curated news excerpts & citations
John Pavlovitz: Bad Bunny and MAGA’s Super Bowl of Racism
Within nanoseconds of the NFL announcing that Latin rapper Bad Bunny would be performing the Super Bowl Halftime Show, the Trump cult tore itself away from Charlie Kirk martyrdom, MAGA church shooter retcons, restaurant logo crusades, and pro-ICE posturing to launch into a full-on frenzy of performative white histrionics in protest.
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He is the literal embodiment of the American Dream that the GOP has spent decades waving in our faces.
So, what’s the problem?
Let’s just say it’s a pigmentation issue, with a side order of MAGA cultism and a dash of homophobia thrown in.
As I mentioned, Bad Bunny is from Puerto Rico, which a terrifying number of MAGAs don’t seem to know is an American territory, as they’ve fallen all over themselves to decry the supposed insult of a “non-American” artist playing the Super Bowl. (Something tells me the objections weren’t leveled at the Who or the Rolling Stones or U2, but in those cases the melanin was more compatible and palatable.)
Many of the outraged Right have suggested that ICE should show up at the game and deport Bunny. Deport him from where, exactly? Others have (without merit) bristled at a guy who “doesn’t speak English,” while they still can’t differentiate they’re, their, and there.
This kind of knee-jerk, mob mentality vitriol is what Trump’s movement has fostered and fomented, and what it demands.
A self-described gender-fluid Latin musician who sings predominantly in Spanish has previously criticized Donald Trump and recently lamented the inhumanity of ICE? He must be condemned and vilified and eradicated because membership in the mindless death cult of white American intolerance they now call home requires it.
(John Pavlovitz more…)
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BBC: Momentum is the strength of Trump’s Gaza plan, but lack of detail is its weakness
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The proposed deal looks a lot like a plan put forward by Joe Biden well over a year ago. Since then there has been massive killing of Palestinian civilians, more destruction in Gaza, and now a famine, while Israeli hostages in Gaza have had to endure months more of agony and captivity.There were many reports in the Israeli media that the Biden initiative failed because Netanyahu moved the goalposts with a new set of demands – under pressure from the hard right in his cabinet.
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Adam Kinzinger: Christian Nationalism Is Rising: Trump No Longer the Center of MAGA
From Charlie Kirk’s memorial to statehouse laws, faith is overtaking politics as the driving force in the movement.
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At Kirk’s memorial, the contrast was stark. While Trump recycled campaign lines, others framed Kirk as a martyr. Vance called the event a “revival,” describing Kirk as kneeling before God in heaven. Thousands waved signs referencing Scripture and Turning Point USA. None promoted Trump.Beyond the memorial, Christian nationalism’s reach is undeniable. Senator Josh Hawley openly calls America a Christian nation. Senator Eric Schmitt insists, “America belongs to us [Christians], and only us.” In the House, Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert call themselves Christian nationalists and claim the church should direct government.
Add it all up—the congressional rhetoric, the Kirk event, the wealthy institutions, the state-level legislation—and the movement’s rise is unmistakable. Even billionaire Peter Thiel has embraced “political theology,” warning of an “anti-Christ” in modern society. Though gay himself, Thiel sees Christian nationalism as the next wave of MAGA and wants to ensure it thrives long after Trump fades.
The memorial for Charlie Kirk showed this plainly: Trump is still here, but Christian nationalism is preparing for the day after him.
(Adam Kinzinger more…)
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Qasim Rashid, Esq.: Interview With Bae Franklin Currently on the Flotilla to Gaza
Bae shares her current status as the flotilla nears Gaza, and her message to each of us on how we can support their humanitarian efforts
(Qasim Rashid, Esq. more…)Al Jazeera: Gaza Sumud flotilla: How Israel breaks international maritime law
The Global Sumud Flotilla says its fleet of over 50 ships has entered the ‘high-risk zone.’
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Marisa Kabas: Trump mandates all federal agencies send email blaming Dems for potential gov’t shutdown
Workers call the partisan email “a vile slap in the face.”
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Ken Klippenstein: Oregon National Guard Leader … levels with troops on unpopular mission
Leaked letter from Guard leader
(Ken Klippenstein more…)
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Heather Cox Richardson: Letters from an American – September 30, 2025
(Heather Cox Richardson more…)
Last Thursday, September 25, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth suddenly announced he was calling about 800 of the nation’s top military generals and admirals, along with their top enlisted advisors, to meet at Marine Corps Base Quantico, in Virginia, today. Such a meeting was unprecedented, and its suddenness meant military leaders across the world had to drop everything to run to Washington, D.C., at enormous financial cost for the country. Under those extraordinary circumstances, speculation about what Hegseth intended to say or do at the meeting has been widespread.Now we know. This morning, in front of a giant flag backdrop that echoed the opening scene from the movie Patton, Hegseth harangued the career military leaders, pacing as if he were giving a TED talk. The event was streamed live to the public, making it clear that the hurry to get everyone to Washington, D.C., in person was not about secrecy.
In his speech, Hegseth reiterated his vision of a military based in what he calls the “warrior ethos.” Ignoring the military’s mission of preventing wars through deterrence, its professional and highly educated officer corps, and its modern structure as a triumph of logistics, he told the military leaders that today was “the liberation of America’s warriors, in name, in deed and in authorities. You kill people and break things for a living. You are not politically correct and don’t necessarily belong always in polite society.”
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The military leaders listened to Hegseth without expression, in keeping with the military’s longstanding tradition of rejecting partisanship. While Hegseth paused for applause that did not materialize, he seemed to be playing to the cameras rather than his live audience.In contrast, when President Donald J. Trump took the stage, he seemed uncomfortable at the lack of audience participation in what was essentially a rally speech. “I’ve never walked into a room so silent before,” he began. “This is very interesting. Don’t laugh, don’t laugh. You’re not allowed to do that. You know what? Just have a good time. And if you want to applaud, you applaud. And if you want to do anything you want, you can do anything you want. And if you don’t like what I’m saying, you can leave the room.”
The president who received five draft deferments—four for college, one for bad feet—continued to a room full of career officers: “Of course, there goes your rank, there goes your future. But you just feel nice and loose, okay, because we’re all on the same team. And I was told that, sir, you won’t hear a murmur in the room.”
For the next 70 minutes, he spoke slowly, slurring words, delivering to the hundreds of professionals who had rushed from around the world to attend this meeting a rambling, incoherent stream of words that jumped from what appeared to be prepared remarks to his own improvisation. …
The speech was highly partisan, attacking former president Joe Biden by name eleven times, calling him “the auto pen” and claiming his administration was really run by “radical left lunatics.” “We were not respected with Biden,” Trump said.
…Like Hegseth’s, Trump’s speech seemed to have been designed to announce a new mission for the military. He claimed the U.S. has domestic enemies, “insurrectionists” “paid by the radical left,” and said that cities “that are run by the radical-left Democrats…they’re very unsafe places, and we’re going to straighten them out one by one. And this is going to be a major part for some of the people in this room. That’s a war, too. It’s a war from within…. And I told Pete [Hegseth] we should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military—National Guard, but military—because we’re going into Chicago very soon. That’s a big city with an incompetent governor. Stupid governor.” Trump told the audience that “our inner cities” are “a big part of war now.”
A former defense official told Jack Detsch and Leo Shane III of Politico the meeting was “a waste of time for a lot of people who emphatically had better things they could and should be doing. It’s also an inexcusable strategic risk to concentrate so many leaders in the operational chain of command in the same publicly known time and place, to convey an inane message of little merit.”
Either one of those speeches, in full view of the American public and foreign governments, would be enough to torpedo an administration before Trump. But the day was not over.
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Steven Beschloss: Snapshot: “It’s a War From Within”
Be clear: Trump will further exploit our military to wage war in our cities against our fellow Americans. That was the message he delivered to senior officers today.
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NPR: Sen. Duckworth on Hegseth’s Quantico speech
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Jack Hopkins: The Silent Surrender: What Happened at Quantico When Trump and Hegseth Took the Stage
What America witnessed was not leadership…but the corrosion of command.
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Crooks & Liars: Hegseth: All Non-White Military Leaders Were DEI Promotions
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Al Jazeera: Key takeaways from Trump’s speech to US military generals
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Borowitz: Furious Kim Jong Un Claims Trump Stole His Idea of Gathering Generals
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Newsweek: ICE Agents Rappel From Black Hawk Helicopters Into Chicago for Major Raid
Federal agents rappelled from a Black Hawk helicopter onto the rooftops of Chicago residential buildings, launching a sweeping immigration enforcement operation targeting suspected Tren de Aragua gang members, according to NewsNation.
(Newsweek more…)
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Joyce Vance: The First Amendment (And A Court) Punch Back
Tonight, we have a post that is longer than usual. But a Judge in Boston issued a First Amendment decision that is incredibly important (and long), and we trace his reasoning and some startling conclusions he committed to paper. I hope you’ll stick with me and read to the end.
(Joyce Vance more…)LAWdork: Judge William Young’s ruling against Rubio and Noem is a lesson for all in the Trump era
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Rook T. Winchester: Free Jeanette Vizguerra!
(Rook T. Winchester more…)
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James Eagle: The EU still relies on Russian gas
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The bars show the step down clearly. Russia’s share fell to roughly 23% in 2022, then 15% in 2023. It ticked up to 19% in 2024 as LNG backfilled missing pipeline supply. The European Commission expects about 13% in 2025 if current contracts hold. That is a major reduction, not independence.
(James Eagle more…)
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TNR: Trump’s Rage at Zohran Just Backfired in a Surprisingly Revealing Way
The Democrats who are breaking through are the ones who talk about Trump’s disastrous economic record while also leveling with the public about our slide into authoritarianism.
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Trump’s angry new attack on New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani is a case in point. In a deranged Truth Social rant, Trump threatened to cut off literally all federal money to New York City, should Mamdani prevail.“Remember, he needs the money from me, as President, in order to fulfill all of his FAKE Communist promises,” Trump raged. “He won’t be getting any of it, so what’s the point of voting for him?”
Trump’s threat is open extortion. He is flatly declaring that if New York voters exercise their political aspirations as nominally free and equal citizens by selecting leaders that personally displease him, he will use the federal government to inflict suffering on them however he can. …
But that aside, what’s noteworthy here is that Trump’s threat is backfiring. It’s giving Mamdani a convenient way not just to turn Trump into a foil but also to position himself as fighting to defend his city and its people from Trump’s effort to subjugate and extort them.
(TNR more…)
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Verge: Google is blocking AI searches for Trump and dementia
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Boing Boing: Texas’ Ted Cruz slips pedophiles into list of people he wants to protect
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Borowitz: Hegseth’s Meeting Backfires as Military Audience Starts Chanting, “Epstein, Epstein”
Timeline: Tracking the Trump Justice Department’s Anti-Voting Shift
Tracking the Lawsuits Against Trump’s Agenda
Trump Pardons Database
Project 2025 Tracker
DOGE Tracker
ProPublica: Elon Musk’s Demolition Crew
Wired: 6 Tools for Tracking the Trump Administration’s Attacks on Civil Liberties