curated citations to news sources
Farm Aid 40
MSN: US farmers issue urgent warning of ‘farmageddon’ if Trump doesn’t help with this year’s harvest — is America’s heartland on the edge of ruin?
Sentient: What Is a CAFO, and Is It Different From a Factory Farm?
Most of the meat we consume comes from animals raised on [Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation] CAFOs.
-
Allison Gill: Jack Smith: “The Department of Justice Was My Home…That Home is Now On Fire.”
Former Special Counsel Jack Smith delivered remarks at George Mason University this week, warning of the weaponization of the Justice Department under the Trump administration.
…He spoke at length about what a society absent the rule of law looks like. It’s a society where critics and perceived enemies are targeted in an effort to silence them. One where prosecutors are left to figure out the basis for a case after the fact. And one where friends and allies of the administration face no legal consequences.
“In a society where the rule of law is eroding, you can have a situation where if you’re a Latino citizen… you can be stopped, detained, your liberty taken because of the color of your skin. Or maybe because you were speaking Spanish… whereas we all know that if you were white, that would never happen.”
Smith talked about how it’s vital that career prosecutors follow the facts and the law despite both criticism and praise. “You do the right thing. You do it the right way. And you do it for the right reasons.” He points out that while media pundits and online social media trolls are “noise” that a good prosecutor knows how to tune out, people who demand a specific outcome are also to be ignored. A conscientious prosecutor does what is right by following the facts and the law regardless of external pressure.
But, he says, the current leadership at the Department of Justice has abandoned these principles in favor of reaching desired outcomes dictated by the president. Rather than relying on the process, they ignore norms and values by focusing on those outcomes no matter the cost to the credibility of the institution, and no matter whether the outcomes are legal or just.
Jack Smith gave some recent examples, including the dismissal of the bribery charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams, the targeting of law firms, refusal to open an investigation into the Pentagon Signal chats, and ignoring clear court orders to deport people from the United States.
(Allison Gill more…)Sarah Jones & Jason Easley: Trump’s Plan To Use Charlie Kirk As A Pretext For Crackdown On The Left Is Falling Apart
Law enforcement says that there is no evidence that Charlie Kirk’s killer was tied to any left-wing groups, which is bad news for the president’s plan to crack down on the left.
MSNBC: Tom Homan was investigated for accepting $50,000 from undercover FBI agents. Trump’s DOJ shut it down.
NPR: Trump nominates White House aide to be top US prosecutor for office probing Letitia James
-
Joyce Vance: Paper Clip Protest
On Thursday, E. Jean Carroll started it: Paper Clip Protest.
“Comely Reader! I suggest we all start wearing the paper clip. Subtler than a red hat, more powerful as a CONNECTION,” she wrote, explaining they were also worn during World War II as a sign of resistance against the Nazis.
(Joyce Vance more…)
-
Robert Reich: Confronting tyranny
Seven things we’ve learned
-
Ken Klippenstein: White House Eyes Transgender “Terrorism”
Leaked intelligence doc warns of “trans militant cult”
-
Ruth Ann Crystal MD: COVID & Health News, 9/21/25
Reuters: Chinese COVID whistleblower sentenced to 4 more years in jail
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
Leave a Reply