mark
Raw Story
[*] [+] [-] [x] [A+] [a-]  
[l] at 4/18/26 10:14am
The National Rifle Association has issued a statement attempting to explain why President Donald Trump will not attend the latest convention organized by the group. NRA Director of Public Affairs Justin Davis said Trump's absence at the convention this weekend does not reflect a decline in the group's influence, despite some political analysts reading the snub as such. Davis said, "The president is obviously incredibly busy with worldwide affairs right now, and we’re incredibly close to the administration. We work hand-in-glove with them on all kinds of two-way issues."He’s incredibly helpful in everything we’re trying to do here, but we understand that he has very important things to do as well." Davis went on to say that Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and Harmeet Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, would be at the convention. Davis said this meant the "administration will be here with us."But gun control organization GIFFORDS Executive Director Emma Brown, speaking to The Hill, believes that Trump's "embarrassing" snub highlights the collapse of the NRA's influence on the Republican Party and its politics. She said, "It really represents the radical decline in influence that we’ve seen from the NRA in the last five to 10 years. They are hemorrhaging money. They are certainly hemorrhaging political support."It is very unusual for a sitting Republican president to skip the NRA convention, and Trump is now skipping it for the second time in two years. So the NRA doing their very best to cozy up to this administration is certainly not doing them any favors."Davis argued that current CEO Doug Hamlin is "laser-focused on making sure the NRA gets back on track" after The Hill highlighted the massive decrease in political spending between Trump's two presidential campaigns. The NRA issued a $54 million spend on Trump's 2016 campaign and a mere $10 million in 2024. "So it's going to take time," Davis said. "It’s our job to prove it to members and our folks who were upset with the wrongdoings of certain individuals, to show them those folks are gone and that there’s good actors taking care of their beloved organization now."

[Category: Nra, Donald trump]

[*] [-] [-] [x] [A+] [a-]  
[l] at 4/18/26 9:43am
President Donald Trump has put even more pressure on Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell in an escalation of tensions, a political analyst has claimed. Trump has been attempting to remove Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell for months, primarily over monetary policy disagreements. Trump has repeatedly called for Powell to lower interest rates significantly, but Powell has insisted that rates remain elevated to combat inflation. When unable to remove Powell directly by law, Trump pressed for a criminal investigation into Powell through U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro's office, alleging mismanagement of Federal Reserve headquarters renovation costs.MSNow analyst Duncan Levin wrote, "Many American presidents have wanted a more compliant Federal Reserve. And President Donald Trump’s pressure campaign against Fed Chair Jerome Powell has taken tactics to a disturbing level — further eroding the Justice Department’s traditional independence."Simply put, prosecutors were never meant to be part of a president’s plan to break the Fed. A criminal investigation is supposed to determine whether a crime occurred. It is not supposed to become a cloud kept in place because the cloud itself is useful."The investigation has backfired spectacularly for Trump as it blocks confirmation of Trump's replacement nominee, Kevin Warsh, effectively prolonging Powell's tenure rather than ending it.Levin added, "And the criminal investigation is hanging over more than Powell. Trump has named Kevin Warsh as his choice for the next Fed chair. "But Powell has said he intends to remain on the Fed board until the investigation is over, and Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., a member of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, has said he will not vote to confirm Warsh until the DOJ’s probe of Powell is closed. The unresolved criminal probe has become entangled with the leadership transition."Prosecutors wield extraordinary authority. That authority is justified by the expectation that it will be used for law-enforcement purposes, not as a political instrument against independent actors the president wants removed. "This situation has all the problems that accompany selective prosecution as well as the more subtle but equally corrosive use of unresolved criminal process to wear down resistance, damage credibility and make institutional independence more difficult to sustain."

[Category: Federal reserve, Jerome powell, Donald trump]

[*] [-] [-] [x] [A+] [a-]  
[l] at 4/18/26 9:23am
Doubling down on a recent podcast where she excoriated MAGA influencers who are reveling in the attention given to them for turning on Donald Trump, longtime conservative commentator S.E. Cupp pointed out that she got death threats for opposing the president after he took office in 2016 so they get no grace from her.During an appearance on CNN's “Table for Five,“ Cupp launched into an extensive rant aimed at newly minted Trump critics like Megyn Kelly and ex-Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), accusing them of “buyer's remorse.”“I have been out in these streets since 2015 opposing this un-American, anti-democratic, fascistic garbage,” she began. “And while at the same time, these people that they're mentioning, the Marjorie Taylor Greene’s, that name them, the long list have been defending it [MAGA] for fun, for money, for clicks, for fame.”Adding “Not all converts are the same,” she continued, “It's not just for Democrats to decide [acceptance]. It's for never-Trumpers who are conservative as well, to decide we should not be aligning with people who are losers, liars and grifters who have only come to see the light, because either it's politically expedient or it's profitable or whatever.”“For the professional liars, losers and grifters? No, we don't want you!” she exclaimed. “And just because you've come to where we have been for ten years, doesn't mean you get to use us to launder your reputations — not happening on my watch. And I don't like this conversation where it's like, ‘well, shouldn't we give them credit?’ No, no, no credit, no credit. It's the 11th hour. It's the 11th hour of this and he is a lame duck. He has gone in two years, what took you so long?”“This is personal,” she admitted. “I've gotten death threats. I have lived this life at the expense of my profession, the expense of friendships, at the expense of money. I've done it. It's been hard, but it's my conscience telling me to do it. You don't get to flip a switch and say I don't like him anymore.” - YouTubeyoutu.be
[*] [-] [-] [x] [A+] [a-]  
[l] at 4/18/26 8:53am
The Supreme Court's internal disagreements have spilled out into a public display, according to a report profiling the ongoing tensions. The Supreme Court has experienced significant internal friction in recent weeks, marked by heated disputes between liberal and conservative justices. Justice Sonia Sotomayor has publicly criticized Justice Brett Kavanaugh over his handling of immigration cases and civil rights protections. Sotomayor condemned Kavanaugh's concurrence supporting immigration stops based on ethnicity and language, calling his reasoning insufficient.Sotomayor would later apologize publicly to Kavanaugh, whose office did not issue a response to the initial criticism or apology to follow. Analysis from Wall Street Journal columnist James Romoser reads, "As the Supreme Court barrels toward the final stretch of a politically explosive term, its private tensions are surfacing in public. "A series of blunt remarks by three justices in recent days has offered a glimpse into strained personal relationships, ideological divides and internal alarm over how the court is making key decisions."Such candid airing of friction is unusual at the court, where personal discord is normally kept behind closed doors and legal disagreements are rendered in the formal language of written dissents."The remarks all come as the court is under pressure both from its caseload and from President Trump, who has frequently disparaged the justices in recent weeks."Despite the frayed internal relationship for the Supreme Court, there is a sense that the judicial body will still prove to be a problem for Donald Trump. The New York Times's Ross Douthat said, "So, most likely there’ll be some victories for Trump, but there’ll be two really large defeats — birthright citizenship and tariffs. Both are very big issues. Birthright citizenship is more important to the Republican base or the conservative base. Tariffs are obviously close to Trump’s own heart."A year ago there was a lot of conversation, including on this show, about what it would take for Trump to defy the court. In practice, you’ve had a sequence of setbacks for the president that have been met by angry tirades on social media. Some attempts to do end-arounds. But basically, Trump has accepted the power of the court to block him."

[Category: Sonia sotomayor, Brett kavanaugh, Supreme court]

[*] [+] [-] [x] [A+] [a-]  
[l] at 4/18/26 8:19am
During his speech at a sparsely attended Turning Point USA rally in Phoenix on Friday night, Donald Trump started riffing on UFOs and “unexplained aerial phenomena,” which had the entire panel on MS NOW’s “The Weekend” both baffled and amused.The president, as is his habit, jumped from topic to topic, eventually settling on UFO’s, telling the crowd, “I think I'm doing the best job of anybody, really. I recently directed the Secretary of War to begin releasing government files relating to UFOs and unexplained aerial phenomena.”He then added, “I figured this was a good crowd because I know you people, you're really into that. I don't know that I am, I thought I'd save it for this crowd because you're a little bit out there.”Following the clip, co-host Jonathan Capehart had a puzzled look on his face, paused and then offered, “Yes, if you missed it, Trump bragged. We are. We are, quote, ‘Ending wars all over the place,’ with just one little exception. The president also took aim at NATO, calling it, quote, ‘absolutely useless’ and returned to familiar grievances on immigration and trans-athletes.”Turning to guest Dana Milbank from NOTUS, he brought up the UFO comments."I mean, we were chuckling over the UFO files,” he began as Milbank interrupted with “The UFO files, I am with him on that.”“I think if I had had the kind of week that this president had had with Iran, with inflation, with the Pope, I too would be talking about UFOs,” Milbank added. “It didn't begin with that. I mean, I know JD Vance was saying they're all demons, in fact. So the aliens are in fact demons, so this predates.”“So this has been building. I mean, we're going to blow the lid off of this one,” he joked. “Clearly a distraction. 100% approval rating; distraction is urgently needed.” - YouTube youtu.be
[*] [+] [-] [x] [A+] [a-]  
[l] at 4/18/26 8:07am
Republican Party activists are concerned that Donald Trump's war with Iran will cost the party in the midterm elections and more, a Wall Street Journal report is showingRepresentatives and activists fretted over the longer-term impact of the war, with some suggesting voters are already turning on the party. Todd Blodgett, a Republican activist in Iowa, told the Wall Street Journal that there is a "darkening" mood in his state ahead of the midterm elections. "What optimism I did feel pretty much evaporated with this war,” he said. "President Trump is doing what needs to be done, but the price of fertilizer has doubled in Iowa and gas is up 35% to 40% a gallon." Fellow GOP member David Schweikert (R-AZ) simply said, "It looks dour."Wisconsin Republicans have also sounded the alarm on the party's future with the Iran war lingering as a major issue for some voters. In Wisconsin, the state GOP’s executive committee is said to be meeting today (April 18) to discuss the leadership of Chairman Brian Schimming after a recent state supreme court loss.A statement from Schimming, seen by the WSJ reads, "We need to focus on joining together and building our movement to advance victories in November."Thomas Galvin, a Republican Maricopa County supervisor, has also suggested the GOP is not prepared appropriately ahead of the midterms. He said, "I think everybody would be in agreement that the Republican Party is the underdog this November."Dade Phelan, a Republican Texas state representative, believes the party could lose enough seats in Texas alone to pave the way to a Democratic Party majority in the House of Representatives. He told the WSJ that swing voters are more likely to gravitate towards the Democratic Party candidate, James Talarico. "There's definitely a nervous buzz," he said. Estimates show at least eight Texas state House seats flipping in November, and possibly up to the 14 needed to give the majority to the Democrats. The MAGA movement too has fractured sharply over Trump's Iran war, with prominent figures breaking ranks to oppose the conflict. Marjorie Taylor Greene called the war a betrayal of MAGA principles while Tucker Carlson challenged GOP leaders on their lack of Iran policy knowledge.

[Category: Donald trump, Midterms, Republican party]

[*] [-] [-] [x] [A+] [a-]  
[l] at 4/18/26 8:00am
Of the nearly countless unforgivable and often corrupt acts of the Trump administration, very few register as dangerous and threatening as the total politicization of the Department of Justice. The department that used to be entirely hands-off from the White House — and woe to the president that didn't respect that — is now fully functioning not just as Trump's enforcement hammer, but as the political punisher of "enemies." For enemies, read critics. It is now a crime to criticize Trump. That corruption now plays out in the DOJ investigation of Eric Swallwell.Have no doubt, Swallwell should be prosecuted by state authorities if the allegations support it. (And it sounds like they will.) That is how the system is supposed to function. There is no "need" for the federal government to investigate. It is also downright dangerous in this instance.Traditionally, DOJ investigated and prosecuted only select crimes. Three sets of examples come quickly to mind. Federal agents and prosecutors worked to combat major organized and sophisticated cross-state crimes. Typically, mob, drug, and corporate. They also prosecuted civil rights crimes, especially in states that were less interested in doing so. Finally, the federal Justice Department was the only organization suited to investigate and prosecute federal politicians, in Congress and the Executive branch.Thus it was that the Department sat almost entirely independent from the White House. The president could make policy decisions and recommendations: "No jail time for pot offenders." But never, ever, would they be involved in any one investigation — never mind ordering it.Nixon crossed the line. Trump smashed it, and abused it. There is little question that the federal investigation of Swalwell is linked solely to his Trump criticism. But Trump's influence on DOJ isn't limited to high-profile political opponents (though it's certainly that). It also reaches down into the press and everyday people.The policy plays out in two ways. First, there is almost no investigation or prosecution of prominent Trump supporters. Indeed, the department will now even reverse prosecutions entirely — see first the J6er's pardon, and now the lifting of the prosecutions altogether. No one acting in Trump's name is committing a crime worth punishment, in DOJ's view.And, of course, it plays out in the vicious political investigations. Swalwell is being investigated thoroughly by the people who are supposed to investigate allegations against him; now, the DOJ is also digging in. But it doesn't end there; look at the prosecution first of James Comey (tossed by the judge), and the threatened prosecution of Federal Reserve Chairman Powell. (Trump is again threatening to fire him, also a highly dangerous precedent.)Not only is the White House surely directly involved in demanding those prosecutions, but it also then involves itself in the specific investigation. Such behavior used to be an automatic big-time scandal with the word "impeachment" attached. Trump does it openly and notoriously. The subject then turns to the possible single most corrupt presidential act in history, its control of the Epstein investigation.It is very difficult to imagine anything more corrupt than a president who demands that the DOJ stop investigating the Epstein matter on the basis that it might unfairly color innocent people, but also "anger" his friends. Oh, and those examples involve possible suspects other than Trump, never mind that everyone understands that a real Epstein investigation must at least answer some serious questions about Trump directly.It is possible that a president of the United States ordered his Attorney General to scrub all files mentioning him in which he possibly sexually assaulted children. That is breathless corruption. Going forward, the real danger is not just the Trump political prosecutions, but the normalizing of the political prosecution of critics. It is highly unlikely that the current Democratic crop of presidential aspirants (Buttigieg, Newsom, AOC, Beshear, others) would turn to political prosecutions, but it is not impossible. And based on historical norms, it is likely the next GOP president will follow Trump's pattern. Donald Trump has no tools to deal with criticism other than lashing out to hurt the critic. He most certainly doesn't care or consider the precedent going forward, the harm to our system of government, nor his ethical breach. He cares only about "retribution." His insecurities reach such a level that he won't allow the investigation of his major supporters. Crimes in Trump's name are not crimes in Trump's eyes. If the states investigating Swalwell successfully prosecute him, he deserves to spend much of his future in prison. He probably deserves to have the feds investigate him. But it is dangerously wrong for them to do so, especially if Trump ordered it or was done by a DOJ that knows it will make Trump happy. A president who prioritizes and directs the criminal prosecution of his political enemies fits the precise definition of a banana republic dictator. His policy isn't confined to major political names, but reaches down to impact all of us. In that respect, federal involvement in the Swalwell matter is viciously wrong.The extremely tall James Comey once declined President Obama's invitation to simply play basketball at the White House, fearing the appearance of friendship impacted the appearance of DOJ's independence. Trump went straight to directing the prosecution of his enemies and obstructing any investigation into him. That is a dangerously corrupt conflict of interest on a generational scale and blows up a critical pillar of American democracy altogether. Jason Miciak is a Rawstory Columnist at Large, former associate Editor of Occupy Democrats, an author, attorney, and single-parent girldad. He can be reached on Bluesky here, on Twitter, and at jasonmiciak@gmail.com. He also seeks beta readers for his latest novel.

[Category: Corrupt trump]

[*] [+] [-] [x] [A+] [a-]  
[l] at 4/18/26 7:22am
Newly appointed Department of Homeland Security head Markwayne Mullin is already under fire as the agency faces a major challenge, an insider has claimed. Mullin was appointed DHS head to replace the fired Kristi Noem, but has hardly hit the ground running in the new role. Insiders and political analysts believe the pressure is already on for Mullin to unite the Republican Party and improve immigration figures. Mike Howell, who leads the Oversight Project, a far-right watchdog group, told Politico that there is still confusion over Mullin's stances. Howell added, "During this grace period, things have happened that have been counter to the mass deportation cause, and nothing seems to have happened that is in favor of the mass deportation cause."A person close to the White House, who was granted anonymity to discuss the story, has suggested this could be a bigger issue than one of policy at the DHS. They claimed, "Is it simply an image issue, or is it also an image and a policy issue? I think they’re trying to navigate all of that. That’s going to be his biggest challenge, dealing with what the base wants, but also what the donors and advisers want."Politico analysts Eric Bazail-Eimil and Myah Ward added the ongoing DHS shutdown has not helped Mullin, who is struggling to stabilize the department less than a month into the job. They wrote, "Mullin also continues to face the complexities of a weekslong shutdown of the department over the Trump administration’s immigration policies. Legislation to end the shutdown has stalled. "Republican leaders in Congress say they are renewing the push to fund DHS next week, but it’s unclear if enough Republicans and Democrats will vote to finally break the impasse."Trump himself acknowledged the tall order ahead of Mullin in remarks at a White House Easter Brunch in March, where he said he plucked Mullin from a safe seat in the Senate to 'three years of turmoil at DHS.'"Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) believes the changes Mullin has made so far are "largely superficial and cosmetic" and that he is yet to oversee a "basic change in the substance of policies, which are supposed to be going after the worst of the worst."Democratic Party officials are not the only opposition to Mullin, with Senator Jim Justice (R-W.V.) saying the Republican Party must step in should the uncertainty continue. "We've got to give him time to get his feet on the ground," Justice said. "Three months and a day, if we're sputtering and everything else - different animal."

[Category: Department of homeland security, Markwayne mullin]

[*] [+] [-] [x] [A+] [a-]  
[l] at 4/18/26 6:39am
A claim by acting Attorney General Todd Blanche that there is great happiness within the Trump administration –– and the Department of Justice –– was shot down by a former high-ranking DOJ official on Saturday morning.Appearing on MS NOW’s “The Weekend,” former DOJ pardon attorney Liz Oyer not only dismissed the Blanche boast but also admitted she found it highly humorous.In an interview, Blanche, who replaced the fired Pam Bondi, stated, “[Trump] is somebody who has high expectations for his Cabinet and for this administration. It's not just the Department of Justice, it's in every single area. And so that type of communication from President Trump should make every American happy, because it means that there's an executive, a chief executive, that is making sure every one of his Cabinet members are working as hard as they should.”Asked for comment, Oyer smiled and replied, “It's not even funny, but I literally laughed out loud when I first heard Todd Blanche say that. And I laugh every time I hear him say that because it's so absurd. No one is happy about what's happening at the Justice Department right now. It is a travesty, it is ruining the justice system in our country.”Pressed if Blanche is “auditioning” to keep Bondi's former job, Oyer had a ready answer.“That's exactly what's going on around the entire Justice Department. It's this cast of insane characters who are falling all over themselves to try to impress the big boss in the hopes that they will be the next Pam Bondi.” - YouTube youtu.be
[*] [+] [-] [x] [A+] [a-]  
[l] at 4/18/26 6:23am
Department of Defense head Pete Hegseth will take part in a Bible reading project just days after an embarrassing Pentagon prayer group reading. Hegseth, who has been at odds with military chaplains in the last few weeks over comments made about the war in Iran, will provide a reading along with President Donald Trump, Ben Carson, and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. The New York Times confirmed Hegseth's inclusion in the project, with Ruth Graham writing yesterday, "Participants include the secretary of state, Marco Rubio; the secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth; and the transportation secretary, Sean Duffy."The event has been in the works for more than a year, envisioned in part as an invitation for leaders to 'humble themselves in front of the American people' in anticipation of the country’s 250th anniversary, Ms. Pounds said. Under the Trump administration, official celebrations appear poised to emphasize the Christian roots of the nation’s founding."America Reads the Bible will run from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. for a week, starting with Genesis 1 on Sunday and ending with the last chapter of Revelation on Saturday evening. "Most participants will read their passages live at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, but some high-profile participants prerecorded their segments."Hegseth's inclusion in the project had likely been recorded before he delivered an embarrassing moment during a Pentagon prayer service. A clip of Hegseth speaking to the Pentagon staff has since been circulated on X, with Hegseth heard reciting the verse delivered by Samuel L. Jackson in the film.Hegseth introduced the prayer as CSAR 2517, which stands for Combat Search and Rescue, according to Public Witness. CSAR 2517 is in fact Ezekiel 25:17, a passage delivered by Jackson's character, Jules Winnfield, in Pulp Fiction.At a previous Pentagon prayer service, Hegseth invoked religious language to justify military violence, saying, "Let every round find its mark against the enemies of righteousness and our great nation. Give them wisdom in every decision … and overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy."

[Category: Donald trump, Pentagon, Religion, Pete hegseth]

[*] [+] [-] [x] [A+] [a-]  
[l] at 4/18/26 5:48am
President Donald Trump has made the war with Iran much trickier after prematurely declaring victory, a political analyst has warned. Trump took to Truth Social and made a series of posts regarding the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. One post reads, "President Xi is very happy that the Strait of Hormuz is open and/or rapidly opening. Our meeting in China will be a special one and, potentially, Historic. I look forward to being with President Xi — Much will be accomplished! President DONALD J. TRUMP."Another saw Trump declare the matter of reopening the strait over. "Now that the Hormuz Strait situation is over, I received a call from NATO asking if we would need some help," he wrote yesterday. "I TOLD THEM TO STAY AWAY, UNLESS THEY JUST WANT TO LOAD UP THEIR SHIPS WITH OIL. They were useless when needed, a Paper Tiger! President DJT."But in declaring victory with the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, which has since been closed once again according to Iranian media, Trump has made ending the war with Iran that much trickier. The Preparedness and Politics Substack argues that the declaration of victory so close to the new closure makes peace a much tougher conclusion to the war. They wrote, "For shipping markets and insurance underwriters, the political contradiction is itself risk. "When the US president publicly declares victory while ten thousand US personnel actively enforce a blockade that the other party calls illegal and threatens to retaliate against, the contradiction is a reason to keep rates high. "If Iran reneges on the opening — as the April 7-8 pattern suggests is entirely possible — lifting the blockade in response becomes harder, not easier, because Trump has already claimed the situation is resolved."A new closure of the Strait of Hormuz was confirmed by Iranian military operational command, Khatam Al Anbiya, with a statement accusing the US of "maritime piracy and theft".The statement reads, "For this reason, control of the Strait of Hormuz has reverted to its previous state, and this strategic waterway is under the strict management and control of the armed forces. "Until the US restores the complete freedom of navigation for vessels from an Iranian origin to a destination, and from a destination back to Iran, the situation in the Strait of Hormuz will remain strictly controlled and in its previous state."President Trump previously imposed a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz as part of his escalating Iran war strategy, declaring he would "immediately eliminate" Iranian Navy vessels attempting to breach it.

[Category: Iran, Donald trump]

[*] [+] [-] [x] [A+] [a-]  
[l] at 4/18/26 5:36am
Donald Trump's ability to pack arenas is evaporating. The president who once filled sports venues across the country couldn't even come close to filling a 4,500-seat Arizona church on Friday night, exposing the dramatic erosion of his political momentum.According to the Washington Post, Trump was the featured speaker at a Turning Point USA rally in Phoenix at Dream City Church. Despite his boast earlier in the day on Truth Social about addressing a "BIG CROWD," the turnout was sparse and underwhelming.The attendance numbers tell the story. A Turning Point USA spokeperson claimed only about 3,000 people attended — meaning the church was roughly two-thirds full at best. For a president who once commanded arena-sized audiences, the half-empty megachurch represents a stunning reversal.The demographic breakdown was equally telling, reports the Post. The megachurch was supposed to be a venue for Trump to drum up support among young voters. Instead, he found an audience whose members skewed older and were focused on divisions within their own party.Even longtime supporters were shocked by the sparse crowd. One Trump voter, Diane Niemann, a retired dental hygienist, told the Post she was "was not planning to come to the Friday event until she saw there was hardly a line to get in.""I'm totally shocked," Niemann said.The causes are multiple and converging. Voter dissatisfaction with Trump's unpopular Iran war is depressing turnout. The declining fortunes of TPUSA after founder Charlie Kirk was killed have weakened the organization's mobilization capacity. And underlying economic anxieties are sapping enthusiasm.Niemann herself acknowledged the political vulnerability. She's worried about the midterm elections, and her daughter in Las Vegas has been complaining about gas prices, the Post noted. At $4.98 per gallon, even longtime political activists can read the political tea leaves.
[*] [-] [-] [x] [A+] [a-]  
[l] at 4/18/26 3:30am
Dear Marjorie Taylor Greene,Thank you for standing up against unnecessary war, advocating for Epstein’s victims, and for defending the spiritual side of Christianity against Trump’s recent blasphemy.Our mutual friend Congressman Ro Khanna (who you worked with on the Epstein legislation) reached out to you a few months ago about dropping by on my radio/TV program to have a friendly conversation; I haven’t heard back, but figured I’d reach out this way to suggest some things we could discuss.You’re one of the few high-profile Republicans who’s not only disagreed with Trump on policy but has also clearly seen through his con-man façade of competence and, frankly, sanity. Well done! But let’s go a bit farther and talk policy, including a few areas where we may even agree…HealthcareAmerica spends about twice as much as any other developed country in the world on healthcare, yet we have a lower lifespan and poorer outcomes than any other similar nation. We spend about $14,885 per person per year, while the average among other developed countries is about $5,967 (according to the OECD). Even Mexico, President Sheinbaum announced this week, will have comprehensive free national healthcare (including drugs) within 2 years.Some of your Republican colleagues will say our poor outcomes are because we have “too many Black people” (referencing Prudential’s Frederick Hoffman’s old “genetically inferior Blacks” story that dominated healthcare and insurance policy in the 1910-1965 era covered in detail in my book on the Hidden History of American Healthcare). I’ve had several conservatives reference that old canard when they’ve come on my show. But that’s just a racist myth, and the proof is that these numbers hold for poor whites, too; just look at the numbers in overwhelmingly white West Virginia, for example.As a conservative, I’d guess you’d be outraged by the billions of our healthcare dollars that are being shoveled into the money bins of the insurance and hospital giants. Your colleague Senator Rick Scott, for example, ran a hospital chain convicted of the largest Medicare fraud in American history at the time and walked away from it with hundreds of millions in his money bin; it financed his run for governor and senator from Florida. “Dollar Bill” McGuire, the first CEO of United Healthcare, left with over $1.5 billion from his gig (although he had to return a few hundred million to avoid going to jail for fraud).The Medicare Advantage scam is costing Americans billions a year and that profit all goes directly to the stockholders and executives of massive insurance companies. And now Trump is inserting for-profit insurance companies into real Medicare in 6 states as an “experiment” and Dr. Oz is talking about replacing real Medicare with Advantage plans as the default when people turn 65. Millions of dollars are going into the pockets of politicians of both parties (but mostly Republicans) who support this fleecing of the American people.If America just did what every other developed country in the world has done, we’d preserve a fortune and save an estimated 68,000 lives and a half-trillion-dollars a year. And, as any EU citizen can tell you, the service will be better! That seems like something a conservative could get behind?EducationAmerica is the only country in the developed world where a person goes deeply into debt to get an education; an advanced degree can create a debt that takes decades to pay off, and is preventing young people from getting married, buying a home, starting a family, and discouraging would-be entrepreneurs like yourself from starting a small business.When we gave returning GIs from WWII free college, almost 8 million young men and women not only got free tuition from the 1944 GI Bill but also received a stipend to pay for room, board, and books, as about half of Europe’s countries do today. And the result — the return on our government’s investment in those 8 million educations — was substantial.The best book on that time and subject is Edward Humes’ Over Here: How the GI Bill Transformed the American Dream, summarized by Mary Paulsell for the Columbia Daily Tribune:“[That] groundbreaking legislation gave our nation 14 Nobel Prize winners, three Supreme Court justices, three presidents, 12 senators, 24 Pulitzer Prize winners, 238,000 teachers, 91,000 scientists, 67,000 doctors, 450,000 engineers, 240,000 accountants, 17,000 journalists, 22,000 dentists and millions of lawyers, nurses, artists, actors, writers, pilots and entrepreneurs.”When people have an education, they not only raise the competence and vitality of a nation; they also earn more money, which stimulates the economy. Because they earn more, they pay more in taxes, which helps pay back the government for the cost of that education.In 1952 dollars, the GI Bill’s educational benefit cost the nation $7 billion. The increased economic output over the next 40 years that could be traced directly to that educational cost was $35.6 billion, and the extra taxes received from those higher-wage-earners was $12.8 billion.In other words, the US government invested $7 billion and got a $48.4 billion return on that investment, about a $7 return for every $1 invested.In addition, that educated workforce made it possible for America to lead the world in innovation, R&D, and new business development for three generations. We invented the transistor, the integrated circuit, the internet, new generations of miracle drugs, sent men to the moon and reshaped science.Wouldn’t any rational conservative agree with former Republican President Eisenhower and his Vice President Richard Nixon that that’s a good deal for America? I realize the big banks who make billions in profits from all that student debt regularly pour millions into the coffers of your Republican colleagues, but shouldn’t America’s interest and and that of hard-working Americans come first?TaxesWhen Ronald Reagan came into office in 1981, two-thirds of Americans were in the middle class and could get and stay there with a single paycheck. Today it’s only 43 percent of us who qualify for that, and, to add insult to injury, it takes two paychecks to get there. In large part that’s because of Republican “trickle down” economics.When Reagan came into office, the top tax rate on the morbidly rich was 74% and corporations 50%. That encouraged wealthy people to make tax-deductible donations to charity and stop taking money out of their companies after the first three million or so a year (in today’s dollars) when the top rates began to kick in. Billionaires weren’t even a thing, mostly, at the time; now we have a guy who’s about to become a trillionaire.CEOs and senior managers often lived in the same neighborhoods as their workers, although their homes were a bit spiffier. Just look at old sitcoms from the ‘50s and ‘60s and you’ll see what I mean. It also encouraged companies to invest their surplus money into R&D, new products and expansion, and better wages and benefits for their workers (all tax-deductions that helped them avoid paying corporate income taxes). Today, instead, since Reagan legalized stock buybacks (it used to be a felony called “stock price manipulation”), CEO’s recycle their companies’ money into buybacks to artificially inflate the value of the stock and thus their bonuses.When Reagan came into office in 1981, the total national debt was about $800 billion — less than one trillion dollars — and had been going down every year since the end of WWII. If you add up the total value of Reagan tax cuts, the GW Bush tax cuts, and both sets of Trump tax cuts — all heavily weighted toward the obscenely rich — you’ll discover that the number is well north of the current $38 trillion of our national debt.In other words, under those three Republican presidents America borrowed — in your name, my name, and our kids’ and grandkids’ names — $38 trillion and handed it all to the Musks and Zuckerbergs and Bezos of our country so these “Masters of the Universe” could compete to see who could build the largest mega-yacht, shoot themselves highest into outer space on penis-shaped rockets, or build the most elaborately outfitted doomsday bunker.If we went back to the tax rates we had when Reagan came into office, working class people would see a major tax break, the morbidly rich would have to again pay their fair share, and corporations would once again be incentivized to innovate their products and pay their employees enough to revive the middle class.Wouldn’t a reasonable conservative think that’s a good deal for America? Eisenhower and Nixon certainly did; even Republican President Jerry Ford agreed and kept the top tax rate at 90%.There are multiple other issues we could discuss and probably agree on. They include the benefits of:— Building out public transportation like China, Japan, South Korea, and most of Europe have done;— Cleaning up our air and water to save lives and slow down these increasingly deadly weather disasters (you do believe in science, right?);— Protecting our public lands from greedy fossil fuel billionaires;— Passing Republican James Langford’s immigration legislation to get undocumented people out of the country without brutality while cleaning up our immigration mess going forward;— Getting off our addiction to fossil fuels and the Middle East;— And even the “small government” idea of letting queer people and non-Christians simply live their lives in peace and quiet.We can discuss these things or any issue you’d like; you can also talk directly to my listeners and viewers all across the country. Every week members of Congress come on my show for a full hour to take calls from listeners; you’re welcome to do the same, too, if you’d like. Bernie Sanders did that every week for 11 years. Ro Khanna is one of my regulars and has been for years; he can tell you all about it.Hoping to hear from you.
[*] [+] [-] [x] [A+] [a-]  
[l] at 4/17/26 8:30pm
Thirty six Texas Democrats — including a congressional candidate, a former Texas House member and former party staffers — are urging Kendall Scudder to forgo reelection as chair of the Texas Democratic Party, citing operational failures and a “hostile work environment” fostered by his leadership over the past year.“We have seen a Texas Democratic Party that makes bold promises to voters and candidates, yet cannot answer basic questions about strategy,” reads the open letter, which continues to garner signatures. “A Party that speaks of urgency but fails to act on it. A Party that asks for trust and money it has not earned.”With “urgency and deep frustration,” the signers called on Scudder to step aside.“Mr. Scudder, the Texas Democratic Party cannot afford another four years of operational failure,” the letter says.The letter, signed by a substantial contingent of party insiders, reflects a persistent level of discontent among Texas Democrats after changes made by Scudder, including decentralizing the party’s base from Austin and overhauling staff positions, threw the party into a state of upheaval last fall. Among the signers of the letter are the Rev. Frederick Haynes III, the likely successor to U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett in Texas’ 30th Congressional District, and former state Rep. Mark Stiles, who represented East Texas from 1983-99. Eleven former staffers were identified only by their vacated TDP position and one signed as a House “political professional” for fear of professional or legal repercussions. The Texas Tribune verified the identities of the former staffers.The open letter comes as Democrats look to November as a prime opportunity to make major gains all over the ballot, with massive turnout in last month’s primary election and favorable political tailwinds nationwide boosting Democratic energy and optimism.Scudder did not provide an on-the-record statement in response to requests from the Tribune. He did not respond to two text messages and a call Friday seeking comment. Some Texas Democrats defended Scudder’s leadership, calling him accessible and pointing to positive developments, including a wider party presence across the state and paying off a $500,000 party debt that he inherited.“The primary speaks for itself,” said Angel Viator Smith, chair of the TDP’s Finance Committee, pointing to Democratic turnout exceeding Republican turnout. Scudder was elected chair by the party’s governing board in March 2025 after the previous leader, Gilberto Hinojosa, resigned following Democrats’ blowout losses in 2024. Texas Democrats will select a chair for a four-year term at the party’s convention in June. The deadline for candidates to file to run is April 24. Scudder has not yet filed for reelection.The letter covers a range of concerns with Scudder's leadership, arguing the TDP failed to maintain an up-to-date voter file that supports campaign outreach and didn't properly prepare Democratic voters in two counties for the loss of countywide voting locations on primary election day last month.Hundreds of voters were turned away from the polls March 3 in Dallas and Williamson counties, unaware that the county Republican parties months prior had forced a switch to precinct-based voting for both Republican and Democratic voters.Despite knowing about the change for months, the letter reads, the TDP failed to adequately prepare voters and instead “forced our Party into reactive damage control.”“This is not responsible stewardship of our Party. It is mismanagement with consequences that will be felt well beyond a single election cycle,” the letter reads. “Texas Democrats deserve a leader that anticipates threats, prepares exhaustively and executes on program. Your leadership has not met that standard.”Dallas County Democratic Party Chair Kardal Coleman said it was hard to predict how chaotic the switch to precinct-level voting would be. The county and state Democratic parties, he said, worked together before election day to game out what the change would look like, and on the March 3 primary to help voters find their assigned polling sites. Coleman added that the county party had successfully lobbied the Dallas County Commissioners Court to spend $1 million on a campaign to educate voters about the change.Coleman said he thought Scudder was “working around the clock,” and that he had not seen a party chair who had “put in as many hours to be one, accessible, but also responsive to the needs of the state.”“He’s been an amazing surrogate for the issues and the platform that our party wants to put forward,” Coleman said.In a statement after seeing the full letter and signers, Coleman said that “the sentiments of the letter should not be dismissed. Coordination and election preparedness are foundational. We owe that to our voters.”The letter also highlighted the state party’s failure to maintain an up-to-date voter file, which campaigns rely on to shape voter outreach. The letter cited “little evidence of sustained public pressure on the Texas Secretary of State or proactive collaboration with Democratic counties” to ensure accurate voter data and precinct maps.In an interview last month, TDP Executive Director Terri Burke said the party’s voter file was out of date because the Texas secretary of state’s office had provided incomplete voter lists. The party met with the agency to address problems it saw in the data, but “most of this is totally outside our control,” she said.Ethan Lipka, the party’s former data director who left in early February, added county election administrators across the state had faced problems uploading data to the secretary of state.“There’s a lot to criticize the TDP over, but I think this is a really clear case where the SOS failed,” he told the Tribune.The letter also described “concerning employer practices that stand in direct violation of our Party's values,” claiming former staffers spoke of “being exposed to racism and a hostile work environment, which stripped away core responsibilities from staffers, deliberate misreporting of debt and being forced out and replaced by consultants.”“Party leadership has demonstrated a willingness to consolidate power at all costs, actively working to exclude or replace those who offer alternative approaches,” the letter reads.Viator Smith, the party’s finance committee chair, argued that the letter’s concerns would not be solved by a change in leadership. “The fact of the matter is that Kendall has been across the entire state, energizing the base across the entire state,” she said. “With the momentum that is being built, the positive reaction to decentralization and the massive primary turnout — I don't understand why we wouldn’t continue with this leadership.”Renzo Downey contributed reporting.Disclosure: Texas secretary of state has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.This article first appeared on The Texas Tribune. PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: "https://www.texastribune.org/2026/04/17/texas-democratic-party-kendall-scudder-open-letter/", urlref: window.location.href }); } }
[*] [+] [-] [x] [A+] [a-]  
[l] at 4/17/26 7:58pm
The National Guard’s top general told Congress on Friday that it would follow the Constitution and the law when he was asked about the possibility President Donald Trump would order troops to polling places for the midterm elections.The remarks at a U.S. House Appropriations subcommittee hearing came as Democratic lawmakers also voiced unease over the continuing deployment of nearly 2,500 National Guard members in Washington, D.C.Rep. Joe Morelle, a New York Democrat, asked Gen. Steven Nordhaus, chief of the National Guard Bureau, what assurances he could provide to Americans concerned about the deployment of troops at the polls.“The National Guard, obviously, always follows the Constitution, law, policy and guidance, both at the federal and the state level,” Nordhaus said.Federal law prohibits the deployment of the military to polling places unless necessary “to repel armed enemies of the United States,” and violations are punishable by up to five years in prison.Trump has said that he should have ordered the National Guard to seize ballot boxes during the 2020 election, which he falsely maintains was stolen. Steve Bannon, a former Trump adviser, has publicly urged the president to send the military and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, agents to patrol the polls.Trump last year deployed National Guard members to several Democratic-led cities, in some instances federalizing them against the will of governors, who typically command National Guard members. He also sent active-duty Marines into Los Angeles. Opponents of the deployments expressed fears that they represented a test run for intimidating voters.While the deployment to the District of Columbia continues, Trump withdrew troops from other cities after the Supreme Court in December left in place a lower court decision barring a deployment in Chicago.Rep. Betty McCollum, a Minnesota Democrat, questioned how long the D.C. deployment is sustainable. She also referred to reporting by ABC News that the Pentagon intends to keep troops in D.C. through the end of Trump’s term in January 2029.“Picking up waste in the District of Columbia does not prepare anyone for conflicts that could arise in Europe, Asia and the Middle East,” McCollum said.Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Michael Moline for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com.
[*] [+] [-] [x] [A+] [a-]  
[l] at 4/17/26 7:48pm
Reports this week indicated that Scott Kirby, the CEO of United Airlines, went directly to President Donald Trump to sell him on the idea of a merger with American Airlines, a move that would leave the U.S. aviation industry with just two "legacy" carriers.At least for now, however, executives at American are shooting down the idea, and publicly repudiated it in a statement posted to X that nonetheless overflowed with effusive praise for the Trump administration."We appreciate the leadership and strong support of President Trump, Secretary Duffy and numerous other leaders in the Administration who have demonstrated expertise and an ongoing commitment to continue to improve the world's best aviation industry," began the statement."American Airlines is not engaged with or interested in any discussions regarding a merger with United Airlines," the statement continued. "While changes in the broader airline marketplace may be necessary, a combination with United would be negative for competition and for consumers, and therefore inconsistent with our understanding of the Administration's philosophy toward the industry and principles of antitrust law. Our focus will remain on executing on our strategic objectives and positioning American to win for the long term.""We look forward to continuing to work collaboratively with the Administration as it takes steps to strengthen the broader airline industry," the statement concluded.This follows reporting that industry lobbyists seeking approval for megamergers that might skirt antitrust law have broadly adopted a strategy of lobbying Trump and those immediately around him directly, rather than going through the traditional attorneys at the Justice Department in charge of reviewing such deals.
[*] [+] [-] [x] [A+] [a-]  
[l] at 4/17/26 7:34pm
A former federal prosecutor raised the alarm Friday that the Trump administration may intervene to help a charged ICE agent dodge accountability after a Minnesota county issued a nationwide arrest warrant — and the agent had not yet been taken into custody.Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr., an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, was charged Thursday with two felony counts of assault after pointing his service weapon at two Minneapolis residents sitting in their car during a traffic dispute in February. Morgan was driving an unmarked rented SUV on a highway shoulder when a motorist partially blocked his path. After the car returned to the legal lane, Morgan pulled alongside and drew his gun.The victims, who had no idea they were dealing with a federal agent, immediately called 911.Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty, who called the charges the first of their kind against a federal immigration agent in the country, issued a nationwide arrest warrant. As of Thursday, there was no word on Morgan's whereabouts or whether he had been taken into custody.That detail alarmed former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner, who publicly raised the possibility that the Trump administration could "hide him out" and help Morgan "evade being taken into custody by Minnesota state authorities.""ICE agents don't have the power or the authority to enforce state traffic laws," Kirshner noted."There is no such thing as absolute immunity for federal agents who violate the law in the state of Minnesota," Moriarty insisted.Kirschner warned that once Morgan is taken into custody, his attorneys will almost certainly attempt to move the case to federal court, where the Trump administration would have far more influence over the outcome.Moriarty said more charges against other federal agents are expected.
[*] [+] [-] [x] [A+] [a-]  
[l] at 4/17/26 7:20pm
FBI Director Kash Patel was the subject of an explosive article in The Atlantic on Friday, accused of being a problem drinker, frequently absent from his duties, whose paranoid outbursts border on being a threat to national security. Patel has broadly denied these allegations, and an FBI communications official threatened to sue over the story.But the effect elsewhere on the internet was swift, as commenters reacted to the colorful details."This story is well worth your time. They really got Bluto in charge of the FBI," wrote fellow Atlantic reporter Jemele Hill."FBI Director Kash Patel should already have been fired for his lies about the Epstein investigation; for flying on taxpayer’s dime to party at places like the Olympics; and for gross mismanagement," wrote Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA). "If the allegations in this article are true, Patel should be fired immediately.""Let’s be clear: half of Trump’s cabinet is a national security vulnerability. Trump himself included," wrote Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ)."From extramarital affairs to wasting millions on luxury jets to drunken escapades to corrupt business dealings this is an administration of corrupt, unqualified & incompetent clowns," wrote former Democratic National Committee chair Jaime Harrison.Podcaster Kyle Seraphin focused in on the detail that FBI officials reportedly tried to requisition SWAT "breaching equipment" to access offices Patel had drunkenly locked himself inside, saying, "A subpoena to the TL of the security detail would make that hearing worth watching.""Drunk Podcasters shouldn’t be leading the FBI," wrote Leaders We Deserve director David Hogg."Kash Patel got so drunk that his security team requested breaching equipment because he was unresponsive behind locked doors," wrote policy consultant Adam Cochran. "The man is not only incompetent and under qualified but a massive national security risk. At a time when top scientists with clearances are disappearing we’ve got this clown binge drinking and partying!""Sounds like an ideal appointment if the goal is to reduce America to a second rate power so autocracies can thrive," wrote authoritarianism expert Ruth Ben-Ghiat.
[*] [+] [-] [x] [A+] [a-]  
[l] at 4/17/26 6:56pm
HARLINGEN — For more than a decade, Diana Padilla has been teaching Texans in the Rio Grande Valley how to farm.For four hours on Sundays, she and her husband, Saul Padilla, would help their student farmers at a community garden the couple had set up on their farm by preparing the soil for them, teaching them how to use the space, and telling them what would be good to plant and what wouldn’t be.“We were mostly there for, like, pep talk,” Padilla said.The idea for the community garden came from their weekends spent at the farmer’s market, where some people couldn’t afford their organic vegetables. If the people couldn’t afford them, Padilla thought, maybe she could teach them how to grow their own. Her mission dramatically expanded when, in the summer of 2023, she learned she had been awarded a federal grant to teach the rest of the state how to till the land.Her nonprofit, HOPE for Small Farm Sustainability, had received $7.5 million to educate Texans interested in farming. As part of the grant, Padilla could hire educators in other regions outside the Valley and purchase land to harvest.Her first hire lived about 500 miles away in Kaufman County, near Dallas. Padilla was on the cusp of hiring three more people in Central Texas. But her plans to expand came to a sudden halt last month when the U.S. Department of Agriculture notified her that the government was terminating the grant as part of President Donald Trump’s pledge to eliminate Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs.“It was heartbreaking,” Padilla said.In a March 23 letter, the USDA said it canceled the grant following a review of the Increasing Land, Capital, and Market Access Program, which was started during the Biden administration. The USDA alleged that the program was “rife with DEI preferences” and an example of wasteful spending.Padilla vowed to appeal the decision. She said there was nothing about her program — which is open to anyone interested in learning about farming — that explicitly focused on DEI. She was adamant her organization would debunk allegations of wasteful spending.Now, HOPE has a slim window to convince the federal government to restore funding. If Padilla cannot, at risk are her efforts to empower would-be farmers amid a dramatic trend of farm loss across Texas, and to ensure the agriculture economy persists outside of big farming. “We are going to appeal, but we're going to need everybody's support,” Padilla said. “We have an obligation to safeguard our food system for the future of Texas.”One-on-one training Jamie Cumming had been teaching local residents in Kaufman County about gardening and foraging. She ran a small homestead academy she led from her home and small farm. As a struggling small farmer with six children, she couldn’t afford to teach all the skills she wanted to pass on for free, so she was excited to learn about HOPE and that it was looking to hire educators across the state to teach aspiring farmers what they needed to know to build a sustainable farm.She took the job in October 2024 and has held workshops a few times a month that are open to anyone who wants to learn how to farm, along with classes at the community garden.But because of the USDA’s decision to pull the grant, the programming and Cumming’s job in Kaufman County ended.“It's a big disappointment, because it was going so well,” Cumming said.HOPE had paid for equipment such as a tiller, drip line, landscape fabric and seeds. It’s also paid for water, a classroom and educational guest speakers.About 27 people had been assigned a plot of land in Kaufman County that the county is allowing them to use. The aspiring farmers ranged from young families to a 78-year-old woman who farmed when she was younger.Cumming said she didn’t collect demographic data from the people who attended her workshops. She estimated she had about four Black or Hispanic participants among the 27 farmers.What most had in common was that they had full-time jobs and were trying to learn how to farm during their free time. Part of their education included learning about the right season for certain plants to grow, how to irrigate, how to identify plants, and how to mix seed-starting soil.“That one-on-one training has really been a blessing for so many who are trying "to do this,” Cumming said. “We need to help that and let that flourish.”Funding for the USDA’s Increasing Land program came from the American Rescue Plan Act, a Biden-era COVID-19 relief bill, to improve access to land. However, the agency, which is now under the Trump administration’s leadership, concluded that the grant awards did little to improve land access.“Under the guise of increasing land access for producers, the Increasing Land, Capital, and Market Access Program included no minimum requirement for direct producer support,” the USDA said in a statement to The Texas Tribune. “Instead, the program permitted the abuse of federal funds, including expenditures on the purchasing of a barbeque smoker, construction of a gazebo, massages, and for one awardee, a $20,000 budget for ink pens alone.”The agency did not respond to questions specifically about HOPE and its activities. Padilla insists she spent the money correctly. Of the $7.5 million grant, HOPE had spent less than 10%. Most of the $700,000 that has been spent was used for equipment and education for farmers.The majority of the grant funds, 59%, were budgeted to purchase additional land, but none of those transactions had been completed.Padilla said HOPE had identified and was close to purchasing four properties in Central Texas — close to Houston, San Antonio, and Austin — for people in those areas who were interested in farming. The land would have been used for community farming that early-stage farmers could share and continue learning.Losing farm land Padilla and her husband started their own farm, Yahweh’s All Natural Farm and Garden, in 2008. Her husband is the farmer and she is the entrepreneur and, together, they made a business of his passion.It took a lot of hard work, knowing how to grow and knowing how to market their products.She knew if early-stage farmers weren’t persistent, they would likely quit, so they set out to teach people how to do that with the help of other USDA grants.They started their first community gardens on their 75-acre farm where aspiring farmers could learn from the couple. Then in 2014, they officially launched HOPE.Padilla’s effort to increase the number of farmers faces staggering odds. In the 25 years between 1997 and 2022, Texas lost more than 3.7 million acres of working land, according to data from Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute. Working land is privately-owned farms and ranches that produce food and provide wildlife habitat. Of those, 1.8 million acres were lost in the final five years.Within that same 25-year period, the Rio Grande Valley, where Padilla is based, lost 751,000 acres of farmland.Small family farms are the most prevalent type of farm. In 2024, they made up 86% of all farms in the U.S. That’s down from 2021, when they made up 89%.Salomon Torres, projects and grants adviser for HOPE, said the loss of farmland is a disturbing trend. It contributes to illiteracy among the general public about where their food comes from, among other consequences.“Agriculture has always been a contributor to a local economy, as far as jobs, as far as keeping land productive,” Torres said. “If land becomes completely urban, it's going to desensitize people about the source of their food.”Salomon Torres, team member at the nonprofit HOPE for Small Farm Sustainability, speaks at a news conference about a canceled USDA grant the organization received nearly two years ago on April 1 in Harlingen.The accessibility of land for locally-sourced food is considered significant for people’s health but also for their well-being, said Judith McGeary, executive director of Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance.“I think it's a threat to national security,” McGeary said. “Because when we cannot raise food in this country, we are reliant on imports, which we already are, to a great extent — far more than most people realize.”The loss of small farmers was not due to a lack of interest, McGeary said. There has been a growing interest in farming among young people, but what is less discussed, she said, is how often those young farmers fail because of the lack of land, infrastructure and hands-on support.“Very smart, talented, motivated people often cannot make a go of it,” she said. “And that’s not just a problem for them, it’s a loss for all of us.”Advocates for small farmers in Texas say educational programs like the one HOPE was providing are needed across the state.P. Wade Ross, director of the Texas Small Farmers and Ranchers Community Based Organization, said the fundamental issue is that many government bureaucrats don’t know the farming landscape. They make decisions like cutting off funding for HOPE, not realizing the consequences.“Why do you need to do that when this is a program that's helping you achieve all the initiatives that you say are your initiatives?” Ross said.“What happens a lot of times is people who are the decision-makers get so caught up in what they don't want,” he said “and they don't realize they're cutting their arm off to get rid of what they don't want.”Reporting in the Rio Grande Valley is supported in part by the Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc.This article first appeared on The Texas Tribune. PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: "https://www.texastribune.org/2026/04/16/texas-farmers-donald-trump-grant-dei/", urlref: window.location.href }); } }
[*] [+] [-] [x] [A+] [a-]  
[l] at 4/17/26 6:47pm
FBI Director Kash Patel's communications strategist, Erica Knight, threatened legal action against The Atlantic on Friday night, following their publication of a devastating report on Patel's alleged behavior and the potential search to replace him.The report in question detailed claims that Patel has been frequently drunk on the job, to the point FBI officials considered ordering forcible-entry SWAT equipment in case he locked himself in his office while intoxicated, that he has been impossible to reach at times, and that he has repeatedly had nervous breakdowns over the fear he will be fired any minute.None of that is true, wrote Knight on X."The Atlantic published a 'bombshell' on Director Patel tonight that every real DC reporter chased, couldn't verify, and passed on," wrote Knight. "Here's reality. Since being sworn in, Director Patel has taken a grand total of 17 days off — half as much time off as Comey and Wray — and he spends twice as much time in the office as either of them ever did.""The so-called 'intoxication incidents' The Atlantic breathlessly reports have happened exactly ZERO times," wrote Knight, then rattling off statistics about FBI arrests and public safety under Patel's tenure. "The Atlantic's 'reporting'? Fabricated stories about 'breaching equipment' that was never requested. Intoxication claims with not a single witness willing to put their name on one. A paragraph — I'm not kidding — about the FBI Store not carrying 'intimidating enough' merchandise.""Every serious DC reporter passed on this. Sarah Fitzpatrick and Jeffrey Goldberg printed it anyway," wrote Knight, adding, "Lawsuit is being filed."
[*] [+] [-] [x] [A+] [a-]  
[l] at 4/17/26 6:34pm
A right-wing publication is in full meltdown mode after Virginia's Democratic governor signed a bill stripping Confederate heritage organizations of their state tax exemptions, calling it an act of war against Southern identity and a harbinger of leftist tyranny.Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed the legislation this week, yanking tax exemptions for several Confederate groups, including the Sons of Confederate Veterans and the United Daughters of the Confederacy. She also signed a separate bill ending the production of specialty license plates bearing the likeness of Robert E. Lee.The Federalist responded with barely contained fury."Spanberger is sending an unequivocal message — it’s open season on those who would honor American history and the heritage of their ancestors. And the full force of the state will be used to quash them," wrote Hayden Daniel, a staff editor at the outlet.He uncorked a dire warning for conservatives. "The left cannot settle for merely snuffing out the fire of America’s heritage; they will ultimately seek to snuff out the people who continue to tend the flame. And in states like Virginia, they have the full power of the bureaucratic state at their disposal," wrote Daniel.The piece framed the removal of the tax exemptions as an act of political persecution against organizations it described as largely devoted to civic work, like helping homeless shelters and food banks.State Delegate Alex Askew, who sponsored the bill and has pushed for it for years, called Spanberger's signature "a proud moment and an important step forward for Virginia."The legislation is part of a broader Democratic-led effort in Virginia to shed the state's legacy as the former capital of the Confederacy, a yearslong project that has included the removal of Confederate monuments from public spaces.Critics of Confederate heritage organizations argue the groups have long romanticized the Confederacy and glossed over the central role of slavery in the Civil War, while benefiting from taxpayer-funded advantages unavailable to other civic groups.
[*] [+] [-] [x] [A+] [a-]  
[l] at 4/17/26 6:07pm
FBI Director Kash Patel is hanging onto his job by a thread, reported Sarah Fitzpatrick for The Atlantic on Friday — and a large part of that stems from accusations of erratic behavior, including unexplained absences and problem drinking, that have alarmed FBI staff.For the entirety of his time in charge, Patel, a former GOP House Intelligence Committee staffer known for his hard-right, pro-Trump attitude, has faced rumors of being absent from critical parts of his job, which he has denied. New reporting gave deeper insight into how bad it has gotten — and how much Patel fears he's about to lose his job any moment."Patel, according to multiple current officials, as well as former officials who have stayed close to him, is deeply concerned that his job is in jeopardy," wrote Fitzpatrick. "He has good reasons to think so — including some having to do with what witnesses described to me as bouts of excessive drinking." Furthermore, she wrote, "Patel was among the officials expected to be fired after Attorney General Pam Bondi’s ouster, on April 2. 'We’re all just waiting for the word' that Patel is officially out of the top job, an FBI official told me this week, and a former official told my colleague Jonathan Lemire that Patel was 'rightly paranoid.'"The White House has reportedly already begun talks about who could replace Patel if he is let go."Speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive information and private conversations, they described Patel’s tenure as a management failure and his personal behavior as a national-security vulnerability," said the report.Fitzpatrick wrote that Patel's security detail even struggled to rouse him at times when he was needed for certain FBI duties."A request for 'breaching equipment' — normally used by SWAT and hostage-rescue teams to quickly gain entry into buildings — was made last year because Patel had been unreachable behind locked doors, according to multiple people familiar with the request," the report said.Patel was so fearful for his job that last Friday, when he was locked out of the FBI computer system due to an IT error, "he panicked, frantically calling aides and allies to announce that he had been fired by the White House, according to nine people familiar with his outreach," the report said. "Two of these people described his behavior as a 'freak-out.'"Ultimately, the problem was resolved, but during the chaos, "the White House fielded calls from the bureau and from members of Congress asking who was now in charge of the FBI," and some agents privately expressed "relief" when they thought he really had been fired, Fitzpatrick added.

As of 4/18/26 10:59am. Last new 4/18/26 10:23am.

Next feed in category: Open Democracy