This turned up. Third return item on the list.
Tuesday, July 14, 2026
PiPress carries the AP story of Minnesota law enforcement - prosecution authorities finally getting federal info held until now on the Renee Good and Alex Pretti murders by ICE and Border Patrol goon-squad employees.
The progress came as a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot and killed a motorist in Maine on Monday, and Houston prosecutors complained the administration was still withholding critical information in their investigation into a fatal shooting by an ICE officer last week.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said the evidence turned over by U.S. Attorney for Minnesota Daniel Rosen’s office included previously withheld hard drives containing statements, police body camera video and other materials in the Minnesota killings. Federal prosecutors also turned over Good’s badly damaged SUV, she said.
“The wonderful thing now is we have all the evidence,” Moriarty said. “Any time the government is responsible in whatever way of taking the life of a community member we need to have a full and thorough investigation.”
In Maine, another killing by the Stephen Miller fascisti. Who'd have expected it?
BIG THING --- The Florida Judge in the bogus settlement case is unequivocal in issuing an order.
Order itself, 57 p. - https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flsd.706172/gov.uscourts.flsd.706172.106.0.pdf
EmptyWheel analysis - https://emptywheel.net/2026/07/14/judge-kathleen-williams-hoists-the-unitarians-on-their-fraudulent-petards/?unapproved=1150107&moderation-hash=b9a895b2c0855afbc93d007d474a0b8f
AP published analysis - https://apnews.com/article/trump-irs-justice-department-61adebe5de8982eb214b30889ad4f251
Readers might notice the EmptyWheel headline: "Judge Kathleen Williams Hoists the Unitarians on Their Fraudulent Petards"
My first impression was the Unitarians are no worse than the Catholics, but then the accompanying EmptyWheel exigesis made the sense in which the headline spoke clear - not those church-going Unitarians, so read on, three links. Perhaps AP is the better start.
The lawyers in the sham did come into a critique of their rectitude, doing as they did. It seemed to go beyond judgment they'd shown in their actions, to rectitude.
Like - they knew better. Believing they could push that sack of shit past the Judge insulted her judgment and ability to smell it. It is important, so do some follow-up reading.
UPDATE: Trump, in cooking up and then engineering that sham, was patently offensive with no redeeming social merit.
FURTHER: MinnesotaReformer carries that paper's consortium's reporting, saying in effect what the UPDATE said, using headlining:
[...]
“No sitting President has ever sued federal agencies completely subject to his control for monetary benefits, or any benefits that inure to him, his family, and associates. The failure of any attorney in this case to address, on this docket, the relationship of this Article II proscription with the benefits conferred by the ‘settlement’ is a glaring omission that speaks to the control of the Lead Plaintiff,” Williams wrote in the 56-page order.
[...]
Trump, his sons and the Trump Organization are “prohibited from referring to the purported ‘settlement agreement,’ or using, offering, admitting, or citing any of its provisions in any judicial, administrative, regulatory, arbitration, or any other official proceeding as evidence of a ‘settlement’ reached in this matter,” Williams wrote.
Further, she ordered the Trumps and their company to reimburse fees for attorneys appointed by the court to examine Trump’s case against the IRS, an agency under his control as president.
35 former judges
The president and his family sued the IRS in January over the late 2019 leak of their tax information to news media by a government contractor. The contractor had already been sentenced for the leak in early 2024.
The creation of the “anti-weaponization” fund sparked lawsuits, including from two former police officers who deployed to the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Trump’s IRS case was revived in late May when 35 former federal judges intervened, arguing the settlement fund was “a product of collusion and is itself a fraud on the Court.”
Lawyers representing the former federal judges hailed Williams’ ruling.
“The court’s opinion is a resounding victory for the rule of law. We are proud to represent these former judges in presenting the arguments that the court adopted,” according to a statement from Norm Eisen, co-founder and board member of Democracy Defenders Action, Matt Platkin, founding partner of Platkin LLP, and Susman Godfrey.
I believe I said Trump is patently offensive, with no redeeming social value. In this circumstance, so are his two oldest offspring. And his - let it go. Presuming sense in the electorate, after January 20 of next year, the hearings will buzz. House and Senate.
Monday, July 13, 2026
Democracy Now! with today's news summary, and a second item, focused upon Iran.
Special interview with Jeremy Scahill on recent Iran events.
These are two video items, so no text highlighting is possible.
Guardian - McConnell did NOT Franco to the netherworld - AND - Trump again does something entirely egregious, and expected.
McConnell story. It lacks any reporting of cognitive testing results, if any, attained during the month long hospital stay.
TRUMP - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/13/trump-chemical-safety-board
Same old shit. Early item quote -
The Trump administration has stacked a top chemical safety board with industry-aligned scientists who have a range of financial conflicts of interest and stand to profit from deregulation, public health advocates say.
The Environmental Protection Agency’s science advisory committee on chemicals (SACC) is slated to review research for dozens of toxic chemicals during the new members’ terms. At least 13 proposed Trump appointees are probably conflicted on the chemicals that will be reviewed, comments filed with the EPA by a coalition of public health advocacy groups alleges.
Their appointment, critics warn, is designed to provide scientific justification for the EPA’s broader campaign to dismantle the nation’s protections against toxic chemicals.
Among the appointees are Wade Barranco, employed by Lyondell Chemical Company, which in 2024 released nearly 1m pounds of chemicals likely to be reviewed by the SACC during his term, including acetaldehyde, benzene, ethylbenzene, naphthalene and styrene.
The public health groups say the appointees’ participation on reviews in which there is a conflict could be illegal. They pointed to federal law and the EPA’s internal guidelines that state that the SACC must be “both balanced and free of members who have actual or perceived conflicts of interest or an appearance of a loss of impartiality”.
[....]
The Angie Craig outspending DFL endorsed candidate Peggy Flanagan in anticipation of an August primary to fill the Senate seat Tina Smith vacates. In depth, one post down, but here, proof the situation is drawing nationwide scorn.
Perhaps nationwide attention is more neutral than scorn, but when it comes to floods of money in politics, aimed at truning aside a popular outcome; scorn is a proper word.
That said,
In a press conference Wednesday, July 8, Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan called on U.S. Rep. Angie Craig to answer for a "flood" of outside spending while touting the grassroots nature of her own campaign. Flanagan claimed $12 million in outside spending from political action committees in support of Craig has made this the most expensive primary in Minnesota history.
“You've seen them, I've seen them, my kiddo has seen them,” Flanagan said. “Minnesotans have been inundated with television ads trying to redeem Congresswoman Angie Craig and attack my record. Those ads are being paid for by five super PACs and secretive 'dark money' groups that have already spent more than $12 million trying to sway the outcome of this election.”
The Flanagan campaign claims the outside spending is funded namely by the cryptocurrency industry, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and health insurance companies.
Craig responded to the claims in a statement Wednesday.
“I’ve run in five competitive races in Minnesota and in every one of them Super PACs have come after me. I never once called a press conference to cry about it,” she said in the statement. “If you think this is bad, wait until Republicans come after you for the fraud issues in Minnesota. There is too much at risk in our nation to not just say it: Peggy Flanagan could lose this Senate seat for Democrats in November if she is the candidate.”
Craig has repeatedly called Flanagan’s assertions about outside spending “hypocrisy,” pointing to donations made to the Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association while Flanagan was chair. Craig has mentioned a contribution from CoreCivic, a company known to partner with the federal government for ICE detention facilities.
"Rather than debate me on the issues and how we’re going to stand up to Donald Trump she looks to impose a litmus test she herself has failed," Craig said earlier this month.
On the issues, Craig would lose, being a conservative Democrat. In fairness, Craig lost her first MN HD2 campaign to an idiot talk show host Republican, a Michele Bachmann allay, because Craig ran a poor campaign touting some wrong things and having awful consultantcy adds with cringe-worthy background music. Improving by being more open about her family and spouse and the three children they raised, and realizing a part of her district to be rural with ag and other non-urban character, Craig adapted and improved campaign messaging greatly. She ousted Jason Lewis, the talk show Republican after a single term, and has represented MN HD2 ever since.
It being a conservative district in part channeled Craig into offering and delivering a balanced but conservative leaning campaigning message, which she delivered upon. In short, she represented the mood of her distirct, which is hard to fault.
But still.
That item continues -
Flanagan said Wednesday that during her time at the DLGA, she asked that the contribution from CoreCivic be donated, and said Craig's comparison is not “apples to apples.”
“The Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association's sole purpose is to elect Democrats and Democratic lieutenant governors,” Flanagan said. “These corporate PACs, these special interest, dark money groups, their sole purpose is to elect people like Congresswoman Craig, who will vote for their interests, who will vote for the things, frankly, that they want to see happen, and will do their bidding — and I think, again, it's not an even playing field.”
The heat comes just ahead of the second round of campaign finance reports for federal elections, which are due next Wednesday, July 15. Craig’s campaign reported nearly $5 million cash on hand on July 7. DFL-endorsed Flanagan's last report through March showed $1.1 million cash on hand.
Flanagan simply does not take private prison - ICE detention money, and Craig knows that and knows better than to suggest otherwise. Next -
https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/really-dark-money-fighting-keep-121608756.html carrying a native american news report. Flanagan has native american roots, so no surprise, she's favored.
Most people who read my newsletter think of Peggy Flanagan's campaign for the Senate in historic terms. She is a citizen of the White Earth Nation and there has never been a Native American woman elected to that chamber ever. It's long past time for that to happen in a representative democracy.
But others see Flanagan as a threat and are willing to spend a lot of money to make sure she doesn't make that history.
It's not uncommon for U.S. Senate races to cost millions of dollars. But in Minnesota, spending records are being shattered in a primary election, already topping $12 million. The most expensive Minnesota primary ever. And most of that money is trying to make sure that Peggy Flanagan does not win the DFL Primary next month.
The cool thing is the reasons are ideological.
Across the country there are millions of dollars being invested to make sure that "centrist" Democrats win. And the phrase "centrist" captures a few general themes, such as support for the government of Israel, status quo in health care (protecting insurance companies and the pharmaceutical industry), and this year's largest big spender, the shadowy web that includes crypto traders (including sports betting and prediction markets).
"In the 2026 midterm elections, corporate money is poised to play a bigger role than ever before in influencing how Americans vote. The cryptocurrency sector's political playbook from 2024 – prioritizing corporate priorities over parties or candidates and using their financial power to discipline sitting lawmakers and candidates – is spawning copycat corporate campaigns by other sectors.
"Months before Election Day, corporations have already collectively spent $517 million to influence federal elections – a 12% increase over the $461 million that corporations spent over the entire 2024 election cycle and nearly triple the $184.1 million spent by corporations during the previous midterm election in 2022."
Most of this money is "dark" money. Secret funds that are spent directly by Political Action Funds in support of candidates. In June, one of those groups, North Star Dawn, used a "deep fake" ad to attack Flanagan. (Portraying her as a corporate shill. Cute. The evidence is a PAC for Democratic Lt. Governors. But the thing is, why is Peggy Flanagan on the other side of just about every issue that's mentioned in the attack ad?)
[...]
Last, a HuffPo item giving nationwide coverage to the big bucks for Craig. Carried by MSN.
Since it's largely cumulative, quoting will be brief:
Outside groups have spent more than $1 million a week on TV and digital streaming ads to support Craig, she said on a Wednesday press call. Eight of these ads have been airing since April, and the campaign’s “best guess” is that most of this money is flowing from the cryptocurrency industry and the powerful pro-Israel group, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
Also in the news: Trump Filing Shows He Took In About $1.2 Billion From Crypto Businesses Last Year
“Minnesota has never seen this kind of outside spending,” said the lieutenant governor. “Unprecedented. Historic. Unlike anything Minnesotans have experienced in our politics before.”
Flanagan, who is running to the left of Craig, has made it central to her campaign that she doesn’t take any corporate PAC money, unlike the moderate congresswoman.
On her press call, she said the “most important question to ask” is why special interest groups are flooding this Senate race: “They know Angie Craig will do their bidding.”
Well, they "know" no such thing, but the expectation is that Craig would mirror her record in the House, if gaining the Senate seat. Again, Craig represented her district and how she'd represent the entire diverse state is unknown. But her campaign and the endorsements she could obtain are not progressive voices. Far from it.
The next following post is more editorial, looking past the contest (but only a bit) to the Schumer - Gillibrand putsch against Platner, in parallel to a comparable "me-too" takedown putsch the two spearheaded against Al Franken. And how that is part of a Dem inner party bias toward a too-conservative status quo. One ripe for overturning, if they'd let us.
Frankin was the best and most progressive Senator Minnesota has had since the still strange and most unfortunate Wellstone fatal airplane disaster.
Back to Frankin - not Wellstone: They took a crap on Al and he walked away, which is most unfortunate, but illustrative of why change is imperative.
Change course, and we could even possibly get Medicare for All.
The Crabgrass understanding -- Craig's not endorsed Medicare for All, while Flanagan unequivocally has.
_____________UPDATE_____________
Recall, chickenshit dark money took out Jamal Bowman and Corrie Bush, so August primary day is a pace away and we have to wait to see. But chickenshit dark money, in an ideal world, would not rule the primary day voting in an ideal Minnesota world.
This is related to the anti-progressive political assassination of Graham Platner. To the status quo Dem Party Establishment that repeatedly went after Platner. Tons of Angie Craig dark money pouring into Minnesota's contest where Peggy Flanagan is the progressive, Craig is the one who took AIPAC money.
 |
| https://www.trackaipac.com/states/minnesota?rq=angie |
Open https://www.trackaipac.com/states/minnesota?rq=Minnesota, to find the one MN Rep who is clean, vs. the one Rep who's gotten the most AIPAC and related money - more than Craig, who is in second place. The clean one no surprise, the dirt bag may surprise you. It did not surprise me. Go figure.
Back to the current MN Senate race money story - MSN carrying Strib content, no paywall -
Unknown donors pouring millions into what could be Minnesota’s most expensive Senate primary
An onslaught of untraceable spending has poured into the Democratic race between Rep. Angie Craig and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, making the contest for U.S. Senate among the most expensive primaries Minnesota has seen.
The influx of this “dark money” has sparked criticism by Flanagan, who says industry donors want to elect Craig to do their bidding. Craig’s campaign has criticized Flanagan for accepting outside support from big tobacco and big oil when she previously chaired the Democratic Lieutenant Governor’s Association (DLGA).
To date, outside groups that must disclose their donors to federal regulators have spent more than $10 million on ads either supporting Craig or attacking Flanagan. Some of the funding for those ads has been funneled through a dark money group that doesn’t have to disclose its donors, however.
Additionally, more than $2 million in spending on ads praising Craig has come from organizations whose donors are untraceable.
“These outside groups aren’t spending millions of dollars to elect Congresswoman Craig to the Senate for no reason,” Flanagan said at a news conference last week. “They’re investing in someone who will do their bidding and attacking me because I won’t.”
Political action committees that are obligated to reveal their donors have spent more than $2 million supporting Flanagan. Those groups draw funding from labor unions, corporations, individual donors, Democratic organizations and other PACs, including some dark money groups.
Craig thinks Flanagan’s attacks are hypocritical given the corporate PAC money that flowed into the DLGA under her leadership and because one of the PACs backing the lieutenant governor began airing negative advertising against the congresswoman first.
“If she thinks this is bad, just wait until Republicans come after her if she’s our candidate,” Craig said in an interview.
Craig and Flanagan, who are vying to replace retiring Sen. Tina Smith, are locked in a competitive race for the Aug. 11 primary that’s emblematic of the broader struggle between the centrist and progressive wings of the party.
Craig hopes her fundraising advantage and record of flipping a red district will persuade voters to choose her to take on the Republican candidate this fall, while Flanagan has tapped into a progressive backlash against President Donald Trump and argues her campaign prioritizes the “many over the money.”
The vast majority of outside spending for Craig comes from North Star Dawn, a super PAC that launched in January and has flooded TV and social media with ads. (Super PACs can’t coordinate with campaigns but face no spending limits.)
North Star Dawn’s ads laud Craig for standing up to Trump and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after she suffered substantial backlash from the Democratic base in the wake of Operation Metro Surge, the immigration enforcement crackdown in Minnesota earlier this year. In January 2025, Craig voted for the Laken Riley Act, which mandates detention of undocumented immigrations arrested for certain crimes, a vote she has since said she regrets.
Federal campaign finance filings show North Star Dawn has spent more than $7 million supporting Craig or opposing Flanagan — almost all of it in the past six weeks.
North Star Dawn’s largest supporter is billionaire Stephen Mandel, founder of hedge fund Lone Pine Capital and a longtime Democratic donor. The group also received a six-figure donation from a political action committee associated with the Teamsters union. North Star Dawn received more than $530,000 in donations between its inception and the end of May, meaning most of its fundraising has not yet been disclosed. PACs must file reports again this week.
North Star Dawn’s spokesman, Jerid Kurtz, also placed ads on behalf of Civic Progress Fund, a new “social welfare” nonprofit established in December, according to federal filings.
Civic Progress Fund’s ads don’t, and can’t, explicitly support Craig, but they praise her position on ICE. Civic Progress is considered “dark money” because it doesn’t have to disclose its donors or spending to campaign finance regulators as a 501(c)(4) group.
Kurtz did not respond to requests for comment on his ties to the group.
[... omission contains some info on Flanagan-backing money]Craig says if she could she would “wave a magic wand and say: Republicans and Democrats, no more super PACs.”
But she emphasized that the only way to change the law is to win elections and try to reverse the decision.
“I’ve run five competitive House races, and in every single one of them, I’ve had to endure millions of dollars in attack ads from super PACs in these races,” Craig said. “This is part of being in the big leagues.”
©2026 The Minnesota Star Tribune. Visit startribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC
Craig is not a bad candidate. It is simply that Flanagan is far better, and that's why the DFL [Dem Party in MN] chose Flanagan by a whopping majority at its endorsement convention. Flanagan [https://peggyflanagan.com/endorsements/] got the better endorsements than Craig [https://angiecraig.com/endorsements/]. By far. Including Tina Smith, the retiring Senator endorsing Flanagan. And Bernie and Liz Warren!! AL FRANKEN!!
Craig got Mayor Pete, Slotkin, and Pelosi, for Christsakes. Conservative Dems where Pelosi had eighty-eight years in office quelling efforts at Healthcare for All.
Bad bunch, including Hakim Jeffries, and Josh Gottheimer. Gottheimer is someone, if endorsing me, I would not tell anyone. That awful. Republicanish to a fault.
Again, Craig is a good family person and a cut better than some [most?] of her endorsers.
The contest is night and day, with the bad money going by the millions to Craig.
As to Stephen Mandel, noted above as the pivotal figure behind the top Craig oriented money, he and spouse donate to Conservative Dems; CBS News beginning a post -
Hedge fund manager Stephen Mandel and his wife Susan are a billionaire power couple that has a history of springing into action come election season. Before the 2024 presidential contest, they hosted Joe Biden for a private fundraising dinner in Greenwich, Connecticut. Kamala Harris, Hillary Clinton, and John Kerry are other beneficiaries of the $84 million that the Mandels have sprinkled to Democratic campaigns over time, according to Federal Election Commission records.
Now, the couple is gearing up for the 2026 midterm elections.
The Mandels have given almost $10 million in support of Democrats seeking federal office this year, federal records show, with more expected.
[...] The Mandels' giving offers a window into how billionaire megadonors have become an unrivaled force in American politics. The ultra-wealthy donor class is preparing to pour resources into an election that will decide whether Republicans or Democrats have a majority in the next Congress.
In 2024, ultra-wealthy donors poured more than $3 billion into elections, led by the world's richest man — Elon Musk. He spent more than $290 million supporting President Trump and other Republicans, a record sum. [...]
Not bad people, but aiming wealth behind candidates who have not wanted to make waves. Status quo Dem donors. And the status quo needs boat rocking, big time.
Boat rocking is what Graham Platner wanted to do before he got done in by the Dem Establishment - by Cheyenne Hunt and others.
Sunday, July 12, 2026
AJ writes: The left-wing Lula has also navigated tensions with the right-wing government of United States President Donald Trump, a supporter of Bolsonaro. Trump vocally opposed the prosecution of Bolsonaro last year on charges of seeking to overturn Brazil’s 2022 election results. Bolsonaro has since been sentenced to 27 years in prison.
Later in the post:
In June, Trump officials proposed a new round of tariffs on Brazil, citing unfair trading practices and illegal deforestation among its reasons.
But Lula’s government has pointed to the latest deforestation data as undermining the Trump administration’s claims.
“They don’t understand the work we are doing to bring deforestation down to zero by 2030. This is not a decision by any COP or by the United Nations,” Lula said, using the acronym for the Conference of Parties, involved in the UN’s climate change initiative. “It is a decision of our government.”
Researchers have credited Brazil with playing a major role in last year’s overall drop in global rainforest loss. Brazil’s declines came as Lula relaunched an anti-deforestation action plan and increased penalties for environmental crimes.
As the world’s largest rainforest, the Amazon absorbs enormous amounts of carbon and helps regulate the global climate, with scientists and environmental groups closely monitoring deforestation, which is also the leading driver of Brazil’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Lula is currently campaigning for his fourth non-consecutive term as president; previously, he served two terms from 2003 to 2011.
Lula seems to be a good person, and BRICS is an interesting conglomerate.
Days of Henry Kissinger seem gone for good. Like Henry.
Apart from this headline, I am not intending to write a thing about Lindsey Graham, or Mitch McConnell being Francoed by those with a vested interest in extended transition of office structure. Chuck Schumer is more important. That's another story.
https://www.downwithtyranny.com/post/the-complex-platner-affair
The link and DWT headline both say Platner. But, trust me, the post is about Schumer. That site goes on even with Howie Kline dead.
Read it or don't.
‘Contrast Could Not Be Clearer’ as Medicare for All Advocate El-Sayed Faces AIPAC-Backed Stevens in Michigan
Crabgrass uses the Common Dreams item's headline, this link.
In part:
US Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) said in a video for the grassroots advocacy group Our Revolution that “the contrast could not be clearer” ahead of the August 4 primary as voters decide between Rep. Haley Stevens, who is backed by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and former Detroit health official Abdul El-Sayed, who’s been endorsed by progressive leaders including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).
With early voting already underway in parts of Michigan, said Tlaib, voters are choosing between “a people-powered movement versus the establishment pick.”
“Abdul is on the ballot right now to be our next US senator, the only candidate that is unapologetic in supporting Medicare for All,” said Tlaib, urging supporters to canvass for the progressive candidate, who has also spoken out against military funding for Israel and abolishing US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Mid item links to further coverage:
RECOMMENDED...
The Crabgrass opinion: Clearly a second dimension - El-Syaed besides being a populist-progressive, is Muslim, while Schumer, who is Jewish, wants an establishment clone, another one, as a Senator he would prefer. El-Syaed best positioned in polling as a winner. That seems strangely discounted in Schumer's will to architect a Senate to his linking.
And Schumer disilkes Medicare for All. If he'd not feel that way, we'd have it already. He knows cash flows from donors better than Crabgrass does, but Crabgrass knows the hurt on not having coverage when in need, the hurt of med bill bankruptcy.
Schumer prefers a population on tenter hooks. As more docile to his will and beliefs.
And - the original headline - i.e., the Crabgrass headline, does mention AIPAC money. AIPAC anti-progressive money, AIPAC pro war crime money. Keeping people on jobs they may hate so that the family has medical coverage is simply pure evil. It is against employees, pro employers. It is a fascist policy, and was Taft's work after the Second World War ended. Anti labor. Anti collective will of the voting people. Pro AI taking jobs to devastate workers' lives while feeding bottom line big money finance coffers.
In short, Crabgrass believes Schumer is anti-peoples' will. And a "democrat" in name only while influential inner party operative in the second major US party, one as set against the will of the people as the Republicans. Upgrade needed!
Saturday, July 11, 2026
Dropsite publishes about a Maine volunteer rebellion (putsch?) of some type, without identifying group, or presenting a copy of a claimed draft letter. The link is given, the writing is basically unsourced.
You tell me who is saying what. Dropsite makes statements - but * * *
Check it out. It seems a volunteer network attached to the Platner agenda wants to pressure Establishment Dems in picking a new Senate candidate.
That's commendable, or seems so for progressive goals to be preeminent, but who the fuck's really doing what?
This tweet sheds some light, but not much -
https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2074953685126557852
It seems perhaps this Toth man is instrumental in the progressive volunteer putsch, but has yet to have all his ducks in a row.
Just know, some volunteer effort is or seems to be weaponizing against Maine Dem Inner Party's will and likelihood to fuck things up loosingly to where Susan Collins smiles and Maine Republicans sigh in relief.
It's perhaps Democratic Socialist volunteers? Perhaps not. We'll see.
The overriding impression is Schumer/Gillibrand would rather see Collins reelected than another Democratic Socialist advancing like Bernie who'd vote with Dems on organizing. As in cut off the nose, thus spiting the face. It astounds.
_______________UPDATE______________
How about moving to unambiguous Maine news? CommonDreams, two items.
It is interesting that Young Turks examine about everything around the Platner Rape allegations except where does Cheyenne Mader-Hunt get her money from.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXqFxL7mOfY
It's long, strident at times, but a worthwhile part of the Platner saga.
It seems Ms. Hunt managed some things the Turks never mention.
I am a skeptic. I thought Platner would do a better job than, say, schumer. Less biased, less married to mainstream status quo dogma.
But I am a Bernie populist-progressive, so I give that notice.
UPDATE: Who the fuck is Nirav Shah? The intro lady does say much.
However she did say,, "Nirav will never take money from AIPAC." That's something.
Ms. Hunt, to my knowledge, has not disavowed taking AIPAC money. It is not one of her litmus tests, presumably. Try checking that out. I am not taking the time. Let Mainers decide. Good luck to whoever unseats Collins.
Which raises another possibility. Is there any tie between Collins and Ms. Hunt? Direct or via an intermediary?
That video, at about the ten minute mark, Nirav talks on his own account. He is short of the dynamism Platner has shown. He's somebody's choice. We'll see. More regular career politician dynamism, but you can watch and form your own view.
Boring as a bucket of dirt. But, Mainers will decide. I am not about to watch any more of this. End of screed.
The best and brightest end up in federal service.
A former special agent with Homeland Security Investigations was sentenced Thursday to seven years in federal prison for taking photos and videos of himself and a 17-year-old girl engaged in sex acts at a hotel on several occasions and then sending them to her.
Timothy Ryan Gregg, 53, of Eagan, who was also an FBI task force member, previously pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis to the sole count of transportation of visual depictions of a minor engaging in sexual conduct.
According to prosecutors, the girl listed her age as 19 on her profile on Tinder, a dating/meet-up app. Gregg, at his October plea hearing, admitted that after taking her to a hotel four times last year, he used a law enforcement database to look her up and learned that she was 17. He then took her to the same hotel five more times and afterward sent her sexually explicit photos and videos he took of them.
“Mr. Gregg knew better than most that he should have terminated his involvement with this young girl and that he should have walked away when he found out that she was 17,” Assistant U.S. Attorney LeeAnn Bell said Thursday in court, while asking for a 14-year prison term. “And he didn’t.”
It is hard to not agree with that prosecutor's quote. More -
The girl told law enforcement that she had met Gregg through Tinder. She said he picked her up multiple times, mostly on Sundays, and that they went to a hotel, where he took photos and videos of them engaged in sex.
A check of hotel records by law enforcement showed that Gregg rented a room four times in March 2025 and twice in each of the following two months, all on Sundays.
Hotel employees said that Gregg would rent the rooms by himself and then bring a guest inside the hotel through the parking ramp.
Gregg used his “official ICE/HS email address to make the hotel reservations,” the complaint states.
At his plea hearing, the judge asked Gregg why he mostly met up with the girl on Sundays. After a long pause, he replied: “Because I was lying to my wife.”
More - the "oh shit" moment -
On the day he was arrested, June 3, 2025, Gregg was supposed to assist fellow FBI task force agents and other law enforcement officers in raids at eight metro locations as part of an investigation into narcotics trafficking, money laundering and human trafficking.
However, according to court documents, FBI agents “attempted to conduct a ruse” to take him into custody, telling him to go to the FBI field office in Minneapolis. He said he’d show up, but didn’t. A second call was made asking him to show up at the HSI field office in St. Paul.
Gregg panicked after realizing they were trying to arrest him and experienced a “mental health crisis,” Pacyga, his attorney, said Thursday in court.
Gregg called Pacyga while driving around in his government-issued vehicle for several hours with his service weapons and threatening to take his own life, Pacyga said.
“His whole world was crashing down on him,” he said.
Gregg turned himself in after Pacyga rode with him in his vehicle and Pacyga had him turn his firearms. Pacyga spoke with FBI crisis negotiators and Joe Thompson, who at the time was the acting U.S. attorney for Minnesota, and convinced Gregg to arrange a peaceful arrest and surrender.
If it wasn't ICE related it would amaze that someone that unprincipled and stupid at the same time was federally employed. But it was ICE, so, to be expected. They are that unprincipled and dumb. It's in the ICE DNA. Look at Bovino, as awful, but a hair less stupid. By a hair. More a public showman, our leadership Bovino was, but less sensually aroused except when wearing the outfit and throwing teargas canisters at human beings.
 |
Houston + Milwaukee + Outrage -- ICE in the news. Irresponsibility and lies are on view.
Links are given, each item speaking for itself.
https://mlfa.org/milwaukee-community-leader-abducted-by-ice-letter-of-support/
Two separate stories. Same ICE as murdered Renee Good and lied about that too.
Plus stomping all over First Amendment free speech. Unbridled stupidity and foul intent. Trump is a racist. Always was. Fred imprinted it on Donald. Two generations of racists, and what's your guess about Donald J's offspring?
Two theocratic states against one another and "dumb" Trump gets drawn into the wrong warmonger side.
This post was inspired based upon two posts, here and here, neither of which acknowledge that the Big Oil Barons whose money put Trump 47 into existence are continuing to make out like highway bandits the longer Trump drags out his unfortunately bad Iran incursion.
No boots on the ground, air power, and that went bad. Boots on the ground, and the US people would rebel even more. No exit plan, but why exit when your fossil fuel buddies are making out like bandits?
The long term answer, clear as a bell tone, renewable energy reliance, sooner than later. There will be petro or other fuel for war mongering machinery, our own or Israel's, once oil is retired to petrochem only use. Conserve it for that, as the plastic Boeing 787s need to keep flying, presumably, but that's another why-and-how-much question, as air tourism to the ludicrously luxurious Gulf Arab states during a war there is not evidence of the best decision making.
BOTTOM LINE: Trump will as likely as not end his lame duck stunt with the war still dragged out, since Bibi and crowd do not either want the killing and land grabbing to stop, and they don't have to posture differently, as Trump is doing.
A last caveat, the post is not aimed to rebut either of the opening linked items. Each of them speaks for itself, and readers can read one or both, or ignore the two, as they see fit. The focus is on what both leave unsaid, as if not there while apparent to anyone with a brain. US oil barons love their income statements' bottom lines.
Just, an isolationist campaign posturing by the Trump administration and a hot war is going on, so the posturing is/was/will be continued pure bullshit. And whoever bought that crap and voted in Trump 47, let them deliberate or post online about whatever. They're complicit. And Bibi and his mad genocidal Jewish Zionist Greater Israel land theft hangers on are crazy and anyone going into war with such "allies" is crazier; that being Trump. Or what? "Dumb" like a fox if jingoism is his survival plan while wheedling billionaires and chasing crypto profits, and helping his Oil buddies make record profits fitting that as well. Perhaps his choosing the war criminals in the thing shows a logical but evil basis, apart from anybody's rhetoric.
Friday, July 10, 2026
YouTube -- Unitree G1 Humanoid Robot Teardown - Munro Live. Detail is likely of most interest to mechanical engineers, but how the bot is put together has general interest. It's a trending manufacturing sector.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXuqGuTgXGU
The video begins with the humanoid robot intact, moving, and then - the autopsy table. Joints here and there, engineering decisions, it should interest general readers.
ICE agents in Houston did a targeted interception, did not wear body cameras, and killed their target individual.
Why no body Cameras? Blame the Democrats.
In a statement, DHS said the agents at the scene in Houston had not yet been issued body cameras, which it blamed on Democrats and a record government shutdown that was fueled by President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
DHS, which oversees ICE, has said federal officers were conducting a targeted operation to arrest a person in the country without legal status when they attempted to stop a vehicle driven by Salgado Araujo. The agency has said Salgado Araujo rammed an ICE vehicle and that a federal officer fired a weapon in self-defense.
And pigs can fly. It is inexcusible that a targeted interception did not have goons issued body cams. It is as if a provocation was in the planning.
Thursday, July 09, 2026
I bet you did not know this. And can you answer the question?
https://pubs.nmsu.edu/_a/A156/index.html
It was all news to me.
This video editorial story might also be new to you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uF7qjtVTuzU
A letter you might not have known about before.
So end with a question a chat bot answered no, but nowhere found online in any post on point - Is the new world screw worm fly the "blue tailed fly" of an aging tune?
It's all about America, and the one tune within that last link, it's captioning was done by America-made AI.
Argentina immigration.
Presently: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEpIQVZ_sXs
Earlier: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratlines_(World_War_II)
UPDATE: There is much of which I lack any direct personal knowledge, relying on web content to learn things, even unconnected things decades apart - which might involve fake news. I try to have links to post, in such cases. So that readers understand a juxtaposition is not necessarily a suggestion of any tie whatsoever.
ICE in the news. Again the "tried to ram the officer" story, but Renee Good had video proving that story was a false concoction. But she's as dead as if in her case it had been true.
What to know about the fatal shooting of a Houston man by an ICE officer
Lorenzo Salgado Araujo's family joined civil rights activists in calling for a full, independent investigation.
In part:
The ICE version of events, released hours after the shooting, is that Salgado Araujo was shot after he ignored commands and attempted to ram an officer who fired his weapon in self-defense. The agency has not released any video, photos or additional information since that initial statement.
A video shot by bystander Juliet Martinez shows the aftermath of the shooting. A black vehicle is angled toward a white van, their doors wide open. A bleeding and handcuffed man groans loudly on the ground and his leg shakes. Other federal officers stand over at least three other handcuffed men.
[...] Salgado Araujo and his wife came to America after meeting in their teens in Mexico and deciding they wanted a better life for their future family, his son Ronaldo Salgado said.
The father of three built houses in the Houston suburbs, started his own business and established his own crew. He had no criminal record, his family said.
Ronaldo Salgado, the oldest son, became a teacher. He said one of his brothers is an engineer and the other is studying engineering in college.
[...]
At least 8 deaths so far in the immigration crackdown
Salgado Araujo was at least the eighth person to die during the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement campaign. No immigration officers have been charged in the deaths and video footage in several previous shootings contradicts the accounts of federal officers.
The most well-known of the killings happened during the winter crackdown in Minnesota where U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti were shot and killed during protests.
Two other shooting deaths happened during traffic stops, including Ruben Ray Martinez, 23, who was killed in Texas in March 2025. His death was not disclosed for nearly a year.
A farmworker fell from the roof of a greenhouse and broke his neck in California and two of the deaths involved men hit by vehicles as they tried to run away.
Mexico plans to file criminal charges over deaths of its citizens
President Claudia Sheinbaum said it is time to escalate Mexico’s complaints beyond diplomatic channels after the killing of Salgado Araujo.
“We are going to do everything in our power, because we cannot stand silent” in the face of the deaths of Mexicans “whose only crime is working honestly in the United States,” Sheinbaum said.
Mexico will file criminal charges in U.S. courts over the alleged killing of three Mexicans during ICE operations and the deaths of another 14 in ICE custody, Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco said Thursday during a presidential press conference.
The complaints, filed against whoever is found responsible for the deaths, will be submitted to state prosecutor offices and the U.S. Department of Justice. They will be accompanied by civil actions against the companies that operate detention centers to put an end to human rights violations, Velasco said.
Concerns arise about who will investigate the shooting
Homeland Security said Tuesday that the department’s Inspector General’s office was investigating the shooting.
Salgado Araujo’s family and civil rights leaders have demanded an independent probe.
Steven Miller's sick chessboard, brought to you by Donald J. Trump.
https://trumpcountdownclock.us/
UPDATE: Related AP feed per PioneerPress: https://www.twincities.com/2026/07/09/mexico-ice-killings-charges/
Federal agents kill in Memphis. Not ICE/Border Patrol. Something else, but federal boots on the ground, a Republican Governor, but a Dem mayor.
It has an appearance of Steven Miller race hate, which did not work out well, being repurposed. There's going to be more news out of this, so for now, it may not be Miller race hate, but IS federal entry and killing in a Democratic led city.
The story will grow legs. PiPress carries the AP feed.
UPDATE: To Flesh things out Crabgrass did - search = federal boots on the ground memphis killings
The first two hits help greatly, second, https://www.whitehouse.gov/releases/2026/03/president-trumps-memphis-safe-task-force-delivers-crushing-blow-to-crime/
That one shows the Trump story of what he's up to - where the GOP guv can give Trump the Tennessee National Guard participation that ICE in Minnesota were denied because there Gov and mayor were Dems.
Also, crime hysteria, instead of migrant hysteria, but it's the SOS, or seems to be.
First hit on that search: https://www.memphisflyer.com/reactions-to-national-guards-boots-on-the-ground-in-memphis/ -- which states:
As news and sightings of National Guard troops in Memphis begin to emerge, reactions — both good and bad — are starting to emerge.
The Mighty 990 on Facebook:
“White House: Things Are About to Change in Memphis“13 federal agencies are boots-on the-ground in Memphis as the White House makes good on a promise to declare war on crime in the Bluff City. Have you seen the National Guard yet?”
Conservative talk show host Todd Starnes:
“BULLETIN: The liberation of Memphis is under way. The National Guard has arrived and so has the national media. And God bless this great 901 Patriot who dropped a truth bomb on CNN! Welcome to my hometown!”(The post came with a clip from CNN showing a man holding a sign that read “Democrats destroyed Memphis.”)
Shelby County General Sessions Clerk Tami Sawyer:
“News reports say the National Guard itself will not arrive for two weeks, but the ‘Make Memphis whatever DJT wants it to be’ Task Force is already here. This includes hundreds of officers and agents flown in from 13 federal agencies across the country. Already, 219 officers have been federally deputized to expand their powers, and U.S. Marshals Director Gady Serralta is on the ground in Memphis, chairing the task force.“This operation is not about safety. It is about control. It has no clear metrics, no exit strategy, and no transparency. Memphis is being used as a test case and a blueprint for how to justify federal crackdowns in other cities like Portland and Chicago. When crime is actually trending down in certain categories, they inflate a narrative of crisis to militarize our neighborhoods.
“The impact is real. It means disruption of daily life, increased surveillance, and intimidation for ordinary Memphians. Latinx and immigrant communities are especially at risk of profiling and harassment. People experiencing homelessness and those struggling with mental illness are also likely to be targeted, criminalized, and swept into a system that punishes instead of offers treatment and support. And with no end date in sight, we face the danger of permanent militarization without oversight.
“We are not powerless. Local organizers under the umbrella of #FreeThe901 are mobilizing, setting up legal rights networks, rapid response systems, and demanding compliance with civil rights protections. The more people who stay aware and connected, the stronger we are.”
Community Organizer Amber Sherman:
“The National Guard is expected to be in Memphis within two weeks. They are not even here yet. But you see who is here already? The U.S. Marshals, FBI, ATF, DEA, HSI, ICE, and more. They are doing lots of traffic stops. Avoid these areas they are saturating: [listed neighborhoods ...]ACLU-Tennessee:
“President Trump and Tennessee Governor Bill Lee are deploying National Guard troops and federal agents into Memphis.
Now more than ever, it is essential for every Memphian to know their rights when interacting with military and law enforcement.”State Rep. Justin J. Pearson:
“[Stephen Miller’s] words and their actions don’t make me feel safer. I’m praying for our city and the over-policed Black and brown people in our community, particularly. We know racial profiling has been made allowable by the Supreme Court and many innocent people will be targeted just as happened during the terrorizing era of stop and frisk. This is not how democracies should operate. We are not enemies of the government. The government is supposed to be governed by the people. We must resist and persist. #Freethe901“U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-9):
“Memphians are not enemies; they are Americans. They are entitled to constitutional rights, not their government working to ‘intimidate, demoralize, hunt and kill’ them.“We are not a training ground or target practice. ‘Maximum lethality’ is no way to treat fellow Americans.
“Memphis is one of America’s great cities with world-renowned cultural gifts, generous people, and a vibrant community.
“If the real purpose of the Memphis Safety Task Force is public safety, we must be more collaborative [...]
With NATO meetings, airplane swaps, Platner angst, and just new exchange of fire in Persian Gulf region; this shit is being done with staged distractions, and it needs to be fully aired as to wtf Trump is up to. This is in our nation, not a forever foreign war, but a forever intrusion against the Democratic run cities of America, for very, very dubious cause.
It really, absent developing of unlikely contrary evidence, seems to be recently sprung cloning into more Steven Miller war on America. Presuming it is that, it should stop!
Again, the story will flesh out, but for now it looks as if Trump is batshit crazy.
With an election coming and Trump minions intent on voter intimidation tactics and effort to have a Trump-rigged election. This is treason, top down, if you view it that way. Implausible denial does exist, but it's fucking Trump doing evil, yet again in Crabgrass' opinion.
=================
So from the dates of items, the Memphis situation has a history, but the two killings in four days reported by AP (PiPress link) is new, not the entire operation.
Until this new AP report, Crabgrass has been unaware of things which reach back into last year.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/releases/2026/03/president-trumps-memphis-safe-task-force-delivers-crushing-blow-to-crime/ dates to March 2026, but the killings are recent. One question, federal personnel in Memphis, are they ICE and/or border patrol retreads, or new and/or different boots? New Gestapo, or same old Gestapo?
Parallel current news: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/08/memphis-federal-anticrime-agents-kill-man --- noting, "All four of the deaths have occurred in the last two months."
More search shows it is Stephen Miller's game plan.
RealClearPolitics transcribes Millers words, and posts dog and pony video of Miller as a speaker with other Trump minions. Hegseth also spoke. Bondi too. Miller was most inflammatory
What demographic subpopulation of Memphis would you expect is being targeted? Black and brown? Guardian said four deaths. So four white guys dead? Doubtful? Guardian gives the dead men's names. Not their race. We have to speculate.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)