Blog Betty (Thomas Friedman is a Great Man was an online novel)

Tuesday, April 22, 2025

BD+05 4868 Ab

Please read Ava and C.I.'s "Media: Death of the sitcom and/or death of the Democratic Party?" because it's very important and, yet again, they're the only ones addressing these kind of serious issues.

Now lets do a science post focusing on newly discovered planet that is going going not yet gone. Victoria Wasylak (MASSLIVE) reports:

Massachusetts Institute of Technology astronomers have discovered a planet roughly 140 light-years from Earth — but it’s quickly disintegrating.

The planet, which scientists have tagged as BD+05 4868 Ab, is located so close to the sun that it completes a full orbit every 30.5 hours, according to MIT News. As a result, it’s likely covered in magma, causing the planet to evaporate and shed the equivalent of one Mount Everest’s worth of surface materials during every orbit.

The astronomers estimate the planet may disintegrate fully within the next 1 to 2 million years.

BD+05 4868 Ab -- without the "Ab," BD+05 4868 is a star long known of. From WIKIPEDIA:

BD+05 4868 is a binary star consisting of a K-dwarf and an M-dwarf. It is notable for a planetary companion around the primary star. This planet, named BD+05 4868Ab, orbits the star so close that it has begun to disintegrate, creating a large comet-like tail which can be seen in transits.^[1]

BD+05 4868 was first cataloged in the Bonner Durchmusterung^[4] and in 1961 the star was identified as a proper motion star by Giclas et al.^[5] In 1984 its spectrum was observed for the first time, identifying it as a K5: type star.^[6] The star was first identified as a binary from Gaia data. The common proper motion and parallax indicate that the pair is physically bound. The binary was also detected with the Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope (LCOGT) 2 m Faulkes Telescope North and with Keck NIRC2.^[1]

Victoria Coreless (SPACE) reports:

Scientists have discovered a planet that is literally falling apart as it orbits its star. Located about 140 light-years from Earth in the Pegasus constellation , this doomed world named BD+05 4868 Ab whips around its star once every 30.5 hours — so close that its surface is being scorched into magma and vaporizing into space.

With each orbit, BD+05 4868 Ab leaves a blazing trail of molten rock behind it like a comet made of lava, offering a rare glimpse of an exoplanet in the final stages of its destruction. What's even more astonishing: with every blistering 30-hour orbit — which heats the planet to close to 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit (1,600 degrees Celsius) — the planet sheds as much mass of molten rock as an entire Mount Everest.

"The extent of the tail is gargantuan, stretching up to 9 million kilometers long, or roughly half of the planet's entire orbit," said Marc Hon, a postdoc in MIT's Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research in a statement.

This planet is dying, breaking down and this is going to take millions of years. Michael Irving adds:

The unfortunate planet lies about 140 light-years away, orbiting its host star every 30.5 hours. That brings it about 20 times closer to the star than Mercury orbits the Sun – and cuddling up that close could prove to be a lethal mistake.

BD+05 4868 Ab may have started out with more than double its current mass, which seems to be less than half that of Mercury, and it's getting smaller all the time. The researchers estimate that it ejects a Mount Everest's-worth of material into space with every orbit, and at that rate it will completely dissolve within 1 or 2 million years.

"This is a very tiny object, with very weak gravity, so it easily loses a lot of mass, which then further weakens its gravity, so it loses even more mass," says Avi Shporer, astronomer on the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission.

"It's a runaway process, and it's only getting worse and worse for the planet."

140 light years away. That's some big news.

"The Snapshot" (THE COMMON ILLS):

Tuesday, April 22, 2025. Pope Francis, the People's Pope, has passed away and we recall his trip to Iraq, Hegseth hit the fan and splattered all around as the world watches to see if Chump will clean up the mess; however, he seems to busy working to destroy the economy -- both the American economy and the world's economy.

As Trina noted yesterday, "Pope Francis has passed." He was the people's Pope. He used his time to shine the spotlight on those in need -- those often overlooked or forgotten.

That's him in March 2021, in Najaf, meeting with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani..

"Historic." Francis was the first pope to visit Iraq. The closest a pope has previously come? In 1999, Pope John Paul II had planned to visit Iraq but had to postpone it. Pope Francis arrived yesterday and Australia's ABC noted he declared, "May the clash of arms be silenced . . . may there be an end to acts of violence and extremism." Robin Gomes (VATICAN NEWS) noted a victim of violence, Yazidi Nadia Murad, the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize winner, signed "an open letter by several international NGOs and Iraq’s civil society groups, welcoming the current visit of Pope Francis to her native Iraq. The letter, signed by 34 organizations, calls for adequate protection for the minority communities of Iraq, which are being threatened by terrorist groups and also by unjust laws."

It was historic in so many ways. The last leader outside the Middle East to travel to Iraq? Donald Trump. As president in 2018, the day after Christmas, he snuck in on a surprise visit where he visited safe bases -- safe US bases -- and then quickly fled the country.

Pope Francis did a three day visit. Pope Francis did an announced visit. From the December 7, 2020 snapshot:

The big Iraq news today? It's the Pope. CNN notes, "Pope Francis will travel to Iraq in March 2021, the Vatican press office announced on Monday." THE GUARDIAN adds, "The Vatican spokesman, Matteo Bruni, said the pontiff, who turns 84 next week, would visit the capital, Baghdad, and Ur, a city linked to the Old Testament figure of Abraham, as well as Erbil, Mosul and Qaraqosh in the Nineveh plains, from 5-8 March. It will be his first trip in more than a year after all his overseas visits were cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic." Francis became the Pope (and became Francis) March 13, 2013. He was born, in Argentina, Jorge Mario Bergoglio and took the name Francis in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi. Prior to the pandemic outbreak, the Pope had visited many countries including Cuba, Israel, the United States, Bosnia, Ireland and the United Arab Emirates. The visit to Iraq would be the Pope's first international visit in 15 months. Devin Watkins (VATICAN NEWS) explains:

The Pope’s visit will come as the realization of a dream of his predecessor, Pope St. John Paul II. The Polish Pope had planned to travel to Iraq at the end of 1999. That trip never came to be because after lengthly negotiations, Saddam Hussein postponed it.

According to Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, the Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans, Pope Francis will receive an enthusiastic welcome to Iraq.

He told SIR news agency a year ago that “everyone in Iraq, Christians and Muslims, esteem him[Pope Francis] for his simplicity and nearness. His words touch everyone’s hearts because they are those of a shepherd. He is a man who brings peace.”

ALJAZEERA offers:

President Barham Saleh had officially invited Pope Francis to visit Iraq in July 2019, hoping it would help the country “heal” after years of strife.

About 100,000 Christians are left in Iraq following sectarian warfare after the 2003 invasion led by the United States and ISIL’s (ISIS) sweep through one-third of the country in 2014.

Maybe the American press was worried about security? While the rest of the world's press covered it as the historic visit that it was, the American press hemmed and hawwed when not outright ignoring the visit. We covered every day of the visit. Friday, March 5, 2021; Saturday, March 6, 2021; and Sunday March 7, 2021. On the last day of the visit we included this press critique:

The western press clearly was not up to the job -- a reality made clear by one western outlet after another -- especially in the US -- carping and and fretting while ignoring the true intent of the visit. Once Pope Francis landed in Iraq, western outlets didn't get much better as Martin Chulov (GUARDIAN) made clear, "The pope concluded his two-day trip to Iraq with two highly symbolic stops in areas [. . .]" Huh? Do they no longer teach basic math in the United Kingdom? Pope Francis landed in Iraq on Friday (one day), he continued his visit Saturday (two days) and he concluded his trip on Sunday (three days). Martin Chulov reduces a three day visit to Iraq to a "two-day trip." And it's not just his stupidity but the editors at THE GUARDIAN as well. By contrast, VATICAN NEWS gets it right even in a headline "Highlights of Pope Francis' third day in Iraq." The lack of care with basic facts taken by THE GUARDIAN is as telling as any lengthy report that they could have filed (but didn't). THE GUARDIAN can get that it was a three day trip in a photo caption, at least.

Despite an underlaying xenophoia to the western coverage ahead of the visit, Pope Francis made it through Iraq without any attempt being made on his life. The Iraqi people more than lived up to the spirit of the pontiff's visit. And the United Nation's News Center explains, "Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and Noura Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Youth of the United Arab Emirates, welcomed the historic papal visit to Al Tahera Church, one of the sites of the UNESCO-led Revive the Spirit of Mosul initiative."

The Popes visit, as Philip Pullella and Michael Gregory (REUTERS) note, was about healing and peace. He had already defined himself ahead of the trip as "a pilgrim of peace."Alex Arger (THE DENVER CHANNEL) reports that Pope Francis spoke of the importance of hope and of it being "more powerful than hatred and peace more powerful than war." Francesco Bongarra (ARAB NEWS) quotes Pope Francis declaring in his remarks at the Syriac Catholic al-Tahira Church in Qaraqosh today, "Even amid the ravages of terrorism and war, we can see, with the eyes of faith, the triumph of life over death." SCRIPPS MEDIA notes "he called for unity and forgiveness for Muslim extremists, as he visited several churches destroyed by ISIS." Nicole Winfield and Samya Kullab (AP) observe, "Bells rang out in the town of Qaraqosh as the pope arrived. Speaking to a packed Church of the Immaculate Conception, Francis said “forgiveness” is a key word for Christians."

If you need another example of the bias and disinterest in the Pope from the American media, please note that Francis became Pope on March 13, 2013. For twelve years he was the Pope. So US broadcast outlets must have been all over him, right?

Wrong.

Norah O'Donnell interviewed the Pope in April of last year.

Norah was the first, the last and the only American broadcast journalist to interview Pope Francis.

His visit to Iraq came at a turbulent time for that country -- COVID, violence, protests, a rising rate of suicide. And to the Pope that was all the more reason to visit. But the Pope visited and was warmly received. At the end of the visit, Iraq's President Barham Salih Tweeted:

Bidding farewell to His Holiness

@Pontifex

, our honoured guest who visited Baghdad, Najaf, Ur, Erbil, Nineva. His message of peace, human solidarity with #Iraq inspires us to persevere toward a better future for the people of Iraq and the wider region.

1:15 AM · Mar 8, 2021

As that trip more than demonstrated he was the People's Pope and the Iraqi people greeted him warmly.

Pope Francis has passed but he will be remembered for putting people first, for being a defender of those in need.

He might hold the title of Secretary of Defense but no one could accuse him of attempting to defend anything these days other than his tattered reputation.

Pete Hegseth was never qualified to serve as Secretary of Defense. The rumors of assault, the rumors of too many drunk nights and days -- and drunk on the clock at FOX "NEWS." It was so bad that to be confirmed he had to promise he wouldn't drink booze at all. But his actions of late just lead everyone to wonder, "Is he drunk?" Confronted with rumors of assault at his confirmation hearing, Hegseth whined "I'm not perfect." And he's certainly made that clear as he's half-assed the job DoD Secretary for months now. SignalGate may be the death of him politically. Matt Richards (OK) notes, "Sources noted to CNN Hegseth 'has grown increasingly concerned' about the inspector general looking into his usage of Signal and that Caldwell, Selnick and Carroll expect they will be interviewed as the controversial situation is looked into." That's Chief of Staff to the Deputy Secretary of Defense Colin Carroll, Deputy chief of staff Darin Selnick and Hegseth advisor Dan Caldwell -- all three were fired this month.

Aaron Parnas (MTN) reports, "In a dramatic development on Capitol Hill, Rep. Don Bacon, a prominent Republican and former Air Force general, has become the first GOP lawmaker to publicly call for the removal of Pete Hegseth, President Donald Trump's nominee for Defense Secretary. According to Politico, Bacon voiced his concerns about Hegseth’s qualifications and management of the Pentagon on Monday, marking a notable shift in GOP sentiment toward one of the most contentious figures in the Trump administration." Bacon reached the rank of Brigadier General while serving in the Air Force (1985 through 2014) and he is an Iraq War veteran. He's quoted stating, "I had concerns from the get-go because Pete Hegseth didn’t have a lot of experience."

Ryan Bort (ROLLING STONE) observes:

Pete Hegseth barely received enough votes to win confirmation as Donald Trump's defense secretary. Three Republicans even bucked their own party's president to oppose him. One of them, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), cited "accusations of financial mismanagement and problems with the workplace culture he fostered." Another, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), said Hegseth had "failed to demonstrate" that he could manage "nearly 3 million military and civilian personnel, an annual budget of nearly $1 trillion."

It hasn't taken long for Hegseth to prove them - along with every Senate Democrat and the countless others who warned about him taking over the Pentagon - right.

The New York Times reported on Sunday that Hegseth shared attack plans in a second unsecured Signal group chat, following the revelation last month that he shared the plans to attack Houthi militants in Yemen in a Signal chat group that included a journalist. The second chat included Hegseth's wife, brother, and personal lawyer, underscoring the former Fox News host's recklessness with highly sensitive information.

The news came after a tumultuous week in the Pentagon that saw Hegseth fire three senior officials - ostensibly because of an internal investigation into leaking, although the officials seemed confused about what happened. "We still have not been told what exactly we were investigated for, if there is still an active investigation, or if there was even a real investigation of ‘leaks' to begin with," they wrote in a joint statement Friday night, adding that, although the experience was "unconscionable," they will continue to support Trump's plans for the Pentagon.

John Ullyot, who resigned as a spokesperson for the Pentagon last week, put a button on the turmoil in an op-ed for Politico on Sunday. "It's been a month of total chaos at the Pentagon," the piece began. "From leaks of sensitive operational plans to mass firings, the dysfunction is now a major distraction for the president - who deserves better from his senior leadership."

Josh Fiallo (DAILY BEAST) notes, "Hegseth, 44, was one of President Donald Trump’s most controversial cabinet appointments due to his lack of Pentagon experience, strong remarks against women in the military, and an alleged history of alcoholism."

At what point does Chump say enough is enough and fire Hegseth?

Turning to the economy, Robert Hormats (FORTUNE) reports:

In a recent interview on Meet the Press, financier Ray Dalio, warned of "something worse than a recession" if current financial, economic, and trade issues are not "handled well." Later in the interview, he warned that if current problems worsen, we could experience a "world order in which there is great conflict." I agree on both counts—with the caveat that this might be an understatement. Others have issued similar warnings.

For me, Dalio's comments triggered troubling thoughts on how the world would handle a future financial crisis. During my long career on the international stage—as economic advisor to Henry Kissinger in the National Security Council in the 1970s, vice chairman of Goldman Sachs (international) in the 1980s and 1990s, and then Undersecretary of State in charge of U.S. geo-economic relations in the early part of this century—I was at the epicenter of a number of such crises and of negotiations to help resolve them. The key to success in such efforts was not just the financial skills of the major players but also their willingness to engage in trustful collaboration.

That ingredient does not exist today. Never have I seen the world so deeply riddled with mistrust on so many economic and political issues. And that mistrust can be the Achilles’ heel of any future negotiation in the event of a new financial crisis—unless we recognize it and figure out how to overcome it before a crisis hits.

Those in high-level positions and around the world must consider how they would manage a new crisis—which is a growing risk with so many countries facing slowing growth, growing debt, inflationary pressures, tariff wars, and currency volatility—and operating under fraught and confrontational political circumstances.

This will be an enormous challenge, and failure will affect all Americans and nearly every person on this planet.

During the last crisis, there was impressive, trustful cooperation between the U.S. and China. But with the intensifying trade war and various other confrontations between the two, attaining that again is likely to be far more problematic—if not impossible.

And tariff-related frictions between the U.S. and its key allies—among the world's largest market economies—have undermined and in some cases virtually destroyed the mutual trust that has been so critical in resolving issues in the past. Intense trade disputes will make cooperation among them to deal with a new financial crisis far more difficult.

Chump is wrecking the economy both here and abroad. He is putting the people of the planet at risk with his idiotic and uniformed actions. Yesterday, Stan Choe (AP) reported, "U.S. stocks are tumbling Monday as worries about President Donald Trump’s trade war and his criticism of the Federal Reserve cause investors to pull further from the United States. The S&P 500 was 2.8% lower in another wipeout, and the index at the center of many 401(k) accounts is more than 16% below its record set two months ago." Prabhjote Gill noted, "The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) tumbled more than 650 points in Monday morning trade after President Donald Trump ramped up pressure on Fed Chair Jerome Powell, warning the economy could stall without immediate rate cuts." Yes, Chump continues to go after Powell despite the fact that most economic experts say that getting rid of Powell would be illegal and would also be the thing that really destroyed faith in the US economy among investors. Matthew Chapman (RAW STORY) reminds, "Powell, who was ironically first appointed to the post by Trump himself, has repeatedly warned that Trump's tariffs are set to increase prices, and has resisted pressure from Trump to try to offset the market contraction induced by his own trade policies with interest rate cuts — which has only enraged Trump further."

His attacks on Powell? Some argue he's trying to set up a fall guy. Nicole Goodkind (BARRON'S) explains:

Speculation about the legality of firing Powell has focused, in part, on concerns about a pending Supreme Court case that challenges a precedent prohibiting presidents from firing certain federal officials for political motives. Still, some former Fed and government officials see a different calculation at work.

“Trump does always want someone else to be the scapegoat,” said Former Federal Reserve vice chair Alan Blinder.

Jared Bernstein, chief White House economist under President Joe Biden, wrote in an essay Friday that “it’s entirely possible Trump’s setting up Powell not to be replaced but to stick around as the fall guy should…rising recession probabilities—purely a function of Trump’s actions—prove correct.”

Should Chump try to scapegoat Powell for his own failures, I think the economic press will come out with knives to carve Chump up like he's never been sliced before. The economy is his. As Stephanie Ruhle pointed out last night on THE 11TH HOUR WITH STEPHANIE RUHLE (MSNBC), there are people who don't even know the name of the person who represents them in the House of Representatives. Those people especially are not going to know who "J Powell" is. But they know who the president is. They know his name. The economy is his.

Chump owns this economic nightmare because he's set tariffs when he lacks the Constitutional power to do so. Ankush Khardori (POLITICO) explains:

The question is whether the courts -- including perhaps the Supreme Court itself -- will agree, or whether they will blink in the face of the economic and diplomatic turmoil that Trump has unleashed. In fact, Trump may have unintentionally created his best legal argument by upending the global economy: that the courts should be wary of interfering in the president’s handling of international affairs given the complexity and high stakes of the trade war now playing out.

Lawyers challenging the administration’s use of the IEEPA to impose tariffs say they are optimistic about their chances.

“This is an enormous usurpation of legislative power by the executive and an abuse of emergency powers,” Ilya Somin, a libertarian law professor at George Mason University and one of the attorneys working on the Liberty Justice Center’s case, told me.

At THE HILL, Douglas E. Schoen adds:

Consider tariffs. Constitutionally, Congress — not the president — has the power to regulate trade, but Trump seized this power by declaring trade deficits to be a “national emergency,” thus enacting tariffs via executive order, sidestepping Congress.

All of the self-generated disorder has caused Trump’s approval rating to decline significantly since the inauguration, a gift for Democrats.

Despite still struggling to overcome their own poor ratings, they are being assisted by the chaos Trump is causing.

Having begun his second term with 51 percent approval versus 44 percent disapproval, those numbers have now reversed.

One-half (50 percent) of Americans now disapprove of his job performance, compared to 47 percent who approve — a net 10-point decline in less than 100 days, per RealClearPolitics polling aggregator.

He may try to blame the economic collapse on Powell but the reality is that he has acted erratically at best and crazed at worst and the American people -- the entire planet -- has seen this unfold in real time. These are his actions and these are his choices. And as they took place, there was enormous pushback and he chose to ignore it. He not only owns this mess, he created it.

Small businesses are at risk thanks to Chump:

Craig Fuller, the CEO of FreightWaves, a freight-focused organization that analyzes the freight and logistics market, has regretted "enthusiastically" supporting President Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 election, warning that the administration's policies are likely to "wipe out supply chains and small businesses within 100 days."

"I did not vote for a neutron bomb to wipe out supply chains and small businesses 100 days in," he wrote on the social platform X on Sunday.

"I thought I was voting for pro-business policies and small, targeted, and incremental tariffs that would encourage the production of strategic industries to return to the Americas," Fuller said, adding that this is what happened under Trump's previous term.

Last month, investment adviser Steve Rattner, who served as a counselor in the Treasury Department under former President Barack Obama, said many businessmen who supported Trump may come to have buyer's remorse in the months ahead.

We'll wind down with this from Senator Elizabeth Warren's office:

Over 45 lawmakers sound alarms about possible illicit payments, influence-peddling, insider trading

Text of Letter (PDF)

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, along with Representatives Linda Sánchez (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade, and Judy Chu (D-Calif.), led a group of 44 Congressional Democrats in writing to Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, and U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer with concerns over the potential for corruption in the implementation of the administration’s tariff policy.

The Trump administration’s tariffs rollout is rife with opportunities to unduly influence President Trump and other administration officials. The chaotic nature of the tariffs, including announcing them and pausing them shortly after they went into effect, provides ample opportunity for private sector corporations or sovereign nationals to corruptly seek exemptions.

“Corporations and sovereign nations facing existentially high stakes, and knowing tariffs are controlled by a small circle in the White House, can petition officials not to apply tariffs to them after the 90-day pause, to grant them exemptions, to decrease tariffs, or to impose tariffs on competitors — and can quietly offer something in return,” wrote the lawmakers.

President Trump’s record on tariffs in his first term illustrates his willingness to give preference to donors and allies while punishing enemies. Politically loyal companies that donated to Republican candidates, as well as companies with financial or political ties to President Trump, were more likely to be granted tariff exemptions after President Trump imposed them in his first administration. After auditing the Trump Administration’s tariff exclusion practices in 2018 and 2019, the Commerce Department’s Office of Inspector General found evidence of “off-record communications” and an “appearance of improper influence in decisionmaking for tariff exclusion requests.”

“We fear the Administration is once again turning its tariffs policy into an underground market of exemptions in exchange for financial and political favors,” said the lawmakers.

President Trump has said he will consider exemptions and make decisions “instinctively,” while bragging about global leaders calling him in search of exemptions.

Trump’s ad-hoc process has started to bear fruit for special interests. Last week, the White House exempted smartphones and certain other high-end electronics from tariffs targeting China. Within hours, Big Tech stock prices soared — particularly the value of Apple, which makes the vast majority of its iPhones in China. Apple CEO Tim Cook donated to President Trump’s inauguration and cultivated a strong relationship with him in recent months, as he did during Trump’s first term to win tariff exemptions.

The on-and-off nature of President Trump’s tariffs also opens the door to rampant insider trading. Administration officials — and their families and friends — with early knowledge of changes in tariff policy can buy positions they expect will rise and sell those that will fall. On April 9, 2025, minutes before the administration announced a pause on most tariffs, the trading market began to skyrocket — suggesting that insiders acted on non-public information about the coming pause. President Trump then posted on social media “THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY!!!,” still before any official announcement, causing stocks to further spike.

Members of Congress, including Senator Warren, have asked the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and ethics officials to investigate whether any securities laws were violated with this announcement.

At the same time, the top ethics watchdog who can hold the administration accountable appears poorly positioned to tackle tariff-related corruption. In late March 2025, USTR Ambassador Greer was named Acting Director of the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) and now serves in both roles simultaneously. Therefore, a top tariff policy official is responsible for ensuring that tariff policy decisions are made free of financial conflicts.

“This dual appointment raises blatant conflicts that risk undermining OGE’s ability to independently monitor trade officials’ conduct and recommend investigations into misconduct when necessary,” concluded the lawmakers.

The lawmakers asked the officials to provide clarity on the Trump administration’s exemption policy, if any official exemption request processes exist, where exemptions will be reported, whether an appeals process exists, the administration’s plans to ensure tariff exemptions are not corrupted, and more, by April 29, 2025.

Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) joined in signing the letter.

The following Representatives joined in signing the letter: Gabe Amo (D-R.I.), Becca Balint (D-Vt.), Julia Brownley (D-Calif.), Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.), Greg Casar (D-T.X.), Danny Davis (D-Ill.), Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), Maxine Dexter (D-Ore.), Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), Dwight Evans (D-Pa.), Cleo Fields (D-La.), Bill Foster (D-Ill.), Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.), Al Green (D-Texas), Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.), Timothy Kennedy (D-N.Y.), John Larson (D-Conn.), Summer Lee, (D-Pa.), Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.), Gwen Moore (D-Wis.), Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.), Andrea Salinas (D-Ore.), Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), Terri Sewell (D-Ala.), Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), Lateefah Simon (D-Calif.), Mark Takano (D-Calif.), Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.), Dina Titus (D-Nev.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Nydia Velázquez (D-NY), and Maxine Waters (D-Calif.).

###

The following sites updated:

Raw Story

'Oh my God!' Morning Joe's Mika reacts to historically-bad month for Trump

1 hour ago

NPR Topics: Home Page Top Stories

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Monday, April 21, 2025

Alito is the evil heart of the Crooked Court

Isaiah's THE WORLD TODAY JUST NUTS' "Chump of Chumps"

Our crooked court. It's another reason why we are here today. They allowed the Idiot Judge of Florida to make illegal rulings and to draw the case against Chump out. They did that for all of the cases, in fact.

Mr. Trump should have been prevented from running due to egging on the January 6th insurrection. He will forever be seen as the garbage trash he is. History will not forgive him or the yokels who backed him.

David Kurtz (TALKING POINTS MENU) writes:

In an extraordinary order issued in the wee hours of Saturday morning, the Supreme Court intervened to block imminent deportations under the Alien Enemies Act. The order was limited to those detained in the Northern District of Texas, but it was a shot across the bow of the Trump administration about conducting more AEA deportations that don’t give sufficient notice to detainees and attempt to rush them out of the country to a prison in El Salvador.

The order was issued by a 7-2 court majority, with Justice Samuel Alito penning a dissent that was joined by Justice Clarence Thomas.

The Supreme Court’s order came after an increasingly frenetic effort by the ACLU to block the AEA deportations Friday. Ultimately a federal judge in Texas and the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals declined to grant relief in the case. In a final act of desperation, the ACLU tried to revive the original AEA case it had filed in DC, but U.S. District Judge James Boasberg demurred, saying that the Supreme Court had already tied his hands in its earlier ruling in that case.

Still, Boasberg’s Friday evening hearing by telephone proved important. It put the Justice Department on record that while no flights were expected Friday evening it was reserving the right to resume flights as soon as Saturday. That admission – which Alito in his dissent mischaracterized at best and ignored at worst – confirmed the urgency of the matter and while we can’t know that it drove the Supreme Court to issue such a rare middle of the night order it’s hard to imagine it didn’t play a role.

After the Supreme Court’s late-night intervention, NBC News reported that video showed buses had already been loaded with Venezuelan detainees on Friday and were en route to the airport in Abilene when they were turned around. It’s not clear whether Boasberg’s pointed questioning (even though he declined to rule against the Trump administration) or the pending appeal to the Supreme Court or some other reason is what diverted the buses.

The Supreme Court had largely itself to blame for the flurry of activity and the need to step in after midnight on a holiday weekend. Its earlier decision in the Alien Enemies Act case that Boasberg was presiding over was vague about both the form and timing of the notice to detainees that it required before they could be legally removed. Fair-minded observers expected the Trump administration to seize on those ambiguities and it did.

The Trump administration gave notices in English only that did not explicitly tell detainees how to contest their removals or how much time they had to do so. The administration also seemed to be maneuvering around a district court order blocking AEA deportations in the Southern District of Texas by moving detainees to the Northern District of Texas, a move Boasberg derided as a sign of bad faith.

Expect further guidance from the Supreme Court this week.

Wouldn't it be something if Chump's second term had the effect of turning every justice he appointed to the Supreme Court against him? That would be, in fact, justice all by itself. Chris Perez (LAW & CRIME) notes the same case:

The U.S. Supreme Court’s order blocking the Trump administration from carrying out certain deportations under the Alien Enemies Act (AEA) was “hastily and prematurely granted” — nor was it “necessary or appropriate” — said Justice Samuel Alito in a blistering dissent Saturday after the decision was handed down.

“In sum, literally in the middle of the night, the Court issued unprecedented and legally questionable relief without giving the lower courts a chance to rule, without hearing from the opposing party, within eight hours of receiving the application, with dubious factual support for its order, and without providing any explanation for its order,” Alito wrote in the fiery, five-page rebuke.

“I refused to join the Court’s order because we had no good reason to think that, under the circumstances, issuing an order at midnight was necessary or appropriate,” Alito said, noting how Justice Clarence Thomas also dissented Saturday.

“Both the Executive and the Judiciary have an obligation to follow the law,” Alito proclaimed. “The Executive must proceed under the terms of our order … and this Court should follow established procedures.”

Old man gets cranky when he's woken up at night. Poor Alito. Sarah K. Burris (RAW STORY) adds:

In a column on Monday, Georgetown University Law School Professor Steve Vladeck told what he believed Justice Samuel Alito got wrong in his dissent over the weekend.

[. . .]

According to his summary of Vladek's report, Alito "attempts to invent a series of procedural objections to the majority’s intervention that … simply don’t exist."

In the five-page opinion, Alito makes arguments, "some of which are just wrong; some of which are non-sequiturs; and some of which are truly galling," wrote Vladeck.

He cites seven main points in his analysis. First is the "almost specious" claim that the Supreme Court doesn't have jurisdiction over the case.

"The Supreme Court’s power to review cases from the lower federal courts is remarkably capacious," said Vladeck.

[. . .]

But there was another concerning point from Alito, Vladeck said he found "troubling."

"[A]n attorney representing the Government in a different matter informed the District Court in that case during a hearing yesterday evening that no such deportations were then planned to occur either yesterday, April 18, or today, April 19," Alito wrote.

Vladeck explained that this is about the courtroom conversation between Justice Department lawyer Drew Ensign and Washington, D.C. District Court Judge James Boasberg during an emergency hearing on Friday.

At issue was "J.G.G. case (where the ACLU was also trying to get a new TRO to block the apparently imminent AEA removals of folks from Texas)," said Vladeck.

Those listening to the proceedings noted, "Ensign said he was unaware of any flights scheduled for Friday, but that he was specifically instructed to 'reserve the right' for the government to conduct removals on Saturday, April 19. In other words, the DOJ lawyer did not say what Alito said he said," cited Vladeck.

The law school professor said that it matters because Alito claims in the dissent that the Court stepped in “hastily and prematurely.”

"But to get there, Alito had to misstate (if not misrepresent) what the government had told Chief Judge Boasberg, and then discount the ACLU’s credible allegations, as backed up by numerous media reports, that additional removals were impending," wrote Vladeck. "Ensign had gone out of his way to 'reserve the right' to have removals take place on Saturday—which seems to rather decisively undercut Alito’s claim that the Court acted 'prematurely.'"

Imagine that: Alito misstating -- LYING -- in a legal ruling. I'm shocked. Not Alito. Never Alito.

"The Snapshot" (THE COMMON ILLS):

Monday, April 21, 2025. GOSSIP GIRL in live performances as SignalGate continues and gets worse, Chump united the country in protest, Paul Krugman notes exactly what Chump's trying, and much more.

Once upon a time, live theater was turned into films. WESTSIDE STORY, FUNNY GIRL, MY FAIR LADY, DREAMGIRLS, CAMELOT, etc. More recently, films have been turned into live theater -- DEATH BECOMES HER, HAIRSPRAY, MEAN GIRLS, etc. Apparently, the need for material has resulted in TV shows being turned into live performances.

The latest? GOSSIP GIRL.

It's in tryouts in DC currently but the premise is no longer a private school, it's a public administration and, SPOILER, the gossip girl in question is Pete Hegseth who can't help spreading secrets like war plans and missile strike times.

SignalGate continues and gets worse. As with the first revelation that Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Defense, was leaking and sharing details of the US attack on Yemen before and as it happened on a non-secure Signal chat, this new information again involves Pete and Signal but a different group chat. Signal, AP reminds, "is a commercially available app not authorized to be used to communicate sensitive or classified national defense information" And this one again begs the question, "Was he drunk?"

Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart (REUTERS) report, "U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared details of a March attack on Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis in a message group that included his wife, brother and personal lawyer, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Sunday. The revelations of a second Signal chat raise more questions about Hegseth's use of an unclassified messaging system to share highly sensitive security details and come at a particularly delicate moment for him, with senior officials ousted from the Pentagon last week as part of an internal leak investigation."

For any who have forgotten the first non-secure Signal chat on the attack on Yemen was a chat involving Pete, Vice President JD Vance, Diretor of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabar, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, NSA advisor Mike Waltz, CIA Director John Ratcliffe (who named an undercover CIA agent in the non-secure chat) and, by accident, journalist Jeffrey Goldberg who wrote about it here.

Natasha Bertrand, Jake Tapper, Haley Britzky and Zachary Cohen (CNN) explain:

The chat was set up during Hegseth’s tumultuous confirmation hearing process as a way for his closest allies to strategize, two of the people familiar with the matter said. But Hegseth continued using the chat, which had more than a dozen people in it, to communicate after he was confirmed, the people said.

The revelation comes as some of Hegseth’s closest advisers have begun sounding the alarm about the secretary’s judgment, including his former press secretary, John Ullyot, and three former senior officials Hegseth fired last week — his top adviser Dan Caldwell, deputy chief of staff Darin Selnick, and Colin Carroll, who served as chief of staff to the deputy secretary of defense.

“It’s been a month of total chaos at the Pentagon. From leaks of sensitive operational plans to mass firings, the dysfunction is now a major distraction for the president — who deserves better from his senior leadership,” Ullyot said in a statement obtained by CNN.

Was he drunk? This newly revealed chat includes his wife and his brother who have both already raised eye brows. Robert Mackey (GUARDIAN) notes, "Hegseth has previously been criticized for including his wife, Jennifer, a former Fox News producer, in sensitive meetings with foreign leaders, including a discussion of the war in Ukraine with British military leaders. Phil Hegseth, the secretary’s younger brother, was hired as a senior Pentagon adviser and is the defense department’s liaison to the Department of Homeland Security. It is unclear why either would need to know about the details of strikes plans in advance." It's also unclear, at this point, who Hegseth didn't share war plans and deatils with regarding the US strike on Yemen.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer Tweeted, "The details keep coming out. We keep learning how Pete Hegseth put lives at risk. But Trump is still too weak to fire him." Too weak. Weak on national defense Chump. Christopher Wiggins (THE ADVOCATE) notes:

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Sunday publicly condemned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, calling him “unfit to lead.” New revelations showed Hegseth shared classified U.S. military plans—including details of a Yemen airstrike—with his wife, brother, personal lawyer, and others in an encrypted Signal group chat. The disclosure comes weeks after Hegseth was revealed to have discussed plans for a military strike in an unsecured Signal chat to which The Atlantic’s editor Jeffrey Goldberg had been added.

“Of course, advance information on US combat operations is classified,” Buttigieg, a Navy veteran who served as an intelligence officer, wrote on Facebook. “Pretending otherwise is an insult to our troops, who all know this. The Secretary is unfit to lead.”

Pete's an Afghan War veteran, Senator Tammy Duckworth is an Iraq War veteran.

Senator Michael Bennett Tweeted, "Pete Hegseth’s continuing contempt for our intelligence community and abdication of his duty to our armed forces and the American people are completely unacceptable – and dangerous. President Trump must remove him immediately."

US House Rep Sydney Kamlager-Dove posted to BLUESKY:

These calls join earlier ones. Dan Lamothe (WASHINGTON POST) reminds, "In the aftermath of the first error coming to light, President Donald Trump supported Hegseth, but the top Republican and Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sens. Roger Wicker (Mississippi) and Jack Reed (Rhode Island), requested that the Defense Department inspector general’s office scrutinize the situation. A review is underway." Yash Nitish Bajaj (THE HINDUSTAN TIMES) notes, "After The Atlantic disclosed the first Signal chat, Hegseth said: 'Nobody was texting war plans, and that’s all I have to say about that.' At a Senate hearing, Tulsi Gabbard asserted the same claim." Yes, they lied. And they will most likely lie again. In the meantime, Chas Danner (INTELLIGENCER) observes, "Hegseth’s 100th day as defense secretary will be May 4 — if he’s still the defense secretary."

If you thought we'd be addressing how two White man hijack a Black woman's show and dismiss her declared topic? Ava and I covering that at THIRD. The plan is for it to go up this evening (it was written yesterday) with other new stuff at THIRD or by itself. But if you're among the people who watched that in outrage, we caught it as well. It's what White YOUTUBERS have done all along with regards to Kamala so it's really not that surprising that two White men could come on a Black woman's show and disrespect her by dismissing the planned topic to instead talk about what they wanted to talk about. It's a topic among Black people -- a very big topic -- but White America seems to struggle to address the reality. They're going to need to learn to address it if only to save themselves.

On the issue of Black women . . .

An e-mail came into the public account (common_ills@yahoo.com):

We need crowds at the protests and the decision of so many of your people to not attend and to sit out or be on a staycation is hurting us. You write about every topic but the need for Black women to get over themselves and get their asses to these protests!

I replied back asking the e-mailer how they voted in 2024? They're a Rashida Tlaib groupie so they voted for Jill Stein.

Excuse me, that White woman Rashida did so much damagae and now we're supposed to grab the broom and clean up the mess for her? What are we? In the film THE HELP?

By the way, see Elaine's "So you wasted your vote and now you want us to go 'aaaah poor thing'" about one Rashida groupie who thinks you can sneak back in the room without an apology.

As for addressing that? I've addressed it here repeatedly. I addressed as soon as the notion was floated.

And my unneeded advice on this to "your people" (how very H Ross Perot of you) is what it was. You take care of you. As we saw in 2024, the White left gives lip service to supporting up with slogans like "Vote Like A Black Woman." But when a Black woman runs, they tear her apart. They hold her to standards they've never held a man to. They make up lies to attack her and they make up lies to attack us.

We have stood behind Democratic candidates in the past who were questionable or caught in a scandal -- one White man after another, not just Bill Clinton, one White man after another.

And yet it was too much for you to join us in supporting Kamala to stand up against The Convicted Felon Donald Chump.

I've said from the beginning that if you need a week off from this, take it. If it's months, take it. If it years, take it.

The way were treated online by the DSA and others was outrageous and it was racist.

So stop pretending that we're going to come together with you now.

I wish I wasn't. I wish I wasn't taking part. I am. And I'm doing so out of fear of what worse thing could be around the corner.

But I try to work with the White people and what do we see?

We see Chris Hayes continuing to platform guests who argued against voting for Kamala.

He bring one DSAer after another on his show and he never gets honest about that.

We see Tim Walz break all rules and protocol of a running mate to attack Kamala and he's brought back on the shows and treated as someone smart as though we didn't see all of his lying in 2024 and as though we didn't see him deliver the all time worst performance by a vp candidate ever broadcast on TV.

He attacks Kamala -- for noting the was right -- and suddenly let's welcome back DSA sponsored Tim Walz.

Do you know how insulting that is?

We see this, Black women, garbage over and over.

And you say you want to work with us. And we know you want our bodies at the protests because then they can go violent and Black people will act as the magnet drawing all the police attacks. We get it. You value us when you can use our bodies to protect your own.

Karen Hunter's again explored the topic of Black women and the protests and there are others that we highlight who explore that topic.

But you no longer see those videos up here.

We're not stupid. We're going to do what we're going to do. And it doesn't matter what Karen says or what I say.

You want Black women at the protests? Start making an effort. Stop thinking that we're idiots and we've forgotten what you did. Start making apologies for attacking us and for lying about Kamala.

This is not something for Black women to fix. This is not our mess to clean.

White people -- largely Socialists -- made the problem. You want to fix it? Shoe real contrition for your actions -- including but not limited to confessing what you did and apologizing for it.

That's not going to happen and we know that.

And that's we, as a group, are not rushing to get involved in the protests.

You spent the summer and the fall exhibiting the worst of the White Southern Strategy and we saw you. We saw the masks slip and we saw the racist devil come out to play.

I'm not telling any Black woman what to do and I'm certainly never going to say, "Hey, let's ignor our gut instinct -- the only thing's that allowed us to stay alive and survive during slavery and Jim Crowe. Let's ignore that gut instinct and instead take these blankets from the White men. I understand the Shawnee and Lenape accepted the blankets so we should too."

Our instincts are not betraying us. And the refusal of White YOUTUBE to even acknowledge this issue, this betrayal, goes to the racism on their part. Their attitude is that we can just move on. No, we can't. And Black women will decide for themselves if and when it's time to join protests.

Those who feel it is, that's the right decision for them. Those waiting and hoping that this issue will be addressed by the White people who created it, that's the right decision for them. Those saying, "I've given all I can right now," that's the right decision for them. And those saying, "I'm done with the White devil," more power to you.

Here's coverage of people -- including some Black people -- protesting around the country on Saturday.

That's San Francisco today. Philip Marcelo (LOS ANGELES TIMES) reports, "In San Francisco, protesters formed a human banner reading 'Impeach & Remove' on the sands of Ocean Beach overlooking the Pacific, while others marched downtown chanting, 'No wall! Sanctuary for all!' to block access to a San Francisco Tesla dealership." Across the country protests took place. Max Levy (DENVER POST) reports:

A crowd returned to Colorado’s Capitol and downtown Denver on Saturday for the latest in a nationwide series of “Hands Off!” rallies opposing the Trump administration.

Videos and images posted on social media by rally attendees show the group holding signs denouncing what they described as the threat to American democracy posed by President Donald Trump and his associates, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who leads the newly created Department of Government Efficiency.

The event was scheduled to last from noon to 4 p.m. and was organized by Colorado 50501 Chapter, Women’s Strike and Raise Her Voice.

Colorado 50501 Chapter also helped organize the “Hands Off!” rally that brought a crowd and speakers to the Capitol on April 5.

Good for Denver. And good for people in cities across the land.

They're dancin' in Chicago

ABC 7's Maher Kawash reports, "People took to the streets Saturday in Chicago and nationwide to protest President Donald Trump's policies. The protests came as the U.S. Supreme Court issued a new ruling temporarily blocking deportations of immigrants under the Alien Enemies Act. The high court acted in an emergency appeal from the ACLU." Noel Brennan (CBS CHICAGO) adds, "A sea of people crowded Daley Plaza, and marched through the Loop, seeking to turn the tide of the Trump administration" and quotes protester Jim Coleman stating, "The more people come out, the quicker the government will change. There's a lot of energy. People are very upset right now."

That was not the only action in the Chicago area. Courtney Sisk (NBC NEWS CHICAGO) notes that the city hosted "Spend In The Black" this morning an effort that fights back against anti-DEI polices and encouraged people to shop at Black-owned stores. Sisk quotes Rev Charlie Dates stating, "It is absolutely remarkable. We want to strengthen our Black businesses, we don’t want to put our dollars where our dignity is not respected."

Down in New Orleans?

Rachel Handley (WWL) reports:

Around 100 people gathered outside of the New Orleans ICE Field Office on Saturday, rallying for the freedom of Mahmoud Khalil and others detained in immigration enforcement operations.

The case of Khalil, a Colombia University graduate student detained at a facility in Louisiana, has garnered national attention. A week ago, a federal judge ruled that Khalil could be removed from the country. His lawyers are expected to appeal and a federal judge in New Jersey has temporarily barred his removal.
Saturday's protest began with a rally on Poydras Street. Then, the group began marching toward the French Quarter. The demonstration is scheduled to end at the Moon Walk, a park across from Jackson Square.

James Finn (NOLA) adds, "A collection of student activists, immigration advocates and progressive groups organized the demonstration 'in response to the Trump administration’s racist and unconstitutional attacks on immigrants and student activists leading to the detention of Mahmoud Khalil, Rumeysa Ozturk, and other students on visas at ICE facilities in Louisiana,' the organizers said."

up in New York City

Janice Yu (WABC) reports, "A sea of people gathered outside the New York Public Library on Fifth Avenue with signs in hand and chanting in unison. Then they marched through the streets. Their concerns were the climate ahead of Earth Day, but also some of the policies and actions of the Trump administration." Activist Jamie Leo is quoted stating, "A combination of an environmental disaster and the human disaster of what is happening, not just to the people being illegally and monstrously abducted, but the people who are being hurt silently." CBS NYC reports chants included "No fear, no hate, no ICE in our state" and quotes protester Marshall Green stating, "Congress should be stepping up and saying no, we are not at war. You cannot use that [the wartime Alien Enemies Acto fo 1798]. You cannot deport people without due process, and everyone in this country has the right to due process no matter what." NEWSWEEK's Jesus Mesa notes, "Tony, one of the marchers, held a placard showing the face of Andry, a Venezuelan hairdresser who he says disappeared after an encounter with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)" and quotes him stating, "I saw they all came from videos of their mothers crying. That's what impacts me most -- that there are mothers who don't know where their sons are."

Philadelphia, P.A (Philadelphia, P.A.)

Raymond Strickland and Bill Seiders (CBS NEWS PHILADELPHIA) report

Over a thousand people gathered in Old City to protest against President Donald Trump and his administration.

The demonstration was part of another National Day of Action opposing the president's policies. People throughout the country also gathered for protests earlier this month.

"We need to wake up. We can't take this for granted. Democracy dies in silence," said Lip Spector.

The protest, called "No Kings," is part of a nationwide demonstration denouncing the policies and actions of the White House that protesters say are anti-democratic.

"This is a sign from the grassroots up," said Margaret Ralph. "Americans are saying this is not who we are."

Emily Neil (WHYY) notes, "Philadelphia's rally leaned heavily into the city’s lore and history. A person dressed in a Gritty suit held up a QR code with information on speakers’ names, and the Positive Movement Drumline accompanied rally-goers when they marched several blocks around Old City. With Independence Hall as a backdrop, several attendees came in colonial attire as speakers drew parallels to the Founding Fathers’ fight against the British monarchy and what many people described as the 'lawlessness' of the Trump administration."

Sounds pretty impressive. Good for Philadelphia. Too bad that their crap ass newspaper, PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, couldn't be bothered to file a report -- but, hey, they're jazzed that Mark Levin's joining the Chump administration. Priorities, you understand.

Baltimore

and DC now (Baltimore and DC now)

Emma Bowman and Juliana Kim (NPR) report, "In Washington, D.C., hundreds of protesters gathered in Lafayette Square outside the White House on Saturday morning to voice their opposition to the Trump administration. Demonstrators cited a range of concerns, including the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia and the administration's moves to cut funding for research and higher education." Philip Marcelo (AP) notes, "Bob Fasick said he came out to the rally by the White House out of concern about threats to constitutionally protected due process rights, as well as Social Security and other federal safety-net programs." Kanishka Singh (REUTERS) notes, "Some demonstrators carried symbols expressing support for Ukraine and urging Washington to be more decisive in opposing Russian President Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine." Nnamdi Egwuonwu and Julia Jester (NBC NEWS) quote activist Susie Stern stating, "Everyone should have due process. No one should be just taken away and locked up. I don’t care if he is a murderer, he still should get due process. That's what this country is based on. Laws."

Yeah, don't forget the Motor City (can't forget the Motor City)

Darcie Moran and Liam Rappleye (DETROIT FREE PRESS) notes:

Protesters across metro Detroit spent another Saturday rallying and protesting against the Trump administration.

A handful of protest movements, ranging from Oakland County to Detroit, and farther south into Trenton, took place April 19 as a follow-up to the nationwide “Hands Off! Day of Action" protests on April 5, which saw thousands of Michiganders rally against President Donald Trump, his administration and tech billionaire Elon Musk.

Thousands turned out, but the shouts of the crowds across Michigan stood in contrast to how the state voted in 2024. President Donald Trump won the state by a bit over 80,000 votes, earning 49.7% of the vote to then-Vice President Kamala Harris’ 48.3%.

Also in Michigan, Sarah Atwood (LANSING STATE JOURNAL) reports:

Hundreds of people gathered at the Michigan Capitol Saturday afternoon to protest President Donald Trump's administration on the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution.

The rally, held by Stand Against Extremism in "solidarity" with the 50501 movement, began at noon with a march around the Capitol. Afterward, the crowd stood in front of the steps of the Capitol to hear from local organizers, politicians and community members.

Way down in L.A., California (way down in L.A., California)

Tim Pulliam (ABC 7) reports, "At City Hall in downtown L.A. Saturday, demonstrators said Trump and wealthy members of his administration, like billionaire Elon Musk, are attacking working people and democratic policies. Other protesters there denounced the administration's effort to conduct mass deportations."

MSNBC offers this video report of protests around the country.

NEWSWEEK offers a photo essay of protests here. They protested in Houston.

In Columbia, South Carolina.

In Miami.

In Indiana

In Atlanta.

In Austin, Texas.

In Dallas.

In Anchorge.

In Boise, Idaho.

MOTHER JONES' Clara Jeffery has a number of BLUESKY posts about protests around the country.

Tyler, Texas turned out.

Hilo, Hawaii.

Kansas City.

Monterey.

Columbus, Ohio.

Protesting in Boston.

They turned out in New Hampshire.

And in Oakland.

It was a nation wide rebuke to Donald Chump, a rejection of the Convicted Felon's efforts to destroy the country. The participation increases nd more people become aware. Rachel Maddow's stated courage is contagious and we're seeing it spread as more and more people refuse to cower before Chump, refuse to bow and scrape and kiss the ring. Joe and Mika embraced cowardice and they are useless for that reason and forevermore. But the American people are standing up and speaking out.

I've seen many good things on BLUESKY but think this may be the most important post of the day.

Donald Chump is practicing The Politics of Destruction. Paul Krugman covers that in his latest column that just went up:

If you want a model for what’s happening to America, think of Mao’s Cultural Revolution.

But wait, wasn’t Mao hard left while America has been taken over by the hard right? Well, why do you think there’s a big difference between the two? I’m a believer in horseshoe theory, which says that the extreme left and the extreme right are more like each other than either is like the political center. For example, among Britain’s unions there is a hard-left faction that has no counterpart in the United States. Some of its positions, notably making apologies for Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, look a lot like MAGA.

And in America some leftist commentators have effectively become spokesmen for the tech-bro right.

Once you’ve seen the parallel between what MAGA is trying to do and China’s Cultural Revolution, the similarities are everywhere. Maoists sent schoolteachers to do farm labor; Trumpists are talking about putting civil servants to work in factories.

The Cultural Revolution was, of course, a huge disaster for China. It inflicted vast suffering on its targets and also devastated the economy. But the Maoists didn’t care. Revenge was their priority, never mind the effects on GDP.

The Trumpists are surely the same. Their rampage will, if unchecked, have dire economic consequences. Right now we’re all focused on tariff madness, but undermining higher education and crippling scientific research will eventually have even bigger costs. But don’t expect them to care, or even to acknowledge what’s happening. Trump has already declared that the inflation everyone can see with their own eyes is fake news.

Isaiah's THE WORLD TODAY JUST NUTS' "Chump of Chumps" went up yesterday. The following sites updated: