Like Maria Said Paz: 2025-10-19

Saturday, October 25, 2025

A third term? That's hell no

Sunny called me today to talk. We were both in Chicago during the Bully Boy Bush years. She is so appalled by what Chump is doing (as am I). It had her thinking about a book entitled THE END OF AMERICA. Remember that garbage? Written by crackpot and dingbat Naomi Wolf? So since what Naomi was warning against is now happening daily, Sunny checked out the self-medicating nutso's Twitter. Nope. Not a word. Because she was just a con artist and she's all up Chump's ass. When not up Chump's ass, she's up Steve Bannon's and on Bannon? Harry Cockburn (INDEPENDENT) reports:

Steve Bannon has claimed “there is a plan” for Donald Trump to secure a third term as president of the United States after the next election, scheduled for 2028.

Despite the U.S. constitution’s 22nd amendment barring candidates who have already successfully fought two elections from taking office for a third time, Bannon said the Trump administration will find a means to re-install the Republican leader.

“He’s going to get a third term. Trump is going to be president in ‘28 and people ought to just get accommodated with that”, Bannon told The Economist in a video interview.

Asked if the 22nd amendment could prove to be a hard barrier to remaining in the White House, Bannon expanded: “There’s many different alternatives. At the appropriate time we’ll lay out what the plan is, but there is a plan, and Trump will be the president in ‘28.”

Naomi will stay silent because a good whore always knows to serve her customer. After her shoddy research and writing finally sent her packing from the normal world, Steve Bannon offered her an entry into freak world and that's where she's at. She just a whore. She always was.

Chris Cameron (NEW YORK TIMES) reports:

Stephen K. Bannon, the pro-Trump podcaster and convicted fraudster who briefly served as President Trump’s White House chief strategist in his first term, publicly threw his support behind the president’s talk of seeking a third term, in defiance of a constitutionally mandated two-term limit.

In an interview with The Economist, Mr. Bannon vaguely asserted that there was “a plan” to circumvent the 22nd Amendment, which states that “no person shall be elected to the office of the president more than twice,” regardless of whether the terms are consecutive. He also suggested that he was part of a team developing that plan.

“Trump is going to be president in ’28, and people ought to just get accommodated with that,” he said.

“At the appropriate time, we’ll lay out what the plan is,” said Mr. Bannon, without elaborating. “But there is a plan.” He added that Mr. Trump was an “instrument of divine will,” echoing, as Mr. Trump himself has, the language of the divine right of kings.

Like Donald Chump, Steve Bannon and Naomi Wolf are sick and beyond any medical assistance at this point.

"The Snapshot" (THE COMMON ILLS):

Friday, October 24, 2025. Chump's war on immigrants continues to hurt us all, Todd Blanche needs to learn the law before he attempts to practice it, Homeland Security is having an in house contest to determine which employee can tell the most lies in one month, and much more.

On yesterday's ALL THINGS CONSIDERED (NPR), Arian Florido pointed out, "At least 20 people have died in ICE custody so far this year, making it one of the deadliest years in immigration and customs detention in the past two decades. This comes as the Trump administration is hoping to increase the number of people it has in detention. NPR's immigration policy reporter Ximena Bustillo has been tracking these conditions." Chump continues his war on immigrants. And on Americans.

And Chump's gestapo continues to terrorize people on the streets of this country. Dan Gooding (NEWSWEEK) reports:

A pregnant Illinois woman has told Newsweek she thought her life was about to end when a federal agent pointed his gun through her car window earlier this week.

Lesly Guevara shared videos on TikTok of her encounter with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers chasing two suspects in Berwyn after she appeared to block them and began beeping her car horn to alert those nearby to the officers’ presence on Monday.

“I kept beeping at them because I know that they say that once you see ICE agents or any of the sort like that, to make a lot of noise, let people know that they’re around,” Guevara told Newsweek on Wednesday.

After the federal agents’ car moved, Guevara, who said she is due to give birth next month, and had her fiancé and 10-month-old son in the car with her, said she noticed an agent walking toward her with his gun raised, telling her she had been impeding officers.

“I started going off on him,” she said. “’You’re really gonna shoot a pregnant woman? You’re really gonna do that right now?’

“I feared for my life and their life, but I felt like I am sick and tired of people taking advantage of my people going through all of this, so I had to do something.”

When not attacking pregnant women, ICE can be found attacking the disabled/challenged. Maria Villarroel (THE MIRROR) reports:

ICE agents appeared to violently arrest a blind man who was peacefully protesting the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Portland. A video shows the man being violently dropped on his head before being dragged away by authorities.

Footage of the arrest went viral on social media, as many expressed rage over such violence toward a disabled man.

Quinn Haberl, who is 4’’6’ tall, was wearing a neon vest as he sat outside an ICE facility in Portland. He was seated right beside a thick blue line painted on the ground signaling where federal property began. His position suggests he did not trespass on the facility.

The chilling video then shows agents coming around Haberl, who was holding his walking stick. One agent grabbed each of his limbs as the man fell to the ground. Witnesses screamed in horror, “He is blind!”

Are you starting to grasp why Kristi Noem and Donald Chump are going to spend eternity rotting in hell? Back to the article:

The demonstrator was then dragged through the driveway toward the building. The officers tried to lift Haberl off the ground, but at one point, they lost their grip and fell to the asphalt. The video then shows agents forcing him to the ground, cuffing him, and picking up his walking cane.

This pure evil, don't pretend it's anything else. Local police need to be cracking down on ICE. Abuse is not permitted nor allowed by any federal official. "I work for Chump" does not waive your legal responsibilities. It may -- and probably will -- condemn you to hell; however, it does not give you a license to beat people up.

Quinn states, “I think they wanted to make a point. So they picked up the weakest person they could find and made a big show out of it." They will be consumed with guilt and self-medicate to try to get through the coming years. You better find yourself a therapist because that's what you're going to need to avoid killing yourself as you live with the guilt over what you did, over what shameful things you did.

You really think you can attack an American citizen and live with it? Billal Rahman (NEWSWEEK) reports:

Dayanne Figueroa, a U.S. citizen and paralegal, said an unmarked government vehicle struck her car at the 1600 block of West Hubbard Street in Chicago on the morning of October 10, while she was on her way to get coffee before going to work.

“I was in shock and terrified,” Figueroa told Newsweek. “Instead of handling the situation as a routine traffic incident, the masked agents, armed in hands, forcibly removed me from my car without questions and without informing me that I was under arrest.”

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told Newsweek that Border Patrol was making a targeted arrest when Figueroa’s vehicle blocked agents and struck an unmarked government vehicle.

That's what they said. But they take after the head of their department, Kristi Noem. You know, the woman who stood before God and country and promised to love and honor Byron Noem but then, by press reports including the conservative NEW YORK POST, in 2021 began her ongoing extra-marital affair with Corey Lewandowski who, for the record, is also married and per NEW YORK last month, the affair continues. Also continuing? His employment under her. She's a liar, the employees under her are liars. Doubt it? Back to the article:

Footage obtained by Newsweek appears to show armed federal agents detaining Figueroa, dragging her by the legs to remove her from her vehicle. Some agents brandish guns, and bystanders can be heard shouting, “You hit her,” as the situation unfolds.

Additional video obtained by Figueroa’s family from another witness provides a different angle of the encounter. The bystander who is filming tells federal agents: “You hit her. We all saw it.”

“You guys are f*****g scumbags, f*****g Nazis. They hit her car. You guys hit her, and you f*****g know it,” the bystander is heard saying.

“As agents were departing, the driver, a U.S. citizen, struck an unmarked government vehicle,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Newsweek.

Eye witnesses and video from two different angles do not support the false claims being made by Homeland Security. They need to be sued.

And, in fact, the woman whose car was hit? She should develop whiplash and sue the department for damages. In fact, anyone in their car when Homeland Security hits them should get a good personal injury attorney.

Money's the only thing these whores understand. Ethics? A term they never learned. But hit them in their bank account enough and they might do a little adjustment.

Let's drop back to Wednesday's snapshot since Homeland Security's Trish wanted to dish with a lie -- something's she' become known for:

Again, tell a lie and you're a made person in the Chump mob and they don't fire you. Look at Kristi Noem and the people under her. Farrah Tomazin (DAILY BEAST) notes:

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and her department have been accused of lying to the public after being caught passing off an old photo of a drug boat to promote Trump’s war on narco-terrorists.

On Monday, the DHS News account posted a photo on X designed to discredit Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who had accused Trump of murdering an innocent fisherman in an attack on a boat the U.S. claimed was run by drug smugglers.

“Colombian President claims one of the Narco boats destroyed by the US Naval Task Force was ‘just a poor Colombian fisherman’. Does this look like a fishing boat? It looks like he had tons of bait (cocaine, attracts lots of fish). Colombian president is a liar!!” the post said.

The photo featured the rear of a motorboat, with what appeared to be numerous bags of drugs.

However, the post was deleted after social media users pointed out that it came from a 2024 operation that took place about 1000 kilometers south of the Canary Islands, which was reported at the time by Spanish newspaper El País.

“This photo is from a drug bust that occurred in 2024, zero ties to the current situation,” said a community note that was added to the post as a consumer-based fact check.

Kristi is forever lying. Nicole Charky-Chami (RAW STORY) notes that those under her lie as well:

A senior ICE official is under fire after publicly sharing a 13-year-old child's information — and an expert warns it "could lead to serious consequences."

DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin, 31, who is the most senior public affairs official under Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, revealed the identity, alleged criminal history and a photo of the child detained by ICE, The Daily Beast reported Monday.

McLaughlin is accused of sharing children's information not just once, but multiple times.

Her social media post and the DHS actions “could lead to serious consequences inside the government, such as an Inspector General investigation, disciplinary action, or even congressional scrutiny," Los Angeles-based criminal defense attorney Arash Hashemi told The Beast.

Public anger was rising after a Brazilian-born seventh-grader in Massachusetts was reportedly taken by federal agents to a juvenile detention center more than 500 miles away from his family.

In an attempt to stop the public criticism, McLaughlin and DHS tried to use social media.

"They claimed that the boy had an 'extensive rap sheet,' while listing some of his apparent past offenses. They also stated—falsely, it transpired—that he had been in possession of a firearm," The Beast reports.

It's illegal for DHS or law enforcement to share a child's information.

McLaughlin lied about him having a gun? See, they lie and then they lie again.

Again, Trish is a known liar.

Let's address other issues. Ben at MEIDASTOUCH NEWS coves a new topic, an ad using a speech delivered by then-President Ronald Reagan which condemns tariffs and has outraged Donald Chump.

Let's drop back to February 18, 2014's "War Criminal Steven D. Green dies in prison:"

War Criminal Steven D. Green is dead. AP's Brett Barrouquere, who has long covered Green, reports the 28-year-old Green was found dead in his Arizona prison cell on Saturday and that, currently, the operating belief is that it was a case of suicide.

May 7, 2009 Steven D. Green (pictured above) was convicted for his crimes in the March 12, 2006 gang-rape and murder of Abeer Qassim Hamza al-Janabi, the murder of her parents and the murder of her five-year-old sister while Green was serving in Iraq. Green was found to have killed all four, to have participated in the gang-rape of Abeer and to have been the ringleader of the conspiracy to commit the crimes and the conspiracy to cover them up. May 21, 2009, the federal jury deadlocked on the death penalty.

Alsumaria explained, "An ex-US soldier was found guilty for raping an Iraqi girl and killing her family in 2006 while he might face death sentence. . . . Eye witnesses have reported that Green shot dead the girl’s family in a bedroom while two other soldiers were raping her. Then, Green raped her in his turn and put a pillow on her face before shooting her. The soldiers set the body afire to cover their crime traces."

Evan Bright reported on the verdict:

As the jury entered the court room, Green(red sweater vest) let out a large sigh, not of relief, but seemingly of anxiety, knowing the weight of the words to come. As Judge Thomas Russell stated "The court will now publish the verdict," Green interlaced his fingers and clasped them over his chin. Russell read the verdict flatly and absolutely. Green went from looking down at each "guilty" to eyeing the jury. His shoulders dropped as he was convicted of count #11, aggravated sexual abuse, realizing what this means. A paralegal at the defense table consoled Green by patting him on his back, even herself breaking down crying at the end of the verdicts.
After Russell finished reading the verdicts, he begged questions of the respective attorneys. Wendelsdorf, intending to ensure the absolution of the verdict, requested the jury be polled. Honorable Judge Russell asked each juror if they agreed with these verdicts, receiving a simple-but-sufficient yes from all jurors. Green watched the jury flatly.

We covered Green and his War Crimes here in depth and repeatedly. Some ignored, some that you would think would be covering it. At one point, a left site e-mailed me that they couldn't cover it because they didn't have this or that and couldn't afford to use the photo that AP owned.

That's the photo above. And I posted on that saying here's my copy use it. My copy wasn't as dark as AP's. They scanned their photo to be dark. They got their photo from the same place I got mine -- it's Green's mug shot. It's not an AP photo. They got a public photo, with no copyrights on it, and slapped their name on it and called it copyright. Again, no one steals more copyrights than the media.

Taxpayers owned the photo of Green, they own Reagan's speeches delivered while president. That's reality.

THE NEW YORK POST is squealing like the pig they are about how Todd Blanche and the Justice Dept are threatening California over proposals to arrest ICE agents who break the law. It's a conspiracy they insist!

They don't know what the hell a conspiracy is -- that's THE POST, that's Todd, that's the Justice Dept. There are laws around the country in every community. Those laws are in place for a reason. Government officials discussing the need to enforce the laws? Not a conspiracy and I don't think the biggest Trumper judge in the world would agree that this was a conspiracy -- even before you add in the fact that this issued is being discussed publicly by government officials in California.

You have to obey the law.

ICE is breaking it. California is within their rights to address people found to be breaking the laws.

At present, they're only talking about after the fact. They're not talking about doing it in the middle of an operation. I would be in favor of active arrests but that's not what's being discussed.

ICE cannot break the law. There are laws in place and if they don't like those laws? They can work to change them. But you're not going to beat up people in the streets -- or in a courthouse hallway as with the thug that pushed the woman down and ICE tried to pretend they were shocked by one of their own before putting him quietly back on the payroll -- and get away with it.

Kristi and Chump apparently told them anything goes. No, that's not the case. They have to operate within the frame work of the law. If they break the law, they can be arrested just like ayone else.

It's amazing because Steven D. Green got arrested.

And no one in the military screamed, 'You can't do that!"

That's the military police!

No, it wasn't. He had discharged and flown home and was arrested by the US government as he got off the plane.

The military is not above the law. But Chump wants to put his gestapo above the law?

Oh, hell no.

Todd Blanche needs to watch his public statements. They're ignorant and reveal that he is sadly out of his depth in his government position.

Just another incompetent appointed by Chump.

Now we need to talk about the White House. There are so many issues and we can't cover everything in the snapshot.

Ruth's "Donald destroys our White House" and Stan's "An interesting documentary." and Mike's "Chump and FettyCrap -- can we send them to Mars?" note the destruction of the White House.

I think they've done a great job. I've posted videos here but avoided comment myself. That's because of the type of person I am. I can be cold. You get a surprise death in the family? You want me there. Any kind of emergency or surprise? You need me. I can zoom in and focus on the most pressing issues.

Loss of objects is never my most pressing issue. But the groups we're speaking to are driving home to me just how important the destruction of the East Wing is to Americans.

So, quickly, Donald Chump does not respect history or, for that matter, this country. He's destroyed the White House -- physically destroyed. It was not his to do so. But he doesn't care. He'll talk "America first!" but then save Argentina cattle ranchers at the expense of the American people.

History does matter. Where we were and how we got to the present matters. But not to an uneducated con man like Chump. It's all for sale in his mind. There are no public commons, everything can have a tag slapped on it and sold.

This is what happens when someone with no respect for the institution or the people of this country is president. We need to be sure this never happens again.

And people are right to be upset about this. It was a slap in the face to this country.

Apparently, Chump fancies himself First Lady. This really would be a First Lady project, after all. Maybe all these years of wearing his orange foundation on his face (more recently on his hands as well) has allowed him to get in touch with Miss Donald and let whatever's left of his hair down.

But what he did was wrong and goes to the huge disrespect that he has for the American people.

Let's note this from THE BLACK COMMENTATOR:

The Black Commentator

Issue #1060

is now Online

October 23, 2025

Read issue 1060

Our email address is BlackCommentator@gmail.com

Our voicemail number is 856.823.1739

We'll wind down with this from Senator Patty Murray's office:

ICYMI: Senator Murray Statement on House Passage of “Big, Ugly Betrayal” Cutting Health Care & SNAP for WA State Families to Fund Tax Cuts for Billionaires

Senator Murray briefly relied on food stamps as a child and has always fought to fully fund SNAP benefits; Murray fiercely opposed Republicans when they passed the largest cuts to SNAP in American history this summer by passing their Big Ugly Bill.

Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, joined Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), and 42 of their colleagues to send a letter to USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins calling on the USDA to release the billions of dollars at its disposal to ensure Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits continue in November.

The senators raised the alarm about the USDA’s failure to use available funding to continue SNAP, writing: “We were deeply disturbed to hear that the USDA has instructed states to stop processing SNAP benefits for November and were surprised by your recent comments that the program will ‘run out of money in two weeks.’ In fact, the USDA has several tools available which would enable SNAP benefits to be paid through or close to the end of November.”

“First, the USDA must, at a minimum under the law, use the contingency funding that is available for SNAP, as noted by USDA officials. Second, the USDA has interchange authority under 7 U.S.C. 2257 that permits the transfer of funds from other USDA nutrition programs. In fact, this authority was recently used by the USDA when it transferred money from child nutrition programs to the WIC account to maintain WIC benefits during the shutdown,” the senators continued.

“In the event that more resources are needed than what is available in contingency funding, the USDA should explore all legal means to augment funds to pay the full amount of SNAP benefits in November. Americans are already struggling with the rising cost of groceries, and they cannot afford a sudden lapse in grocery assistance. We urge you to immediately communicate to states and committees of jurisdiction the USDA’s plans to disburse the contingency funding to state agencies and utilize all available legal authorities so that American families can get benefits without interruption. Democrats remain at the table and ready to negotiate reopening the government,” the senators concluded.

In addition to Senators Murray, Booker, Klobuchar, and Luján, Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Angus King (I-ME), Edward Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Tina Smith (D-MN), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Mark Warner (D-VA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Ron Wyden (D-OR) signed the letter.

The full text of the letter to Secretary Rollins is available HERE and below.

The Honorable Brooke Rollins

Secretary U.S. Department of Agriculture

1400 Independence Avenue, SW

Washington, DC 20250

Dear Secretary Rollins,

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is our nation’s largest food assistance program, serving 42 million people, including 16 million children, 8 million seniors, and 4 million people with disabilities. Any halt in SNAP funding will have devastating impacts for program beneficiaries, increasing food insecurity and undermining family budgets. Given the critical importance of SNAP benefits, the USDA must take all steps possible to ensure that families do not go hungry.

We were deeply disturbed to hear that the USDA has instructed states to stop processing SNAP benefits for November and were surprised by your recent comments that the program will “run out of money in two weeks.” In fact, the USDA has several tools available which would enable SNAP benefits to be paid through or close to the end of November. First, the USDA must, at a minimum under the law, use the contingency funding that is available for SNAP, as noted by USDA officials. Second, the USDA has interchange authority under 7 U.S.C. 2257 that permits the transfer of funds from other USDA nutrition programs. In fact, this authority was recently used by the USDA when it transferred money from child nutrition programs to the WIC account to maintain WIC benefits during the shutdown. In the event that more resources are needed than what is available in contingency funding, the USDA should explore all legal means to augment funds to pay the full amount of SNAP benefits in November.

Americans are already struggling with the rising cost of groceries, and they cannot afford a sudden lapse in grocery assistance. We urge you to immediately communicate to states and committees of jurisdiction the USDA’s plans to disburse the contingency funding to state agencies and utilize all available legal authorities so that American families can get benefits without interruption. Democrats remain at the table and ready to negotiate reopening the government.

Sincerely,

###

Stan's "Elizabeth Olsen thinks she has a film career as a leading lady -- she's a big dreamer" and the following sites updated:

Thursday, October 23, 2025

Hartmann's making some points you should catch

Interesting column from Thom Hartmann:

We’ve seen it before. The Women’s March drew millions. Occupy Wall Street electrified a generation. Black Lives Matter shook the conscience of the nation. But without leadership, durable organizations, funding networks, and consistent strategy, these movements faded from the political field as quickly as they filled it.

Protests without public faces and follow-through are like fireworks. Beautiful, brief, and gone before the smoke clears.

The last time I saw my late buddy Tom Hayden was when we were both speaking in Dubrovnik, Croatia some years ago. I was doing my radio program live from there and we reminisced on the air about SDS, the organization he helped start with the Port Huron Statement and I was a member of in East Lansing.

Like the American Revolution, the Civil Rights movement, the union movement, and the women’s suffrage movements before it, SDS’s success in helping end the war in Vietnam didn’t just come from mass mobilizations (although they helped), but flowed out of an organizational structure and local and national leaders who could articulate a single specific demand to end the war.

As Frederick Douglass famously said in 1857, “Power concedes nothing without a demand.” That demand must be loud, specific, recurrent, and backed by organization and leadership.

When the Occupy movement, for example, was taken over by a group of well-intentioned people who insisted that no leaders or institutions emerge within it, they doomed it to obscurity.

Donald Trump’s neofascist administration understands this dynamic; it’s why they came down so brutally on student leaders in the campus anti-genocide protests. They succeeded in preventing either institution or leadership from emerging in a meaningful way.

Modern protests often reward attention, not action. Social media loves the march, the chant, the sign, and the photo that goes viral. Trump’s people complain and mutter about “hate America marches” but generally tolerate them, assuming they’ll fizzle out like Occupy did. The click feels like participation.

But power never bends to viral content. While the George Floyd protests did produce some changes, those (particularly DEI) are aggressively being rolled back by Republicans with little protest because there’s no institution or leadership to lead the protest against their retrograde actions.

Authoritarian politicians understand this better than anyone. They know that a protest can be permitted because as long as it limits itself to protest it burns itself out. A million tweets feel like movement, but they evaporate by morning. The noise is cathartic, and the system stays the same.

Occupy is the most disappointing of all the ones noted by Hartmann. It really meant something beyond NYC. It touched people. It was a left movement independent of the Democratic Party. Barack was not the hero of Occupy. This was an independent movement with a message that spread across the nation.

What failed it? Beyond what Hartmann is pointing out, it was failed by the left media -- by THE NATION, by DEMORACY NOW!, go down the list.

C.I. emphasized Heidi Boghosian's report for LAW & DISORDER because it was a good report -- she went there for a segment of the show -- and because it was the only one telling the truth. The points Hartmann's raising right now? Heidi reported on it. If people had paid attention to her report, Occupy might still be going right now.

Instead, there were no list of demands, there was ntohing. It faded as a result. It should have been something major. BLACK LIVES MATTER hasn't really faded. It's still there, it's still a presence. You can't say that about Occupy.

"The Snapshot" (THE COMMONILLS):

Wednesday, October 22, 2025. The non-stop lies of the crooks -- Chump, Bondi, Kristi and so many more.

All Donald Chump has ever known is how to lie. It remains his only skill to this day. Here's MEIDASTOUCH NEWS' Ben this morning with realities that beat down Chump's lies.

Love him waiving around those English language Bibles -- the ones printed and made in Hangzhou. Hangzhou? What an interesting name. Is it next to Kalamazoo in Michigan. No. No, it's in China. Any job Chump creates is overseas. He's tanked our economy.

Yesterday evening, Devlin Barrett and Tyler Pager (NEW YORK TIMES) reported:

President Trump is demanding that the Justice Department pay him about $230 million in compensation for the federal investigations into him, according to people familiar with the matter, who added that any settlement might ultimately be approved by senior department officials who defended him or those in his orbit.

The situation has no parallel in American history, as Mr. Trump, a presidential candidate, was pursued by federal law enforcement and eventually won the election, taking over the very government that must now review his claims. It is also the starkest example yet of potential ethical conflicts created by installing the president’s former lawyers atop the Justice Department.

Mr. Trump submitted complaints through an administrative claim process that often is the precursor to lawsuits. The first claim, lodged in late 2023, seeks damages for a number of purported violations of his rights, including the F.B.I. and special counsel investigation into Russian election tampering and possible connections to the 2016 Trump campaign, according to people familiar with the matter. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because the claim has not been made public.

The second complaint, filed in the summer of 2024, accuses the F.B.I. of violating Mr. Trump’s privacy by searching Mar-a-Lago, his club and residence in Florida, in 2022 for classified documents. It also accuses the Justice Department of malicious prosecution in charging him with mishandling sensitive records after he left office.

The litigious liar is aware that any settlements would actually be paid by the US citizens with the money they send to the government for taxes.

Stephanie Ruhle addressed Chump's attempted theft of American dollars last night on THE 11TH HOUR WITH STEPHANIE RUHLE.

Donald Trump is reportedly trying to loot the federal government to the tune of $230 million. That’s how much he’s demanding from the Department of Justice in compensation for past federal probes of his misdeeds, according to a Tuesday report in The New York Times.

The Times’ sources say that before he returned to the White House, Trump filed administrative claims, or formal requests for relief from a government agency, which often precede a lawsuit. One 2023 claim seeks damages for investigations into Russian election interference and ties to the Trump 2016 campaign—another, filed in 2024, for the 2022 FBI search of Mar-a-Lago for classified documents.

The president reportedly expects to be paid a settlement but, so far, has not gotten his nine-figure payday.

The potential settlement, being for an administrative claim, would not need to be publicly announced, and would simply need the approval of one of two Trump-friendly officials: Todd Blanche, who is the deputy attorney general and Trump’s former criminal defense attorney, or DOJ civil division chief Stanley Woodward Jr., who has represented many of the president’s aides and allies—from Trump’s co-defendant in the classified documents case to participants in the January 6 Capitol attack.

Compensation in such cases is “typically covered by taxpayers,” the Times reports.

Does anyone want to try to connect this to DOGE? That was the attack on the safety net that some fools cheered on -- not just the right-wing but radical con artists on the left like Ben Cohen who didn't just root for DOGE, he also set up a website celebrating it. We were told -- by Chump and his minions like Ben Cohen -- that DOGE was needed. To save money. The same person supposedly interested in saving the taxpayer money now wants to stick them with a bill for over $200 million? It was never bout saving money. It was about destroying our way of life Shame on liars like Donald Chump and Ben Cohen and everyone who willing participated in the attack on We The People, in the attack on our commons and our public square. Liars who spread lies.

Staying with the many lies of Donald Chump and his administration, Dave Lawler (AXIOS) notes:

The U.S. military has killed at least 32 people in seven strikes off the coast of Venezuela without telling Congress or the American people who was killed, or on what evidence.

The big picture: The U.S. is eight weeks into a military campaign in the Caribbean Sea with the twin aims of stopping drugs and, potentially, toppling Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro.

"Officially, our position is we're there to stop narco-terrorists. We're going to blow up their boats. And we're going to be patient about it. No one is in any rush," a senior administration official said.

The scene: The Trump administration has deployed an unprecedented number of warships, spy planes, fighter jets, bombers, drones, and U.S. Marines off the coast of Venezuela.

Last week, Trump confirmed he'd authorized CIA covert operations on Venezuelan soil. Overhead, the U.S. conducted a "Bomber Attack Demonstration" with B-52s.
"It's not just the CIA, it's all of our intelligence capabilities," said an insider involved in discussions about the operation." The U.S. knows where Maduro is, where he stays, where he goes. If we wanted to kill him with a missile, we could have done it by now."
After the unexpected and unexplained departure of SouthCom Commander Adm. Alvin Holsey, the cadence of strikes at sea — and on land in Venezuela — could increase.

At SALON, Heather Digby Parton explains:

Since Sept. 1, the United States has been blowing up boats in the Caribbean Sea and killing people on board with apparent impunity. The current known death toll stands at 32. According to President Donald Trump, the dead — and those the Navy continues to target — are Venezuelan “unlawful combatants” and “narco-terrorist” members of the Tren de Aragua gang and are alleged to be transporting drugs bound for America. This amounts to war on drug cartels, Trump has said, allowing the U.S. to act in self-defense.

As Salon’s Andrew O’Hehir has written, this “phony war” is indicative of the twisted pathology of Trump’s worldview. Reporting over the last week has made it clear: The danger of this situation going sideways becomes greater every day. And considering America’s history in the region, such an outcome almost seems pre-ordained.

Last week, Adm. Alvin Holsey, who heads the U.S. Southern Command, which oversees operations in Central and South America, resigned less than one year into his three-year term. Although the Pentagon did not give a reason for his departure, the New York Times reported that he had raised concerns about the boat attacks, as well as the larger drug counter-mission.

Holsey’s is a high-ranking resignation, but he is not the first to resign or be forced out over the strikes against Venezuelan boats. On Oct. 15, CNN’s Natasha Bertrand reported on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s destruction of the Judge Advocate General’s Corps, with “multiple current and former JAGs telling CNN that the strikes do not appear lawful.” Doubts have also been raised within the defense department’s Office of General Counsel. The Pentagon has denied these reports, saying there is unanimous agreement that the strikes are lawful.

They are not. As Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said on “Meet The Press” on Sunday, “[W]hen you kill someone, if you’re not in a declared war, you really need to know someone’s name at least. You have to accuse them of something. You have to present evidence. So all of these people have been blown up without any evidence of a crime.”

The president, though, does not seem to feel any moral obligation — or pressure — to produce any evidence, and over the weekend he inadvertently revealed the vacuity of the administration’s arguments. “It was my greatest honor to destroy a very large DRUG-CARRYING SUBMARINE that was navigating towards the United States on a well known narcotrafficking transit route,” he said in a social media post. While two were killed, Trump announced that the “two surviving terrorists are being returned to their Countries of origin, Ecuador and Colombia, for detention and prosecution.”

Can we see the problem here? He killed two people because they were allegedly unlawful combatant terrorists with whom we are at war. But then he sent their two compatriots back to their home countries for prosecution? How does that make any sense?

On Saturday night, Colombian President Gustavo Petro, went public with an accusation that in September, the U.S. murdered an innocent Colombian fisherman whose boat was in distress. Trump responded that Petro is an “illegal drug dealer” with “a fresh mouth toward America.” He announced that he would immediately halt all counter-narcotics aid payments to Colombia — which seems counterproductive — and, needless to say, he also vowed to raise tariffs.

It's one wrong adventure after another with the Convicted Felon back in the White House. Some may wonder what you have to do in order to get fired from the Chump administration?

The only thing that ever gets you fired by Chump is telling the truth. Héctor Ríos Morales (LATIN TIMES) reports:

Since the Trump administration ramped up its hardline immigration agenda, dozens of cases have emerged across the United States involving alleged violations of due process and human rights.

One of the most prominent is that of Kilmar Abrego García, a Salvadoran man who was wrongfully deported to El Salvador in March. Since being returned to the country, he has been entangled in a prolonged legal fight with federal immigration authorities who want to deport him as soon as the case is solved.

As that legal battle continues, a new CBS News report reveals that a former Department of Justice attorney claims he was fired for refusing to support what he describes as a false narrative in Abrego García's case. The attorney, Erez Reuveni, told the outlet that he declined to sign a legal brief describing Abrego García as a member of the MS-13 gang and a terrorist, an accusation he says was used in an effort to prevent the man from returning to the United States.

Reuveni, who once received praise from Trump administration officials for defending the president's immigration policies during his first term, said what he witnessed inside the DOJ violated basic legal principles.

"I took an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution," Reuveni said. "And my view of that oath is that I need to speak up and draw attention to what has happened to the department, what is happening to the rule of law. I would not be faithfully abiding by my oath if I stayed silent right now."

He also described the moment when a supervisor called to pressure him into signing off on the brief that labeled Abrego García as a gang member.

"I respond up the chain of command, no way. That is not correct. That is not factually correct. It is not legally correct. That is a lie. And I cannot sign my name to that brief," Reuveni recounted.

Transcript:

Erez Reuveni was on his way up. He was an attorney in the Department of Justice who was so effective defending President Trump's first-term immigration policy, that he was promoted right away in Trump's second term. But Reuveni's 15-year Justice Department career ended suddenly after, he says, he witnessed government lawyers lying in court and evading orders of a judge. These last few months have been a time of upheaval in the Justice Department. Now, Reuveni's claims are raising concern in courtrooms across the country. The administration has called Reuveni a leaker seeking five minutes of fame. But in his first television interview, Erez Reuveni told us, he's paid a price: speaking up cost him his dream.

Erez Reuveni: Even before I went to law school, I understood what I wanted to do as a lawyer was to be involved in public service. And everyone understood at the time. You do it at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. There's no better place as a young attorney to just do the sorts of cases where you're standing up in court as a first-chair attorney on behalf of the United States, doing things that law firm partners don't do.

Scott Pelley: And that meant what to you?

Erez Reuveni: That meant I was there on behalf of the American people, on behalf of the millions of citizens of this country to make sure that justice was done.

Erez Reuveni started in 2010 as a so-called "career" attorney. Most lawyers at the Justice Department stay for years, even decades, defending the policies of one president after another. Reuveni specialized in immigration law. And in the first Trump term he defended the controversial ban on travelers from Muslim countries, among many other cases.

Again, lie and you keep your job, tell the truth and you get fired. After her appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee (here, here and here), we all know Attorney General Pam daBimbo Bondi lies. And if you work under her, you better lie too. Robert Alexander (NEWSWEEK) explains:

A growing number of federal judges are expressing frustration with the Department of Justice (DOJ) under Attorney General Pam Bondi, citing repeated incidents in which government lawyers have been accused of misleading the courts or ignoring judicial orders.

The concerns have intensified following a whistleblower’s account aired on 60 Minutes and a comprehensive review of federal cases by legal scholars.

The growing conflict between federal judges and Bondi’s Justice Department goes beyond one whistleblower’s account. It strikes at the core of the rule of law—whether courts can still rely on the government’s word.

Allegations that department lawyers misled judges, ignored orders, and punished internal dissent have prompted rulings from both Republican- and Democratic-appointed judges questioning the government’s honesty in court.

If the Justice Department loses its hard-earned presumption of good faith, the damage could outlast any administration and weaken the integrity of the nation’s judicial system itself.

daBimbo doesn't care about the Justice Dept or about justice, she only wants to lie in service of the Convicted Felon. That makes her like everyone else in the Cabinet.

Again, tell a lie and you're a made person in the Chump mob and they don't fire you. Look at Kristi Noem and the people under her. Farrah Tomazin (DAILY BEAST) notes:

The photo featured the rear of a motorboat, with what appeared to be numerous bags of drugs.

“This photo is from a drug bust that occurred in 2024, zero ties to the current situation,” said a community note that was added to the post as a consumer-based fact check.

“Photo is taken from the video attached in the article below.”

Just a cheap whore liar, after all. Over the weekend, Catie Edmondson (NEW YORK TIMES) reported:

The Department of Homeland Security has purchased two Gulfstream private jets for Kristi Noem, the secretary, and other top department officials at a cost of $172 million, according to documents reviewed by The New York Times.

The jets, which a department official said were needed for safety, are the latest expenditures on behalf of Ms. Noem to draw scrutiny from Democrats and other critics who have noted her lavish spending on living and other expenses during her time in public life.

The Coast Guard put in its budget earlier this year a request to purchase a new long-range Gulfstream V jet, estimated to cost $50 million, to replace an aging one used by Ms. Noem.

Alex Reimer (QUEERTY) observes:

Kristi Noem’s lavish spending on the taxpayer’s dime is reaching atmospheric heights.

The glammed up DHS Secretary will be traveling on not one but two new private jets worth $172 million, reports the New York Times. The Coast Guard bought the two crafts, which will be used by other DHS officials as well.

Only the best for “ICE Barbie” and her cosplaying minions!

[. . .]

Meanwhile, when it comes to actually serving American citizens–you know, the saps paying for Noem’s cross-jetting lifestyle–Noem orders austerity. She’s implemented a requirement that any department purchase over $100,000 needs her personal approval. The onerous process has been blamed for FEMA failing to answer calls from thousands of survivors in the immediate aftermath of the Texas floods last summer.

One year later, FEMA still hasn’t approved any homeowner buyouts for individuals in western North Carolina who lost their houses due to Hurricane Helene.

But when it comes to replacing private jets for $172 million, Noem finds the funds. Keep in mind, the planes were purchased in the midst of a shutdown, when most government employees aren’t getting paid.

Notable exceptions are ICE and Border Patrol agents. They’ve got immigrants to brutalize, and photo shoots to take part in.

Saturday, US House Reps Rosa DeLauro and Lauren Underwood's offices issued the following:

WASHINGTON — Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem is spending $200 million of taxpayer money on a pair of top-of-the-line luxury Gulfstream G700 private jets during a government shutdown.

House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) and Homeland Security Subcommittee Ranking Member Lauren Underwood (IL-14) requested more information from the Secretary regarding the purchase, which does not align with earlier funding requests for the Department.

“It has come to our attention that, in the midst of a government shutdown, the United States Coast Guard (USCG) entered into a sole source contract with Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation to procure two new G700 luxury jets to support travel for you and the Deputy Secretary, at a cost to the taxpayer of $200 million,” write DeLauro and Underwood. “Based on the Department’s public statement that you personally sign off on all DHS contracts that exceed $100,000 in value, and prior solicitations indicating that you are a primary user of these aircraft, we assume that you are involved in the approval of this contract.”

The lawmakers write that Noem appears to prioritize herself over servicemembers: “Indeed, from choosing to live rent-free in the Commandant’s quarters, to defending Mr. Lewandowski’s refusal to provide basic information about his special government employee status, to your frequent appearances at ongoing operations which require a diversion of resources to focus on your security, it appears you are routinely prioritizing yourself and those closest to you over the needs of the USCG servicemembers who protect this nation.”

In their letter to the Department of Homeland Security, DeLauro and Underwood requested, in part, the following information:

This contract announcement reflects a substantially different LRCCA acquisition strategy compared to what was provided in the Fiscal Year 2025 spend plan. Why did DHS not update the Committees on the changing strategy and changing use of taxpayer funds?

What operational requirements have changed since the Department’s submission of USCG’s Fiscal Year 2025 spend plan in May? When did these requirements change and why were the Committees not notified of any change requirements?

If the Coast Guard intends to use funds other than regular Fiscal Year 2025 appropriations to execute this contract, please explain the amount and from which account(s) and why LRCCA procurement is a better use of taxpayer funds than the original purpose of any such funds.

Please provide the name and title of each person in the Department, including any special government employees and senior advisors who reviewed or approved this contract.

The full text of the letter is available here and below:

The Honorable Kristi Noem

Secretary

Department of Homeland Security

1790 Ash Street, SE

Washington, DC 20032

Dear Secretary Noem:

It has come to our attention that, in the midst of a government shutdown, the United States Coast Guard (USCG) entered into a sole source contract with Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation to procure two new G700 luxury jets to support travel for you and the Deputy Secretary, at a cost to the taxpayer of $200 million. Based on the Department’s public statement that you personally sign off on all DHS contracts that exceed $100,000 in value, and prior solicitations indicating that you are a primary user of these aircraft, we assume that you are involved in the approval of this contract.

This contract award directly contradicts the acquisition strategy and operational needs for the USCG’s Long Range Command and Control Aircraft (LRCCA) fleet, as outlined by your Department to the Committee in May and again in September. Worse, it reflects a continuing trend of self-aggrandizement in your tenure as Secretary. Your first priority should be to organize, train and equip a Coast Guard that is strong enough to meet today's mission requirements. Instead, it appears your first priority is your own comfort.

Indeed, from choosing to live rent-free in the Commandant’s quarters, to defending Mr. Lewandowski’s refusal to provide basic information about his special government employee status, to your frequent appearances at ongoing operations which require a diversion of resources to focus on your security, it appears you are routinely prioritizing yourself and those closest to you over the needs of the USCG servicemembers who protect this nation. In addition to raising serious questions about your ability to effectively lead an agency whose procurement strategies appear to vary on a whim, the procurement of new luxury jets for your use suggests that the USCG has been directed to prioritize your own comfort above the USCG’s operational needs, even during a government shutdown. We are deeply concerned about your judgment, leadership priorities, and responsibility as a steward of taxpayer dollars.

In light of this abrupt change in procurement strategy, we request answers to the following questions as soon as possible, but no later than 12:00pm (EDT) October 30, 2025.

What is the timeline for delivery of the two aircraft contemplated in the award announcement?

If USCG conducted an Analysis of Alternatives or similar exercise comparing the procurement of two G700s to the strategy of purchasing one used G550 (as the Department proposed in May), please provide that document to the Committee. If it did not conduct such analysis, please explain why not and why in the absence of such data the Coast Guard believes this strategy is in the best interests of the taxpayer and the Coast Guard.

Please clarify the funding source used to pay for this contract. If the Fiscal Year 2025 spend plan has changed as a consequence of this decision, please provide an updated plan reflecting changes related to this procurement.

Please provide the name and title of each person in the Department, including any special government employees and senior advisors, who reviewed or approved this contract.

Did any DHS component submit a justification and approval (J&A) document to support a sole-source award for this contract? If so, please provide that documentation. If not, please explain how DHS met statutory competition requirements under the Federal Acquisition Regulation.

Finally, we remind you to preserve any and all documents related to this procurement should the Committee or other Congressional committee engage in further oversight of this matter.

Sincerely,

###

Kristi is forever lying. Nicole Charky-Chami (RAW STORY) notes that those under her lie as well:

A senior ICE official is under fire after publicly sharing a 13-year-old child's information — and an expert warns it "could lead to serious consequences."

McLaughlin is accused of sharing children's information not just once, but multiple times.

Public anger was rising after a Brazilian-born seventh-grader in Massachusetts was reportedly taken by federal agents to a juvenile detention center more than 500 miles away from his family.

In an attempt to stop the public criticism, McLaughlin and DHS tried to use social media.

It's illegal for DHS or law enforcement to share a child's information.

McLaughlin lied about him having a gun? See, they lie and then they lie again.

Truth always matters but it especially matters when Chump and his administration spew lies constantly. That's why Senator Jeff Merkley took to the floor of the Senate last night and entered truth into the record for 13 hours.

On FACEBOOK, he noted:

THIS IS NOT NORMAL. I’m holding the floor to protest Trump dragging us further into authoritarianism.
https://youtube.com/live/bE37g0mkpEo?feature=share

Stan's "HBO MAX wants you to pay even more money for their increasingly worthless stream" went up last night and the following sites updated: