Hi Mehdi: I cannot express in language how deeply I appreciate these weekly newsletters. Your coverage of the daily lies, criminality, and stupidity of this administration (and our Marmalade Mussolini) is remarkable. Democracy is NOT a spectator sport. We all need to step up to the plate and do whatever we can do - NOW. Thank you for inspiring me week after week. Donald
There were two interesting articles this week about limiting press access at the Pentagon.
One was from The Daily Beast (Pentagon Pete’s Angry Wife Stirred Up His War With Reporters) and relays that a "former senior Pentagon official has accused Pete Hegseth of a potential risk to national security after the defense secretary’s wife got involved in his war against reporters." This one's amusing; it discusses Hegseth putting up pictures of his wife at the Pentagon, among other choice tidbits.
The other article was longer, from The New York Times (Inside Hegseth’s Effort to Limit Press Access at the Pentagon) and relays that "Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is at odds with the news media to a degree unseen in modern times, former Pentagon officials say." This one goes into more detail and discusses specific conflicts Hegseth has had with members of the press, among other things.
In a good New York Times article this week (Colombia’s President Says Boat Bombed by U.S. Was Carrying Colombians): "President Gustavo Petro of Colombia said on Wednesday that his government believed one of the boats recently bombed by the United States in its campaign against alleged drug traffickers had been carrying Colombian citizens... Two U.S. officials, who were not authorized to discuss the sensitive matter publicly, also said that Colombians were aboard at least one of the boats recently destroyed by the United States..."
Good for MIT: "In a letter, MIT’s president wrote, 'Fundamentally, the premise of the document is inconsistent with our core belief that scientific funding should be based on scientific merit alone.'” I'm wondering if MIT has grounds (First Amendment?) to challenge loss of federal funds, and whether they would choose to do so.
Every university, law firm, media outlet, etc. etc. needs to do the same. If these people did not cave into the lunatics demands, they would win any lawsuit they filed and know they did the right thing for our democracy. Those who have given in are weak and undermine our fight against him. We all need to stand together for this battle.
A detailed discussion of Trump's "Antifa" roundtable held on Wednesday, along with a video of the meeting, can be found in Jim Stewartson's Substack post of 10/9/25 (The Antifa Experience: Miller’s Immersive Horror for Trump): "In the White House Wednesday, Stephen Miller created a parallel immersive horror experience for one person, Donald Trump. It was officially called the “Antifa Roundtable” and involved a dozen or so far-right provocateurs and prominent members of Trump’s cabinet constructing a vivid, frightening tale of a massive terrorist conspiracy aligned against his regime..."
An AlterNet article ('A Huge Problem': DOJ May Have Withheld Evidence Suggesting Letitia James’ Innocence) says, “U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan may have left out important information in her indictment against New York AG Letitia James that might have derailed some charges…Federal rules on the presentation of evidence state that ‘It is the policy of the Department of Justice… that when a prosecutor conducting a grand jury inquiry is personally aware of substantial evidence that directly negates the guilt of a subject of the investigation, the prosecutor must present or otherwise disclose such evidence to the grand jury before seeking an indictment against such a person.’ The rules further state that appellate courts ‘may refer violations of the policy to the Office of Professional Responsibility for review.’”
"Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that a new Qatari air force facility will be built in Idaho, calling the move 'just another example of our partnership.'” Whose partnership, exactly?
Adam Klasfeld had a hopeful post about Mr. Abrego Garcia ('Three Strikes, You're Out': Judge Roasts Failed Bids To Deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia): "A judge could decide to release Abrego If the Trump admin can't prove good faith efforts to deport him... Under the Supreme Court’s Zavydas precedent, the government can only keep someone in immigration detention if they demonstrate good faith efforts toward their eventual deportation. After daylong testimony by a high-ranking immigration official, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis said the record shows none of those efforts, but she didn’t issue an immediate ruling..."
Just watch...trump is going to use the No Kings protests to enact the Insurrection Act, it's just the opening he's been waiting for. Johnson has already put the call out to maga by calling the pro-democracy protesters antifa (their favorite new villain), communists, haters of this country, so the violent magats will incite the violence, causing chaos and upheaval, and in comes the calvary...the US military. Then we're really f--ked. When are we going to start fighting back? When are we going to stop being the nice guy? It's not getting us anywhere; trump just keeps grabbing more and more power and no one is stopping him. WTH are we going to do?
WaPo: Trump Deploys Tactics and Language of War Against Perceived Domestic Threats
"This week on Truth Social, Trump shared links to several articles recounting times when presidents deployed troops on U.S. soil. The most recent was in 1992, after the Los Angeles police officers who beat Rodney King were acquitted, triggering riots that left more than 60 people dead. Trump also posted a picture of a 1963 letter that federalized the Alabama National Guard to enforce the desegregation of the University of Alabama."
A Washington Post article (Signs Popping Up Around D.C. Note: ‘ICE Kidnapping Happened Here’) says "signs range in style and mark numerous locations where people have been taken by federal agents. The signs — nailed to trees or wrapped around electricity poles — have appeared across some of the District’s heavily immigrant neighborhoods, marking the anger in a majority-Democratic city where federal immigration arrests have escalated..."
I keep waiting for a group of leaders that will devise effective actions to combat the rising fascism and authoritarian police actions. I can’t help but feeling that all opposed to this fascist regime are doing little more than describing the water we’re all drowning in. Protests in the street are ineffective and appear to do little to stop this brutal juggernaut. And voting has already led us to where we find ourselves now. (Who even believes further elections will be fair and honest, or even allowed?)
For every action there needs to be an equal and opposite reaction. Don’t we need our best minds and strategists devising a real plan that the meets such a threshold? To date, I can’t see anything we’ve done that rises to that demand. I am not speaking here of taking up arms or any other violent response. We can’t win a war against the most lethal military in the world or a well funded secret ICE police.
The 75 million voters who voted for Kamala need leadership that won’t pull any punches or try and soften what it will take to turn back this assault. We are well past the time when we could avoid significant suffering and sacrifice. Yes, it’s a pay now or pay a great deal more later. Therefore, why are we participating in this government or economy a moment longer? Isn’t in our best interest to stop consuming (except for the absolute necessities) and to withhold our labor? What would it look like if even half of that 75 million took those actions? I understand it won’t only hurt Wall Street and the oligarchs, it will hurt us a great deal too. (there are always unintended consequences) But protesting in the streets only gives them easy access to vulnerable and compressed targets. It provides increased opportunities to instill fear and produce propaganda.
We need a plan that stretches their resources to breaking. We need to find actions that make it impossible for them to enforce their will. We need nonviolent actions that attack the weaknesses in the infrastructure. We need really creative thinking. Can’t we live without entertainment and sports for an extended period? Can’t we go one year without black friday or the seasonal holiday glut? We could show our children a holiday season that means a great deal more than consuming. Will the oligarchs remove this regime if they are at risk of losing their wealth?
They are threatening to destroy our way of life. We need to threaten them in kind.
I get that this would be a massive undertaking, and it won’t be without a good deal of pain, but we need to do something much larger and soon. The water is rising and we will drown.
Let us pleas stop parroting ugly MAGA rhetoric. There is no such thing as a "political enemy". I even think opponent isn't a true description. "Political Opposition"more faithfully describes the situation. I need you to be really careful in your writing and speech.
Hi Mehdi: I cannot express in language how deeply I appreciate these weekly newsletters. Your coverage of the daily lies, criminality, and stupidity of this administration (and our Marmalade Mussolini) is remarkable. Democracy is NOT a spectator sport. We all need to step up to the plate and do whatever we can do - NOW. Thank you for inspiring me week after week. Donald
Thanks Donald. It’s an important endeavor to keep track of all this and we hope it’s helpful.
It is!
Me, too….
There were two interesting articles this week about limiting press access at the Pentagon.
One was from The Daily Beast (Pentagon Pete’s Angry Wife Stirred Up His War With Reporters) and relays that a "former senior Pentagon official has accused Pete Hegseth of a potential risk to national security after the defense secretary’s wife got involved in his war against reporters." This one's amusing; it discusses Hegseth putting up pictures of his wife at the Pentagon, among other choice tidbits.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/pentagon-pete-s-angry-wife-stirred-up-his-war-with-reporters/ar-AA1Oeqtw?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=68e9b717c2264b929343037626e26597&ei=17
The other article was longer, from The New York Times (Inside Hegseth’s Effort to Limit Press Access at the Pentagon) and relays that "Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is at odds with the news media to a degree unseen in modern times, former Pentagon officials say." This one goes into more detail and discusses specific conflicts Hegseth has had with members of the press, among other things.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/business/media/hegseth-pentagon-press-access.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
In a good New York Times article this week (Colombia’s President Says Boat Bombed by U.S. Was Carrying Colombians): "President Gustavo Petro of Colombia said on Wednesday that his government believed one of the boats recently bombed by the United States in its campaign against alleged drug traffickers had been carrying Colombian citizens... Two U.S. officials, who were not authorized to discuss the sensitive matter publicly, also said that Colombians were aboard at least one of the boats recently destroyed by the United States..."
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/08/world/americas/colombia-citizens-boat-us-bombed.html
Good for MIT: "In a letter, MIT’s president wrote, 'Fundamentally, the premise of the document is inconsistent with our core belief that scientific funding should be based on scientific merit alone.'” I'm wondering if MIT has grounds (First Amendment?) to challenge loss of federal funds, and whether they would choose to do so.
Every university, law firm, media outlet, etc. etc. needs to do the same. If these people did not cave into the lunatics demands, they would win any lawsuit they filed and know they did the right thing for our democracy. Those who have given in are weak and undermine our fight against him. We all need to stand together for this battle.
A detailed discussion of Trump's "Antifa" roundtable held on Wednesday, along with a video of the meeting, can be found in Jim Stewartson's Substack post of 10/9/25 (The Antifa Experience: Miller’s Immersive Horror for Trump): "In the White House Wednesday, Stephen Miller created a parallel immersive horror experience for one person, Donald Trump. It was officially called the “Antifa Roundtable” and involved a dozen or so far-right provocateurs and prominent members of Trump’s cabinet constructing a vivid, frightening tale of a massive terrorist conspiracy aligned against his regime..."
https://www.mind-war.com/p/the-antifa-experience-millers-immersive
I follow this on a daily basis, but seeing this all at once leaves my head spinning.
We must fight this every step of the way. No fear. That's what he wants.
We will get our country back,
An AlterNet article ('A Huge Problem': DOJ May Have Withheld Evidence Suggesting Letitia James’ Innocence) says, “U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan may have left out important information in her indictment against New York AG Letitia James that might have derailed some charges…Federal rules on the presentation of evidence state that ‘It is the policy of the Department of Justice… that when a prosecutor conducting a grand jury inquiry is personally aware of substantial evidence that directly negates the guilt of a subject of the investigation, the prosecutor must present or otherwise disclose such evidence to the grand jury before seeking an indictment against such a person.’ The rules further state that appellate courts ‘may refer violations of the policy to the Office of Professional Responsibility for review.’”
https://www.alternet.org/lindsey-halligan-letitia-james/?u=60968302dc9fb8431fb7871c11796b74e50f419a0620967d51e7266806722bd5&utm_source=Iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Oct.11.2025_6.53pm
So glad she screwed up, deservedly so.
Let Trump lose all of these revenge cases.
FFS: A must read! https://theintercept.com/2025/10/10/ice-detention-pregnant-immigrants/
"Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that a new Qatari air force facility will be built in Idaho, calling the move 'just another example of our partnership.'” Whose partnership, exactly?
Adam Klasfeld had a hopeful post about Mr. Abrego Garcia ('Three Strikes, You're Out': Judge Roasts Failed Bids To Deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia): "A judge could decide to release Abrego If the Trump admin can't prove good faith efforts to deport him... Under the Supreme Court’s Zavydas precedent, the government can only keep someone in immigration detention if they demonstrate good faith efforts toward their eventual deportation. After daylong testimony by a high-ranking immigration official, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis said the record shows none of those efforts, but she didn’t issue an immediate ruling..."
https://www.allrisenews.com/p/abrego-ghana-xinis-hearing?utm_campaign=email-half-post&r=2416fu&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
Just watch...trump is going to use the No Kings protests to enact the Insurrection Act, it's just the opening he's been waiting for. Johnson has already put the call out to maga by calling the pro-democracy protesters antifa (their favorite new villain), communists, haters of this country, so the violent magats will incite the violence, causing chaos and upheaval, and in comes the calvary...the US military. Then we're really f--ked. When are we going to start fighting back? When are we going to stop being the nice guy? It's not getting us anywhere; trump just keeps grabbing more and more power and no one is stopping him. WTH are we going to do?
WaPo: Trump Deploys Tactics and Language of War Against Perceived Domestic Threats
"This week on Truth Social, Trump shared links to several articles recounting times when presidents deployed troops on U.S. soil. The most recent was in 1992, after the Los Angeles police officers who beat Rodney King were acquitted, triggering riots that left more than 60 people dead. Trump also posted a picture of a 1963 letter that federalized the Alabama National Guard to enforce the desegregation of the University of Alabama."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/10/11/trump-war-military-domestic-national-guard/?utm_content=ruleblend-age-decay-081125ruleblend-age-decay-powersimilar_articles9&utm_campaign=wp_for_you&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter
A Washington Post article (Signs Popping Up Around D.C. Note: ‘ICE Kidnapping Happened Here’) says "signs range in style and mark numerous locations where people have been taken by federal agents. The signs — nailed to trees or wrapped around electricity poles — have appeared across some of the District’s heavily immigrant neighborhoods, marking the anger in a majority-Democratic city where federal immigration arrests have escalated..."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2025/10/10/ice-immigrants-protest-signs-dc/?utm_content=ruleblend-age-decay-081125ruleblend-age-decay-powersimilar_articles8&utm_campaign=wp_for_you&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter
I keep waiting for a group of leaders that will devise effective actions to combat the rising fascism and authoritarian police actions. I can’t help but feeling that all opposed to this fascist regime are doing little more than describing the water we’re all drowning in. Protests in the street are ineffective and appear to do little to stop this brutal juggernaut. And voting has already led us to where we find ourselves now. (Who even believes further elections will be fair and honest, or even allowed?)
For every action there needs to be an equal and opposite reaction. Don’t we need our best minds and strategists devising a real plan that the meets such a threshold? To date, I can’t see anything we’ve done that rises to that demand. I am not speaking here of taking up arms or any other violent response. We can’t win a war against the most lethal military in the world or a well funded secret ICE police.
The 75 million voters who voted for Kamala need leadership that won’t pull any punches or try and soften what it will take to turn back this assault. We are well past the time when we could avoid significant suffering and sacrifice. Yes, it’s a pay now or pay a great deal more later. Therefore, why are we participating in this government or economy a moment longer? Isn’t in our best interest to stop consuming (except for the absolute necessities) and to withhold our labor? What would it look like if even half of that 75 million took those actions? I understand it won’t only hurt Wall Street and the oligarchs, it will hurt us a great deal too. (there are always unintended consequences) But protesting in the streets only gives them easy access to vulnerable and compressed targets. It provides increased opportunities to instill fear and produce propaganda.
We need a plan that stretches their resources to breaking. We need to find actions that make it impossible for them to enforce their will. We need nonviolent actions that attack the weaknesses in the infrastructure. We need really creative thinking. Can’t we live without entertainment and sports for an extended period? Can’t we go one year without black friday or the seasonal holiday glut? We could show our children a holiday season that means a great deal more than consuming. Will the oligarchs remove this regime if they are at risk of losing their wealth?
They are threatening to destroy our way of life. We need to threaten them in kind.
I get that this would be a massive undertaking, and it won’t be without a good deal of pain, but we need to do something much larger and soon. The water is rising and we will drown.
Let us pleas stop parroting ugly MAGA rhetoric. There is no such thing as a "political enemy". I even think opponent isn't a true description. "Political Opposition"more faithfully describes the situation. I need you to be really careful in your writing and speech.
Tommye-K. Mayer
Boston, MA