curated citations to news sources
Dean Blundell: Trump Just Gave Another Dementia Laden Disastrous Memorial Day Speech
Trump’s slurry, angry message on Memorial Day didn’t include a word about the sacrifices of our veterans and those that serve today…
Trump marked one of America’s most essential and solemn days to attack judges, immigrants, Biden, and the judiciary while bragging about himself and “having everything” in another dementia laden slur fest.
(Dean Blundell more…)
Heather Cox Richardson: Letters from an American – May 26, 2025
President Donald J. Trump’s erratic behavior was on display this weekend in two public speeches: one to this year’s graduates at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, and the other at Arlington National Cemetery. While both speeches are traditionally nonpartisan, Trump indicated he would make them partisan when he wore a red MAGA hat at West Point.
The president began both speeches by sticking to a script but then veered off course. At West Point on Saturday, his speech went on for over an hour. He attacked diversity, equity, and inclusion programs …
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At Arlington National Cemetery on Monday, the president veered off into a dig at his predecessor, President Joe Biden, then noted that he, Trump, will be president for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. And, he added, “Most important of all, in addition, we have the World Cup and we have the Olympics. Can you imagine [if] I missed that four years? And now look what I have. I have everything—amazing the way things work out. God did that, I believe that too.”
Trump’s social media account was similarly inappropriate.
(Heather Cox Richardson more…)
Thom Hartmann: When a President Spits on Unity: The ‘Scum’ Speech That Should Warn Us All
Once you’ve labeled your opponents as subhuman, how do you work with them? How do you compromise? You don’t.
Trump opened Memorial Day in the most disgusting way possible, not by praising our fallen heroes but by attacking Democrats. He wrote on his Nazi-infested social media site on Monday morning:
“Happy Memorial Day to all, including the scum that spent the last four years trying to destroy our country through warped radical left minds…”
Borowitz: Man Feared to Be Cognitively Slipping After Writing Book About Wrong President
Bulwark: Another Indefensible Trump Pardon
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In the midst of his administration’s many attacks on the rule of law, Donald Trump’s pardon yesterday of one Virginia sheriff is barely newsworthy. But it is nonetheless a fire bell in the night, a reminder of the breadth and depth of the Trump administration’s assault on our free society.
(Bulwark more…)
NY Times: Trump Pardoned Tax Cheat After Mother Attended $1 Million Dinner
TNR: Trump Talks “Trophy Wives” but Biden’s Autopen Is the New “Her Emails”
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Dean Blundell: Canadian PM Mark Carney Issues A Stern Warning To Trump Regime
While America deals with another 3.8 years of Trump and the Trump Regime, a new day dawned in Canada with MAGA Killer Prime Minister Mark Carney delivering a stern warning to America in his first statement as Canada’s Prime Minister in The House of Commons: “We Are Athens, They Are Rome, We Will Prevail”
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Athens and Rome shaped governance differently, reflecting contrasting values that still resonate today. Athenian democracy, born in the 5th century BCE, was a radical experiment in direct citizen participation. Canada’s democracy is primarily based on the Athenian model. … In contrast, Roman rule, particularly during the Empire (27 BCE–476 CE) mirrors what Trump is trying to accomplish. Rome was authoritarian, centralizing power in the emperor and a loyal elite. The Senate, once a republican body, became largely advisory under emperors like Augustus or Nero, who wielded absolute authority over laws, military, and religion. Citizens had little direct say, and provincial subjects, including Athens, were governed by Roman appointees.
(Dean Blundell more…)Dean Blundell: King Charles Delivered Carney’s MAGA-Killing Mandate to the Nation
The Throne Speech That Just Declared Canada the Leader of the Free World
In one of the most historically charged and politically loaded moments in Canadian history, King Charles III sat upon the Canadian Royal Throne and delivered a Throne Speech for the ages, crafted by Prime Minister Mark Carney and aimed squarely at the collapsing shell of the American empire.
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And yes—Trump noticed. So did his propaganda machine. Trump personally ordered state-run media (Fox News, OAN, Newsmax) to black out the Throne Speech entirely.
(Dean Blundell more…)
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Ted Gioia: Welcome to the Worldwide Wall
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They really should change the name to worldwide walls. Because every digital platform is now run by its own authoritarian emperor, who is hellbent on building bunkers and barriers.By the way, they are also doing this in their private lives. Even Emperor Aurelian never dreamed of protection as extreme as a web billionaire’s getaway home.
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But I can’t ignore this—because these digital dictators are doing the exact same thing to web users. They dream of locking us up permanently in their online encampments.I recently wrote about the strange phenomenon of the “search engine that doesn’t want you to search.” Google has actually been able to reduce clicking on links by more than a third.
(Ted Gioia more…)
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CNBC: Trump administration moves to cut rest of Harvard contracts with federal government
- The Trump administration moved to terminate all remaining federal government contracts with Harvard University, which are worth a reported $100 million.
- The U.S. General Services Administration claimed that Harvard “continues to engage in race discrimination” in its admission process and other areas of campus life.
- The action came days after the Trump administration banned Harvard from enrolling international students. A federal judge in Boston later temporarily blocked that ban.
(CNBC more…)
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Noah Berlatsky: Trump is withdrawing whiteness from white immigrants
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ICE overreach, violence, and lawlessness is not surprising. But the target of that violence and lawlessness in this case, and in other similar ones, may be a little unexpected. Schmidt is white. So are many others who have run afoul of Trump’s new immigration regime. As Ryan Cooper, the managing of the American Prospect, pointed out, “I did not anticipate ICE goons going after the whitest possible immigrants with American families, jobs, and in good standing legally.”Cooper’s confusion is understandable. During his latest campaign, President Donald Trump made a point of signaling out non-white immigrants for demonization. …
…Trump’s anti-immigrant stance is clearly tied to his white supremacy. And yet, ICE is seizing and according to many reports torturing and mistreating numerous white immigrants — including Jasmine Mooney, a Canadian woman stopped at a border crossing in Canada, chained, and held in detention for 12 days, and Kasper Eriksen, a Danish permanent resident with no criminal record seized on April 15 and held in a Louisiana detention facility ever since.
This is not a mistake or a confusion on Trump’s part. Rather, Trump’s project, in part, is to redefine and narrow the boundaries of whiteness. Recognizing that can help us to understand Trump’s tactics and exploit his weaknesses.
…Since there’s no biological, genetic, or scientific basis for “race,” racial categories and classifications are by necessity arbitrary. There are some Black people who have lighter skin than some white people. Researchers just discovered that Pope Leo XIV had Black ancestors. Does that mean he’s Black? There’s no one right answer, because whiteness and race are determined by social norms and contexts. In some places and some times, Leo might be Black; in others he’d be white, in others he might be considered Creole or mixed. Right now, it’s probably closest to the truth to just say it’s ambiguous.
…Trump is determined to build walls and then more walls around the borders of whiteness because he believes that he can build power by creating more outsiders and more people to hate.
(Noah Berlatsky more…)
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Daily Beast: MAGA Erupts Over ‘60 Minutes’ Correspondent’s Viral Warnings About Trump
SOMETHING HE SAID?
Scott Pelley decried how journalism and freedom of speech are now “under attack” in the U.S.
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“To move forward, we debate, not demonize; we discuss, not destroy. But in this moment, our sacred rule of law is under attack,” Pelley said in the May 19 address, which is now going viral. “Journalism is under attack. Universities are under attack. Freedom of speech is under attack. And insidious fear is reaching through our schools, our businesses, our homes, and into our private thoughts. The fear to speak, in America.”
(Daily Beast more…)Steven Beschloss: Scott Pelley Tells the Truth
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Speaking directly to the students, he said, “I’m a reporter so I won’t bury the lede. Your country needs you. The country that has given you so much is calling you, the Class of 2025. The country needs you, and it needs you today.”
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Breaking Defense: What a historic absence of its top officer means for the Navy
The Navy has never gone this long without a fully empowered chief of naval operations. Former officials and analysts say the consequences of that are stacking up by the day.
(Breaking Defense more…)
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Guardian: White House stunned as Hegseth inquiry brings up illegal wiretap claims
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Law & Crime: ‘Unconstitutional under any view’: Judge enjoins entire Trump executive order targeting law firm that previously employed top Mueller lieutenant
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Axios: U.S. Steel situation gets even stranger
(Axios more…)
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Leonard Slatkin, Musical America: ‘What Happened to My Kennedy Center?’
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In February, all that changed. I was heartbroken when I was informed about the abrupt dismissal of key members of the Kennedy Center staff, including its forward-thinking president, Deborah Rutter.Almost every week since, one reads or hears about others who are leaving, as well as scheduled events being cancelled, mostly not of their own accord. I can only imagine what my friends and colleagues at the orchestra and opera feel every time they step foot into the Kennedy Center. These are among the most talented administrators and musicians in our country. Not knowing what is lurking around the corner must be gut-wrenching. Of course, the arts are not the only sector where insecurity looms, but it is the area I know best.
Why is this dismantling taking place? Everyone has their own theories. Mine takes its cue from Oscar Wilde: “Art is the most intense mode of individualism that the world has known.”
If there is anything that scares the current administration more than individualism, I am not aware of it. Our job as creators and performers is to stimulate free thought. Others may judge the merits of our convictions but should not infringe on our rights to express them.
(Leonard Slatkin, Musical America more…)
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Wired: There’s a Very Simple Pattern to Elon Musk’s Broken Promises
The entrepreneur’s habit of overpromising on deadlines may be frustrating for investors—but for those looking to see whether a Musk pledge will come good, there’s a key phrase to watch out for.
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WIRED examined the history of Musk’s pledges on everything from Full Self Driving, Hyperloop, Robotaxis, and, yes, robot armies, with a view to reminding ourselves, his fans, and investors how reality in Elon’s world rarely matches up to the rhetoric. Tellingly, Musk’s fallback forecast of “next year” turns up repeatedly, only to be consistently proven wrong.
(Wired more…)
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TNR: Trump’s “Golden Dome” Won’t Work—but It’ll Make Elon Musk Richer
For 40 years, missile defense has never been about keeping America safe. It’s all about the contracts.
BBC: North Korea says US ‘Golden Dome’ risks ‘space nuclear war’
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Intercept: U.S. Spy Agencies Are Getting a One-Stop Shop to Buy Your Most Sensitive Personal Data
The government wants to build a centralized platform where spy agencies can more easily buy private info about millions of people.
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Allison Gill: WOW! Judge Murphy is MAD
Over the past several months, judges – including some on the Supreme Court – have been losing patience with the Trump regime’s obfuscations. Today, Judge Murphy is the latest to tear into them for it.
NY Times: Judge Criticizes Government Inaction in Case of Migrants Held in Djibouti
Judge Brian E. Murphy had ordered the Trump administration to offer due process to a group of men whom the government was trying to send to South Sudan.
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Bulwark: Dem Reps Aren’t Done Pushing for Kilmar Abrego Garcia
Congressman Glenn Ivey went to El Salvador over the holiday weekend to try to see the man who has become a symbol of Donald Trump’s deportation regime.
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Jay Kuo: Why Are They Hiding Their Faces?
If ICE agents’ actions are perfectly acceptable, they shouldn’t have to mask their identities
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FreePress: MAGA’s Machiavelli: The Quiet Rise of Michael Anton
A decade ago, the conservative intellectual shocked Washington with his ‘Flight 93 Election’ essay. He’s been gaining altitude ever since.
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Bulwark: Three Essential Next Steps on Ukraine
… The American people don’t want Ukraine to lose. Here are three constructive actions Trump could realistically take.
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Guardian: Remote Wyoming vacation lodge emerges as haven for US ‘dissident’ right
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The dissident right is a term that describes rightwing intellectual currents that go beyond and even attack mainstream conservatives for their perceived concessions to liberals on issues like race, feminism and LGBTQ+ rights. Network state proponents envision a network of extra-national communities that exist beyond the control of nation-states.
(Guardian more…)
Tracking the Lawsuits Against Trump’s Agenda
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