As evidence mounts the reckless, illegal, peace-through-stupidity attack on Iran's nuclear sites did not in fact "OBLITERATE" them and could be perilous, the moronic man-child lurches, rages, yammers on with deranged declarations - THE CEASEFIRE IS NOW IN EFFECT! CNN is scum! Prosecute Dems! - duly parroted by his rabid flunkies: "Wave American Flags!" Still, they go lower and crasser: Who had a juvenile White House resurrecting Vince Vance & The Valiants' Bomb Iran on their Clown Show Bingo Card?
After Israel finally got a U.S. president dumb enough to bomb Iran if they did - and to take his Very Serious strategic geo-political leads from what Fox News was saying - the TV-game-show-host-in chief who'd always wanted to be in a war as long as he didn't have to, you know, be in it violated U.S. and international law by launching strikes on Iran's three largest nuclear sites without legally mandated Congressional approval to do so, probably after both Israel and Iran went to him with tears in their eyes and said, "Please sir, you're the only one who can save us." Then, with only early, flimsy reports coming in, he swiftly proclaimed it "ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL MILITARY STRIKES IN HISTORY" and a "PERFECT FLIGHT" and "total Obliteration for years and years" by "genius people in the military" and "it was my great honor to Destroy All Nuclear facilities & capability, and STOP THE WAR!” Uh huh
After declaring a yuge fake victory, he declared a yuge fake ceasefire - which he evidently thought was like pressing the button on the Resolute Desk for Diet Coke, or like Michael Scott in The Office yelling, "I declare bankruptcy!" - by announcing that both Iran and Israel, now that they'd "gotten it all out of their 'system,'" had agreed to “a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE” that would lead to “an Official END to THE 12 DAY WAR." He excitedly added, "CONGRATULATIONS WORLD, ITS TIME FOR PEACE!" (No, really, he did.) "THE CEASEFIRE IS NOW IN EFFECT. PLEASE DO NOT VIOLATE IT! DO NOT DROP THOSE BOMBS. ISRAEL is not going to attack Iran. All planes will turn around and head home, while doing a friendly ‘Plane Wave’ to Iran. Nobody will be hurt, the Ceasefire is in effect! Thank you for your attention to this matter! DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.”
The announcement, "friendly plane wave" and all, took not just Israel and Iran but his own advisers by surprise, probably because the so-called leader of the free world is a batshit crazy, power-mad, 12-year-old living in a fever dream reality show who thinks saying something, no matter how delusional, makes it so. It didn't. Iran promptly said, "As of now, there is NO ‘agreement’ on any cessation of military operations." Israel, despite all those impressive CAPS, promptly dropped a load of bombs that the ignored, enraged ringmaster for the 7,846th time called "the likes of which I've never seen before." "Israel has to calm down," he testily told reporters. "These are two countries fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the fuck they’re doing" - a blaring pot/kettle allusion that most of the sentient world savagely noted and mocked, but he somehow missed.
Still, reality came calling. Emerging assessments - from U.S. intelligence, European leaders, media like The Financial Times, New York Times, CNN - found the attacks did less-than-obliterating damage, likely only setting back the nuclear program a few months and leaving the stockpile "largely intact.” Evidence, including photos of trucks lined up the day before removing uranium enriched material to unknown sites, suggest Iran knew the attacks were coming. Other questions linger: Maybe Fordow wasn't a major site, maybe the bombs didn't go deep enough to inflict serious damage, etc. Meanwhile, Iran charged the U.S. had "crossed a very big red line," suspended cooperation with nuclear watchdog agencies, and, experts say, may have decided to move ahead with a nuclear weapon having learned that diplomacy is "reversible, fragile and vulnerable to changes in leadership in Washington."
With the rest of us now facing what Gestapo Barbie calls "a heightened threat environment" thanks to a clusterfuck regime of clowns who make Dr. Strangelove look like a statesman, the inept juvenile who failed at casinos, steak, water, wine and now war just keeps blustering: "The sites (were) totally destroyed and everyone knows it," "It's called obliteration. No other military on Earth could have done it," "an unbelievable hit by genius pilots," "It’s gone for years, years. Inside, it’s all collapsed. Nobody can get in. It's a room that has ten million tons of rock in it." Also, he gloated, it was just like Hiroshima: "That hit ended the war. And this was essentially the same thing.” Finally, for any lingering doubts or discomfiting facts, blame "Fake News," with ZERO CREDIBILITY!” who are "scum....They're bad people. They're sick," including a CNN reporter who should be "thrown out 'like a dog."
Puffed up, he also urged the trial of fellow felon Netanyahu be "CANCELLED, IMMEDIATELY" to save a "Great Hero," because America "saved" Israel and "now it is going to be the United States of America that saves" Bibi." At NATO, he told a head-swiveling, wildly under-reported story about Iran asking if it was OK they shoot 14 retaliatory missiles at the U.S. military base in Qatar at 1 o'clock. "They were very nice," Trump burbled. "They gave us warning...I said it's fine," despite America's alleged commander-in-chief agreeing to be bombed sure sounds like treason to us. "I am pleased to report that NO Americans were harmed, and hardly any damage was done...There will, hopefully, be no further HATE." He also sagely explained that everyone was taken off the base "except the gunners - they call them the gunners." At his side, Marco Rubio looks like Homer Simpson trying to melt into bushes.
Still, lacking alternatives, the minions have gamely climbed on board. Press Barbie screeched the attack was an "overwhelming success - everyone knows what happens when you drop 14 30,000 pound bombs perfectly on their targets," but spent more time trashing a CNN reporter who suggested it wasn't. Drunken Pete, even angrier and more unhinged, proclaimed the strikes "the most complex and secretive military operation in history" - except how Iran knew about them and D-Day's Allied invasion of France took a year's planning, 156,000 soldiers, 195,700 navy personnel, and the cooperation of 13 nations - and launched a furious diatribe for an audience of one against mean media for seeking accurate information, aka "hunting for scandals," insulting Dear Leader and "brave pilots," and trying to "manipulate the public mind" rather than "talk about how special America is" and "Wave an American flag." What a belligerent asshole.
Trump loved it, praising "one of the greatest, most professional, and - running out of adjectives besides "beautiful" and "strong" - most 'confirming' News Conferences I have ever seen!" Less entertainingly, he simply ignored diverging assessments of the U.S. intelligence community - a move former CIA Director Leon Panetta called "a very scary prospect" - dismissed the whistleblower who leaked them as a “low-level loser” while "declaring a war on leakers," announced he will (illegally, irrationally) limit classified information he shares with Congress despite no evidence the leaks came from Congress, the next day charged Dems leaked the information and "they should be prosecuted!" - this from the idiots who leaked actual war plans on Signal - and jabbered that the photos of trucks lined up at nuclear sites were those of "concrete workers trying to cover up the tops of the shafts." Say what?
Improbably, even without SCOTUS madness, it keeps getting weirder and worse. After NATO Sec. General Mark Rutte made a cringe joke about Trump as "Daddy," MAGA picked up and ran with the grotesque "Daddy" shtick: The White House posted a "Daddy's home" video, Fox giddily smirked that, thanks to those cool, pointless big-boy bombs being dropped, Republicans are "back to being the Daddy party - he gets things done," hideous orange Daddy merch instantly materialized. The final, puerile, demented abomination (for this week), like something from The Whitest Kids U' Know: He posted a 1995 parody video of the Beach Boys' Barbara Ann by Vince Vance & The Valiants called Bomb Iran: "Went to a mosque/ Gonna throw some rocks." Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States. His country's stunned response: "Bro, how the fuck is this real?" Honestly, we have no idea.
— (@)[pubDate] => Sat, 28 Jun 2025 02:25:03 +0000 [guid] => https://www.commondreams.org/further/bomb-bomb-iran-idiot-mob-boss-declares-wack-victory [dc] => Array ( [creator] => Abby Zimet ) [media] => Array ( [content] => ) ) [1] => Array ( [uri] => https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/free-press-mourns-bill-moyers [title] => Free Press Mourns Bill Moyers [timestamp] => 1750980446 [author] => Newswire Editor [content] => [enclosures] => Array ( ) [categories] => Array ( ) [uid] => [link] => https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/free-press-mourns-bill-moyers [description] =>
Bill Moyers, the esteemed journalist, presidential adviser and philanthropist, died on Thursday at age 91 in New York. In the early 2000s, Moyers played a pivotal role in creating and promoting Free Press and delivered a series of powerful appearances at the National Conference for Media Reform.
“You will search the dominant media largely in vain for journalists that tell the truth about the fading of the American dream,” Moyers told a crowd of more than 3,000 people assembled at the 2008 conference in Minneapolis. “So it’s up to you to remind us that democracy only works when ordinary people claim it as their own. It’s up to you to write the story of an America that leaves no one out.”
Moyers called on people to build “a movement to challenge the stranglehold of mega-media corporations over our press and to build alternative and independent sources of news and information that people can trust.”
Free Press President and Co-CEO Craig Aaron said:
“Bill Moyers was a legend who lived up to his reputation. Moyers believed that journalism should serve democracy, not just the bottom line. He believed deeply in the power and potential of public media, and he set the standard for public broadcasting by telling stories you couldn’t find anywhere else. He always stood up to bullies — including those who come forward in every generation to try to crush public media and end its independence. We can honor his memory by continuing that fight.
“Moyers was a giant, who used his wide reach and wise words to lift up the voices of activists and change-makers, including the co-founders of Free Press. It’s no exaggeration to say that Free Press would not exist without Moyers’ support and encouragement. He was among the earliest supporters of Free Press and encouraged many others to join him. His wise and inspirational words motivated generations of media activists.
“Above all, Moyers was a kind and generous man, mentoring young journalists and activists – including me – and leading by example. We send our deepest condolences to his family, many friends and devoted colleagues, and millions of fans. There won’t be another Bill Moyers, but legions of us will try to carry on his work.”
[pubDate] => Thu, 26 Jun 2025 23:27:26 +0000 [guid] => https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/free-press-mourns-bill-moyers [dc] => Array ( [creator] => Newswire Editor ) ) [2] => Array ( [uri] => https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/60-organizations-urge-senate-to-vote-no-on-budget-bill-that-would-raise-costs-for-americans-increase-transportation-pollution [title] => 60+ Organizations Urge Senate to Vote No on Budget Bill that Would Raise Costs for Americans, Increase Transportation Pollution [timestamp] => 1750882002 [author] => Newswire Editor [content] => [enclosures] => Array ( ) [categories] => Array ( ) [uid] => [link] => https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/60-organizations-urge-senate-to-vote-no-on-budget-bill-that-would-raise-costs-for-americans-increase-transportation-pollution [description] =>Today, dozens of environmental, consumer, labor, and community organizations representing millions of members sent a letter to the Senate urging lawmakers to vote no on Donald Trump’s dangerous so-called “One, Big Beautiful” reconciliation bill that will provide tax cuts for billionaires and corporate polluters while cutting clean energy jobs and abruptly getting rid of critical tax credits for transitioning to cleaner cars, trucks, and buses.
The letter focuses on the attacks on clean transportation in the bill, including the rescission of many clean transportation programs funded by the Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act; the termination of clean vehicle tax credits that would risk hundreds of thousands of jobs; and more.
In response to the release of the letter, Sierra Club Clean Transportation for All Director Katherine García released the following statement:
“There’s nothing beautiful about toxic air pollution, saddling drivers with higher costs, and rolling back progress on clean transportation. At this moment, as half of the country is affected by an intense heat wave, we need to focus on investing in climate solutions and holding polluters accountable. The previous Congress had funded innovative and strategic programs to reduce costs, protect American jobs, and drive the competitiveness of the U.S. vehicle industry, and they’re working in communities across the nation in Republican and Democratic districts. This disastrous bill threatens to strip away that progress in giveaways to billionaires and corporate polluters. We urge all Senators to vote one, big beautiful no on this bill.”
[pubDate] => Wed, 25 Jun 2025 20:06:42 +0000 [guid] => https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/60-organizations-urge-senate-to-vote-no-on-budget-bill-that-would-raise-costs-for-americans-increase-transportation-pollution [dc] => Array ( [creator] => Newswire Editor ) ) [3] => Array ( [uri] => https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/kennedy-undermines-lifesaving-vaccine-effort-at-global-summit [title] => Kennedy Undermines Lifesaving Vaccine Effort at Global Summit [timestamp] => 1750877035 [author] => Newswire Editor [content] => [enclosures] => Array ( ) [categories] => Array ( ) [uid] => [link] => https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/kennedy-undermines-lifesaving-vaccine-effort-at-global-summit [description] =>At today’s high-level pledging summit in Brussels, global leaders came together to support global vaccination, including Gavi’s effort to raise $9 billion to fund its 2026–2030 strategy. Over the next five years, Gavi aims to deliver 500 million childhood vaccinations, respond to deadly outbreaks, and save more than 8 million lives.
But instead of showing up in solidarity to protect millions of people, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., in a pre-recorded statement, announced that the United States would withhold further funding while attacking Gavi and spreading false claims about vaccine safety.
Public Citizen Global Vaccines Access Campaign Director Liza Barrie issued the following statement:
“Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s reported decision to cut off support for Gavi is reckless and deadly. The Trump administration is turning its back on a program that has helped vaccinate more than a billion children and save over 17 million lives—while Kennedy spreads lies about science, safety and one of the world’s most effective public health efforts.The facts are clear. Gavi exists to get vaccines to children who need them most. It works with governments in lower-income countries, health workers and communities to stop deadly diseases. Because of Gavi, millions of children who would have died are alive today.
Kennedy claims that Gavi ignored science are entirely false. Gavi’s recommendations—are grounded in global evidence and reviewed by independent experts. His suggestion otherwise fuels the same disinformation that has already led to deadly measles outbreaks and the resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases, including polio.
Gavi has publicly refuted Kennedy’s claims, reaffirming its commitment to vaccine safety and evidence-based decisions.
“This isn’t about protecting children. It’s about abandoning them. Choosing to walk away from a program that saves lives—knowing full well what the consequences will be—isn’t just reckless. It’s cruel.
“Public Citizen urges Congress to act—starting with protecting the Gavi funding already allocated in the FY25 budget, which the Trump administration is now trying to claw back through its rescissions proposal. Lawmakers must also protect Gavi funding in the FY26 budget. The United States must not walk away from global vaccine access. Not now, not ever. Turning away would be a choice to let disease spread and let children die.”
[pubDate] => Wed, 25 Jun 2025 18:43:55 +0000 [guid] => https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/kennedy-undermines-lifesaving-vaccine-effort-at-global-summit [dc] => Array ( [creator] => Newswire Editor ) ) [4] => Array ( [uri] => https://www.commondreams.org/further/gestapo-you-guys-look-like-fucking-criminals [title] => Gestapo: You Guys Look Like Fucking Criminals [timestamp] => 1750824985 [author] => Abby Zimet [content] => [enclosures] => Array ( ) [categories] => Array ( ) [uid] => [link] => https://www.commondreams.org/further/gestapo-you-guys-look-like-fucking-criminals [description] =>
New war hysteria looms, yet still armed, masked, unnamed stormtroopers roam the land, keeping us safe from "the worst of the worst illegal alien criminals" by abducting nefarious landscapers, car wash workers, Wal Mart greeters, tamale makers, swap meet fans and distraught mothers of children with cancer. As glorified "state-sanctioned intimidation" turns some terrified Latino neighborhoods into ghost towns, "Day by passing day, we are watching what amounts to a national police riot by ICE."
In our new Police States of America, the chilling images are everywhere: Throngs of burly, ill-trained, rifle-toting bullies cosplaying as soldiers, storming a car wash or Home Depot in their fearless face masks, headphones, neck gaiters, camo helmets, armored vests, mirrored sunglasses, dime-store badges, tight t-shirts and tough-guy walkie-talkies to round up and terrorize whatever brown-skinned innocents they can find into unmarked cars and then, whoosh just like Fast and Furious, into unknown, possibly illegal, probably distant detention camps. Who are these louts? Nobody knows. Operating under an ominous "shroud of opacity" lacking any accountability, they could be any racist losers with a penchant for violence: For an entry-level "frontline" ICE gig, they just need a driver's license and have to be a U.S. citizen, eligible to carry a firearm, younger than 40. They can apply online.
Rumors abound: They are Proud Boys, Patriot Front, J-6 warriors, former goons of Erik Prince's malignant Blackwater, which would be "quite the callback to Season One of Fascist Celebrity Apprentice." Some are likely former cops gone flabby or fired for excessive force. Many are likely garden-variety white nationalists, friendless basement-dwelling incels weary of playing Call of Duty and eager to up their ugly game by arresting brown people. To a point: Despite being giddily kitted out in over-the-top, Bagdad-ready military gear, they've reportedly been advised to avoid all the seriously gangsterish areas around L.A., which is why we've seen virtually no videos of amateur-hour Nazi thugs confronting gang members who might actually punch or shoot back - just manhandling pregnant moms, elderly farmworkers, dazed young skinny guys wiping down windshields at car washes.
Starting years ago with a heinous orange guy pronouncing all Mexicans rapists and murderers, it keeps getting worse as guard rails drop. His marauding agents of chaos can now go after frightened targets in once-safe spaces: schools, courts, hospitals, places of worship. They often skip warrants, mask up, refuse to identify themselves, grab U.S. citizens or witnesses (legally) recording - reminiscent, many note, of Gestapo on the streets of Poland. They just further limited oversight by ending lawmakers' unannounced visits to detention facilities and requiring at least 72 hours' notice. And now - thanks Goebbels - the "heat's on to (go) after the devils who are taking away the jobs." No wonder stories of random bigots impersonating ICE - "Don’t be speaking that pig-Latin in my fucking country!" - are soaring. Also, kudos to Gloria Johnson on her "unhealthy toddler impersonating a President."
And so to harrowing videos of working people suddenly assaulted, cuffed and whisked away by mobs of jumpy, bellicose hoodlums in what newly arrested New York Comptroller Brad Lander calls "a proceeding that bears no resemblance to justice." Like the 238 Venezuelans deported to El Salvador, at least 75% have no criminal history; most of the rest have paltry traffic or immigration violations before being "effectively disappeared." They grabbed a young Afghan interpreter for U.S. troops who invaded his country; he was at court, checking in as instructed. They pinned a pregnant U.S. citizen to a truck, detained the baby's father, then let her go to give birth four days later. They cuffed, interrogated and pulled a gun on a U.S. citizen in Chicago who, driving past thugs accosting a woman, "gave a little honk (to) be there for my people"; said thugs claimed he tried to kill them.
ICE rampages are nationwide. Here in Portland ME, an immigration legal advocacy group gets over 60 calls a day from people too scared to go to work, Hispanic kids only go out to play after dark, and abduction stories spread. In Oregon's wine country, thugs nabbed and put in chains Moises Sotelo, popular 2020 winner of the Oregon Wine Board's Vineyard Excellence Award, who's lived and raised a family there for decades. In a statement, ICE got all the facts wrong about Sotelo; when a friend tried to visit him in detention, he'd vanished and an official insisted they didn't have to tell him to where: "I told him I thought that sounded wrong, and he said, ‘Well, that’s the way it is.'" The Guardian managed to find out Sotelo was shipped to Arizona; when they asked for ICE confirmation they're under no obligation to tell family or attorneys where prisoners are, they responded, "That is correct."
Clearly California, and especially majority-Latino L.A., are the hardest hit. One resident tries to describe it: "Imagine vans roll up to your local Hobby Lobby. Heavily armed men pour out, body armor, masked, no I.D. They immediately move to every white person they see. They handcuff them, assuming they're Jan. 6 rioters." In Pico Rivera, they mobbed and took down a scrawny 20-year-old Wal-Mart worker and U.S. citizen when he tried to stop them from grabbing an older worker; the community loudly protested. In Huffington Park, a half-dozen cars filled with armed, masked, cosplay soldiers barged into the home of a pregnant mother of four; they were looking for her husband David; she said her husband's name is Jorge, and he wasn't there. Nazi Barbie stood outside, ready for the cameras; instead, they left empty-handed, after which the kids got to go back into their now-trashed house.
In Santa Fe Springs, a DHS copter circled overhead as about sixty armed, masked, geared-up brownshirts-in-jeans surged across a crowded flea market as vendors and customers fled in terror. After dragging out people from bathrooms and harassing whoever they found for I.D's, they cuffed and hauled off two victims. Another mob of about 20 masked, psyched, uber-armed hooligans went after a 60-year-old woman selling tamales outside a Lowe's; after she had a panic attack and collapsed, chaos ensued: Sirens, air horns, brave furious swarms of locals, cell cameras held high, yelling, "You guys are fucking terrorists!" and "What the fuck are you doing here?" As one chubby jerk lifted his rifle, they shrieked, "We don't need fucking guns here! Go get some bad guys!" "What a bunch of weak-ass cowards," said one. "If kidnapping the Tamale Lady doesn't wake you up, you're dead inside."
In Santa Ana, in video that's gone viral, hoodlums brutally beat, punched and pepper-sprayed a 48-year-old landscaper and father of three U.S. Marines before dragging him so hard into an unmarked van they dislocated his shoulder; one son said over 24 hours later his father had gotten no treatment, water or food (but thank you for your service). In Pasadena, a power-drunk thug leapt out of his car, drew his gun and (illegally) pointed it at the head of a guy taking a photo of his (illegally) glare-guard-obscured license plate. Comments on a hyper-militarized GI-Joe wannabe with zero accountability: "Needs to deport: illegal, paranoid, jumpy," "Where can I report a masked man pulling a firearm on a civilian while stopped in traffic in the middle of the day?" "In hindsight, maybe empowering thugs to become American Gestapo might not have been so wise," and, "I think we're officially a shithole country now."
In what passes for mercy these days, an El Monte mother of a 21-year-old daughter battling bone cancer - the mom filmed weeping as she was dragged off - was released on bond on "humanitarian" grounds after outraged "Free Yolanda" marches; in an interview, she stoically displayed her ankle monitor. But that was a rare, small victory. Much more common are surreal scenes like the geared-up punk in Santa Ana, part of a raid outside the Little Market, seeing an observer recording from a nearby car and swiftly sticking his rifle in her face. Later, the woman, part of a local, grassroots rapid response team, calmly posted video of the encounter with helpful information: "You are legally allowed to record an ICE raid from a safe distance, for you and them. They are NOT supposed to draw any type of weapon at you for simply recording...With that said, move with caution.",
In his Doomsday Scenario, Garrett Graff argues the regime's anti-immigrant machinery has "switftly transformed itself into the closest thing the US has ever had to a secret police at the heart of our democracy" - an entity more culturally akin to the Klan nightriders of Reconstruction than any legit law enforcement agency, and one that does not believe it will ever be subject to any meaningful legal oversight or restraint by people in power wholly indifferent to public perceptions of their abuses. Given that indifference, the S.S.-like Goebbel push for 2,000 arrests a day, and soaring assaults on California's farm workers, day laborers, street vendors and other "easy targets" in easily accessed outdoor jobs, local lawmakers and rights advocates are doing what they can to tweak the laws, educate and protect the most vulnerable, and stem the authoritarian tide.
In response to all the documented abuses, two Bay Area legislators just introduced a bill to bar all law enforcement from wearing masks; it also requires them to identify themselves with badges and names. Arguing, "These are not lawful arrests," Huntington Park Mayor Arturo Flores has also called on local police to verify identities of gun-in-your-face yahoos carrying out "masked abductions," and to enforce vehicle codes on visible license plates and agency markings. Still, with many rights advocates charging there's often distance between Dems' rhetoric and reality - LAPD is "protecting (ICE), not protecting us" - local organizers have ratcheted up advocacy efforts with groups like CLEAN Carwash Worker Center and Community Self-Defense Coalition, offering residents rights workshops, “Know Your Rights” cards, and “adopt a corner” programs to warn workers of raids. Lone patriots have quietly stepped up.
In L.A., protests continue, tow trucks are reportedly hauling off ICE rigs in solidarity, and cowboys did a unity ride because, "Nobody is going to save us. We have to come out and stand up." Elsewhere, there are No Sleep For Ice protests - drums, cans, trombones - at hotels where they stay. A new “Dictator Approved" sculpture appeared in D.C. featuring a fat, gold, thumbs-up hand crushing the crown of Lady Liberty and mock tributes from despots: "Trump is a very bright and talented man."The Onion did a special issue - sample: "Think Tank Called Himmler Institute Assures Nation This All Legal" - thanking a craven Congress for doing nothing as we "stand in the smoldering ruins of our democratic government...slipping smoothly into the warm bath of authoritarianism...Now more than ever, our nation needs your cowardice." Then they stuck a print copy in every congressperson’s mailbox.
Still, the horrors mount, brutality upon brutality. Goons abduct a woman en route to school with her kids, left sobbing; a reporter covering “No Kings” protests; a pregnant woman who suffers a stillbirth when she's denied care in custody; 15 workers on a flood control project in flood-prone New Orleans. They devise Alligator Alcatraz, a migrant concentration camp of tents and misery in Florida's Everglades, where if they escape, a baleful video leers, alligators and pythons await them. And they swarm Bubble Bath Car Wash in Torrance CA, where the owner yells, "Get outta here You guys look like fucking criminals, and you act like criminals." A defiant woman out front joins in, berating them as bounty hunters. "Who are you guys? You need to fucking identify yourselves - this is a kidnap," she shouts. "Fucking racial profiling is against the law, motherfuckers. Get the fuck outta here, assholes." Deflated thugs stand dumbly, then slink away. "Fuck them, assholes," she spits. There are monsters among us. There are also saints.Update: On Tuesday, MAGA's own Goebbels, reflecting his racist cabal's meltdown that Zohran Mamdani, a brown person (Muslim yet), won the New York City mayoral primary, blamed the catastrophe on "unchecked immigration." He called Mamdani's rise "the clearest warning yet of what happens to a society when it fails to control migration," noting a third of New York City's residents are foreign-born and almost two-thirds of its children live in a foreign-born household. Sounds pretty cool to us.
[pubDate] => Wed, 25 Jun 2025 04:16:25 +0000 [guid] => https://www.commondreams.org/further/gestapo-you-guys-look-like-fucking-criminals [dc] => Array ( [creator] => Abby Zimet ) [media] => Array ( [content] => ) ) [5] => Array ( [uri] => https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/eu-israel-timid-review-of-eu-israel-association-agreement-a-greenlight-to-israels-genocide [title] => EU/Israel: ‘Timid’ review of EU-Israel Association Agreement a ‘greenlight to Israel’s genocide’ [timestamp] => 1750711057 [author] => Newswire Editor [content] => [enclosures] => Array ( ) [categories] => Array ( ) [uid] => [link] => https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/eu-israel-timid-review-of-eu-israel-association-agreement-a-greenlight-to-israels-genocide [description] =>
Responding to the European Commission’s review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement which found ‘indications’ that Israel is breaching its human rights obligations, Eve Geddie the Director of Amnesty International’s European Institutions Office said:
“Despite its timid wording, the European Commission finally states the obvious: Israel is breaching its human rights obligations under the Agreement. This is an indisputable fact that Amnesty International, international courts, UN bodies, independent experts, prominent Palestinian, Israeli and international NGOs, scholars, commentators and former diplomats have been saying for years.
“It is unforgivable that it took the EU so long to launch this review and disturbing to see the EU fail to set out any measures it plans to take against Israel. Every day the EU delays meaningful action, is a greenlight for Israel to continue its genocide in the Gaza Strip and unlawful occupation of the whole Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT).
“The EU and its member states have an obligation to ban trade and investment that could contribute to Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and other grave violations of international law, including the crime against humanity of apartheid against all Palestinians whose rights it controls.
“Now that they have determined there are ‘indications’ that Israel is breaching human rights, there is no excuse for inaction or delays. Every deal that EU member states do with Israel in the meantime, leaves them at risk of being complicit in Israel’s grave violations of international law, including genocide.
“Member states in favour of suspending the agreement must use all their diplomatic weight to ensure that opponents of the suspension, including Germany, fully understand the risk of complicity and the cruel toll on Palestinian lives of continued EU inaction. If the EU fails to live up to these obligations as a bloc, and seeks to shield itself from its clear legal obligations, its member states must unilaterally suspend all forms of cooperation that may contribute to violations of international law.”
Background
On 23 June 2025, the European Commission presented its review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement to EU foreign ministers. The review found ‘indications’ that Israel is breaching its human rights obligations but did not present any measures for the EU to take in response.
Amnesty International has long called for a thorough, comprehensive, and credible review the Association Agreement in line with EU member states’ obligations to prevent trade and investment that contributes to maintaining Israel’s unlawful occupation of the OPT, as set out by the International Court of Justice’s Advisory Opinion of 19 July 2024 and obligations not to render aid or assistance to the commission of crimes under international law.
[pubDate] => Mon, 23 Jun 2025 20:37:37 +0000 [guid] => https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/eu-israel-timid-review-of-eu-israel-association-agreement-a-greenlight-to-israels-genocide [dc] => Array ( [creator] => Newswire Editor ) ) [6] => Array ( [uri] => https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/over-170-state-legislators-tell-senate-to-reject-trump-billionaire-tax-giveaway-that-shifts-costs-to-states [title] => Over 170 State Legislators Tell Senate to Reject Trump Billionaire Tax Giveaway that Shifts Costs To States [timestamp] => 1750711018 [author] => Newswire Editor [content] => [enclosures] => Array ( ) [categories] => Array ( ) [uid] => [link] => https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/over-170-state-legislators-tell-senate-to-reject-trump-billionaire-tax-giveaway-that-shifts-costs-to-states [description] =>Today, Americans for Tax Fairness organized and sent a letter from 174 state legislators across 23 states to Senate leaders of both parties. The letter urges the Senate to reject the reconciliation bill, which would cut billions from critical programs—including Medicaid, SNAP, and education—to fund tax breaks for billionaires and wealthy corporations. The legislators voiced concerns that these massive cuts to critical programs would force states to fill the gaps. The letter and full list of signatories can be accessed at this link.
“Trump and the billionaire-backed GOP majority in the Senate are on the verge of creating a crisis for state governments across the country. Trump’s reconciliation bill would cut billions from life-saving programs like Medicaid and SNAP while slashing funding for education and environmental programs—all to pay for a massive tax giveaway to billionaires and wealthy corporations,” said ATF Executive Director David Kass. “If this bill is enacted, states will have to shoulder the burden of not only raising costs for their residents but also administrative and benefit costs due to the draconian SNAP provisions in this bill. Some states, which want to ensure their residents still have access to Medicaid, may be forced to raise taxes or cut other public goods, while others risk thousands of residents losing vital access to healthcare. We applaud these state legislators for signing on and standing up for their constituents. Senators from both parties should follow their example and reject this truly disastrous bill.”
[pubDate] => Mon, 23 Jun 2025 20:36:58 +0000 [guid] => https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/over-170-state-legislators-tell-senate-to-reject-trump-billionaire-tax-giveaway-that-shifts-costs-to-states [dc] => Array ( [creator] => Newswire Editor ) ) [7] => Array ( [uri] => https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/good-trouble-lives-on-national-day-of-action-builds-on-momentum-against-authoritarianism-fight-for-civil-rights [title] => “Good Trouble Lives On” National Day of Action Builds on Momentum Against Authoritarianism, Fight for Civil Rights [timestamp] => 1750709045 [author] => Newswire Editor [content] => [enclosures] => Array ( ) [categories] => Array ( ) [uid] => [link] => https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/good-trouble-lives-on-national-day-of-action-builds-on-momentum-against-authoritarianism-fight-for-civil-rights [description] =>On July 17, five years since the passing of civil rights hero Congressman John Lewis, communities nationwide are mobilizing for Good Trouble Lives On, a national day of action to speak out against the Trump administration’s brazen rollback of our civil rights.
Coined by Congressman John Lewis, “Good Trouble” is the action of coming together to take peaceful, non-violent action to challenge injustice and create meaningful change. Led by the Transformative Justice Coalition, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, Black Voters Matter, and more, movement leaders are inviting folks across the country to “Make Good Trouble” on July 17 by hosting an event in their community.
Organizers hope to build on the momentum from the historic “No Kings” mass mobilization on June 14, the largest demonstration to take place in Trump’s second term with over 2,100 events spanning across all 50 states. We will take to the streets, courthouses and community spaces to carry forward his fight for justice, voting rights and dignity for all.
The Trump administration’s recent escalating authoritarian actions, attacks on DEI initiatives and voting rights and dismantling of government agencies have raised alarm bells for democracy advocates, and that’s why we’re mobilizing:
This isn’t the government our founders envisioned, nor the democracy generations of Americans have fought to realize. As the Trump administration continues violating civil liberties and attacking fundamental freedoms, pro-democracy groups are staying vigilant. The power lies with the American people to unify and “Make Good Trouble.”
Good Trouble Lives On is led by Transformative Justice Coalition, Black Voters Matter, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the Declaration for American Democracy Coalition, Mi Familia Acción and more.
For more information on Good Trouble Lives On, please visit https://goodtroubleliveson.org/.
MEDIA CONTACT: For media inquiries, please email media@goodtroubleliveson.org.
[pubDate] => Mon, 23 Jun 2025 20:04:05 +0000 [guid] => https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/good-trouble-lives-on-national-day-of-action-builds-on-momentum-against-authoritarianism-fight-for-civil-rights [dc] => Array ( [creator] => Newswire Editor ) ) [8] => Array ( [uri] => https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/progressive-democrats-of-america-condemns-trumps-bombing-of-iran [title] => Progressive Democrats of America Condemns Trump’s Bombing of Iran [timestamp] => 1750707661 [author] => Newswire Editor [content] => [enclosures] => Array ( ) [categories] => Array ( ) [uid] => [link] => https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/progressive-democrats-of-america-condemns-trumps-bombing-of-iran [description] =>Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) today issued the following statement:
Progressive Democrats of America condemns Trump’s unconstitutional bombing of Iran. We’re outraged by these reckless, lawless, aggressive actions. We support the Khanna/Massie War Powers Resolution to curtail the abuse of war powers.
Donald Trump ordered a surprise bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities, including sites under international monitoring, without a vote from Congress. Without any public debate. The airstrikes on Iran’s Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear sites shocked the Congress and the rest of the world including, U.S. allies.
Carried out without congressional authorization or clear evidence of an imminent threat, Trump’s actions blatantly violated the U.S. Constitution as well as U.S. and international law.
As Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) stated: “Trump said he would end wars; now he has dragged America into one. His actions are a clear violation of our Constitution.”
The U.S. intelligence community confirmed in March that Iran was not developing nuclear weapons. There was no emergency, no justification whatsoever. Only Trump’s irrational warmongering.
International leaders responded with horror. As expected, Iran called the attack “a grave violation of the UN Charter.” They’re far from alone in this, however. UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned it could spiral into catastrophe. The EU and other nations have also condemned this unprovoked aggression.
Trump’s own political allies expressed dismay. Trump loyalists including Tucker Carlson and Marjorie Taylor Greene called these attacks a betrayal of the “America First” mandate to avoid endless wars.
This is not foreign policy. This is militarized authoritarianism. We must act to stop it now, before it spreads to enflame the entire Middle East, if not the entire globe in dangerous, unnecessary conflict.
We are outraged, but this moment demands more than outrage. It demands organized, coordinated resistance. Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) is helping lead the charge, organizing with our allies inside and outside of Congress to push back.
We’re mobilizing support for the War Powers Resolution and coordinating protests demanding an immediate ceasefire and all party negotiations to achieve a just and durable peace treaty as soon as practicable.
Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) was founded in 2004 to transform the Democratic Party and U.S. politics by working inside and outside of the party. This, by electing empowered progressives and by building the progressive movement in solidarity with with peace, justice, civil rights, environmental, and other reform efforts. For more information about the organization, please see https://PDAmerica.org
[pubDate] => Mon, 23 Jun 2025 19:41:01 +0000 [guid] => https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/progressive-democrats-of-america-condemns-trumps-bombing-of-iran [dc] => Array ( [creator] => Newswire Editor ) ) [9] => Array ( [uri] => https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/new-iea-report-on-liquified-natural-gas-emissions-regurgitates-old-fallacies [title] => New IEA Report on Liquified Natural Gas Emissions Regurgitates Old Fallacies [timestamp] => 1750451744 [author] => Newswire Editor [content] => [enclosures] => Array ( ) [categories] => Array ( ) [uid] => [link] => https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/new-iea-report-on-liquified-natural-gas-emissions-regurgitates-old-fallacies [description] =>In response to the International Energy Agency (IEA)’s just-released report on the greenhouse gas emissions of liquefied natural gas (LNG), Oil Change International Research Director Lorne Stockman said:
“This latest IEA report repeats the decade-old fallacy that the LNG industry is on the cusp of cleaning up its act, even though it has consistently refused to do so. The methane reductions that are supposed to result from a suite of new technologies and a slew of industry-led voluntary initiatives have failed to materialize again and again. The IEA’s own Methane Tracker data shows that the oil and gas industry’s methane emissions are massive and growing, and “have still not reached a definitive peak.” While the IEA attempts to downplay the life-cycle GHG emissions of LNG compared to coal, The IEA’s own modelling also clearly shows that there is no room for any new LNG export projects if the world is to stave off climate disaster.
“The IEA estimates that 80.5 million metric tons of methane were emitted from the global oil and gas industry in 2024, while highlighting that “methane emissions are widely underreported.” In the short term (20-year equivalency), this equates to over 6.4 billion tons of CO2. This is like adding nearly 1,700 US coal plants.
“It is beyond time that the IEA, the oil and gas industry, and enabling governments such as Japan and the US stop spreading misinformation about gas. The only way to reduce emissions from oil and gas, and the toxic pollution they spread into communities’ air and water, is to phase out fossil fuel production and use. We have waited too long. The planet is literally burning while the oil and gas industry fiddles.”
[pubDate] => Fri, 20 Jun 2025 20:35:44 +0000 [guid] => https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/new-iea-report-on-liquified-natural-gas-emissions-regurgitates-old-fallacies [dc] => Array ( [creator] => Newswire Editor ) ) ) )