thriving city of Rafah—home to 270K. Today we saw it reduced to rubble.

The Netanyahu govt has gone beyond targeting Hamas to waging a war of destruction against all Palestinians. It must end.

if you can't sell the american public on the idea that federal troops in the streets is fundamentally unacceptable then you have no business being in politics. and if you do not forcibly believe this at your core such that you can't shut up about it, that goes double for you

Trump is just handing the future to China, on science and medicine, on clean energy, on soft power. It's truly just insane.

In the not shocking category, ICE raids suppress employment, including by US citizens:

“Persons reporting private sector work in CA decreased by 4.9%, with citizens forming a greater share of the decrease. The state’s downturn in work is comparable with the Great Recession & the COVID-19 pandemic.”

In the not-so-distant future, Israel will have to reckon with its war crimes in Gaza | Opinion ***

If you believe all human beings are created b’tzelem Elohim, in God’s image, then you must speak up now against the daily atrocities in Gaza.

www.haaretz.com/opinion/2025...

This is the danger to us all. First they build a secret police force and internment camp network targeting non-citizens. Then they threaten to strip political opponents of their citizenship. If they can do that, then any American who speaks up could end up in Alligator Alcatraz.

This is literally the definition of a white nationalist police state.

Political consultants have a tendency to re-fight the last war. But while voters in 2024 may have felt Dems were weak on the border, voters TODAY are horrified by Trump‘s campaign to kidnap their neighbors and friends.

And every state that needs to develop clean energy infrastructure more quickly (which is to say every state).

The fight to build faster in California Buffy Wicks and Scott Wiener explain how they're reforming CEQA, the California law that lets anyone with a lawyer delay housing projects for years.

www.volts.wtf/p/the-fight-...

this court says that allowing EPA to regulate carbon emissions is a "major question" that demands congressional debate. but allowing the president to, with a flick of the wrist, end a straightforward constitutional right is something that must be allowed to stand?

Trump bombed Iran, unprovoked, without legal authorization, in furtherance of Bibi Netanyahu’s personal agenda. That one of Biden’s most senior FP officials is cheering this on says a lot about that admin— and should be disqualifying from ever working in a future Democratic White House.

it’s even more demoralizing when the history you’re repeating is history you were around for the first time

Map shows public land eligible for sale as MAGA and left unite to oppose The Senate proposal, which could greatly affect outdoor recreation in the West, is facing strong pushback from conservationists, Democrats and MAGA supporters.

Senate Republicans want to sell off 3.3 million acres of public land to fund tax cuts for billionaires.

This is not about housing.

It is a scam that threatens our outdoor heritage, wildlife, and public access.

We will fight this land grab every step of the way.

Only Congress has the constitutional authority to authorize war. 

Today, I signed onto a bipartisan War Powers Resolution which reaffirms Congress’ sole authority to authorize U.S. military action and holds the President to account.

Big deal

Actions have consequences and Trump is dealing with the consequences of tearing up the Iran Deal for no reason except his hatred of Obama.

If the feds’ objective is to “liberate” Los Angeles and California from its democratically elected leadership, then this not a peacekeeping mission but a program of invasion.

They handcuffed our US Senator for peacefully asking questions. Whatever line you drew for yourself between normality and emergency, it has been crossed.

New figures from CBO about how Americans at different income levels are affected by the GOP's Big Beautiful Bill.
Topline finding: Richest decile gets about 2% richer. Poorest decile gets about 4% poorer.
www.cbo.gov/publication/...

Exclusive: DHS secretary sought military arrests and drones in Los Angeles in leaked letter The military is generally barred from domestic law enforcement. Granting Kristi Noem’s request would likely require the administration to sidestep those laws by invoking the Insurrection Act.

As a former colonel and military prosecutor, my opinion is that this letter looks like a preparation for a military assault...like a subterfuge to create some sort of rationale for some sort of invocation of the Insurrection Act.

ow.ly/nK4y50W7tcX

This is what I want to hear from my Governor.