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marmar
marmar's Journal
marmar's Journal
May 25, 2026
May 25, 2026
Todd Blanche has shown he is feckless and has no ethics, including participating in settlements involving Trump that he was told was unethical for him to handle. The Legal AF Pod explains it all.
Legal AF: Trump DOJ in ETHICS NIGHTMARE as AG BLANCHE IMPLODES
May 25, 2026
Todd Blanche has shown he is feckless and has no ethics, including participating in settlements involving Trump that he was told was unethical for him to handle. The Legal AF Pod explains it all.
May 25, 2026
May 24, 2026 Bulwark Takes
Tim Miller, Sarah Longwell, Sam Stein, Van Lathan, Brian Tyler Cohen, Jon Favreau, Jane Coaston and Erin Gloria Ryan appeared on stage LIVE in Los Angeles on May 21, 2026.
The Bulwark hosted a live quiz pitting the two teams against each other on the most obscure—and embarrassing—chapters of recent political history. Plus: the DNC autopsy gets roasted, California goes on trial, and JD Vance receives the takedown he deserves.
The Bulwark: No Matter How Hard He Tries, JD Vance Will Never Be Cool
May 24, 2026 Bulwark Takes
Tim Miller, Sarah Longwell, Sam Stein, Van Lathan, Brian Tyler Cohen, Jon Favreau, Jane Coaston and Erin Gloria Ryan appeared on stage LIVE in Los Angeles on May 21, 2026.
The Bulwark hosted a live quiz pitting the two teams against each other on the most obscure—and embarrassing—chapters of recent political history. Plus: the DNC autopsy gets roasted, California goes on trial, and JD Vance receives the takedown he deserves.
May 25, 2026
...... it's a city I travel to frequently, and that I love dearly, so to see what this cabal has done to it is galling.
The National Guard is still there, walking around Metro stations and the National monuments, mostly talking to each other and looking at their cellphones. I talked to a guy who said his neighbor was stabbed outside his home and some National Guard members were right there, but all they did was the same thing he did - call 911 - because it's all they're really authorized to do. It's all a show.
The layers of fencing around the White House extend out so far that you can't get anywhere close to it - it's even hard to see it (or the monstrous hole in the ground where the East Wing was).
It was the week before Memorial Day - usually a busy tourism week because of the 8th grade field trips followed by holiday weekend visitors (which you would assume would be even busier because of the 250th celebrations). I reserved a slot at the renovated Air & Space Museum weeks ahead of my trip to make sure I got a slot. When I got there, no lines - I could have scanned the QR and gotten right in.
Visiting some of my favorite neighborhoods - Dupont Circle, U Street Corridor - things were pretty quiet, even on a Friday night. There were plenty of closed restaurants, shuttered storefronts and TONS of vacant office space.
And you could just feel the "vibes". Washingtonians feel like they're living in an occupied colony.
I was in Washington DC last week for a work trip......
...... it's a city I travel to frequently, and that I love dearly, so to see what this cabal has done to it is galling.
The National Guard is still there, walking around Metro stations and the National monuments, mostly talking to each other and looking at their cellphones. I talked to a guy who said his neighbor was stabbed outside his home and some National Guard members were right there, but all they did was the same thing he did - call 911 - because it's all they're really authorized to do. It's all a show.
The layers of fencing around the White House extend out so far that you can't get anywhere close to it - it's even hard to see it (or the monstrous hole in the ground where the East Wing was).
It was the week before Memorial Day - usually a busy tourism week because of the 8th grade field trips followed by holiday weekend visitors (which you would assume would be even busier because of the 250th celebrations). I reserved a slot at the renovated Air & Space Museum weeks ahead of my trip to make sure I got a slot. When I got there, no lines - I could have scanned the QR and gotten right in.
Visiting some of my favorite neighborhoods - Dupont Circle, U Street Corridor - things were pretty quiet, even on a Friday night. There were plenty of closed restaurants, shuttered storefronts and TONS of vacant office space.
And you could just feel the "vibes". Washingtonians feel like they're living in an occupied colony.
May 25, 2026
The USDA secretary is a dangerous religious zealot like Pete Hegseth
Brooke Rollins is being sued for blitzing her staff with Christian emails
By Amanda Marcotte
Senior Writer
Published May 25, 2026 8:35AM (EDT)
(Salon) Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins isn’t as dramatic with religious theatrics as some of her colleagues in Donald Trump’s Cabinet, like Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, but that shouldn’t fool anyone. A recent lawsuit from staff members alleges that Rollins has been “promoting her own preferred brand of Christian beliefs and theology to the captive audience of employees,” largely through proselytizing emails sent to the whole staff at the USDA, which make them “fear the negative consequences of not sharing the Secretary’s religion.” The details in the lawsuit reveal that the former Cotton Bowl Queen is just as committed a Christian nationalist as the more belligerent Hegseth.
That might seem like a bold claim at first blush. Hegseth has drawn attention for his aggressive, even violent rhetoric that treats Christianity as a war-mongering faith focused more on punishing non-believers than the more Jesus-like aspirations of love and charity. The defense secretary is so devoted to reimagining Jesus as a vengeful prophet that he got caught giving a sermon-like speech in which he appeared to pass off dialogue from Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 film “Pulp Fiction” as Bible verses. In contrast, the emails Rollins sent her staff leaned sentimental, reminiscent of religious tracts being handed out by smiling elderly evangelicals proselytizing to heathens on the street.
....(snip)....
But the plaintiffs are right that Rollins is a bully — and that her actions are about making people who have different beliefs feel “alienated, marginalized, and unwelcome.” Anyone who has spent significant time around the Christian right knows that behind the tight smiles and cheer often lies a deep well of hostility toward anyone who is different. Rollins and her allies illustrated this phenomenon perfectly in their response to the lawsuit.
“While we do not comment on pending litigation, we will keep the plaintiffs in our prayers during this process,” the USDA spokeperson wrote in the official agency response to the lawsuit. Rollins, similarly, tweeted an article about the lawsuit with the statement, “It’s just another opportunity to remind everyone: He is Risen.”
....(snip)....
Rollins’ proselytizing in the federal workplace signals that conservative Christians are the only legitimate Americans and that everyone else should be treated as second class. She belongs to the same administration that just helped host Rededicate 250, which promoted false claims that the U.S. was intended by the Founders to be a Christian nation. Because “Christian nation” sounds abstract, this myth doesn’t ring the alarm bells that it should with too many voters. ..............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2026/05/25/the-usda-secretary-is-a-dangerous-religious-zealot-like-pete-hegseth/
The USDA secretary is a dangerous religious zealot like Pete Hegseth
The USDA secretary is a dangerous religious zealot like Pete Hegseth
Brooke Rollins is being sued for blitzing her staff with Christian emails
By Amanda Marcotte
Senior Writer
Published May 25, 2026 8:35AM (EDT)
(Salon) Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins isn’t as dramatic with religious theatrics as some of her colleagues in Donald Trump’s Cabinet, like Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, but that shouldn’t fool anyone. A recent lawsuit from staff members alleges that Rollins has been “promoting her own preferred brand of Christian beliefs and theology to the captive audience of employees,” largely through proselytizing emails sent to the whole staff at the USDA, which make them “fear the negative consequences of not sharing the Secretary’s religion.” The details in the lawsuit reveal that the former Cotton Bowl Queen is just as committed a Christian nationalist as the more belligerent Hegseth.
That might seem like a bold claim at first blush. Hegseth has drawn attention for his aggressive, even violent rhetoric that treats Christianity as a war-mongering faith focused more on punishing non-believers than the more Jesus-like aspirations of love and charity. The defense secretary is so devoted to reimagining Jesus as a vengeful prophet that he got caught giving a sermon-like speech in which he appeared to pass off dialogue from Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 film “Pulp Fiction” as Bible verses. In contrast, the emails Rollins sent her staff leaned sentimental, reminiscent of religious tracts being handed out by smiling elderly evangelicals proselytizing to heathens on the street.
....(snip)....
But the plaintiffs are right that Rollins is a bully — and that her actions are about making people who have different beliefs feel “alienated, marginalized, and unwelcome.” Anyone who has spent significant time around the Christian right knows that behind the tight smiles and cheer often lies a deep well of hostility toward anyone who is different. Rollins and her allies illustrated this phenomenon perfectly in their response to the lawsuit.
“While we do not comment on pending litigation, we will keep the plaintiffs in our prayers during this process,” the USDA spokeperson wrote in the official agency response to the lawsuit. Rollins, similarly, tweeted an article about the lawsuit with the statement, “It’s just another opportunity to remind everyone: He is Risen.”
....(snip)....
Rollins’ proselytizing in the federal workplace signals that conservative Christians are the only legitimate Americans and that everyone else should be treated as second class. She belongs to the same administration that just helped host Rededicate 250, which promoted false claims that the U.S. was intended by the Founders to be a Christian nation. Because “Christian nation” sounds abstract, this myth doesn’t ring the alarm bells that it should with too many voters. ..............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2026/05/25/the-usda-secretary-is-a-dangerous-religious-zealot-like-pete-hegseth/
May 25, 2026
Trump’s big beautiful income tax dodge
The president's settlement with the Justice Department means he could never face IRS audits again
By Heather Digby Parton
Columnist
Published May 25, 2026 9:30AM (EDT)
(Salon During the 2016 presidential debates between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, the former secretary of state claimed that Trump, despite his alleged fortune, had reportedly not paid any income tax. In response, Trump smugly quipped, “That makes me smart.” Enough people apparently agreed that vastly wealthy people are entitled to keep every last penny for themselves — rather than pay their fair share into the system that made their wealth possible — because Trump was elected president just a few weeks later.
Even then, it was clear that Trump’s reputation as a brilliant businessman was largely manufactured by his own relentless self-promotion, along with a talented reality show producer who put him on television. But it was and remains true: Most wealthy people and many corporations pay little or no income tax by manipulating the system in perfectly legal ways. Trump was one of them.
Since every major party presidential candidate had voluntarily released their tax returns over the past four decades, it was assumed he would follow suit. But despite promising to do so, Trump claimed his returns were under audit and they could not be turned over until the process concluded. Experts said there was no such rule, but as with so many other things, Trump just kept saying it and, eventually, journalists and pundits stopped asking. But between 2018 and 2020, an Internal Revenue Service contractor leaked a large number of wealthy Americans’ tax returns to the media, and Trump’s was among them. (Under President Biden, the Justice Department prosecuted the contractor, who is currently in federal prison.)
....(snip)....
The numbers revealed in black-and-white why Trump didn’t want the public to see his returns: It appeared he wasn’t so smart after all. In the 18 years of returns the Times examined, Trump engaged in tax avoidance to a far greater extent than most affluent Americans, or the top 0.001% of tax filers.
....(snip)....
There you have it. It’s fair to suspect the IRS did find that Trump owed the government in excess of $100 million, and this is the backdoor way of ensuring that he will never have to pay it. Experts say this means he and his family are immune from any tax audits — and from any claims from other government agencies “that were pending or could have been pending” by the date the agreement was signed. .....................(more)
https://www.salon.com/2026/05/25/trumps-big-beautiful-income-tax-dodge/
Trump's big beautiful income tax dodge
Trump’s big beautiful income tax dodge
The president's settlement with the Justice Department means he could never face IRS audits again
By Heather Digby Parton
Columnist
Published May 25, 2026 9:30AM (EDT)
(Salon During the 2016 presidential debates between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, the former secretary of state claimed that Trump, despite his alleged fortune, had reportedly not paid any income tax. In response, Trump smugly quipped, “That makes me smart.” Enough people apparently agreed that vastly wealthy people are entitled to keep every last penny for themselves — rather than pay their fair share into the system that made their wealth possible — because Trump was elected president just a few weeks later.
Even then, it was clear that Trump’s reputation as a brilliant businessman was largely manufactured by his own relentless self-promotion, along with a talented reality show producer who put him on television. But it was and remains true: Most wealthy people and many corporations pay little or no income tax by manipulating the system in perfectly legal ways. Trump was one of them.
Since every major party presidential candidate had voluntarily released their tax returns over the past four decades, it was assumed he would follow suit. But despite promising to do so, Trump claimed his returns were under audit and they could not be turned over until the process concluded. Experts said there was no such rule, but as with so many other things, Trump just kept saying it and, eventually, journalists and pundits stopped asking. But between 2018 and 2020, an Internal Revenue Service contractor leaked a large number of wealthy Americans’ tax returns to the media, and Trump’s was among them. (Under President Biden, the Justice Department prosecuted the contractor, who is currently in federal prison.)
....(snip)....
The numbers revealed in black-and-white why Trump didn’t want the public to see his returns: It appeared he wasn’t so smart after all. In the 18 years of returns the Times examined, Trump engaged in tax avoidance to a far greater extent than most affluent Americans, or the top 0.001% of tax filers.
....(snip)....
There you have it. It’s fair to suspect the IRS did find that Trump owed the government in excess of $100 million, and this is the backdoor way of ensuring that he will never have to pay it. Experts say this means he and his family are immune from any tax audits — and from any claims from other government agencies “that were pending or could have been pending” by the date the agreement was signed. .....................(more)
https://www.salon.com/2026/05/25/trumps-big-beautiful-income-tax-dodge/
May 24, 2026
May 24, 2026 #AndyBarr #MAGA #KentuckyPolitics
Andy Barr wants to replace Mitch McConnell in Kentucky, and his campaign message says everything wrong with modern MAGA politics. Instead of talking about healthcare, wages, affordable housing, gun violence, or lowering the cost of living, Andy Barr is telling white Christians not to be “ashamed” of who they are. What does that even mean? Nobody is attacking people for being white or Christian. This is manufactured outrage and white grievance politics designed to keep people angry, divided, and distracted.
This is the core of the MAGA movement now: victimhood politics for white conservatives. Republicans scream about “woke ideology” nonstop, but never clearly define it because the point isn’t solutions — it’s emotional manipulation. While millions of Americans struggle to afford groceries, rent, healthcare, and childcare, politicians like Andy Barr are focused on culture war propaganda instead of improving people’s actual lives.
Andy Barr Proves what MAGA Politics is - White Grievance!
May 24, 2026 #AndyBarr #MAGA #KentuckyPolitics
Andy Barr wants to replace Mitch McConnell in Kentucky, and his campaign message says everything wrong with modern MAGA politics. Instead of talking about healthcare, wages, affordable housing, gun violence, or lowering the cost of living, Andy Barr is telling white Christians not to be “ashamed” of who they are. What does that even mean? Nobody is attacking people for being white or Christian. This is manufactured outrage and white grievance politics designed to keep people angry, divided, and distracted.
This is the core of the MAGA movement now: victimhood politics for white conservatives. Republicans scream about “woke ideology” nonstop, but never clearly define it because the point isn’t solutions — it’s emotional manipulation. While millions of Americans struggle to afford groceries, rent, healthcare, and childcare, politicians like Andy Barr are focused on culture war propaganda instead of improving people’s actual lives.
May 24, 2026
May 24, 2026
The Class of 2026 is graduating into a gloomy economy, uncertain job prospects due to AI, and a democracy hanging by a thread.
But there’s still reason to hope. Here’s what I told 2026 UC Berkeley graduates.
Robert Reich: AI, the Economy, and the Future of Democracy: What I Told the Class of 2026
May 24, 2026
The Class of 2026 is graduating into a gloomy economy, uncertain job prospects due to AI, and a democracy hanging by a thread.
But there’s still reason to hope. Here’s what I told 2026 UC Berkeley graduates.
May 24, 2026
(Guardian) Politicians must be held accountable if their lies damage democracy, according to a former US federal prosecutor and FBI general counsel who was pursued by Donald Trump.
The US must be “as creative as possible” and introduce sweeping structural reforms if it escapes its current “mess”, said Andrew Weissmann, laying out a proposal for a legislative crackdown on election deceit.
“Lying can be held to account,” argued Weissmann, a senior figure in former FBI director Robert Mueller’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, and Trump’s links to Moscow.
The former federal prosecutor remains a prominent voice against Trump and his assault on US institutions and justice, as a professor and analyst for liberal cable network MS Now. .....................(more)
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/24/andrew-weissmann-donald-trump-liars-kingdom
Former prosecutor pursued by Trump calls for crackdown on election lies: 'Lying can be held to account'
(Guardian) Politicians must be held accountable if their lies damage democracy, according to a former US federal prosecutor and FBI general counsel who was pursued by Donald Trump.
The US must be “as creative as possible” and introduce sweeping structural reforms if it escapes its current “mess”, said Andrew Weissmann, laying out a proposal for a legislative crackdown on election deceit.
“Lying can be held to account,” argued Weissmann, a senior figure in former FBI director Robert Mueller’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, and Trump’s links to Moscow.
The former federal prosecutor remains a prominent voice against Trump and his assault on US institutions and justice, as a professor and analyst for liberal cable network MS Now. .....................(more)
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/24/andrew-weissmann-donald-trump-liars-kingdom
May 24, 2026
(Michigan Advance) While her eight-year tenure as Michigan’s top executive is soon coming to an end, Michigan Democrats believe Gov. Gretchen Whitmer still holds incredible sway, and could move mountains legislatively, even in an era of divided government. She just needs to put that power to good use — which some Democrats believe hasn’t happened on a number of key issues.
But there was still time to make that right, as the short seven months left in Whitmer’s term was still plenty of time to pass needed good governance and transparency reforms.
That was the assessment of three House lawmakers who sat down on Friday with Attorney General Dana Nessel to discuss what they say are Michigan’s abysmal transparency laws and a broken Lansing political culture that allows tit-for-tat deals to flourish.
The conversation focused mainly on the BRITE Act, a set of bills sponsored by minority House Democrats that would beat back the influence of corporate lobbyists and financial interests on the state Legislature. The package consists of House Bills 4268, 4269, 4270, 4271, 4272 and 4273. It would also give sharper teeth to Michigan campaign and election finance laws, which Nessel has championed throughout her near decade of office. .....................(more)
https://michiganadvance.com/2026/05/22/nessel-michigan-dems-push-whitmer-to-confront-lansings-quid-pro-quo-political-culture/
Nessel, Michigan Dems push Whitmer to confront Lansing's 'quid pro quo' political culture
(Michigan Advance) While her eight-year tenure as Michigan’s top executive is soon coming to an end, Michigan Democrats believe Gov. Gretchen Whitmer still holds incredible sway, and could move mountains legislatively, even in an era of divided government. She just needs to put that power to good use — which some Democrats believe hasn’t happened on a number of key issues.
But there was still time to make that right, as the short seven months left in Whitmer’s term was still plenty of time to pass needed good governance and transparency reforms.
That was the assessment of three House lawmakers who sat down on Friday with Attorney General Dana Nessel to discuss what they say are Michigan’s abysmal transparency laws and a broken Lansing political culture that allows tit-for-tat deals to flourish.
The conversation focused mainly on the BRITE Act, a set of bills sponsored by minority House Democrats that would beat back the influence of corporate lobbyists and financial interests on the state Legislature. The package consists of House Bills 4268, 4269, 4270, 4271, 4272 and 4273. It would also give sharper teeth to Michigan campaign and election finance laws, which Nessel has championed throughout her near decade of office. .....................(more)
https://michiganadvance.com/2026/05/22/nessel-michigan-dems-push-whitmer-to-confront-lansings-quid-pro-quo-political-culture/
Profile Information
Gender: MaleHometown: Detroit, MI
Member since: Fri Oct 29, 2004, 12:18 AM
Number of posts: 80,109