Trump’s Abuse Of Power Backfires: Comey and Letitia James Charges Dismissed, Mark Kelly Refuses To Back Down, and AOC Slams His Broken Brain Great news that’s terrible for Trump and his regime Scott Dworkin Nov 25 Thanks for being here and for reading today’s great news. I hope it gives you a break from Trump’s madness—even if just for a moment. Everything we do is powered by the support of folks who refuse to bow to this regime. That means no ads, no nonsense, and no corporate influence. So if you haven’t yet, please support our resistance against Trump by becoming a paid subscriber today: Let’s jump in. CHARGES TOSSED After a series of missteps by the DOJ, a judge threw out the charges against former FBI Director James Comey and NY AG Letitia James yesterday. The judge ruled that Trump’s attempt to install Lindsey Halligan as interim US Attorney in the cases was “invalid,” and said she had no “legal authority” to present an indictment. I’m sure it’s not the end of this, but it’s a big win for our democracy. KENNEDY OP-ED Maxwell Kennedy wrote a brutal op-ed in The Boston Globe about his brother, failing HHS Secretary Bob Kennedy. Maxwell said their dad, RFK, “would have been appalled by the cruelty the Trump administration has directed toward America’s neediest … It’s a betrayal of all that my father worked for.” Kennedy went on to say: “And all those complicit in that betrayal have lowered themselves—not least my brother … who knows my father’s legacy as well as anyone.” MAMDANI STANDS FIRM Over the years we’ve seen a lot of folks meet with Trump. We’ve learned plenty of lessons from them, and seen way too many people kiss the ring. But it seems like NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is doing the exact opposite. In an interview aired this weekend, Mamdani was asked if he still thought Trump was a fascist and a threat to democracy—even after meeting with him. Mamdani very clearly answered: “Everything that I’ve said in the past, I continue to believe.” MARK KELLY STARES DOWN TRUMP Trump won’t stop attacking the lawmakers who made a video telling troops to obey only lawful orders. Now, the regime is threatening Dem Sen. Mark Kelly from all angles. National disgrace Pete Hegseth opened a sham investigation into the matter, and is even acting like he could recall Kelly to active duty. Well, Kelly isn’t having it. He stated: “If this is meant to intimidate me and other members of Congress from doing our jobs and holding this administration accountable, it won’t work. I’ve given too much to this country to be silenced by bullies who care more about their own power than protecting the Constitution.” Kelly noted: “[I] had a missile blow up next to my jet and flew through anti-aircraft fire to drop bombs on enemy targets. At NASA, I launched on a rocket, commanded the space shuttle, and was part of the recovery mission that brought home the bodies of my astronaut classmates who died on Columbia.” “I am not going to be intimidated,” Kelly said. AOC ON TRUMP’S MENTAL STATE Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez slammed Trump’s unhinged threats against Kelly and other Dems, saying: “It is not normal to make these accusations. It is not normal to invoke these kinds of threats of violence.” AOC then blamed Trump’s broken brain, saying his “remarks … indicate a level of instability. It’s not just shocking, it’s not just offensive, it’s bizarre, it is erratic, it’s volatile. And I think it indicates a mental state that we should all be questioning right now.” Absolutely—especially corporate media. It’s way past time for Trump to get the Biden treatment, but we have to assume that’s never going to happen. Which is why independent media outlets like ours must continue to help lead this news revolution. Where corporations have no influence, where we run no ads, and where billionaires can’t push us to sanewash Trump. Where we not only report the news, we use our enormous social media reach to make a difference. All while taking a sledgehammer to maga propaganda via our activism arm—The Watchdog Coalition. But in order to keep things going, we need all hands on deck. So if you haven’t yet, I hope you’ll support our movement against Trump by becoming a paid subscriber today Onward! Scott Like this post and re-stack using the ♻️ button below to help this news break through the noise! I have two questions for you today. Do you think it was right for Mamdani to meet with Trump at the White House? Are you surprised with how positive and excited Trump was about it all? Do you agree that Trump’s brain is seriously broken? And should there be an investigation into how the White House is covering it up? For all contact Congress links, or to volunteer, you can go here: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/sign-up-for-the-watchdog-coalition Today we are focused on these five actions: Demand answers about Trump’s visibly deteriorating health: https://tinyurl.com/sk9xm38v Stand with Ukraine over Russia: https://tinyurl.com/2khn59cr Support discharge petition to force vote on ACA tax credits: https://tinyurl.com/w23tnvxm Help us push for an investigation into the Epstein scandal HERE: https://tinyurl.com/4pfh2p4f Pass bill on unmasking ICE and displaying clear ID here: https://tinyurl.com/bp8cau82 COMMENTS:  The walls are closing in! Tish James did nothing wrong! She is a brave black woman defending democracy from fascism. I wrote a poem for her, inspired by her bravery: https://democracydefender2025.substack.com/p/tish-james-did-nothing-wrong I don’t think she did anything wrong. Trump is just angry at AG James because she won a hefty judgment against his businesses for unpaid New York State taxes, penalties, and interest. Trump is angry as hell and was eager to prosecute AG James as well as James Comey. Even though the case against James Comey was dismissed without prejudice (which means the government could refile it,) the statute of limitations has run, so the government couldn’t refile even if it wanted to. As for the case against AG James, anyone who tried to refile it would be playing Russian roulette with their bar license. I’m not a fan of John Bolton, but I hope the court can dismiss the case against him. The case Alina Habba brought against LaMonica McIver is unfortunately still winding its way through the district court in a New Jersey. I stand with Mark Kelly WE MUST ALL BE MARK KELLY !! Absolutely furious here on Florida’s “Space Coast”. 🚀Calling my MAGAs every day and today quickly made a sign using my IPad and taped to inner back window with a small flag.Please join me! 🇺🇸 AMERICAN HERO SEN MARK KELLY I’m not surprised Mandami met with Trump or how he managed to stay true to his ideals and opinions. There is an old saying: keep your enemies close. Mandami showed that Keep your friends close and keep your enemies even closer? Right. But I liked keep enemies close😊 But I hear the stench from Trump makes people pass out. Investigate Sir Broken Brain? Yes! Immediately, please. Thank you for writing sanely and with composure about the insanity of the Trump administration! This is my first source for news & encouragement each day! Scott, you have a great organized system that helps me keep informed & encouraged. Did Mark Kelly just earn a spot as a top contender for the Dem nomination? I just saw a psychologist give his comments on YouTube, about the “piggy” remark Trump made against a journalist. Many of us have seen our parents deteriorate like this, when dementia sets in. They lose all inhibitions, and have no censors to stop what comes out of their mouth. The psychologist also pointed out how Trump’s verbal usage has deteriorated, remembering how he danced around and sang, during one of his last campaigns. Any benevolent family members or staff would seek treatment for Trump, or put him (and the rest of us) out of his misery! We have watched this deterioration increase ever since 2017. He needs to be put somewhere where he is no longer a threat to the country and to himself. IMHO. Not really!! https://youtu.be/8f83CrDM0K4 Granted he’s older and weaker! He’s ALWAYS been a disgusting blob of protoplasm, most unfit for any type of power. Just because folks are finally looking past all the glitter and hearing and seeing the psychopathology that has always been there doesn’t negate what so many of us tried to warn of since 2015!! There’s no telling what drugs he’s on to try to appear normal. He’s been a Jekel & Hyde character for a good while & they have covered it up so he could hold on to the voters who are have believed him for years. He lacks more than ever any sense of appropriateness or decorum socially - he is clueless. Witness his little shuffling, arm-churning dance to 'Ave Maria' at a campaign event last year. His ego is blown out completely. He is swiftly moving from "lame duck'" status to "lame clown" status. Yes, and it is sad our country has to go through this. I often think about the Uber driver who told me she was voting for Trump because he would give us cheap gas and groceries. I hope she and her ilk are happy now. Phooey.🤮 Actually, I would bet that should he be put in a “rest home” he would continue to hallucinate that he is President of the U.S. IMHO. 1. I think it was great for Mamdani to meet with Trmp, and he showed others how to do it. Trmp is so false that his laying on of charm means nothing, except that he thinks he can charm Mamdani into some kind of compliance, but it won't work with this guy. 2. Broken brain? yes, but an investigation into a cover-up won't go anywhere until Democrats are in power, in Congress at least. The 'rest home' can be MAR-A-LARDO!  He can re-read the classified documents, make public what he hasn't already disclosed & have secret service protection.  Daddy Trump thought he was still running the organization, so they hired a secretary to maintain the pretense.  If you remember, President Biden stopped intelligence reports from going to Trump & living in TRUMP TOWER, he still believed he was in charge.  Yes, I do think Trump is suffering from some form of mental deterioration and that a more serious test should be given to determine if it’s simply dementia or another organic cause. I suspect if you could survey country leaders who have met with him recently, they would concur. All you have to do is look at a compilation of his posted rants and videos of his press conferences to confirm his downward spiral. No doubt the felon has dementia. He needs to be removed from office ASAP. And let Drunken Pete take on Senator Kelly. Puh-leeeeese. 🙄 This regime is a clown car. Let's hope order is restored soon. It's time to seriously discuss the 25th Amendment before he sends troops into Venezuela. Repeating the disastrous policies of Robber Barons of the 1880's in Latin America, The sellout to the Saudis of the Nixon- Kissinger disaster, and the "great communicator Reagan's Iran Contra debacle in Central America. Let's defend education so history continues to repeat itself. Making war is great for business... Mark Kelly is my senator and I couldn’t be prouder! THIS is what true masculinity is all about. He is brave, kind, and stands up for his people and his family. His relationship with his wife is an inspiration, honestly. I love him! MAY THE HARMFUL INTENTIONS SENT TO MARK KELLY RETURN TO SENDER x3. So be it. Trump's brain may not be broken, but it certainly is stalled in pre-adolescence (my apologies to the pre-adolescent). While his actions are not normal to us, they are consistent and justified in his view. In that sense (of having a sense of morality and humanity) TRUMP'S BRAIN IS BEYOND BROKEN! His brain has never been fully formed and has always been SHATTERED! Unfortunately, many Americans follow and approve of his illegal, corrupt and cruel acts. Brain damage is prevalent in this entire regime. But, WE CAN HEAL! Mamdani is clearly someone to watch! I think it was brilliant to meet with the Mad King. I've seen photos where Mamdani looks like he's holding back on laughing. He's pretty slick. I think the Mad King fell in love with his coolness & felt like he was back in the '80s NYC. He so wanted to be loved by the cool ones & never was. His broken brain took him back there. JMO. As for the broken brain, I think it is way past the time that his degenerative mental health/dementia be taken seriously! He's very sick. Seriously. Thanks AOC. About time it was said out loud! Good on Mamdani for NOT kissing the ring. I really wish people would stop tying themselves into knots trying to understand / dissect / analyze the behavior of the mobster in chief. He is NUTS!!!!!! It is an utter waste of time to put ANY energy into him! You can't explain insanity. Forget an investigation - bounce his tail out of there ASAP!!! Drag his enablers out with him. I am completely incensed at the threats to Sen Kelly. This alone should be a basis to bounce the orange clown OUT. I left my MAGA senators blistering voice mails yesterday. But they don't care - they are too far gone. I am really sorry Kelly has to go through this. He and his wife have had WAY more than their fair share of political violence. Unbelievable. hegseth announced this morning that he's going after the Boy Scouts too. The madness is ongoing and never stops.  repeat to anyone willing to listen to me, just an engaged citizen: an innocent and competent administration would have agreed wholeheartedly with the video made by Mark Kelly et al. Mamdani is his own person and did what he knew what was right. Trump is so enamored by him he had to dress the same way the day after their meeting. Weird? He’s like a 12yo that wants to be him! Mark Kelly is a hero in every way. He’s fighting the good fight & wont be schooled by a drunk or a draft dodger. Bravo! “”would have been appalled by the cruelty the Trump administration has directed toward America’s neediest … It’s a betrayal of all that my father worked for.”” Reading the following copied speech just this morning. At age 12 I wasn’t tuned into much in the wider world of governing lives outside my community, but now feeling heartbroken and ashamed that we went from a leader of this grace and a heart of love to his antithesis in the felon in my lifetime. How sickening that his namesake is aiding and abetting the destruction. What evil force exists within humanity that the best in us repeatedly ends up murdered?!!? Speech given by Robert F Kennedy (the Sr.) on April 5, 1968 at the Cleveland City Club. “Mr. Chairman, ladies and gentlemen, I speak to you under different circumstances than I had intended to just twenty-four hours ago. For this is a time of shame and a time of sorrow. It is not a day for politics. I have saved this one opportunity–my only event of today–to speak briefly to you about the mindless menace of violence in America which again stains our land and every one of our lives. It’s not the concern of any one race. The victims of the violence are black and white, rich and poor, young and old, famous and unknown. They are, most important of all, human beings whom other human beings loved and needed. No one–no matter where he lives or what he does–can be certain whom next will suffer from some senseless act of bloodshed. And yet it goes on and on and on in this country of ours. Why? What has violence ever accomplished? What has it ever created? No martyr’s cause has ever been stilled by an assassin’s bullet. No wrongs have ever been righted by riots and civil disorders. A sniper is only a coward, not a hero; and an uncontrolled or uncontrollable mob is only the voice of madness, not the voice of the people. Whenever any American’s life is taken by another American unnecessarily–whether it is done in the name of the law or in defiance of the law, by one man or by a gang, in cold blood or in passion, in an attack of violence or in response to violence–whenever we tear at the fabric of our lives which another man has painfully and clumsily woven for himself and his children–whenever we do this, then the whole nation is degraded. “Among free men,” said Abraham Lincoln, “there can be no successful appeal from the ballot to the bullet; and those who take such appeal are sure to lose their case and pay the cost.” Yet we seemingly tolerate a rising level of violence that ignores our common humanity and our claims to civilization alike. We calmly accept newspaper reports of civilian slaughter in far off lands. We glorify killing on movie and television screens and we call it entertainment. We make it easier for men of all shades of sanity to acquire weapons and ammunition that they desire. Too often we honor swagger and bluster and the wielders of force. Too often we excuse those who are willing to build their own lives on the shattered dreams of other human beings. Some Americans who preach nonviolence abroad fail to practice it here at home. Some who accuse others of rioting, and inciting riots, have by their own conduct invited them. Some look for scapegoats; others look for conspiracies. But this much is clear: violence breeds violence; repression breeds retaliation; and only a cleansing of our whole society can remove this sickness from our souls. For there is another kind of violence, slower but just as deadly, destructive as the shot or the bomb in the night. This is the violence of institutions–indifference, inaction, and decay. This is the violence that afflicts the poor, that poisons relations between men because their skin has different colors. This is a slow destruction of a child by hunger, and schools without books, and homes without heat in the winter. This is the breaking of a man’s spirit by denying him the chance to stand as a father and as a man amongst other men. And this too afflicts us all. For when you teach a man to hate and to fear his brother, when you teach that he is a lesser man because of his color or his beliefs or the policies that he pursues, when you teach that those who differ from you threaten your freedom or your job or your home or your family, then you also learn to confront others not as fellow citizens but as enemies–to be met not with cooperation but with conquest, to be subjugated and to be mastered. We learn, at the last, to look at our brothers as alien, alien men with whom we share a city, but not a community, men bound to us in common dwelling, but not in a common effort. We learn to share only a common fear–only a common desire to retreat from each other–only a common impulse to meet disagreement with force. For all this there are no final answers for those of us who are American citizens. Yet we know what we must do, and that is to achieve true justice among all of our fellow citizens. The question is not what programs we should seek to enact. The question is whether we can find in our own midst and in our own hearts that leadership of humane purpose that will recognize the terrible truths of our existence. We must admit the vanity of our false distinctions, the false distinctions among men, and learn to find our own advancement in search for the advancement of all. We must admit to ourselves that our children’s future cannot be built on the misfortune of another’s. We must recognize that this short life can neither be ennobled or enriched by hatred or by revenge. Our lives on this planet are too short, the work to be done is too great to let this spirit flourish any longer in this land of ours. Of course we cannot banish it with a program, nor with a resolution. But we can perhaps remember–if only for a time–that those who live with us are our brothers, that they share with us the same short moment of life, that they seek–as do we–nothing but the chance to live out their lives in purpose and in happiness, winning what satisfaction and fulfillment that they can. Surely this bond of common fate, surely this bond of common goals can begin to teach us something. Surely we can learn, at the least, to look around at those of us, of our fellow man, and surely we can begin to work a little harder to bind up the wounds among us and to become in our hearts brothers and countrymen once again. Tennyson wrote in Ulysses: that which we are, we are; one equal temper of heroic hearts, made weak by time and fate, but strong in will; to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield. Thank you very much.” By the REAL RFK 💙 Partying draft dodger vs. American military hero: Swipe to decide who should be prosecuted? https://thedemlabs.org/2025/11/24/trump-kelly-us-constitution/ "I Was Only Following Orders" Trump Labels Those Who Refuse to Obey Illegal Orders as "Traitors" "Punishable By Death". In response to six U.S. Senators and Congressmen with military or intelligence experience advising members of the military that "Our laws are clear, you can refuse illegal orders. You must refuse illegal orders" and that their oath is to the Constitution and not to unfettered individual authority, Trump reacted by accusing them of "serious allegations of misconduct" subject to court-marshal proceedings and accused them of seditious behavior , calling them "traitors" and claiming that they should be "arrested and put on trial" for "seditious behavior" which is "punishable by death". Trump has a short memory. It was only a few years ago that he launched an armed and violent attack on the Capitol to overturn Biden's legitimate election as President of the United States. International court decisions, beginning with the Nuremberg trials, United Nations principles and the laws and decisions within the United States , among other countries, are replete with citations to court cases, military codes and humanitarian principles that the illegality of a law or order is not only a defense to refusing to follow such law or order but imposes an affirmative duty to refuse to comply with an unlawful law or order. There is so much legal and ethical support for these duties to refuse to comply with illegal laws or duties that it would take volumes to cite them. Instead, I have chosen the easy way out by relying on the below citations, compiled by ChatGPT, that set forth these principles which fully support the call by these courageous Senators and Congressmen to uphold the law and our moral principles: Here are the key Nuremberg and other legal decisions that firmly established the principle that “just following orders” (the “superior orders defense”) is not a valid defense when the orders are manifestly illegal. [A fuller listing, especially if this is truncated, may be found in the Posting I sent out today and which may be found o my Substack home page] Nuremberg Trials (1945–1946) International Military Tribunal (IMT) The IMT at Nuremberg was the foundational decision rejecting “just following orders.” Article 8 of the IMT Charter explicitly states: “The fact that the defendant acted pursuant to order of his Government or of a superior shall not free him from responsibility…” But it may be considered in mitigation. The tribunal repeatedly held: “Moral choice was possible.” Key Nuremberg Findings High-ranking Nazis (e.g., Keitel, Jodl, Göring) were convicted even when they argued they were following Hitler’s commands. In the Hostage Case, Einsatzgruppen Case, and others, defendants were told that an order to commit atrocities is manifestly unlawful, and no soldier is obligated to obey such orders. Nuremberg Principle IV (1950) The United Nations codified Nuremberg’s rule as Principle IV: “A person acting pursuant to orders of his government or a superior does not relieve him from responsibility under international law, provided a moral choice was in fact possible to him.” This is now one of the most cited international rules on command responsibility. U.S. Supreme Court Little v. Barreme, 6 U.S. (2 Cranch) 170, 179 (1804) Chief Justice Marshall: “The instructions cannot change the nature of the transaction… the officer was liable for obeying an unlawful order.” Parker v. Levy, 417 U.S. 733, 754 (1974) “The military constitutes a specialized society… but obedience is required only to lawful orders.” In re Yamashita, 327 U.S. 1, 14–16 (1946) “The law of war imposes on an army commander a duty to take such measures as are within his power to prevent… violations of the laws of war.” (Not an obedience-case per se, but establishes individual responsibility regardless of superior directives.) II. U.S. Military Courts / UCMJ United States v. Calley (My Lai), 46 C.M.R. 1131 (C.M.A. 1973) “The order to kill unresisting civilians is a manifestly illegal order and provides no defense.” United States v. Keenan, 18 C.M.A. 108, 39 C.M.R. 108 (1969) “A soldier is a reasoning agent, and he must refuse to obey a manifestly unlawful order.” Manual for Courts-Martial (MCM), R.C.M. 916(d) “It is a defense that the accused obeyed an order not manifestly unlawful… An order to commit a crime is manifestly unlawful.” UCMJ Articles 90 & 92 (10 U.S.C. §§ 890, 892) Implicit but controlling rule: Only lawful orders are enforceable under Articles 90 and 92. The High Command Case (Nuremberg Subsequent Trials, 1948) Defendants argued they were following Hitler’s orders. The tribunal held: “There is a positive duty to disobey illegal orders.” It also said that soldiers must recognize grossly unlawful orders, especially involving killing civilians. The My Lai Massacre – United States v. Calley (1971) Lieutenant William Calley argued he was following Captain Medina’s orders to kill civilians in Vietnam. The military court rejected this defense: “The order to kill unresisting civilians is a manifestly illegal order. A soldier is not obligated to obey it.” This remains a major U.S. precedent for the modern UCMJ. The Eichmann Trial (Israel, 1961) Adolf Eichmann insisted he was following orders within a hierarchical system. The court held: Obedience to orders is not a defense. Anyone who knowingly participates in atrocities bears personal criminal responsibility.