Today in Politics, Bulletin 232. 10/20/25 Ron Filipkowski Oct 20 ∙ … Trump began the physical destruction of the East Wing of the White House today to make room for his Mar-a-Lago style ballroom monstrosity. He is literally taking apart America piece by piece while Republicans in Congress remain silent. Photo - Washington Post … Mike Johnson held his daily shutdown press conference today with his leadership team plus (for some strange reason) Chip Roy who ranted like an unhinged maniac (as usual). They spent most of the presser ranting about the massive No Kings protests this weekend. No, not to apologize for lying about being domestic terrorism. Just to lie about it some more. … Johnsons: “Congratulations. They did you not burn any buildings down. That’s a big achievement for the left to have some kind of gathering where they don’t have a riot and burn a building down. But what those people are advocating for is un-American.” … Maj Leader Steve Scalise: “This weekend we got to see on display what that hate America rally we’ve been talking about was really all about. You can see some of the signs. They actually went and celebrated with those people that are advocating for the death of Republicans.” … Whip Tom Emmer: “It’s pure partisan politics in a desperate attempt to score points with the radical, pro-terrorist wing of their party. Now that their Hate America Rally is over, I hope that 5 Senate Democrats will finally do the right and responsible thing.” … Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX): “The truth is the marxist, radicals, and Islamists the Democratic Party promoted this weekend, they cannot handle the truth. The truth is that there is a king and that king is Jesus. And the president has been willing to say it, and Charlie Kirk was willing to say it and he got killed for it.” … Perfectly normal stuff. SPINELESS MAGA LITTLE JOHNSON DEFENDING DERANGED & CHILDISH RANTS THAT EMBARRASS THE NATION - HARDLY SATIRE & HARDLY AMUSING! UNPRESIDENTIAL! … Reporter: “Speaker Johnson, you say that Democrats had a hate America rally, but what does it say that the president released video of him pooping on the American people? Johnson: The president uses social media to make a point. You can argue he’s probably the most effective person who’s ever used social media for that. He is using satire to make a point.” … This was in reference to Trump responding to No Kings by posting on Truth Social an AI video of himself as a fighter pilot wearing a crown dumping shit from his plane onto the heads of protesters, including Gen Z activist Harry Sisson. … “The Independent’s Eric Michael Garcia, who asked the question: “Something I never thought I’d get to do: ask the Speaker of the House about a video the President of the United States posted of himself in a king’s crown dumping shit all over American protesters.” … Personally, I thought the video of Trump dumping shit all over America from a plane was metaphorically the most accurate piece of propaganda he’s put out this year. … Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA): “I don’t like to do ad hominem attacks, but I’ve served with 4 different speakers. This is the fifth one. He is by far the weakest speaker, I think, in American history.” … Trump used Kenny Loggins’ song “Danger Zone” from the movie Top Gun in his video. Loggins to Variety: “This is an unauthorized use of my performance. Nobody asked me for my permission, which I would have denied, and I request that my recording on this video is removed immediately. I can’t imagine why anybody would want their music used or associated with something created with the sole purpose of dividing us. … Loggins: “Too many people are trying to tear us apart, and we need to find new ways to come together. We’re all Americans, and we’re all patriotic. There is no ‘us and them’ — that’s not who we are, nor is it what we should be. It’s all of us. We’re in this together, and it is my hope that we can embrace music as a way of celebrating and uniting each and every one of us.” POOR OLD DONALD & HIS BOOGEY MAN SOROS! CAN'T STAND CRITICISM OF HIS FAILED POLICIES!  … Trump was asked about No Kings: “I think it’s a joke. I looked at the people. They are not representative of this country. And I looked at all the brand new signs I guess paid for by Soros and other radical left lunatics. It’s looks like it was. We’re checking it out. The demonstrations were very small, very ineffective. And the people were whacked out.” … 50Plus1News: “After adding new data, our estimate of turnout for the No Kings Day protests yesterday has risen to 5.5 million, with an upper bound of 8.7, making it the largest single-day political protest in US history (excluding first Earth Day).” … House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries: “Showing up to express dissent against an out-of-control administration, that’s as American as motherhood, baseball and apple pie.” … Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA): “It seems that Speaker Johnson and House Republicans only believe that free speech matters if you agree with their speech.” … Lara Trump on her Fox show about No Kings: “That’s all the Democrats have had to offer for quite some time: stunts. They don’t really have anything that they are bringing to the table. The No Kings did absolutely nothing.” … They sure did seem pretty worked up about it though. … No Kings really triggered nutjob Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI), who has been completely manic on social media since Charlie Kirk was shot. He posted 257 tweets on Saturday and Sunday - mostly about the protests. Two of them attacked me and said I was a disgrace to the Marine Corps. Like I care what he has to say about that - he was in the Navy. … I hope you had a chance to see my Substacks of the Top 40 protest signs from No Kings. This a link to my Top 10. The one in Portland, Maine was packed. Maine is the oldest state in the country per capita but there were young, old and middle aged of all incomes. It was a great crowd and a lot of fun. I was a little surprised the Senate candidates skipped it - definitely was the biggest one in Maine. … Today, Mike Johnson will have the House adjourned for 77 out of the last 89 days. House Republicans have worked 12 days in 3 months. All to prevent a vote on releasing the Epstein files. The House Republican Epstein Shutdown continues. … Rep. Marge Greene (R-GA) continues to disagree with Johnson’s shutdown strategy: “The House should be in session working. We should be finishing appropriations. Our committees should be working. We should be passing bills that make President Trump’s executive orders permanent. I have no respect for the decision to refuse to work.” … NY Post just did a story noting a key part of the Epstein files that is currently being concealed - the identity of his Epstein’s worst client, who happens to be a former Prime Minister: “In her posthumous memoir Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice, Virginia Giuffre recalled begging Epstein to step in after the unnamed politician forced her to beg for her life. Giuffre referred to the deranged man as the ‘Prime Minister,’ saying she was afraid the brute would ‘seek to hurt’ her if she printed his name.” … “In the past, however, she pointed to Israel’s PM Ehud Barak in court filings as one of the many elites who had raped her, a claim he has repeatedly denied. In her memoir, Giuffre said she first met the ‘Prime Minister’ on Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands sometime in 2002, when she was just 18. She was ordered to escort him to a cabana, but the man made it clear as soon as they were alone that ‘he wanted violence.’” … “He repeatedly choked me until I lost consciousness and took pleasure in seeing me in fear for my life. Horrifically, the PM laughed when he hurt me and got more aroused when I begged him to stop. I emerged from the cabana bleeding from my mouth, vagina, and anus. For days, it hurt to breathe and to swallow. He raped me more savagely than anyone had before.” … She immediately rushed to Epstein and begged him not to send her back to the PM: “I got down on my knees and pleaded with him. I don’t know if Epstein feared the man or if he owed him a favor, but he wouldn’t make any promises, saying coldly of the politician’s brutality, ‘You’ll get that sometimes.’” … This is an example of what Trump, Pam Bondi and Mike Johnson are covering up. … WH Economic adviser Kevin Hassett on CNBC: “I think the Schumer shutdown is likely to end sometime this week. But I can tell you that if it doesn’t, the WH is going to have to look very closely at stronger measures that we can take to bring them to the table.” … Which means more firing of govt employees and canceling of more projects in Democratic areas. Which most likely they were going to do with or without the shutdown. … Semafor: “Chuck Schumer says on the podcast that John Thune hasn’t talked to him about guaranteeing an ACA subsidies vote as a condition of opening the govt: ‘He was supposed to offer it to me. He didn’t offer it. He said he might do it, but he never talked to me about that and didn’t have any concrete proposal either.’” … Politico: “The Trump admin sent out furlough notices this morning to the vast majority of staff at a key agency that helps manage the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile. The admin plans to furlough 1,400 staff. 375 will remain for exempted work.” … MarketWatch: “The ongoing govt shutdown, once widely viewed as a 2-3 week affair, is morphing into a Washington debacle that easily could extend into Nov. This month’s partial shutdown will have lasted 20 days as of Monday, while the record for longest closure is held by the 35-day shutdown that took place nearly 7 years ago, during Trump’s first term. … Beacon Policy Advisors: “An end to the shutdown requires either WH engagement on a deal or Democrats to cave. As of now, there are no signs of either. The current shutdown could be in the running for the longest federal shutdown in history.” … “Delays at airports because of staffing shortages also are viewed as something that could bring about the end of the shutdown, if the problems for travelers become acute or generate lots of headlines. Air-traffic controllers and TSA screeners are being told to show up for work even though they’re missing out on pay due to the shutdown, so some are expected to protest by not showing up.” … Trump was asked about his $40 billion bailout of his friend Javier Milei in Argentina while they are helping to put American farmers out of business by selling to the Chinese while we tariff them: Q - “What do you have to say to farmers who feel that the deal is benefitting Argentina more than it is them? Trump: Argentina is fighting for its life, young lady. You don’t know anything about it. You understand what that means? They are dying.” … I probably didn’t have to include the “young lady” part for you to know it was a woman reporter, based on how he answered the question. … He then said (unbelievably!) that he may import more beef from Argentina to get our prices down, which would then hurt US ranchers: “The only price we have that’s high is beef, and we’ll get that down. And one of things we’re thinking about doing is beef from Argentina.” … Also, prices are up on everything. … Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR): “$40 billion to Argentina’s govt. Subsidizing Argentinian farmers. Meanwhile American farmers can barely afford to stay afloat and families are about to go hungry because Trump refuses to open the govt.” … Trump then begged China to start buying soybeans from our farmers despite his trade war on them: “I want them to buy soybeans. They stopped buying our soybeans because they thought it was a punishment. And it is punishment to our farmers. We’re not gonna allow that to happen.” … Marge Greene to Semafor: “I can’t see into the future, but I see Republicans losing the House if Americans are continuing to go paycheck-to-paycheck. Voters will definitely be going into the midterms looking through the lens of their bank account.” … Meidas broke the story that the Hegseth and Vance planned to have the Marine Corps fire artillery rounds over I-5 and was planning to close a section of the busy highway between SD and LA to accommodate the stunt so Vance could make a TikTok video. The WH denounced our story as fake news and said they were not going to close the highway - electing to just fire over cars driving by. … Gavin Newsom then responded by closing that section of the highway while the live fire exercise was taking place, saying that the admin was acting irresponsibly and putting people’s lives in danger. The WH and Vance then denounced that move as unnecessary. Turns out it wasn’t. … NBC: “The Marines Corps has launched an investigation after the CA Highway Patrol said shrapnel from an artillery shell, fired during a live-fire demonstration touted by the WH, struck a law enforcement vehicle. No injuries were reported when an artillery round ‘detonated overhead prematurely’. At least one of its patrol vehicles, on hand to help stop and divert traffic on I-5 through the base during the demonstration, was damaged.” … CHP Chief Tony Coronado, who was also a Marine: “This was an unusual and concerning situation. It is highly uncommon for any live-fire or explosive training activity to occur over an active freeway.” … Capt. Gregory Dreibelbis, spokesperson for the Marines: “We are aware of the report of a possible airborne detonation of a 155mm artillery round outside the designated impact area. Following established safety protocols, firing was suspended. No injuries occurred and the demonstration concluded as scheduled. An investigation has been initiated. We are committed to determining the incident’s root cause and applying findings to future missions.” … “Pictures from a CHP incident report show a black-and-white unit with a hood apparently pierced by shrapnel, as well as multiple munition fragments. The report indicated that the fragment on the hood measured around 2 inches by 2 inches. According to a CHP map, the vehicle was at I-5 and Las Pulgas Road, nearly a mile north of the Red Beach demonstration along the coast of San Diego County, when it was hit.” … Trump surprised me when he randomly told the press that India’s PM Modi assured him that were going to comply with his demands to stop buying Russian oil. I was surprised because Russia is their largest supplier of oil, we are still in an unresolved trade war with India, and their govt hadn’t said a word about it. Turns out it was another lie. … Reporter: “You mentioned a recent call with Modi where he said India would stop purchasing Russian oil, but India said they were not aware of that happening. Trump: Then they’re going to just keep paying a lot of tariffs if they said that.” … DOG KILLER Kristi Noem was asked about her two new Gulfstream jets, which she had financed through the Coast Guard budget: “These aircraft are Coast Guard aircraft to replace 25 year old airplanes that are necessary for the mission of the Coast Guard. Congress appropriated the dollars and paid for them in the big beautiful bill and we’re grateful that we’re able to move forward.” … She is the one who will be using them. Probably her special friend Corey Lewandowski also. They are basically her new taxpayer funded govt jets, to go with her taxpayer funded waterfront Coast Guard Commandant house that she has been living in. … Journalist Ian Ellis: “Today, the US announced its 7th strike in SOUTHCOM, destroying a boat affiliated with a Colombian cartel. The US has massed 10,000+ troops in the region, with most in Puerto Rico and on 12 US Navy ships. Also: USAF B-52H bombers, USMC F-35B fighters conducted a bomber attack demo, special forces spotted near Trinidad and Tobago, and AC-130J Ghostrider gunships deployed to Puerto Rico.” … “Additional ships arrived in theater: Military Sealift Command oilers USNS Henry J. Kaiser (T-AO 187) and USNS Kanawha (T-AO 196), US Army landing craft utility USAV Wilson Wharf (LCU 2011), littoral combat ship USS Wichita (LCS 13) replaced USS Minneapolis-St. Paul (LCS 21).” … “US installed a new long-range radar system (AN/TPS-75) in St. Croix, USVI, and built a new bunker to store ammunition and support drone ops at Rafael Hernández Airport - New Joint Task Force (JTF) under II Marine Expeditionary Force (II MEF). SOUTHCOM Commander, Adm Holsey, retiring (reportedly in protest). Last week, POTUS acknowledged authorization for the CIA to conduct covert ops in Venezuela and previewed: ‘We are looking at land now, because we’ve got the sea very well under control.’” … Sure sounds like we are going to war in Venezuela. I hope everyone who attended No Kings was energized and motivated leaving there. I know I sure was. I was truly stunned at the turnout for our state, which doesn’t have many people. I think they are going to announce the date for the next one on a conference call tomorrow, so I will keep you posted. We can really keep up the momentum by sweeping the NJ and VA governor elections in two weeks. Trump and Republicans in Congress can try and play off that they aren’t getting rattled, but the definitely are. This will reinforce that. We can also make my former longtime friend, new RNC Chair Joe Gruters, start his tenure off 0-2 in the job. Meidas+ is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. … NYT: “President Gustavo Petro of Colombia accused the US of murdering a fisherman in an attack on a boat that the American authorities claimed was carrying illicit drugs. President Trump responded on Sunday that he would slash assistance and impose new tariffs on the country. US forces have killed dozens of people in recent weeks aboard vessels that the Trump admin says were ferrying drugs from Venezuela.” … “He said the man killed in the mid-Sept attack, Alejandro Carranza, was a “lifelong fisherman” whose boat had experienced damage and was adrift, probably in Colombian waters, at the time of the attack. Trump responded by accusing Petro of not doing enough to curb the production of illegal drugs, calling him an “illegal drug dealer” with “a fresh mouth toward America.” … “Trump also said that the US would halt aid payments to Colombia. He later told reporters on Air Force One that he would announce new tariffs on Colombian goods.” … Petro: “US govt officials have committed a murder and violated our sovereignty in territorial waters.” … WaPo: “In the days before the Trump admin deported hundreds of Venezuelan immigrants to a notorious prison in El Salvador, the president of that country demanded something for himself: the return of 9 MS-13 gang leaders in US custody. Marco Rubio, in a March 13 phone call with President Bukele, promised the request would be fulfilled. But there was one obstacle: Some of the MS-13 members Bukele wanted were ‘informants’ under the protection of the US govt.” … “To deport them to El Salvador, AG Pam Bondi would need to terminate DOJ’s arrangements with those men, Rubio said. He assured Bukele that Bondi would complete that process and hand over the MS-13 leaders. Rubio’s extraordinary pledge illustrates the extent to which the Trump admin was willing to meet Bukele’s demands.” … “The deal would give Bukele possession of individuals who threatened to expose the alleged deals his govt made with MS-13 to help achieve El Salvador’s historic drop in violence. For the Salvadoran president, a return of the informants was viewed as critical to preserving his tough-on-crime reputation. It was also a key step in hindering an ongoing US investigation into his govt’s relationship with MS-13.” … Trump threatened in invoke the Insurrection Act if courts keep ruling against him on sending troops to cities: “I’m allowed as you know as president, like 50% of the presidents have used the Insurrection Act. (False). Everybody agrees you’re allowed to use that and there is no more court cases, there is no more anything. We’re trying to do it in a nicer manner, but we can always use the Insurrection Act.” … Financial Times with new reporting on what happened behind the scenes at Trump’s meeting with Zelensky on Friday: “Trump urged Zelensky to accept Russia’s terms for ending its war in a volatile WH meeting, warning that Vladimir Putin had said he would ‘destroy’ Ukraine if it did not agree. The meeting between the US and Ukrainian presidents descended many times into a ‘shouting match’, with Trump ‘cursing all the time’.” … “The US president tossed aside maps of the frontline in Ukraine, insisted Zelensky surrender the entire Donbas region to Putin, and repeatedly echoed talking points the Russian leader had made in their call a day earlier.” … “Zelensky and his team went to the WH hoping to persuade Trump to supply them with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles, but the US president ultimately declined to do so. According to a European official with knowledge of the meeting, Trump told Zelensky that the Ukrainian leader needed to cut a deal or face destruction. Trump told Zelensky he was losing the war, warning: “If Putin wants it, he will destroy you.’” … Oleksandr Merezhko, chair of the Ukrainian parliament’s foreign affairs committee: “To give the Donbas to Russia without a fight is unacceptable for Ukrainian society, and Putin knows that.” He said that Putin might be pushing the contentious idea “with a purpose to cause division within Ukraine and undermine our unity. It’s not about getting more territory for Russia, it’s about how to destroy us from within.” … Zelensky was reportedly upset that Steve Witkoff continued to use Kremlin talking points as the official position of the US. When Witkoff said to him that Russian sovereignty over Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk was made part of the their Constitution, Zelensky responded: ‘Well, so if I add to the Ukrainian Constitution two regions of the Russian Federation, they will also have to withdraw from those territories?’” … Kremlin Spokesman Dmitri Peskov was asked if Ukraine was going to be invited to the next summit in Hungary between Trump and Putin, and if they are prepared to sign any agreements: “So far, there are no details regarding any of the points you mentioned, and there is no clear understanding on this matter yet. A lot of homework still needs to be done. Both foreign ministries - ours and the US State Dept - will have to focus on finding answers to the questions you’ve raised.” … In other words, another meeting Trump is hyping where nothing will happen solely because of Russia’s intransigence, which he will then blame on Zelensky. … The (UK) Telegraph: “A diplomatic spat has broken out after Pete Hegseth was accused of wearing a pro-Russian tie to meet Zelensky. Hegseth wore a white, blue and red striped tie during the Ukrainian president’s visit to the WH, leading to observations that he was matching the Russian flag. … Russian state media agency Tass: “Hegseth’s tie, featuring bold white, blue, and red stripes arranged in the same order as on the Russian national flag, stood out among the otherwise restrained attire of the US delegation. While the US’ own flag includes the same colours, the sequence and design made the choice particularly striking. Trump and the other officials opted for plain, solid-colored ties.” … “Kirill Dmitriev, Putin’s economic envoy, stoked controversy further by sharing an image of Hegseth’s tie captioned with the Russian flag – widely interpreted as tacit approval.” … “Ron Filipkowski, the editor of MeidasTouch, a Left-wing media company, wrote on X: ‘Looks like the Russians like his Russia tie. It’s not red-white-blue either. It’s red-blue-white. Like the Russian flag. For a meeting with Zelensky.’” … Daily Beast: “Gavin Newsom is ramping up his feud with Joe Rogan. On Tues, Newsom’s press office poked fun at Rogan by imitating Trump’s signature all-caps tweet style: ‘JOE ROGAN IS A SNACK-SIZED PODCASTER WHO CAN’T STOP TALKING ABOUT ME (OBSESSED! “CRUSH?” NO THANK YOU!) BUT IS TOO SCARED TO HAVE ME ON.’” … “The post also christened Trump with a new nickname, continuing, ‘JUST LIKE DOZY DON, [ROGAN] OFTEN ‘CHICKENS OUT.’ The governor signed the post, ‘GCN,’ a reference to Trump frequently signing off posts with his initials, ‘DJT.’ The post concluded, ‘I’LL COME ON AND WILL HELP SAVE THE SHOW AND ITS PLUMMETING RATINGS!’” … Newsom later told the ‘Higher Learning’ podcast that Rogan “has been attacking me for years and years and years and won’t have me on the show.” … Rogan responded: “You think that’s gonna work? Like, that’s so stupid. This is such a bad look. It’s a bad strategy. I probably would have had him on. But now it’s like, what are you doing?” … Trump’s everlasting peace in the Middle East didn’t last 36 hours. Jerusalem Post: “PM Netanyahu clarified on Sunday evening that entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza will only continue when Hamas stops its ‘massive bombings’ and continues to release slain hostages. Earlier on Sunday, Netanyahu decided to pause the entry of humanitarian aid and close all crossings into the Gaza Strip following violations of the ceasefire agreement by Hamas, which included an incident in Rafah in which two IDF soldiers were killed.” … “In addition, Israel will not allow pedestrian movement into or out of Gaza through the Rafah Crossing. The decision came alongside a new wave of Israeli airstrikes in Gaza – the most extensive since the agreement to release hostages in exchange for a ceasefire and a partial Israeli withdrawal. An Israeli official: ‘Hamas violated the ceasefire, not us. Israel wants to maintain the ceasefire and uphold the agreement, but not at any cost. We will respond to every violation.’” … Trump today: “We have a little situation, relatively, with Hamas, and that will be taken care of very quickly if they don’t straighten it out themselves, because they’re in violation of their agreement. They did things they shouldn’t be doing, and if they keep doing it then we’re gonna go in and straighten it out and it’ll happen very quickly and pretty violently unfortunately.” … Apparently now ‘America First’ is us sending troops into Gaza to fight Hamas to keep peace between them and Israel. Also, I thought Trump said all this was over and everyone was happy? … NYT: “A national security reporter at the Epoch Times has resigned following the outlet’s decision to sign on to the Pentagon’s new media pledge, calling it a choice to ‘abdicate our responsibility as journalists in favor of merely repeating state narratives.’ Andrew Thornebrooke, who has been at The Epoch Times since 2021, also took issue with the decision to call Antifa a terrorist organization, despite there being no legal designation for domestic terrorism.” … Thornebrook: “I can no longer reconcile my role with the direction the paper has chosen, including its increasing willingness to promote partisan materials, publish demonstrably false information, and manipulate the reporting of its ground staff to shape the worldview of our readers.” … 60 Minutes: “Erez Reuveni, a fired DOJ lawyer who’s now blowing the whistle, says he witnessed a disregard of due process and for the rule of law at the DOJ. Reuveni was so effective defending Trump’s first-term immigration policy that he was promoted quickly in Trump’s second term. But he says he was put on leave and then fired after refusing to sign a brief in the mistaken deportation case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia.” … Reuveni: “I took an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution. And my view of that oath is that I need to speak up and draw attention to what has happened to the department, what is happening to the rule of law. I would not be faithfully abiding by my oath if I stayed silent right now.” … “Reuveni was selected to be the acting deputy director of the DOJ’s immigration section, overseeing about a hundred attorneys. On March 14, the same day he found out about his promotion, Reuveni and others were called to a meeting with Emil Bove. Bove was also once Trump’s criminal defense attorney. According to Reuveni, they were told the president would be invoking the Alien Enemies Act, a law not invoked since World War II, to allow rapid expulsion of citizens of enemy nations during a time of war.” … The Venezuelans were to be denied the right to be heard by a judge and Reuveni said Bove expected a challenge: “Bove emphasized, those planes need to take off, no matter what. Then after a pause, he also told all in attendance, and if some court should issue an order preventing that, we may have to consider telling that court, ‘fuck you.’” … Reuveni says he was shocked: “I felt like a bomb had gone off. Here is the number three official using expletives to tell career attorneys that we might just have to consider disregarding federal court orders.” … The next day, Chief Judge James Boasberg asked govt lawyer Drew Ensign whether the planes were leaving that weekend. Ensign told Boasberg he didn’t know whether the planes were leaving that weekend, even though Reuveni says he was at the same meeting where they were told the planes would be taking off over the weekend, no matter what. Reuveni said that moment in court was “stunning.” … Reuveni: “It is the highest, most egregious violation of a lawyer’s code of ethics to mislead a court with intent. And then it really hit me. It’s like, we really did tell the court, screw you. We really did just tell the courts, we don’t care about your order. You can’t tell us what to do. That was just a real gut punch.” … Civil rights lawyer Leslie Proll: “Emil Bove is now an appellate court judge for life, thanks to 50 Senators who knew every last bit of this. Trump never should have nominated his law-defying, corrupt personal attorney to the federal bench. But Bove sure as hell shouldn’t have been confirmed. Utterly despicable.” … Stephen Miller’s wife and former Elon Musk personal assistant, Katie Miller: “Reuveni leaked sensitive government information because he disagreed with President Trump. That’s treason and insubordination.” … During Trump’s meeting with the Australian PM today he was asked about criticism from their Amb. Kevin Rudd: “I don’t know anything about him. Where is he? Is he still working for you? PM Albanese pointed to Rudd who is sitting at the table. Trump: You said bad? Rudd: Before I took this position, Mr. President. Trump (venomously): I don’t like you either.” … Former Fox chief political analyst Charles Krauthammer in 2016 on Trump: “I used to think Trump was an 11-year-old, an undeveloped schoolyard bully. I was off by about 10 years. His needs are more primitive, an infantile hunger for approval and praise, a craving that can never be satisfied. He lives in a cocoon of solipsism where the world outside himself has value - indeed exists - only insofar as it sustains and inflates him. He is dangerously out of the mainstream and temperamentally unfit to command the nation.”

New Whistleblower Breaks Silence On DOJ’s Corruption, Trump Nominee’s Racist Texts Derail Confirmation, and James Comey Fights Back The courage is contagious Scott Dworkin Oct 21 As the No Kings protests continue to make Trump visibly unravel, I’m glad to have great news for you today. Stories that expose more of the GOP’s brazen stupidity, and prove that countless folks are standing up to this tyranny alongside us. Let’s jump in. SWEAR GRIJALVA IN, SERIOUSLY At the Tucson, Arizona No Kings protest, folks had a message for Mike Johnson—who still refuses to swear in Rep.-Elect Adelita Grijalva. The crowd loudly chanted “Swear her in,” before Grijalva spoke. “Standing in union and solidarity is what we must do for those who can’t be here, who are afraid of this administration,” Grijalva said. “We have to come together as a community and stand up for them.” “We are the 99%,” Grijalva added. “We must remind them: We are here. We’re not going anywhere. And we’re going to make some changes in this next election.” COMEY MOVES TO DISMISS Former FBI Director James Comey moved to dismiss the Trump regime’s case against him. In a filing, his legal team stated that the Constitution “forbids the government from retaliating against individuals for their protected speech.” Calling the indictment “an egregious abuse of power,” the motion to dismiss says “government officials may not use courts to punish and imprison their perceived personal and political enemies.” FORMER DOJ ATTORNEY SPEAKS OUT Former Justice Department attorney Erez Reuveni is now blowing the whistle on Trump and the DOJ’s rampant abuse of power. Reuveni says he was wrongfully terminated after refusing to go along with orders to falsely label Kilmar Ábrego García as a gang member—who had been “mistakenly” deported to El Salvador. Reuveni told his supervisor at the time: “No way ... that is a lie. And I cannot sign my name to that.” “I took an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution,” Reuveni says. “I would not be faithfully abiding by my oath if I stayed silent right now.” We need more folks speaking out against the Trump regime like this. MORE RACIST GOP TEXTS EXPOSED Trump’s nominee for head of the Office of Special Counsel, Paul Ingrassia, just got caught up in a new racist GOP texting scandal. This is likely to derail his nomination. The messages were so egregious, Majority Leader John Thune says his nomination won’t make it through. I’m glad Ingrassia was exposed before taking the role. RECKLESS STUPIDITY At a Marine anniversary event with JD Vance, an artillery shell detonated early, leading to shrapnel “striking and damaging” a California Highway Patrol vehicle. The Trump regime knew it was reckless and dangerous, but they did it anyway. CHP Border Division Chief Tony Coronado called it “unusual” and “concerning,” saying: “It is highly uncommon for any live-fire or explosive training activity to occur over an active freeway.” And Governor Gavin Newsom said: “The White House shouldn’t be so reckless with people’s lives for their vanity projects.” Newsom is right—but this is the kind of chaos we are dealing with—a Republican Party that doesn’t care about anything but money and themselves. That’s why I’ve fought back against their corruption for 20+ years now, and taken on Trump for nearly a decade. We’re constantly calling out the regime’s propaganda and dangerous choices—via our daily news reports, our massive social media campaigns, and our unmatched Contact Congress initiative. 100% of what we do is funded by amazing supporters like you. No billionaires, no ads, no nonsense. So if you haven’t already, please join us as a paid subscriber today: Onward! Scott Help this news break through the noise—like this post and re-stack using the ♻️ button below! I have two questions for you today. What are your thoughts on the live-fire training exercise over an active freeway? Do you think the charges against Comey should be dismissed? For all contact Congress links, or to volunteer, you can go here: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/sign-up-for-the-watchdog-coalition NEW: Pay our troops during the Trump shutdown and ensure federal workers get back pay https://tinyurl.com/y728zzuu NEW: Cancel GOP healthcare cuts and end Trump’s shutdown: https://tinyurl.com/2z8s7hdh Demand Brendan Carr Resign: https://tinyurl.com/35xjx8dj Demand Tom Homan Resign: https://tinyurl.com/3e5ku3um Pass the bipartisan Epstein Files Transparency Act: https://tinyurl.com/3yfw2m7a Demand answers about Trump’s visibly deteriorating health: https://tinyurl.com/sk9xm38v Protect our use of voting by mail: https://tinyurl.com/bde676xm Push back on Trump’s DC takeover: https://tinyurl.com/2jpp94yk Support law to unmask ICE: https://tinyurl.com/bp8cau82 Investigate the Jeffrey Epstein trafficking case: https://tinyurl.com/4pfh2p4f Links to everything we are doing: https://www.dworkinsubstack.com/p/how-were-fighting-trump Here is my interview with James Talarico: https://tinyurl.com/mmu4eydj COMMENTS:  Please don't forget all the civil servants who are being fired and furloughed. My partner and I have lost our careers because of the fascists. Help us resist so we can stay in the fight as whistleblowers: https://democracydefender2025.substack.com/p/democracy-defender-reader-poem Tonight NO Kings organizers are having a Debrief of No Kings at 8 pm ET. Register here: www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/858246/ If you cannot attend , No Kings normally posts recordings within 24 - 48 hours here: www.nokings.org Currently they have a great video montage posted on the main page (just scroll down a little). It shows still photos and short video clips of protests from around the country! Including from a lot of ruby red states! I think we all know we are less safe with this regime in the White House… Firing live ammo over a freeway is just another example of how incompetent they are, and shines a light on the pedophile, sociopath and narcissist in charge, and his deranged tendencies. And yes, ALL of the charges against Comey, Leticia James, and Bolton should be dismissed. The guy who brought the charges against them is the one who should be in prison! He should also release a Epstein files and stop demolishing the White House. There is also the “3.5 rule” (Erica Chenoweth) which which states that non-violent protests enacting a threshold of 3.5% of a population has never failed to bring about change. A small minority can change the world. Let’s go y’all time to turn up the volume. We need to hit them where it hurts. We must stop giving them our money and make them LOSE theirs. Disney FAFO'ed. So can the rest: https://open.substack.com/pub/andrawatkins/p/every-dollar-spent-and-bit-of-attention?r=5mwrm&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false BRAVO TO CA GOV GAVIN NEWSOM for taking action to protect PEOPLE when the MAGA MAGGOTS were too stupid to do so!  FWIW: Not only did BRAIN DEAD LOSER JD VANCE attend the CALIFORNIA VANITY IDIOCY, but FOX DRUNK HEGSETH & others.  excerpts; Vice President JD Vance, the first former Marine to hold the office, will lead the festivities alongside Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan, and Marine Corps Commandant General Eric M. Smith. The Interstate 5 closure controversy—what to know Rumors swirled this week that Interstate 5 would shut down for the live-fire demonstration, sparking criticism from Governor Gavin Newsom and viral posts on social media. The truth? No public highways — including I-5 — will be closed, according to Marine Corps officials. All training occurs on approved ranges under strict safety protocols. Caltrans confirmed it was briefed on potential plans but said the decision to keep I-5 open was “the right one.” Officials emphasize that while the event includes live-fire exercises, risk assessments, and rehearsals, safety measures will ensure safety. Expect noise advisories and possible traffic slowdowns near base gates, but not full closures. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/california/2025/10/16/marine-corps-celebrates-250th-anniversary-at-camp-pendleton/86734332007/ I encourage you to subscribe to ZEV SHALEV's SUBSTACK NARATIV  This is just an excerpt, but JPMORGAN CHASE failed to report BERNIE MADOFF's scam & could have stopped him.  SCOTT BESSENT is COVERING UP EPSTEIN INFORMATION. WHY?  Who are they protecting?  NEVER STOP ASKING QUESTIONS ABOUT EPSTEIN/MAXWELL until ALL INFORMATION has been made public,  At the time, many of the emails from JPMORGAN CHASE were made public.  JPMORGAN CHASE knew what EPSTEIN was doing & according to emails, may have participated in EPSTEIN's 'services.'  EXCERPTS: Jamie Dimon Has Some Explaining to Do About Epstein JPMorgan’s CEO is blaming a single former executive for the bank’s Epstein relationship. The facts don’t support that story. Zev Shalev Oct 21 JPMorgan Chase processed $1.1 billion through Jeffrey Epstein’s accounts. Wire transfers to Russian banks. Payments to women in Belarus, Turkmenistan, and Turkey. Cash withdrawals of $300,000 at a time. The bank’s own compliance officers screamed warnings for years. The general counsel wrote that Epstein “should not be a client.” Anti-money laundering specialists flagged transaction after transaction. And now, after Senator Ron Wyden demanded answers, JPMorgan Chase has offered America a scapegoat: one former executive, Jes Staley. The bank wants you to believe that a single employee—however senior—orchestrated the entire relationship with a sex trafficker whose criminal enterprise moved more than a billion dollars through their systems over fifteen years. It’s an insult to basic intelligence. Consider the timeline Wyden laid out. In 2006, Mary Callahan Erdoes, CEO of JPMorgan’s wealth management division, learned about Epstein’s suspicious cash withdrawals and sex crime charges. She kept him as a client. In 2011, after compliance officers and the bank’s general counsel explicitly warned her that Epstein showed signs of money laundering and human trafficking, she still took no action. That same year, she personally delivered a $9 million settlement check to Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse. Two years later, in 2013, Erdoes finally confronted Epstein about his cash transactions. JPMorgan terminated him as a client. Then the bank sat on that decision for six years before filing a single suspicious activity report with federal regulators. Six years Federal law requires banks to flag suspicious transactions immediately—within 30 to 60 days. JPMorgan waited until 2019, after Epstein’s arrest made headlines, to file reports on 4,725 transactions totaling $1.1 billion. Those reports detailed payments that facilitated sex trafficking across international borders, including hundreds of millions processed through correspondent accounts at Russian banks that are now under U.S. sanctions. The bank claims it didn’t know. The documents say otherwise. Internal emails show decisions about Epstein marked “pending Dimon review”—referring to CEO Jamie Dimon, who testified under oath that he never knew Epstein was a client until 2019. Yet his general counsel was reviewing Epstein materials “for Jamie” back in 2008. Wyden isn’t having it. His second letter to Dimon, released last week, demands the internal communications, the “Project Jeep” review JPMorgan conducted after Epstein’s second arrest, and every document related to why the bank waited six years to report transactions it knew were suspicious in 2013. The senator’s investigation reveals another thread. Both Epstein and Trump were JPMorgan clients during the same period. Trump himself claims he banked with JPMorgan for 40 years—meaning he was there throughout Epstein’s entire 15-year relationship with the bank, from 1998 to 2013. The same institution processing $1.1 billion for a sex trafficker was simultaneously managing accounts for the future president. When JPMorgan finally cut ties with Epstein in 2013, he landed at the same institution already managing Trump’s wealth. Trump had entered Deutsche Bank’s Private Wealth Management division in 2011 through Kushner connections. Two years later, on August 19, 2013, Jeffrey Epstein opened his Deutsche Bank accounts—entering the same division, under the same banker, Rosemary Vrablic, who was already managing Trump. The date itself carries historical weight—August 19 marks the anniversary of the failed 1991 Russian coup attempt. Both men, rejected by mainstream banks, now operated through the same high-risk private wealth management operation under the same executives. Deutsche Bank, with its notorious appetite for “damaged clients” and spectacularly weak compliance controls, processed another $400 million in Epstein transactions before regulators forced a reckoning. From August 2013 forward, both accounts ran parallel—same institution, same division, same management team systematically overriding compliance warnings for both clients. Now Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent sits on the full Epstein file. Wyden’s investigators found it earlier this year—thousands of bank records documenting the financial architecture of a sex trafficking operation that spanned continents. The Trump administration won’t release it. Won’t even confirm the dates of JPMorgan’s suspicious activity reports.∙ PAUL INGRASSIA is part of the GOP ROT exposed by POLITICO.  They are NAZIS! Occupy Democrats https://youtu.be/-ga7cxUDwiE?si=L-xMYQRCQ9cJcVmt Oct 18, 2025 Trump's Saturday is off to a TERRIBLE start! SAMUEL DOUGLESS, 27, PARTICIPATED IN THE GOP ROT that has been widely publicized & circulated by YOUNG REPUBLICANS.  These are REPUBLICAN LEADERS - NOT CHILDREN!  Below are just a few articles addressing this NAZI GROUP that praise HITLER, spewed HATE, BIGOTRY & RACISM:  FROM MOTHER JONES:  No One in the GOP Hitler Chat Was a “Kid” We checked. Sorry, JD Vance. https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/10/republican-hitler-group-chat-nazi-politico/ ALL WHO POSTED SHOULD BE CALLED TO RESIGN JUST AS VERMONT IS DOING! (Also note that the article originated from our loacl PBS STATION: WBUR - that's why PBS & NPR funding is crucial.) Vt. Republican state senator faces calls to resign after posting racist messages in group chat October 15, 2025 Peter Hirschfeld, Vermont Public excerpt: A first-term Republican state senator from Orleans County is facing pressure from members of his own party to resign after a story published by Politico Tuesday detailed his involvement in a racist text chat between members of Young Republican chapters in four states, including Vermont. Samuel Douglass, 27, was part of a historic red wave last November that saw the GOP pick up six seats in the Vermont Senate and reconfigure the balance of power in the Legislature. Last week, Douglass was one of six Republican lawmakers nominated for “Legislator of the Year” at the Vermont GOP’s Awards Night in South Burlington. On Tuesday evening, Republican Gov. Phil Scott called on Douglass to resign after a leaked group chat showed Douglass and his wife using racist and antisemitic language with fellow young Republicans from across the country. “The hateful statements made in this group chat are disgusting and unacceptable,” Scott said in a written statement Tuesday. “The vile, racist, bigoted, and antisemitic dialogue that has been reported is deeply disturbing. There is simply no excuse for it. Those involved should resign from their roles immediately and leave the Republican party — including Vermont State Senator Sam Douglass.” https://www.wbur.org/news/2025/10/15/vermont-republican-senator-racist-group-chat-politico?utm_source=sfmc&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=WBURToday_Editorial_101625&utm_term=calling+on+a%26nbsp%3bfirst-term+GOP+state+senator+to+resign&utm_id=152275&sfmc_id=24374920 New York assemblyman fires chief of staff involved in Young Republican group chat  by Ashleigh Fields - 10/15/25 New York Assemblyman Michael Reilly fired his chief of staff over his participation in a group chat with young Republicans where Hitler references and racist jokes were made. Peter Giunta, who served in Reilly’s office for more than five years, was linked to offensive texts in a Telegram chat that was first reported by Politico. THE HILL: https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/5556650-young-republican-hitler-jokes/ THIS HAS BEEN DESCRIBED AS GOP ROT ELSEWHERE!  "VILE TEXTS EXPOSE GOP ROT" The Young Republican Telegram chat wasn’t private chatter. It was a window into a party teaching cruelty as culture; mocking decency and betraying the voters who trusted it. Michael Cohen Oct 16 Vile Texts Expose GOP Rot The Young Republican Telegram chat wasn’t private chatter. It was a window into a party teaching cruelty as culture; mocking decency and betraying the voters who trusted it. Michael Cohen and MeidasTouch Network Oct 16 Newsom asks House panel  to probe Young Republicans group chat by Ryan Mancini - 10/15/25 https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/5557421-newsom-calls-investigation-young-republicans-texts/?utm_source=www.readthesmile.com&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=the-smile-10-16&_bhlid=95b0bd398b9d31bc5eb485aba1b698c2a298174f New York assemblyman fires chief of staff involved in Young Republican group chat  by Ashleigh Fields - 10/15/25 New York Assemblyman Michael Reilly fired his chief of staff over his participation in a group chat with young Republicans where Hitler references and racist jokes were made. Peter Giunta, who served in Reilly’s office for more than five years, was linked to offensive texts in a Telegram chat that was first reported by Politico. THE HILL: https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/5556650-young-republican-hitler-jokes/ Remembeer that MEIDAS TOUCH reported this 'exercie,' the ORANGE TURD denied it & corporate media & SNOPES attacked MEDIA TOUCH claiming it was FALSE INFORMATION... MAGA GOP TELL SO MANY LIES, THEY CAN'T KEEP THEM STRAIGHT! IF REPUBLICANS DIDN'T LIE, NO ONE WOULD ELECT THEM! It was reported that 170 US CITIZENS are being held by ICE GESTAPO! ICE GESTAPO ABUSE, ASSAULT, ATTACK & DISAPPEAR PEOPLE! More Than 170 U.S. Citizens Have Been Held by Immigration Agents. They’ve Been Kicked, Dragged and Detained for Days. https://www.propublica.org/article/immigration-dhs-american-citizens-arrested-detained-against-will?utm_source=sfmc&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=WBURToday_Editorial_101725&utm_term=ProPublica&utm_id=152526&sfmc_id=24374920 THERE IS VIDEO THAT INDICATES HE NEVER STEPPED OVER THE BLUE LINE, BUT WAS PEPPER SPRAYED BY ICE GESTAPO SNIPERS. ARRESTED FOR FREE SPEECH! WBUR TODAY (OUR LOCAL PBS STATION) REPORTED THIS ABOUT ICE ABUSE) In a tense time, political jester Robby Roadsteamer hopes humor can keep the peace Salem native Robby Roadsteamer was arrested after taunting ICE while wearing a giraffe costume during a protest in Portland last week. Underneath his absurdity, there's a serious aim: bringing laughter to highly charged situations. Read more. https://www.wbur.org/news/2025/10/21/robby-roadsteamer-comedian-protest-ice-trump?utm_source=sfmc&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=WBURToday_Editorial_102125&utm_term=https%3a%2f%2fwww.wbur.org%2fnews%2f2025%2f10%2f21%2frobby-roadsteamer-comedian-protest-ice-trump&utm_id=153435&sfmc_id=24374920