Four Dead in Ohio Michael Moore May 4 55 years ago... May 4th, 1970. Kent State University. The war in Vietnam was a massacre. The students at Kent State had set up an encampment to protest this war crime against humanity. A genocide. And the National Guard went in and mowed them down. Over 60 bullets fired in just 13 seconds. 13 were shot. 4 were killed: Allison Krause, Jeffrey Miller, Sandra Scheuer, and William Schroeder. HALF of the dead weren’t even protesting. They were just walking to class. Shortly after, the New York Times was quick to report the justification concocted by the killers who ran the Ohio National Guard: In Columbus, Sylvester Del Corso, Adjutant General of the Ohio National Guard, said in a statement that the guardsmen had been forced to shoot after a sniper opened fire against the troops from a nearby rooftop and the crowd began to move to encircle the guardsmen. A lie. There was no sniper. But that didn’t matter. The seed was planted in print, and then watered in a corroborating statement by President Nixon — also quoted by the NYTimes: “This should remind us all once again that when dissent turns to violence it invites tragedy. It is my hope that this tragic and unfortunate incident will strengthen the determination of all the nation's campuses, administrators, faculty and students alike to stand firmly for the right which exists in this country of peaceful dissent and just as strongly against the resort to violence as a means of such expression.” Another lie. The students were not violent. The great Neil Young of Crosby Stills Nash & Young saw the photographs of the dead students laying lifeless on the campus grounds. He picked up his guitar and within the hour wrote what would become one of the most iconic anti-war songs of all time, Ohio. CSN&Y already had a hit song that week, Teach Your Children, which was still climbing the charts. Nonetheless, they recorded Ohio in about an hour at their studio and released it on radio stations across the country. They were determined to be part of the uprising that was now underway. Ten days after Kent State, there was another mass school shooting carried out by the police. It got less press, but was just as awful. This one was in Mississippi at the historically Black college, Jackson State College. Students at this campus encampment were protesting the Vietnam War and the never-ending racism of the American south. The state police responded by firing 460 bullets. At least a dozen people were injured. And two — 21-year-old Jackson State student, Phillip Lafayette Gibbs, and 17-year-old high school student, James Earl Green, who was walking through campus on his way home from work — were murdered by the police. There were no charges. Just like Kent State, the initial reports said the campus protestors brought the violence upon themselves and just like Kent State, the cops said that “a sniper had fired on them from the Women’s dorm on campus.” Because, as we all know, the sniper always shoots from the Women’s dorm. Again, there was no sniper. In both cases — at both schools — the government lied to justify the government’s violence and the press dutifully repeated these lies. And most of the people in the country… they just went along with it. The cops said they were under fire! A sniper had shot at them! The National Guard and the state police had no choice but to fire back! Blame the college kids for as long as you can and just keep murdering people — it’s like we are living through a Hollywood studio reboot. The cops are good, the students are bad, free speech is okay, but sometimes you have to shoot the protestors. Sometimes you must arrest them, detain them, deport them, or even kill them. At 16, this was my takeaway: Our own government has no problem killing any of us, regardless of whether we oppose that government or not. Your only crime can simply be you are Black, you’re a woman, you’re a college student who wanted to get an education instead of signing up to go kill Vietnamese. My takeaway now, 55 years later, is how, those of us who are white, we are trained from birth to lie, to twist the truth so that it doesn’t make us look too bad. So we keep our language “measured.” Calm. Collected. White. And all of that makes us a lie. Our resistance must start by resisting ourselves. We must stop the lies. We must confront those in authority who make up stories about why students are protesting, and how they are protesting. Instead of attacking young people who are brave enough to stand for what is right, we must join with them, and support them, and give amplification to what they are saying. Allison, Sandra, Jeffrey and William, you may have died at Kent State that day, but your sacrifice was not in vain. You are remembered to this day as you will be remembered for the next hundred years — a reminder to all of us that if we are to preserve the Democracy, if we are to create a peaceful planet, it will require courage. And it may come with significant risks. Tin soldiers and Nixon coming We're finally on our own This summer I hear the drumming Four dead in Ohio Gotta get down to it, soldiers are cutting us down Should have been gone long ago What if you knew her and found her dead on the ground How can you run when you know? Gotta get down to it, soldiers are cutting us down Should have been gone long ago What if you knew her and found her dead on the ground How can you run when you know? Tin soldiers and Nixon coming We're finally on our own This summer I hear the drumming Four dead in Ohio Four dead in Ohio (four) Four dead in Ohio (I said four, I said four) Four dead in Ohio (how many more?) Four dead in Ohio (why?) Four dead in Ohio (I wanna know why) Four dead in Ohio (you better tell me why) Four dead in Ohio (why?) Four dead in Ohio (why did they die?) Four dead in Ohio (you tell me why) Four dead in Ohio (I said why) Four dead in Ohio (I wanna know why) Four dead in Ohio (why?) Four dead in Ohio (I said why) Four dead in Ohio (why, Lord?) Four dead in Ohio (why did they die?) Four dead in Ohio (I said why) Four dead in Ohio (why?) Four dead in Ohio (yeah, why?) Four dead in Ohio (please tell me why) Four dead in Ohio (why?) Four dead in Ohio (I wanna know) Four dead in Ohio (why?) Four dead in Ohio (why did they died) Four dead in Ohio (you tell me why) Four dead in Ohio (why?) Four dead in Ohio (why?) Four dead in Ohio (why?) Four dead in Ohio (why?) Four dead in Ohio (why?) Four dead in Ohio ** In order to have a troll-free, hate-free comments section — and because if there’s one thing I know about my crazy haters, they would rather spend an eternity in hell with Marjorie Taylor Greene than send me $5 if forced to become a paid subscriber — my Comments section here on my Substack is limited to paid subscribers. But, not to worry — anyone can send me their comments, opinions and thoughts by writing to me at mike@michaelmoore.com. I read every one of them, though obviously I can’t respond to all. The solution here is not optimal but it has worked and my Comments section has become a great meeting place for people wanting to discuss the ideas and issues I raise here. There is debate and disagreement, but it is refreshing to have it done with respect and civility, unfettered by the stench of bigotry and Q-anon insanity.

GOP budget cuts college aid & Medicaid to fund billionaire tax breaks

 

This past week, House Republicans began ramming through a budget that’s as immoral as it is cruel, starting with slashing financial aid for college students and dismantling consumer protections that hold Wall Street accountable. And it’s just the beginning. Next up, they’ll go after Medicaid and SNAP, putting healthcare and food assistance on the chopping block. Why? So they can fund yet another round of tax handouts to their billionaire donors. Their plan cuts higher education aid for millions, strips away student loan relief, and raises taxes on working families with kids in college by eliminating the American Opportunity Tax Credit and by taxing scholarships as income. That’s not reform. That’s sabotage.[1] At the same time, they’re trying to dismantle the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a watchdog agency that has returned over $19 billion to scammed consumers.[2] These attacks by right-wing members of Congress don’t protect Americans, they protect predatory lenders, billionaire tax dodgers, and corporate profiteers. We’re fighting this budget with everything we’ve got. And, already, our grassroots pressure is working with House Committees announcing delays in their upcoming votes on Medicaid and SNAP cuts and their renewal of the Trump-GOP tax scam. We’re fighting back against a full-frontal assault on working families. Donate now to power our campaign to stop the GOP's plan to gut healthcare, education, and nutrition benefits to pay for billionaire tax cuts. DONATE If the GOP gets its way, we’ll see catastrophic cuts to Medicaid and SNAP programs that serve over 80 million Americans, while extending Trump’s tax scam for the ultra-rich. It’s no coincidence that House Speaker Mike Johnson is trying to fast-track a vote on this budget before Memorial Day and their related tax bill that would blow a $5 trillion hole in our budget over a decade.[3] This is not fiscal responsibility, it’s a government of, by, and for the billionaires. And it’s paid for by seniors, students, and working families just trying to make ends meet. We’ve beaten back right-wing draconian policies before. We can do it again, but only if we have the grassroots firepower to expose the truth and demand a better deal. Chip in now to help us stop this dangerous, billionaire-backed budget from becoming law. If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your secure donation will go through immediately: Chip in $15 now   Chip in $30 now Chip in $60 now   Chip in $100 now Chip in $250 now   other amount Thanks for fighting with us, David Kass Executive Director Americans for Tax Fairness Action Fund [1] Congress’ Reconciliation Bill Will Make Higher Education Less Affordable and Accessible for Everyone [2] Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Enforcement by the numbers [3] House speaker pushes for committee tax bill vote next week

Paid for by Americans for Tax Fairness Action Fund

100 Days of Chaos The Second Trump Admin Stumbles Out the Gates Alexander Vindman May 4 Late last week, the second Trump administration officially completed its first 100 days. My expectations for this administration were low and I knew that we were going to be in for a rough ride. However, after seeing the chaos and disorganization over the past few months, I think it’s safe to say that the second Trump administration has managed to under-perform in pursuing its stated policy objectives while simultaneously delivering the full vision for governance held by MAGA hardliners and the architects of Project 2025. Essentially, we’re getting the worst of both worlds. Why It Matters is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. The most immediate display of incompetence from the administration is the ongoing fallout of signalgate which has led to the first casualty of the Trump administration: Mike Waltz. Mike Waltz has been demoted from his current position as National Security Advisor and has been reassigned as the United States’ Ambassador to the UN. While Waltz’s actions may have been the instigating factor to signalgate (as he was the person who added Atlantic journalist Jeffrey Goldberg to the chat), we should consider that Waltz is essentially taking the fall for Pete Hegseth. Hegseth’s discussion of confidential military information in the chat and overall management of signalgate has been an absolute disgrace to the Department of Defense and the United States military. I’m sure that signalgate will be just one of many instances of abuse, misconduct, and mismanagement overseen by Hegseth during his time as Secretary of Defense - for the sake of this country and its military, let’s hope his tenure ends soon. The actions of the current administration can be divided into two categories. The first is what I would call “America First Fumbles”. These are the clumsy, uncoordinated efforts by Trump and his people to actualize “America First” policy objectives while having none of the experts and policy advisors needed to achieve success. The most visible examples of America First Fumbles are seen in trade and foreign policy. Trump has burnt bridges with nearly all of America’s allies over the past 100 days. Policy-makers assumed that the reasoning behind Trump’s abrasive rhetoric was that the United States could cajole its allies into increasing military spending or balancing the trade deficit by threatening American withdrawal from partnerships and alliances. However, this strategy has failed because Trump has not only chosen to direct his aggression towards willing partners of the United States, but his administration has also repeatedly backtracked on threats and folded under pressure. This communicates a sense of weakness from Trump and his team. For the record, I fully disagree with Trump’s approach to foreign policy, but if the United States is going to issue threats and ultimatums then the United States should follow-through with them. All this approach has done is embolden our adversaries and harm our allies. Additionally, it should be noted that even if the administration undoes major sweeping policy changes, the risk-adverse nature of the international economy means that the damage may last longer than people think. Large companies and industry leaders will need to consider the possibility of sudden arbitrary tariffs in their planning for the foreseeable future. This uncertainty translates to higher prices for consumers and slower growth for certain sectors of the American economy. Even if Trump walked back all the tariffs tomorrow, the decision to levy tariffs will hang over his presidency for the remainder of this term. The second category of policy actions taken by the Trump administration relate to the rapid reshaping of the federal government and executive branch. This includes the heavy-handed enforcement of immigration law, the decimation of the federal civil service under the false pretense of “efficiency”, and the minimization of checks and balances against the executive branch. Many of these policies were laid out in Project 2025 and are pushed by conservative organizations like the Heritage Foundation that view Trump as a vehicle for bringing about their agenda. Unlike the America First Fumbles, these policies are often set in motion away from public view and with little commentary from the White House. However, they represent a major threat to the future of the country and are laying the foundation for a hostile takeover and end to American democracy. These policies represent the greatest threat to American prosperity and liberty - Democrats should focus their efforts on pushing back against these overreaches in the coming years. There’s no sign of an end to the chaos of the second Trump presidency. The courts will likely be faced with a serious constitutional crisis in the near future, conflicts in the Middle East and Eastern Europe will continue to rage, India and Pakistan may slide into war, and the shock of Trump’s tariff plans will begin to ripple through the American economy. As Americans mobilize against the political overreach from the White House and the growing economic woes brought about by Trump’s administration, there is always the possibility that the Insurrection Act is evoked against demonstrators and protestors. Chaos is the only constant in the Second Trump Administration - we must keep our vision focused on the future and lay the groundwork for victory in the 2026 midterms and beyond. Why It Matters is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

The Curious Case of Kash Patel's $25,000

 

#kashpatel #vladimirputin #deepstate

► For more, visit Mother Jones: https://www.motherjones.com/politics/... Last year, Kash Patel, the MAGA provocateur whom Donald Trump has nominated to head the FBI, received $25,000 from a Russia-linked production company to participate in a documentary in which he assailed the FBI and called for closing its headquarters. In November, Tucker Carlson’s online network released a six-part series called All the President’s Men: The Conspiracy Against Trump that purported to chronicle the familiar MAGA conspiracy theory that a Deep State plotted against Donald Trump while he was a presidential candidate in 2016 and when he was president. The fourth episode focused on Patel and his years-long crusade to depict the Trump-Russia scandal—Moscow’s attack on the 2016 election and Donald Trump’s efforts to cover up its existence—as nothing but a total hoax orchestrated by nefarious Democrats and rogue government operatives. In this film—which credits Patel as an executive producer—he offers a blistering attack on the FBI. He calls it a “corrupt” enterprise and claims it has been on the Democratic Party’s “payroll.” He says, “I’m the guy that’s going to tell you they need major reforms. I’m going to tell you to shut down the FBI headquarters building and open it up as a museum of the Deep State the next day. Seriously, you need 50 guys in Washington running the FBI.” He pushes the false claim that the FBI launched its Russia investigation in 2016 on the basis of the infamous and unconfirmed Steele memos. And he insists that the FBI and the rest of the US intelligence community that investigated Russian interference in the 2016 election “knew it didn’t exist.” He also asserts that “globalists” have been working with Al Qaeda to make a profit. The series was produced for Carlson, who is featured in the final episode, by Global Tree Pictures, a Los Angeles-based firm run by Ukrainian-American-Russian filmmaker Igor Lopatonok. He and Russian-born film director Vera Tomilova, the chief financial officer of Global Tree Pictures, who holds a US green card, are listed in the film’s credits as its producers. Global Tree raised the financing for the series, according to a contract filed in Rudy Giuliani’s bankruptcy proceedings. (Giuliani also starred in the documentary.) Lopatonok has ties to Russian propaganda and disinformation efforts. In recent years, he has helped lead a Kremlin-financed effort to persuade Westerners to move to Russia. In 2023, he chaired a competition dubbed “To Russia With Love” that invited bloggers to produce content that would show the “most appealing side of Russia” and encourage people to emigrate there. This project was funded by the Presidential Foundation for Cultural Initiatives, a state entity that Putin created in 2021 to “support projects in the field of culture, art and the creative industries.” So, according to Patel’s own financial disclosure statement, he pocketed $25,000 from a production company operated by a filmmaker associated with a Kremlin-subsidized propaganda project, a pro-Putin oligarch, and a pro-Kremlin disinformation agent. #vladimirputin #kashpatel #deepstate #fbi -- For more award-winning independent reporting, visit Mother Jones: https://www.motherjones.com/ Facebook:   / motherjones   Twitter:   / motherjones   Instagram:   / motherjonesmag  

MAGA Messed with the WRONG Senator...Now They're Finding Out Why

 

#RebelHQ #Politics #News

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse is a rare bright spot in today's Democratic Party when it comes to debunking right-wing narratives and misinformation, especially when it comes to Donald Trump's assault on the judicial branch and other government agencies that dared to hold him accountable for his numerous crimes. Chris Williamson breaks it down on Rebel HQ Be a driving force for change by supporting our work: https://go.tyt.com/rebelhq Follow Chris on Twitter:   / cwilliamson44   SUBSCRIBE today: ☞ https://www.youtube.com/rebelhq?sub_c... Rebel HQ amplifies some of the most dynamic voices of the progressive movement, with over 20 contributors taking on the important and impactful news stories daily. FACEBOOK: ☞   / rebelhq   TWITTER: ☞ https://x.com/TYTPolitics INSTAGRAM: ☞   / rebelheadquarters   TIKTOK: ☞   / rebelhq   TWITCH: ☞ http://www.twitch.com/tyt Merch: http://shoptyt.com Donate: http://www.tyt.com/go Website: https://www.tyt.com If you want to watch more videos from TYT, consider subscribing to other channels in our network: The Young Turks -    / theyoungturks   The Watchlist -    / watchlisttyt   Indisputable with Dr. Rashad Richey -    / indisputabletyt   The Damage Report -    / thedamagereport   TYT Sports -    / tytsports   The Conversation -    / tytconversation   TYT Investigates -    / @tytinvestigatesreports   #News #RebelHQ #Politics