Weekend Edition | Texas Democrats Flee State to Thwart Trump-Led Plot Against Democracy

 

Sunday, August 3, 2025 ■ Today's Top News  Texas Democrats Flee State to Thwart Trump-Led Plot Against Democracy In order to prevent a quorum, state representatives in the Texas House are leaving the state to combat what one Democratic lawmaker called "the rot at the core of our broken political system." By Jon Queally 'Stop Genocide!' 300,000 March Across Sydney Bridge for Gaza "One has to be blind not to see that Israel has completely lost the majority of the world—including in the West." By Common Dreams Staff 'This Is Damaging': Former BLS Chief Slams Trump Firing of McEntarfer Over Weak Jobs Report "Authoritarians always try to control and dominate the information landscape to undermine opposition to their harmful policies," said the head of one consumer watchdog group. By Jon Queally 'Unfit and Unqualified': Senate GOP Confirm Pro-Trump 'Attack Dog' Jeanine Pirro as US Attorney "By confirming Pirro," said one critic, "Senate Republicans made one thing clear: they care more about pleasing Donald Trump than honoring their constitutional duty to advise and consent on presidential nominations." By Jon Queally 'Here It Comes': Leaked Hegseth Memo Suggests More US Troops on US Streets "The worst we've been waiting for," wrote one legal scholar in response to an internal DHS-DoD document reportedly authored by Philip Hegseth. By Jon Queally 'Authoritarian Horrors' of Trump Dealt Blow by Federal Appeals Court The 9th Circuit upholds lower court ruling against ICE raids denounced as 'unconstitutional' by legal plaintiffs in California. By Jon Queally JOIN THE MOVEMENT As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. JOIN WITH US TODAY ■ More News Top UNICEF Official Says Gaza Children 'Being Starved' by Israel In Boost to 'Dictator' Bukele, El Salvador Abolishes Presidential Term Limits 'Stop Starving Gaza': 50 Arrested for Jewish-Led Protest at Schumer and Gillibrand's Offices Trump Deploys Nuclear Subs in 'Reckless' Response to Russian Official's Provocation VIEW ALL NEWS ■ Opinion Trump’s Plan to Arrest Our Way Out of Homelessness Won’t Work; Just Ask Kentucky In April 2024, the Kentucky legislature passed HB 5—the bill that paved the way for Kentucky to ticket and arrest people trying to survive outside. Then, homelessness rose 10%. By Shameka Parrish-Wright Ghislaine Maxwell Seems to Have New Friends in High Places Convicted sex offenders typically aren’t eligible for the cushier federal prison camps. Yet here we are. By Steven Harper The Gilded Lie: Trump’s Ballroom, a Ballooning Deficit, and the Reign of Useful Splendor Trump’s defenders will call the ballroom symbolic. They are right. It symbolizes a state that has abandoned the moral obligations of government and replaced them with architecture. By Jesse Mackinnon The Cruelty and Speciousness of Bret Stephens' Denial of Genocide Bret Stephens brings an unprecedented power over the editorial board at The New York Times because he is seen as the voice of the Israeli government-can-do-no-wrong domestic lobby. By Ralph Nader VIEW ALL OPINION

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You Gotta See This Great News That’s Terrible For Trump Trump is unraveling. Let’s keep pulling threads. Scott Dworkin Aug 3 On top of the fact Trump was loudly booed last night at a live wrestling event, I have some more great news for you today. I hope this brings you some relief from all of the chaos—even if just for a moment. Everything we do is powered by our subscribers. So if you want to help fuel fearless journalism and relentless advocacy—and you’re tired of corporate media obeying in advance—I hope you’ll support our movement by becoming a paid subscriber today: RAGE ON Yesterday there were hundreds of “Rage Against the Regime” protests across the US. In Raleigh, NC, demonstrators formed a large human chain and marched through several city blocks, on top of holding a rally. According to organizers, the chain represents our “collective resistance,” while “showing unity with a bond that cannot be broken by the lawlessness of this regime.” And in countless other cities, folks gathered to call out the Trump regime's tyranny. I will keep everyone posted on plans for the next mass protest. WHACKO RON Protesters interrupted an event in Florida with Gov. Ron DeSantis. At first, DeSantis tried to play it cool, laughing it off in his maniacal way. By the third interruption, he was clearly annoyed. DeSantis deserves all of this. Right now, at the Everglades concentration camp, a hunger strike has been going for a week and a half. Ron doesn’t need to just make the conditions better, he needs to shut the facility down. It’s a complete abomination. REPUBLICANS FIND OUT At his town hall in Elkhorn, Wisconsin, GOP Rep. Bryan Steil was booed right when he got started. When Steil tried to attack former President Joe Biden, the boos got even louder. And when someone in the audience essentially called Steil a Trump puppet, there was roaring applause. Good. IN THE COURTS The ACLU filed a lawsuit against the Trump regime over ICE’s “unlawful policy of arresting people who attend mandated court hearings.” This move could put an end to immigrants being ambushed by ICE at courthouses. A federal appeals court largely kept in place a ban on “roving” raids by federal agents. A big loss for the Trump regime. U-TURN Following intense public pressure, the US military will not follow through with their original reckless plan to withhold satellite data used for hurricane forecasting. EPSTEIN Dem Sen. Mark Warner responded to a Trump post about reviving Presidential Fitness tests, with a meme that read: “Damn, that’s crazy. Where are the Epstein files?” Recently, a declassified annex to the bogus Durham Report was released to distract from Trump’s Epstein scandal. Turns out that the emails used as “evidence” to prove Trump’s Russia “hoax” claims, were likely made by Russian spies. Because, of course they were. Nice try, Trump. Where are the Epstein files? WHAT A WASTE Trump plans on building a $200 million ballroom at The White House. Where is DOGE when we need them? That’s an official rendering above. What a monstrosity. On top of the Qatari luxury jet that was given to the regime, the golf course Trump just opened overseas, and the rampant corruption in stock markets and crypto, it’s hard to keep track of it all. There are absolutely no bounds to how far Trump will go to benefit himself, while hurting not just America—but the entire world. Which is why we can never stop pushing back against all of his nonsense. I’ve investigated Trump, while calling out his lies and corruption, for nearly a decade. All while mobilizing one of the largest social media followings in politics, and organizing our enormous Contact Congress campaign. All of this fearless journalism, relentless advocacy, and unmatched social media organizing is powered by our readers. And right now, we need all hands on deck! So please, help us keep the momentum going, by becoming a paid subscriber: Thanks again for standing up for what’s right. Onward! Scott Help spread this message by liking the post, and re-stacking via the ♻️ button below! What do you think about Trump’s $200 million White House ballroom? Thanks for your support! Another way to help us out is by gifting subscriptions to friends and family! You can get yours by clicking the link or button below: https://www.dworkinsubstack.com/subscribe?gift=true For all contact Congress links, or to volunteer, you can go here: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/sign-up-for-the-watchdog-coalition Links to everything we are doing: https://www.dworkinsubstack.com/p/how-were-fighting-trump Tell Congress to support a new law to require ICE to unmask and display clear identification: https://tinyurl.com/bp8cau82 Tell Congress: Reverse Trump’s NOAA cuts and save the National Weather Service: https://tinyurl.com/bdbur8df Tell Congress: Fully investigate the Jeffrey Epstein trafficking case: https://tinyurl.com/4pfh2p4f TRUMP'S WHITE HOUSE 'BALLROOM' is hideous!  Expect it to be a gaudy gold monstrosity consistent with the CHEAP CRAP he surrounds himself with!  Always supperficial crap, nothing of substance!  Gonna be worse than the ROSE GARDEN disaster the ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT created or her hideous CHRISTMAS displays!   It's policy that experienced people advise both the President & "First Lady" about appropriate protocol, history, local customs to avoid embarrassing the nation or person.  In MALARIA's case, it would seem she would too stupid to listen...wearing HIGH HEELS to a disaster, wearing that insulting coat...just an ANTI-AMERICAN misfit with an anchor baby that brought her parents to the US to be supported.   The Orange Turd tossing paper towels to PUERTO RICANS who were struggling to survive....  This is what MAGA supports?

Should We Sue Trump Together for $200 MILLION?!! Ben Meiselas and MeidasTouch Network Aug 2 By Ben Meiselas Hey Meidas Mighty. I had an idea. With Trump and all of MAGA threatening to sue MeidasTouch, should we just sue him first? Should we go on the offense and sue his ass to oblivion? Would you join us if we sued him? I think we hit him where it hurts: The White House. It’s not his house. It’s our house. It’s the people’s house. I was doing research last night and I think his plan to build a $200 million ballroom in the White House East Wing is patently unlawful. And because Trump is a malignant narcissist, blocking the ballroom would make him suffer dearly. I think we have a good case against him to block the $200 million ballroom. Here’s the thing. The White House doesn’t belong to Trump. It belongs to the people of the United States. Under the law, major renovations of the White House require congressional approval. The President doesn’t have the power to initiate major renovations on his own. Trump is trying to get around congressional approval by claiming he will fund the $200 million ballroom himself and with private donors. Donald Trump will likely contribute very little under this plan, and he will hit up billionaires to pay for the construction. Trump was asked yesterday if he’d allow foreign countries to donate for the construction and he said he didn’t see the problem in doing that. Seriously? You don’t see the problem? In my view, private donations to build a grotesque monstrosity of a gold ballroom and tear down the East Wing of the White House is much worse than if it were congressionally authorized. I don’t want a White House hypothetically sponsored by Amazon or Meta or Palantir… or Bezos or Zuckerberg. Worse yet, I don’t want a White House sponsored by Qatar or the UAE or Saudi Arabia. How is this even up for discussion? My legal research reveals that Trump building a ballroom and soliciting private donations violates numerous laws, including the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution. Other laws that could be violated include: 18 U.S. Code § 201 – Bribery of Public Officials Honest Services Fraud (18 U.S. Code § 1346) 40 U.S. Code § 3301 et seq. – Alterations to federal buildings The big hurdle if we sued would be the doctrine of “standing,” since we as a media company have the same standing as any American taxpayer, and the courts sometimes frown on general taxpayer standing. However, I think an ideal plaintiff would be a state like California or New York, or perhaps even someone who makes an appointment to visit the White House whose trip would be harmed as a result of the potential new construction. A union might make a good plaintiff also, especially a union involved with government jobs. This is all food for thought. I know there are many more important lawsuits to be filed regarding immigration, DOJ, trade, reproductive rights, health care, and countless other topics. At the MeidasTouch Network and our sister channels like Legal AF, we amplify the incredible legal work of groups and lawyers who are on the frontlines of fighting for these more important issues. I fully recognize these cases are far more important than my idea of a lawsuit to block the new White House ballroom. But I do hope someone runs with my idea of suing the White House to stop the gold ballroom. Perhaps I’m feeling petty on a Saturday as Trump is scrambling to cover up his Epstein connections. But really, I feel deeply pissed about Trump tampering with the White House like it’s his. It’s not his. It’s ours. He’s already ruined the Rose Garden and made it an ugly concrete deck. I don’t want some ugly gold ballroom paid for by an oligarch or some Saudi prince. Trump interferes with and causes so much pain in all of your lives. Why not fight back and take away something he really wants? Make him suffer. If he wants to go after our rights, we shouldn’t give an inch—and we should block everything he does or wants. I hope a state leader or a union leader or someone who has standing pursues this. We will certainly cover it and report on it. Look, it’s been quite the week. Trump has had one of the worst weeks in modern presidential history between the Epstein cover-up, the awful job numbers, and the market tanking on Friday. It’s going to get worse for Donald. Unfortunately, it’s going to get worse for our country’s economy and standing in the world. Much worse. I want you to remember through it all, we have each other. You’ve built the MeidasTouch Network into the most-watched network in the United States. It wasn’t investors. It was you. Spreading the word and subscribing to this Substack. As Trump gets weaker, he will get more desperate. His capricious and reckless firing of the Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner was a trial run for firing the Chairman of the Federal Reserve. He will get more desperate for sure. We have to fight back harder and prepare to take to the streets again in even bigger numbers than the No Kings Protest in due time. I have never felt more confident in the power of the resistance. I have never felt more confident in the demise of Trump and his despicable MAGA movement. I have never felt more proud to be a Meidas Mighty. Thank you for all you do. We would love for you to help the MeidasTouch Network grow by becoming a subscriber now. If you are not a subscriber, please consider becoming one now. It makes the biggest difference in the expansion of this network and helps keep us number one and get in front of as many people as possible by adding subscribers. Thanks for considering and spreading the word. Meidas+ is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.