For all the news events around the world that seem to publicize and even extol our division and our society and government being ripped away from the people, there was precious little mention, if any, of the one thing that seems to unite us—our collective demonstrations against these injustices, inequities, and criminality on May 1st.
1. May Day Strong" coalition, protests occurred in over 1,000 cities and towns, highlighting issues like wealth inequality and calling for "Workers Over Billionaires".
2. Here in Baghadad By the Sea former U.S. Rep. David Rivera, R-Fla., was found guilty on Friday of being paid to secretly lobby elected U.S. officials to ease sanctions against Venezuela.
Rivera and a co-conspirator were each found guilty of taking payment from Nicholas Maduro to try to repair ties between the South American nation and the United States but never registering as an agent of a foreign country, The Miami Herald and NBC News reported.
A 12-person jury found the former Miami-Dade congressman and consultant Esther Nuhfer guilty of lobbying Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, and attempting to set meetings up for Delcy Rodriguez, Venezuela's then-foreign minister and current acting president. Rivera was also found guilty of conspiring to commit money laundering and tax evasion.
Rivera had long been friends with his former roommate Rubio and became friends with Sessions when he was in Congress, and after Maduro gave him a $50 million contract he attempted to leverage those relationships. Both Rivera and Nuhfer were caught having not registered themselves of lobbying for the federal government on behalf of another nation.
The convictions come after a 5-week trial that saw Rubio, who was in the Senate in 2017, when he met with Rivera and was told a plan to convince Maduro to step down was afoot.
“Hopefully, Democrats will find their spines and voices and hold these criminals to account once they acquire the power to do so, and begin shadow hearings in the meantime to inform the American people of Trump’s and his people’s lawlessness.” That would be an epic about-face from Democrats who fear actual Democrats almost as much as Repugnicans fear democracy, but hope springs eternal. Our alleged “big tent” has been ruled by corporate ring leaders for far too long.
I feel the same Tom, but the only way that the Dems can grow a spine is if they fire the old guard which has rubber spines,and elect a new guard that hasn't spent years slopping at the donor trough, being elbowed out by Republicans.
I think what’s being lost or not acknowledged by liberals/progressives who want to just do “what’s always right” is that even before Citizens United, but certainly more so after, raising money is the key to winning elections and the oligarchs and corporations have the funds. Until it gets worse ( which it will) , a grass roots movement or someone not bought by big money will still be a pie in the sky. When the Dems still have people working against their own interests and ability to win elections ( Biden’s team not confronting his frailty or the Clintons pushing out Biden in 2016), it’s going to take an economic disaster to move to a democratic state. I wish I knew why we always screw up. After the good economic years (and shutting down the genocide in Bosnia) of the Clinton admin, we then do another war in the ME for made up reasons? ( Same imminent danger lies as we are told now). I can’t shake that we are a racist, sexist, misogynist and quite xenophobic.
Sure, money was always a factor in US elections. But the world today is radically different from, say, the 70s-80s. There were limits, and corporations had to coerce their employees to support a candidate or cause. The Bellotti and Citizens United decisions turned that all on its head, and made political elections not much more than a contest between corporations and billionaires.
No argument Mitch, but consider this. The Republican party has been the party of the rich, the financiers, the industrialists from the beginning.
it's opposition to slavery was not based on ethics, morality but slaves were free labor, and for them labor was an expense, Then the abolitionists joined in and changed the dialogue.
The Republican party is wedded to and an instrument of corporations, now it is owned by the Broligarchy.
The Democratic party gave lip service to social causes and minorities, but once in power did nothing of substance.
An example in the same time period that they passed the Defense of Marriage Act, they could have legalized abortion across all 50 state, they didn't even draft a bill, much less bring it to the floor.
The ACA. they could have passed a one page bill that amended the Medicare enabling legislation, that changed the eligibility from age 65 to birth, but they didn't
Nancy would have none of it and Rahm Emanuel, who called progressives fucking retarded. (the mother fucker is running for President now), was Obama's chief of staff, and kept all single payor lobbyists and congress persons out of the White House, but laid open the door for insurance company lobbyists.
Result a 600 page mess that was a gift to the insurance companies, because as written, it forced everyone to have insurance, or pay a tax penalty. SCOTUS negated that portion.
The Reasonfor the ACA is obvious, If they had gone for single payor, then the full weight and might of not only the insurance companies, but finance companies, brokers, et al would come down on them like a hammer,and the Democratic party is always struggling for funds. Especially now, it is heavily in debt and the chairman Martin is looking to go further in debt.
If, and it appears that it is the case, our liberties, our freedoms, our Constitutional Republic is hostage to money, then we are doomed, and everything else is a fruitless exercise.
There was a bright shiny moment, one man proved that you don't have to slop at the donors trough, that America was hungry for a left wing populists (we never have had one, nor has the world seen only right wing populists), and that man was Bernie Sanders, he outraised Hillary Clinton, on individual donations, whereas Hillary slopped at the same donor trough as the Republicans
Did you know that your congress critters, spend most of their time on the phone raising money, and that the head of the DNC's primary job is to raise money.
Money talks. We know the problem, we know the solution, but we lack the power to enact the solution.
"AI is here and not going away, and **Moore’s Law suggests many of these monster data centers will soon be scaled back**, perhaps even bursting the AI bubble that keeps driving the stock market regardless of the Iran conflict. Keep an eye on this; it’s going to change the world our kids are inheriting in ways that are still unclear."
I'm skeptical of the term "data center". The term seems to be deliberately misleading the public into thinking these are the places where all the "magical gifts" ai will bring society must come from. Thom has previously reported on **wafer** technology, which begs the question: why the massive footprint and resource funneling of so-called "data centers" if it's not necessary to processing data and powering ai?
Any physical structure that is protected through paramilitary firms and wildly preemptive antidemocratic laws in complete disregard of public opinion, hoards energy resources, fresh water, and concentrates and controls the flow of digital information should be viewed at least in part as a sweeping move to "resettle" America. They are building parallel infrastructure for elite, techno enclaves. The rest of us are living with crumbling infrastructure that no one is coming to save.
"Data Center" is the sales brochure. Neocolonialism by the broligarchy is the product.
What worries me is that other Joe Walshes might be accepted into the dem fold and then turn back to their true nature when it's too late. We all know about the duck and the scorpion right?
In California we have Eric Jones running against congressman Thomson. Im not fond of Thompson and would love to have someone replace him. Eric Jones however is a tech bro who is getting part of his financing from people from his former company. Is he trustworthy or trying to become a rich tech bro himself through politics and corruption? Who will he really support if he were to become congressman -the people or his buddy tech bros. As congressman he could stear things right to their front door.We also have Tom Steir a billionaire financing his own campaign who made his money with private prisons, hedge funds, mergers and acquisitions with Goldman Sachs, fossil fuels and more. He is now making all kinds of promises as a democrat for the people. They may both be plutocrats in dem clothing. We need to consider their backgrounds before we take their word.
Do people really change? Is their supposed change really nothing more than a way to con the people and then they simply do what they want to do - again? Trump showed them all how to do that.
This might not be just Joe Walsh. The dems might take the election this year taking back the house and senate and slots in all state and local elections. What a wonerfull place to be a wolf in sheeps clothing.
Questions to ask these guys. What will they do to get rid of citizens united and the six criminals on the supreme court. How do they feel about seperation of church and state, an assault rifle ban, government corruption, and an American king. Hint, the rich and tech bros dont want to get rid of those because they are their friends. Look closely at the backgrounds of the people you might vote for.
That's good Daniel but, and I say but again, we need not make asses of ourselves by letting fascists take over the only democracy we have left with lies and corruption right in our own ranks. THAT would be stupid. Take Fetterman for an example. He said he was a dem YET, he is voting with the fascists. We must ask ourselves are they really other dems or are they scorpion pretenders who will sting us and poison us because it is in their nature. All I am saying is let's use our heads and be as rootless as the fascist crowd for the constitution and the rule of law keeping our own ethics and morals clean. We don't need to rot from within.
The real problems with AI, are that it is already used by the "War Department"it selected targets and guidance for bombing Iran. It manipulates the stock market and economic decisions and the scary part is that the National Data Center in Bluffdale, UT which houses five humongous buildings, intercepts all electronic info, transmitted over the air,and uses AI to sniff it, to identify threats, like us, which Trump defines as leftists radical terrorists such as James Comey.
What is really scary is that when AI has been employed in war game, it defaults to the nuclear option if losing... always.
I share your anger, frustration, and sense of impotence and powerlessness. It’s as if I have a better sense of what would be wrong, useless, or futile, such as violence. Violence doesn’t solve anything, it’s wrong, and it backfires on one. It doesn’t work.
The smear and attack mindset is perfectly shown with what this gang is doing to Comey over the "seashells" picture. Stalin and Hitler often shot or imprisoned their perceived opponents, Trump just tries to bankrupt them. But we can fight back. How about if millions of us said, wrote, or wore "8647" and dared them to come after us too? When asked if it's a threat one can say anything. ("It's in honor of Maxwell Smart and the year my great-grandmother died" works for me.) It makes a good bumper sticker too. If the Neo-Nazis use "88" as a code we can go them two digits better.
Unfortunately here's a prosecution re 8647 in the Middle District of Flroida;
Case Details (As of June 2025):Defendant: Salvatore Russotto of Orlando, Florida.Charges: A two-count indictment charging him with (1) threatening to injure and kill a federal official and (2) retaliating against a federal law enforcement officer by threat.Allegations: Russotto is accused of posting numerous threats on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) in May 2025, specifically using phrases like "slow painful death for HABBA" and "Eliminate HABBA. 86 Traitor".Prosecution: The case is being handled by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Kara Wick prosecuting.Investigation: The case was investigated by the FBI's Newark and Tampa field offices and the U.S. Marshals Service.
Daniel, we can assign all kinds of definitions to 86 but to 86 someone still means to remove that person. According to Merriam-Webster, to “86” someone means to throw them out, get rid of them or refuse them service. Although not confirmed, the dictionary notes it’s likely a rhyme for the word “nix.”
To "86 someone" means to eject, ban, or refuse service to a person, typically from a restaurant or bar due to unruly behavior. The term also commonly means to get rid of, discard, or cancel something, such as running out of a menu item.
Some insane people might take that to mean kill the person. Other insane persons might think it means to insight to kill them. It is neither. 86 does NOT mean to do harm although some people always believe that to be 86'd means harm to them in some way rather then the fact that they did harm and therefore need to be removed. Didn't Conway explain "alternate reality" idea well?
I knew a woman who thought that if a man wanted to kiss her he wanted to rape her, get her pregnant and then kill and eat the baby after it was born. Before Reagan she might have been consigned to an insane asylum. Today she might end up the residents next wife or as a cabinet member at the Whitehouse.
To 86 means simply to remove. Nothing more and nothing less.
Not the same. Russotto has done a lot more than take a picture of sea shells.
Anyway if 8647 was a fad, and it appeared on signs, tshirts, hats, hoodies, it would overwhelm them and nothing they could do. Where they win is "shoot one, warn a thousand", so don't let them intimidate by ignoring them but I see the point, be afraid, be very afraid.
Comey will beat this. DOJ's (Trump's) case is simple harassment, lawfare, defending oneself from a lawsuit, especially a DOJ criminal indictment costs big bucks, that's how Trump has survived.
So your expert legal opinion is that Blanche will convict Comey and Comey will go to prison for threatening the president?
If that is the case, then we should all be intimidated and refrain from even resisting the Emperor less we be considered terrorists and enemies of the state.
Being from Illinois, I've been waiting for the other shoe to drop. I couldn't believe that Joe Walsh had actually turned around and now I see that it's true.
Joe Walsh's podcast is to be expected, but my question is just how much influence does he have.
Yegads, there are hundreds if not thousands of podcasts,and who has the time to listen to them. I sure don't. And who listens to Joe Walsh other than the converted. When you spend your time singing to the choir,? How much impact do you have on the population. How big his audience? Does it include anything other than the converted. Same with Alex Jones, Joe Rogan et all.
Do these people really have an affect on the general population,or are they just an echo chamber.
I would never have heard of Joe Rogan's podcast were it not for the free publicity he gets on the news, now I know about Joe Walsh's pod cast, and I now vaguely remember him when he was in congress.
Take our bete noire, Fox, for instance. A trouble maker for sure, but there audience is the converted. the last time I watched Fox was in 2000, it was new and a novelty, but Bill O'Reilly turned my stomach and I got tired of screaming at the TV, well my wife got tired of me screaming,
Poll after poll show these “progressive issues” are not progressive, liberal, etc. They are mainstream and supported by the majority of Democratic voters and Republican voters. Which is why Republicans refuse to debate real issues, or allow fact checking at debates. It’s why Republicans create culture war “issues” to keep their base engaged and enraged. Republicans have to lie and cheat to win national elections. It’s all they have. They do both well, with the help of the corporate media and billionaire benefactors.
Has no one sued or filed charges against Trump for his collusion with a sworn enemy of the U. S.? His phone calls with Putin are not diplomacy, negotiation, or a service to the country. If they were any of those things, they would be made public and there would be a record. Extended secret calls and meetings without any accounting or visible outcome which is in some way beneficial to our national interest or security and which advance only the interests of the enemy or the official involved is by definition an abuse of power, dereliction of duty, and aiding and abetting. Why are we allowing this to keep happening? This must go to the courts and even if the corrupt Supremes allow it, we will have it on the record as collusion, and it will be one more nail in the bastard's political coffin.
I'm confused. Trump talking to Putin is what I am saying is the reason some organization or individual should take some action to force that issue into the courts or to compel Congress to stop him. We the people are almost universally agreed that Putin is hostile to the U. S. and to democracy and that he is an enemy. A class action to claim our rights to have our interests, security, and political beliefs to be represented rather than undermined and ignored should at the very least get a hearing and go to the Supreme Court. The six crackpots might stupidly say that those conversations are part of his official duties, but everyone knows better and it would turn many people away from him. We have standing as citizens and as voters and we are being profoundly harmed by the influence Putin has or the compromises Trump makes, we live in fear of the consequences of his actions (including nuclear war) and we are taxed without representation.
To me, the most disturbing news is Trump facilitating further Russian expansion by pulling 5,000 troops out of Germany. This act castrates NATO for Putin. Stuttgart is the HQ for US forces in Europe. I have been visiting that base for half a century - mainly to use the commissary when visiting my best friend's family there. Back in the 70s, you could not buy beef in the EU that was edible, so I helped stock up their freezer each year.
In my mind, Trump's demented anger burst was treason. I suspect that fed up with US unwillingness to replace our mentally disabled president, Merz decided to make a gesture to justify Europe's military divorce with America. EU generals have to be ranting about Hegseth's incompetence. Letting such a clown direct forces against a Russian incursion would be chaos, just like all of Hegseth's other Trump-ordered illegal deployments.
Oopsie, I forgot to point out that in addition to weakening EUROCOMMAND in Stuttgart, Trump is further punching Merz in the nose by tariffing all German auto sales in America by 25%. I doubt that it occurred to him that he just pissed off the top 20% voters who will now have to buy Lexus's and Caddy's until Trump is removed.
Just a side note unrelated to this Saturday Report, and for no reason in particular: anything named "FDD" is probably not your friend - if you're an average person with a working conscience.
**FDD stands for "Foundation for Defense of Democracies"**. The organization is as toxic as AIPAC, and can be thanked in part for the concurrent genocides in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran - paid for with our tax dollars and moral credibility.
Of course Walsh is going after Platner. Thats his assignment, after Platner crushed his “problem solver” Dem primary rival. Dems must have progressive fighters, like Platner. They scare the hell out of Republicans. Look for Republicans and their media to try to paint these people as liberals or socialists, the way they have attacked Bernie and AOC. Republicans have been doing it for decades. The issues supported by Platner and other Dems aren’t liberal, they are mainstream, supported by the majority of Americans, including Republican voters. Which is why Republicans refuse to debate the issues, or be fact checked. It’s why Republicans depend on ancillary hot button culture war issues. They have to lie and cheat to win.
". . . the way they have attacted Bernie and AOC . . . " Do they compare at all to Pelosi et al, including the bitch bulldog with the curly hair who dutifully follows up with attacks after Pelosi's mauve, daintily poised slurs?
Pelosi has trivialized AOC with constant verve, and towards Bernie too. To her they miss the point--massiveaccumulated wealth via insider trading, an outright illegal transgression. The elected "lucky" players who play the market want no change. But will Pelosi survive her illegal gains? Probably. Too many counting their ill-gotten gains.
Never, ever trust a Republican. And except maybe in rare, exceptional circumstances, trust an ex-Republican either. When someone shows you who they really are, believe it, and be skeptical if they tell you they've changed their ways. I never believed Walsh. I got suckered bigly by Fetterman (in the future, it a person gets elected pretending to be progressive, but turns out to be right wing, we should say that they "pulled a fetterman"). And we all got royally fooled and screwed by Krysten Sinema, who convinced everyone she was a Democrat. Damn!
Makes me leery of Platner also. A long MAGA past that he is running away from, which will, at the very least, haunt him during the campaign. Tom Steyer could also be a secret R in a D suit. We'll see.
Just as I was beginning to think a former right winger republican had really changed his stripes.
I guess we must check credentials at the door and be very wary of wolves in sheep clothing. Be vigilant be very very vigilant. Thank you Thom for your resolve.
Well said about Walsh… what a jerk! And, all the other crucial points about what is happening around the world is excellent (though disgusting). TY!
For all the news events around the world that seem to publicize and even extol our division and our society and government being ripped away from the people, there was precious little mention, if any, of the one thing that seems to unite us—our collective demonstrations against these injustices, inequities, and criminality on May 1st.
1. May Day Strong" coalition, protests occurred in over 1,000 cities and towns, highlighting issues like wealth inequality and calling for "Workers Over Billionaires".
2. Here in Baghadad By the Sea former U.S. Rep. David Rivera, R-Fla., was found guilty on Friday of being paid to secretly lobby elected U.S. officials to ease sanctions against Venezuela.
Rivera and a co-conspirator were each found guilty of taking payment from Nicholas Maduro to try to repair ties between the South American nation and the United States but never registering as an agent of a foreign country, The Miami Herald and NBC News reported.
A 12-person jury found the former Miami-Dade congressman and consultant Esther Nuhfer guilty of lobbying Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, and attempting to set meetings up for Delcy Rodriguez, Venezuela's then-foreign minister and current acting president. Rivera was also found guilty of conspiring to commit money laundering and tax evasion.
Rivera had long been friends with his former roommate Rubio and became friends with Sessions when he was in Congress, and after Maduro gave him a $50 million contract he attempted to leverage those relationships. Both Rivera and Nuhfer were caught having not registered themselves of lobbying for the federal government on behalf of another nation.
The convictions come after a 5-week trial that saw Rubio, who was in the Senate in 2017, when he met with Rivera and was told a plan to convince Maduro to step down was afoot.
Read more at: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/article315607905.html#storylink=cpy
Any national coverage of this yet? They all are crooks
A pardon in the works? For this admin graft is our language.
You know it will happen.
“Hopefully, Democrats will find their spines and voices and hold these criminals to account once they acquire the power to do so, and begin shadow hearings in the meantime to inform the American people of Trump’s and his people’s lawlessness.” That would be an epic about-face from Democrats who fear actual Democrats almost as much as Repugnicans fear democracy, but hope springs eternal. Our alleged “big tent” has been ruled by corporate ring leaders for far too long.
I feel the same Tom, but the only way that the Dems can grow a spine is if they fire the old guard which has rubber spines,and elect a new guard that hasn't spent years slopping at the donor trough, being elbowed out by Republicans.
You guys know virtually nothing about the Party....
Why is it always so personal with you? Are you at all capable of discussing an issue without resorting to personal attacks?
See Thom Hartmann’s Substack post and YouTube video, 05/01/2026. What we know about the Party is why we’re fed up with, and discouraged by, it.
You were't on our phone call this morning. WE ARE YELLOW DOG DEMOCRATS.
WE? You maybe. I am a free thinking anti authoritarian, anti theocrat. Not a mindless robot.
I think what’s being lost or not acknowledged by liberals/progressives who want to just do “what’s always right” is that even before Citizens United, but certainly more so after, raising money is the key to winning elections and the oligarchs and corporations have the funds. Until it gets worse ( which it will) , a grass roots movement or someone not bought by big money will still be a pie in the sky. When the Dems still have people working against their own interests and ability to win elections ( Biden’s team not confronting his frailty or the Clintons pushing out Biden in 2016), it’s going to take an economic disaster to move to a democratic state. I wish I knew why we always screw up. After the good economic years (and shutting down the genocide in Bosnia) of the Clinton admin, we then do another war in the ME for made up reasons? ( Same imminent danger lies as we are told now). I can’t shake that we are a racist, sexist, misogynist and quite xenophobic.
Sure, money was always a factor in US elections. But the world today is radically different from, say, the 70s-80s. There were limits, and corporations had to coerce their employees to support a candidate or cause. The Bellotti and Citizens United decisions turned that all on its head, and made political elections not much more than a contest between corporations and billionaires.
Good comment, my browser or OS doesn't allow likes.
No argument Mitch, but consider this. The Republican party has been the party of the rich, the financiers, the industrialists from the beginning.
it's opposition to slavery was not based on ethics, morality but slaves were free labor, and for them labor was an expense, Then the abolitionists joined in and changed the dialogue.
The Republican party is wedded to and an instrument of corporations, now it is owned by the Broligarchy.
The Democratic party gave lip service to social causes and minorities, but once in power did nothing of substance.
An example in the same time period that they passed the Defense of Marriage Act, they could have legalized abortion across all 50 state, they didn't even draft a bill, much less bring it to the floor.
The ACA. they could have passed a one page bill that amended the Medicare enabling legislation, that changed the eligibility from age 65 to birth, but they didn't
Nancy would have none of it and Rahm Emanuel, who called progressives fucking retarded. (the mother fucker is running for President now), was Obama's chief of staff, and kept all single payor lobbyists and congress persons out of the White House, but laid open the door for insurance company lobbyists.
Result a 600 page mess that was a gift to the insurance companies, because as written, it forced everyone to have insurance, or pay a tax penalty. SCOTUS negated that portion.
The Reasonfor the ACA is obvious, If they had gone for single payor, then the full weight and might of not only the insurance companies, but finance companies, brokers, et al would come down on them like a hammer,and the Democratic party is always struggling for funds. Especially now, it is heavily in debt and the chairman Martin is looking to go further in debt.
If, and it appears that it is the case, our liberties, our freedoms, our Constitutional Republic is hostage to money, then we are doomed, and everything else is a fruitless exercise.
There was a bright shiny moment, one man proved that you don't have to slop at the donors trough, that America was hungry for a left wing populists (we never have had one, nor has the world seen only right wing populists), and that man was Bernie Sanders, he outraised Hillary Clinton, on individual donations, whereas Hillary slopped at the same donor trough as the Republicans
Did you know that your congress critters, spend most of their time on the phone raising money, and that the head of the DNC's primary job is to raise money.
Money talks. We know the problem, we know the solution, but we lack the power to enact the solution.
Still at it, huh Daniel, What is with you, always spoiling for a fight, always with the attacks?
Can't let go? Do you perceive me as a threat? Why?
"AI is here and not going away, and **Moore’s Law suggests many of these monster data centers will soon be scaled back**, perhaps even bursting the AI bubble that keeps driving the stock market regardless of the Iran conflict. Keep an eye on this; it’s going to change the world our kids are inheriting in ways that are still unclear."
I'm skeptical of the term "data center". The term seems to be deliberately misleading the public into thinking these are the places where all the "magical gifts" ai will bring society must come from. Thom has previously reported on **wafer** technology, which begs the question: why the massive footprint and resource funneling of so-called "data centers" if it's not necessary to processing data and powering ai?
Any physical structure that is protected through paramilitary firms and wildly preemptive antidemocratic laws in complete disregard of public opinion, hoards energy resources, fresh water, and concentrates and controls the flow of digital information should be viewed at least in part as a sweeping move to "resettle" America. They are building parallel infrastructure for elite, techno enclaves. The rest of us are living with crumbling infrastructure that no one is coming to save.
"Data Center" is the sales brochure. Neocolonialism by the broligarchy is the product.
What worries me is that other Joe Walshes might be accepted into the dem fold and then turn back to their true nature when it's too late. We all know about the duck and the scorpion right?
In California we have Eric Jones running against congressman Thomson. Im not fond of Thompson and would love to have someone replace him. Eric Jones however is a tech bro who is getting part of his financing from people from his former company. Is he trustworthy or trying to become a rich tech bro himself through politics and corruption? Who will he really support if he were to become congressman -the people or his buddy tech bros. As congressman he could stear things right to their front door.We also have Tom Steir a billionaire financing his own campaign who made his money with private prisons, hedge funds, mergers and acquisitions with Goldman Sachs, fossil fuels and more. He is now making all kinds of promises as a democrat for the people. They may both be plutocrats in dem clothing. We need to consider their backgrounds before we take their word.
Do people really change? Is their supposed change really nothing more than a way to con the people and then they simply do what they want to do - again? Trump showed them all how to do that.
This might not be just Joe Walsh. The dems might take the election this year taking back the house and senate and slots in all state and local elections. What a wonerfull place to be a wolf in sheeps clothing.
Questions to ask these guys. What will they do to get rid of citizens united and the six criminals on the supreme court. How do they feel about seperation of church and state, an assault rifle ban, government corruption, and an American king. Hint, the rich and tech bros dont want to get rid of those because they are their friends. Look closely at the backgrounds of the people you might vote for.
Getting rid of the tyrant should be a zero sum proposition. The condition precendent to gaining any power.
We are a big tent party.
That's good Daniel but, and I say but again, we need not make asses of ourselves by letting fascists take over the only democracy we have left with lies and corruption right in our own ranks. THAT would be stupid. Take Fetterman for an example. He said he was a dem YET, he is voting with the fascists. We must ask ourselves are they really other dems or are they scorpion pretenders who will sting us and poison us because it is in their nature. All I am saying is let's use our heads and be as rootless as the fascist crowd for the constitution and the rule of law keeping our own ethics and morals clean. We don't need to rot from within.
Without Fetterman's vote, we definately lose.
Daniel, if you are playing devils advocate you are doing a very good job. Have you considered membership in Opus Dei?
The real problems with AI, are that it is already used by the "War Department"it selected targets and guidance for bombing Iran. It manipulates the stock market and economic decisions and the scary part is that the National Data Center in Bluffdale, UT which houses five humongous buildings, intercepts all electronic info, transmitted over the air,and uses AI to sniff it, to identify threats, like us, which Trump defines as leftists radical terrorists such as James Comey.
What is really scary is that when AI has been employed in war game, it defaults to the nuclear option if losing... always.
I feel so angry, so frustrated, and so impotent. What can an old lady like me do? I don't want to leave this world in its present condition.
I am 87, and feel the same, the best that you can do is speak your mind,to family and friends, be prepared to lose some, and vote.
I share your anger, frustration, and sense of impotence and powerlessness. It’s as if I have a better sense of what would be wrong, useless, or futile, such as violence. Violence doesn’t solve anything, it’s wrong, and it backfires on one. It doesn’t work.
The smear and attack mindset is perfectly shown with what this gang is doing to Comey over the "seashells" picture. Stalin and Hitler often shot or imprisoned their perceived opponents, Trump just tries to bankrupt them. But we can fight back. How about if millions of us said, wrote, or wore "8647" and dared them to come after us too? When asked if it's a threat one can say anything. ("It's in honor of Maxwell Smart and the year my great-grandmother died" works for me.) It makes a good bumper sticker too. If the Neo-Nazis use "88" as a code we can go them two digits better.
8647 as a bumper sticker, hoody, TShirt, what a great idea.
Unfortunately here's a prosecution re 8647 in the Middle District of Flroida;
Case Details (As of June 2025):Defendant: Salvatore Russotto of Orlando, Florida.Charges: A two-count indictment charging him with (1) threatening to injure and kill a federal official and (2) retaliating against a federal law enforcement officer by threat.Allegations: Russotto is accused of posting numerous threats on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) in May 2025, specifically using phrases like "slow painful death for HABBA" and "Eliminate HABBA. 86 Traitor".Prosecution: The case is being handled by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Kara Wick prosecuting.Investigation: The case was investigated by the FBI's Newark and Tampa field offices and the U.S. Marshals Service.
Daniel, we can assign all kinds of definitions to 86 but to 86 someone still means to remove that person. According to Merriam-Webster, to “86” someone means to throw them out, get rid of them or refuse them service. Although not confirmed, the dictionary notes it’s likely a rhyme for the word “nix.”
To "86 someone" means to eject, ban, or refuse service to a person, typically from a restaurant or bar due to unruly behavior. The term also commonly means to get rid of, discard, or cancel something, such as running out of a menu item.
Some insane people might take that to mean kill the person. Other insane persons might think it means to insight to kill them. It is neither. 86 does NOT mean to do harm although some people always believe that to be 86'd means harm to them in some way rather then the fact that they did harm and therefore need to be removed. Didn't Conway explain "alternate reality" idea well?
I knew a woman who thought that if a man wanted to kiss her he wanted to rape her, get her pregnant and then kill and eat the baby after it was born. Before Reagan she might have been consigned to an insane asylum. Today she might end up the residents next wife or as a cabinet member at the Whitehouse.
To 86 means simply to remove. Nothing more and nothing less.
Not the same. Russotto has done a lot more than take a picture of sea shells.
Anyway if 8647 was a fad, and it appeared on signs, tshirts, hats, hoodies, it would overwhelm them and nothing they could do. Where they win is "shoot one, warn a thousand", so don't let them intimidate by ignoring them but I see the point, be afraid, be very afraid.
Comey will beat this. DOJ's (Trump's) case is simple harassment, lawfare, defending oneself from a lawsuit, especially a DOJ criminal indictment costs big bucks, that's how Trump has survived.
In your legal opinion.
So your expert legal opinion is that Blanche will convict Comey and Comey will go to prison for threatening the president?
If that is the case, then we should all be intimidated and refrain from even resisting the Emperor less we be considered terrorists and enemies of the state.
I'm saying DON'T give legal advice. You pretend you actually know somethiong....
Being from Illinois, I've been waiting for the other shoe to drop. I couldn't believe that Joe Walsh had actually turned around and now I see that it's true.
Joe Walsh's podcast is to be expected, but my question is just how much influence does he have.
Yegads, there are hundreds if not thousands of podcasts,and who has the time to listen to them. I sure don't. And who listens to Joe Walsh other than the converted. When you spend your time singing to the choir,? How much impact do you have on the population. How big his audience? Does it include anything other than the converted. Same with Alex Jones, Joe Rogan et all.
Do these people really have an affect on the general population,or are they just an echo chamber.
I would never have heard of Joe Rogan's podcast were it not for the free publicity he gets on the news, now I know about Joe Walsh's pod cast, and I now vaguely remember him when he was in congress.
Take our bete noire, Fox, for instance. A trouble maker for sure, but there audience is the converted. the last time I watched Fox was in 2000, it was new and a novelty, but Bill O'Reilly turned my stomach and I got tired of screaming at the TV, well my wife got tired of me screaming,
Poll after poll show these “progressive issues” are not progressive, liberal, etc. They are mainstream and supported by the majority of Democratic voters and Republican voters. Which is why Republicans refuse to debate real issues, or allow fact checking at debates. It’s why Republicans create culture war “issues” to keep their base engaged and enraged. Republicans have to lie and cheat to win national elections. It’s all they have. They do both well, with the help of the corporate media and billionaire benefactors.
Has no one sued or filed charges against Trump for his collusion with a sworn enemy of the U. S.? His phone calls with Putin are not diplomacy, negotiation, or a service to the country. If they were any of those things, they would be made public and there would be a record. Extended secret calls and meetings without any accounting or visible outcome which is in some way beneficial to our national interest or security and which advance only the interests of the enemy or the official involved is by definition an abuse of power, dereliction of duty, and aiding and abetting. Why are we allowing this to keep happening? This must go to the courts and even if the corrupt Supremes allow it, we will have it on the record as collusion, and it will be one more nail in the bastard's political coffin.
You forgot Krasnov is talking to Putin!
Another nail on the coffin is: read Craig Unger books! The house of Trummm….. all Americans should have read his books.
I'm confused. Trump talking to Putin is what I am saying is the reason some organization or individual should take some action to force that issue into the courts or to compel Congress to stop him. We the people are almost universally agreed that Putin is hostile to the U. S. and to democracy and that he is an enemy. A class action to claim our rights to have our interests, security, and political beliefs to be represented rather than undermined and ignored should at the very least get a hearing and go to the Supreme Court. The six crackpots might stupidly say that those conversations are part of his official duties, but everyone knows better and it would turn many people away from him. We have standing as citizens and as voters and we are being profoundly harmed by the influence Putin has or the compromises Trump makes, we live in fear of the consequences of his actions (including nuclear war) and we are taxed without representation.
To me, the most disturbing news is Trump facilitating further Russian expansion by pulling 5,000 troops out of Germany. This act castrates NATO for Putin. Stuttgart is the HQ for US forces in Europe. I have been visiting that base for half a century - mainly to use the commissary when visiting my best friend's family there. Back in the 70s, you could not buy beef in the EU that was edible, so I helped stock up their freezer each year.
In my mind, Trump's demented anger burst was treason. I suspect that fed up with US unwillingness to replace our mentally disabled president, Merz decided to make a gesture to justify Europe's military divorce with America. EU generals have to be ranting about Hegseth's incompetence. Letting such a clown direct forces against a Russian incursion would be chaos, just like all of Hegseth's other Trump-ordered illegal deployments.
Oopsie, I forgot to point out that in addition to weakening EUROCOMMAND in Stuttgart, Trump is further punching Merz in the nose by tariffing all German auto sales in America by 25%. I doubt that it occurred to him that he just pissed off the top 20% voters who will now have to buy Lexus's and Caddy's until Trump is removed.
Just a side note unrelated to this Saturday Report, and for no reason in particular: anything named "FDD" is probably not your friend - if you're an average person with a working conscience.
**FDD stands for "Foundation for Defense of Democracies"**. The organization is as toxic as AIPAC, and can be thanked in part for the concurrent genocides in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran - paid for with our tax dollars and moral credibility.
TL;DR
**FDD = BAD**
First that I have heard of it any references?
Of course Walsh is going after Platner. Thats his assignment, after Platner crushed his “problem solver” Dem primary rival. Dems must have progressive fighters, like Platner. They scare the hell out of Republicans. Look for Republicans and their media to try to paint these people as liberals or socialists, the way they have attacked Bernie and AOC. Republicans have been doing it for decades. The issues supported by Platner and other Dems aren’t liberal, they are mainstream, supported by the majority of Americans, including Republican voters. Which is why Republicans refuse to debate the issues, or be fact checked. It’s why Republicans depend on ancillary hot button culture war issues. They have to lie and cheat to win.
". . . the way they have attacted Bernie and AOC . . . " Do they compare at all to Pelosi et al, including the bitch bulldog with the curly hair who dutifully follows up with attacks after Pelosi's mauve, daintily poised slurs?
Pelosi has trivialized AOC with constant verve, and towards Bernie too. To her they miss the point--massiveaccumulated wealth via insider trading, an outright illegal transgression. The elected "lucky" players who play the market want no change. But will Pelosi survive her illegal gains? Probably. Too many counting their ill-gotten gains.
Thanks for what you do and report on.
Never, ever trust a Republican. And except maybe in rare, exceptional circumstances, trust an ex-Republican either. When someone shows you who they really are, believe it, and be skeptical if they tell you they've changed their ways. I never believed Walsh. I got suckered bigly by Fetterman (in the future, it a person gets elected pretending to be progressive, but turns out to be right wing, we should say that they "pulled a fetterman"). And we all got royally fooled and screwed by Krysten Sinema, who convinced everyone she was a Democrat. Damn!
Makes me leery of Platner also. A long MAGA past that he is running away from, which will, at the very least, haunt him during the campaign. Tom Steyer could also be a secret R in a D suit. We'll see.
Just as I was beginning to think a former right winger republican had really changed his stripes.
I guess we must check credentials at the door and be very wary of wolves in sheep clothing. Be vigilant be very very vigilant. Thank you Thom for your resolve.
And, so it goes the News of the Week. Thanks, Thom the best!