I understand the Epstein files bill was passed in the Senate and sent to Trump already. He has said he will sign it. There’s a report at Reuters that I can’t read because it’s behind a paywall, but I understand it says that today the White House was lobbying senators to slow-walk the vote. They didn’t. So now we will see if and what the DoJ releases. Maybe. If Trump gets around to signing the bill. Trump’s girl Pam says she will release the files within thirty days. Lots of redacting still to do, I guess.
See Politico, ‘Democrats are going to come to regret this’: After Epstein vote, Trump ready to attack. Trump assumes that he can damage the Democratic party by releasing the names of Democrats mentioned in the files. What Trump — and most wingnuts — never seem to notice is that Dems are not the knee-jerk loyalists that righties tend to be. Remember Senator Al Franken? It wasn’t attacks from Republicans that pushed him to resign. (And I still think the Democrats who pushed him overreacted.) So Larry Summers has now been shamed into withdrawing from the public. I am not losing sleep over it.
Another Democrat — Stacey Plaskett, a non-voting delegate to the House from the U.S. Virgin Islands — texted with Epstein in 2019 during an Oversight hearing. It is alleged he was trying to influence what questions she might ask. I haven’t seen a transcript of the texts. Yesterday a vote in the House to censure Plaskett failed. A handful of Republicans must have decided she hadn’t actually done anything worth censuring.
And see Jennifer Rubin, Trump Is in Full Retreat.
Meanwhile, Trump’s redistricting plot is blowing up in his face. And it’s his own fault. I wrote yesterday that a federal court has blocked Texas from using their newly gerrymandered maps in the 2026 midterms because Trump’s third-tier lawyers were stupid enough to admit in public documents that the gerrymandering should be based on race. The map might still be reinstated on appeal. But the map was drawn in the assumption that Texas Latinos who voted for Trump in 2024 are permanently aligned with MAGA. And it’s very possible they aren’t. Also, the Indiana legislature has failed to vote to redraw its maps. Gerrymandering efforts in Kansas and New Hampshire appear to be on hold. And a state court judge in Utah rejected the Republican redrawn map. See Greg Sargent at The New Republic, Trump’s Plot to Rig 2026 Is Falling Apart, and Boy Is He Mad About It.
Trump’s case against James Comey also is hanging by a thread. See Ella Lee at The Hill:
The Justice Department on Wednesday admitted that the operative indictment against former FBI Director James Comey was never presented to the full grand jury — a procedural error defense attorneys say should bar the prosecution.
The admission came under sharp questioning from U.S. District Judge Michael Nachmanoff, after several judges overseeing parts of the case had raised concerns about the government’s presentation and an apparent discrepancy in the grand jury record.
Instead of presenting a new indictment to the full panel after it rejected one of the counts, interim U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan gave the grand jury’s foreperson an updated version — not seen by the other grand jurors — to sign.
I'm fine w the blog purge. I would love to see my posts disappear into the void.
They're seemingly small wins, but this is what froth at the top looks like. Who woulda thought that nearly the entire Congress would vote against Dear Leader, even if he tried to pretend it's OK? This is an important milestone, regardless of the games that will be played around the files. The Epstein scandal is so monumentally big, touching many powerful people, and countless underlings who have or are combing through it, it can't be hidden for long.
As one commenter put it, "Russia, if you're listening?"
One or two psychics have said 45 will flee to the Middle East. It's my belief that, among other dealings, he is smoothing the way there, with Argentina as a backup. Expect to see more trips to the ME to scope things out, etc.
Russia, if you're listening?
Russia is rolling on the floor laughing. They probably can not remember the last time they saw anything so funny.
Remember, the Epstein papers are not just important for the sex trafficking but are likely to show some really, really, dubious political and financial dealings among a lot of the movers and shakers in the Western world.
An oligarch here, a cabinet minister there, senior civil servant over there. A bit of money laundering or bit rigging versus a bit too close a relationship with questionable people or organizations. It all adds up.
Tack on a minor US$100 million theft in Warsaw with Gov"t officials fleeing in all directions and the Russian Security Council is probably breaking out the caviar and Georgian champagne.
Re Comey: the most recent screw-up illustrates the Keystone Cops element of the selective prosecutions. REAL lawyers won't put their reputation (and their license to practice law) at risk for something so trivial as Trump's ego. So far, the Comey indictment is proof of how inept the Trump legal lackey tends to be. I have high hopes that the judge will not dismiss the case due to a procedural issue. The evidence suggests that Comey was charged by someone sent in to replace the lawyer who would not charge Comey, as per Trump's own public demand. A dismissal for selective prosecution will strengthen the hand of any defendant Trump has announced he's out to get. And Trump won't shut up for the same reason Putin uses exotic poisons – he wants to be sure everyone knows he did it.
Trump's lizard brain is in tune with MAGA on revenge. He promised it and they are frothing at the mouth for Biden and Obama to be jailed. If Trump can't even get Comey, MAGA is going to wonder if Trump is not up to the job of American Caligula. If the ambitious wannabes sense that MAGA is disgruntled, the Game of Thrones will begin, possibly much earlier than we expect.
The redistricting ploy may be doomed in two ways – the ineptitude of the clowns in TX who carried it out, AND the reaction of large numbers of Hispanic voters in TX who aren't amused by the racial cruelty. Where Trump counted TX as a plus-5 with redistricting, it's never gonna pan out that good, even if the Roberts Court gives Trump cover. If the Roberts Court doesn't cover Trump, it's gonna be a net LOSS of seats in TX, with a whammy from CA.
The Senate advanced the Epstein Bill by a procedure that prevented a vote that would have put Republicans on the record. I read that Trump and Speaker Johnson wanted to make modifications to the bill (to give DOJ a loophole?) and slow the process, but the Senate washed their hands of it faster than Pilate. The clock is running for Trump.
The you-know-what hits the fan when Trump issues a commutation for Maxwell. If Trump can pull it off, he will try to charge a Democrat for abusing one of the Epstiien survivors as bread and circuses for the plebes to distract them from Maxwell slipping away. I can't be sure, but that might provoke the victims in partnership with MTG (of all people) to read the names of the perps into the Congressional Record. IMO, this is when the wheels will come off for Trump and the oligarchs will look for a better sock puppet than Trump. Fox will suddenly find examples of Trump's mental decay. MAGA talking heads will demonize his crude behavior. And the GOP in Congress will be told to dump Trump thru impeachment. MAGA will go through mass amnesia and upon the rooster crowing the third time, will declare, "I never voted for Trump."
Regarding the purge of records from 2015, there's a story I want to tell. 2015 is the year I made my flight. I was quite occupied for weeks after my arrest. I'm not sure when I circled back to posts from mid-April to find I'd been recognized as "OUR Doug."
It was an unexpected honorific, of no great importance a decade later. To put it in context, some in my family never understood or appreciated my actions. Some understood and opposed. I tried to pitch the issue of a ban on big money in politics to people who hadn't considered it. Some individuals and activist groups got it. I did my best.
I'm not sliding into obscurity – I arrived at that terminal years ago. The deletion of the record from Mahablog tempted me into pointing out how important it is for an activist who hangs it out there to get confirmation and how devastating it can be not to hear it. This may be a function of Mahablog, to let the folks on the front lines know they aren't forgotten. A comment is only a ripple, but ripples unite to become waves and waves can be powerful.
An example I haven't acted on, but should. ICE seems to be targeting members of the clergy (without regard for denomination) for participating in protests at ICE facilities for nothing more than prayer. But they are a huge threat by changing to perception of dangerous ANTIFA radicals to something obviously decent. Will they have the courage to continue? I need to chase down names and the church(es) and send an email.
(Stepping off my soapbox, with apologies.)
Maybe Al Franken resigned because he knew what an investigation might reveal, and he didn’t have the guts to face the truth.
Nobody was talking about investigating him.
Good point:
https://i.redd.it/aqcca49ycf2g1.jpeg
News of the day: six members of Congress (Sens. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), as well as Reps. Jason Crow (D-Colo.), Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.), Maggie Goodlander (D-N.H.) and Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.) put together a video that effectively made a point we've discussed here. Members of the military can refuse, in some cases MUST refuse, to follow illegal orders.
Trump is calling for their arrest, trial, and execution. SpeakerJohnson is giving cover, ignoring the operative word, "illegal." This is not a discussion Trump can allow – it threatens the endgame of using the military to keep MAGA in power if/when they are rejected by voters. I do not think I am exaggerating. Johnson also misdirected by suggesting that (my words) impressionable, young soldiers might be persuaded to betray the country.
IMO, the comments were directed at the officer corps starting at the top echelons OUTSIDE the Pentagon and including the middle ranks of officers who could order the troops to stand down and declare by their authority that the order from the Pentagon or POTUS is NOT LAWFUL. This would give the local commander, regardless of further orders from on high, cover in refusing to move until the courts resolved the issue of legality. (I'm absolutely in uncharted waters here. No Commander-in-Chief has tried to use the US military to suppress legal and peaceful assembly by citizens. So my predictions are my guesses.)
This is similar strategy (that I approve) to the shutdown. Serve notice to the public of a future issue that the Democrats can't prevent ot control. But they CAN force this issue into the public square. In this case, is it legal to use military might against unarmed US civilians who are NOT in insurrection against the Constitution or the law, but are in open opposition to illegal acts by a rogue president? Trump is dumb enough to call for charges. Bondi is submissive enough to follow those orders and the trial, given that the word "illegal" preceded the word "orders" will result in a “Not Guilty” verdict no matter where the trial is held.
The smartest strategy by the WH would have been to ignore the video and respond to questions by deflecting on the hypothetical that Trump would do anything illegal. And the discussion the Democrats wanted is happening.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) says someone showed up to her D.C. office today and made white supremacist threats. Capitol Police had to intervene. This was hours after Trump said Democrats in Congress should be executed. "When leaders promote hate, hate shows up."
https://bsky.app/profile/jbendery.bsky.social/post/3m64csvn7ek2m
Andrew Sorkin, author of 1929, contends that the history of the crash has been communicated as a unitary event erroneously. The crash was really a number of "crashes" not a unitary event. Only with the benefit of hindsight do we seem to make the mental error of perception that most of us have if his view is correct.
I respect Sorkin, and do not discount this perspective.
I also respect the idea that navigating using history is like driving forward while looking only in the rear-view mirror.
Then also being ignorant of history assures one of repeating old mistakes is also an idea with established validity.
We are apparently in quite a disruption of crypto currency. Analysts are looking for support levels in its downturn. So far none appear to be holding.
The balance of fear and greed will get the crypto market settled at some point with uncertainty probable to the larger economy to some extent.
As the president formerly known as fearless leader is quite involved with crypto on a proxy level at least with his "family business". He is losing here too in a big way.
My point is we all may be losing with him on this one even with no exposure to crypto personally. Like any of us need more potholes to avoid or endure. Collateral damage concerns just seem to keep mounting.
AI Bubble is likely to pop soon, and will take Wall Street [way] down with it. There's a Real Estate Bubble, too (Residential AND Commercial).
Some History lessons really are true, and obvious: when Financial Markets go up faster and further than the Real Economy, eventually something breaks, and Financial Markets crash. IMO, it will happen very soon.