Dan Rather | Capital Punishment

 

 

14 August 25

WE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT GREEDY — It’s interesting how this progressive news site is not receiving adequate funding from the people who come here and read its articles. Supposedly, we are the people who are not the greedy, self-centered ones who care more for their own interests than supporting the collective well-being. There’s some disconnect here. Maybe time for some self-examination, eh? — Wally, RSN Reader-Supporter

Sure, I'll make a donation!

Dan Rather | Capital Punishment
Dan Rather, Steady
Rather writes: "Some days it takes a little more grit and gumption to stay steady. I say this because this is one of those days. In one of his all-time most outlandish PR stunts, Donald Trump hopes to burnish his image with his MAGA base by turning the nation’s capital into a police state."

An ICE Facility Has Detainees Sleeping on the Floor. A Judge Says No More.
Ben Brasch, Washington Post
Brasch writes: "The Trump administration must improve conditions at a Lower Manhattan immigration holding facility where a government lawyer acknowledges detainees are sleeping on the floor, a federal judge ruled Tuesday."

Trump’s Judicial Picks Could Reshape Abortion Rights for Decades
Christine Fernando, AP
Fernando writes: "A review by The Associated Press shows that several of President Donald Trump’s nominees to the federal courts have revealed anti-abortion views, been associated with anti-abortion groups or defended abortion restrictions."

‘Severe’ Staff Shortages at US Veterans’ Hospitals, Watchdog Finds
Aaron Glantz, Guardian UK
Glantz writes: "The US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is experiencing “severe” staff shortages at all its hospitals, with the number of shortages increasing by 50% this fiscal year, according to a new report from the agency’s independent watchdog."

Illinois Judge Rules Against Arresting Quorum-Breaking Texas Lawmakers
Jen Rice, Democracy Docket
Rice writes: "An Illinois judge Wednesday rejected Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R)’s demand to enforce arrest warrants against Democrats who left Texas to block a Republican redistricting plan that could help the GOP keep control of the U.S. House in 2026."

Exclusive: Fistful of Dollars and Rice for Vietnam Farmers Displaced for $1.5 Billion Trump Golf Club
Khanh Vu and Francesco Guarascio, Reuters
Excerpt: "Vietnamese farmer Nguyen Thi Huong has slept poorly since authorities told her to vacate her farm for a Trump family-backed golf resort, offering just $3,200 and rice provisions in return."

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Healey’s Cali cash dash

 

Healey’s Cali cash dash

By KELLY GARRITY 

 

08/05/2025 07:25 AM EDT

FOLLOW THE MONEY — Gov. Maura Healey has been steadily padding her campaign coffers ahead of next year’s election.

With two well-funded Republicans already gearing up to challenge her (and potentially more on the way), Healey’s heading to California next week to cash in on the deep-pocketed donors in San Francisco's suburbs, according to invitations to the events.

Healey has events in Mill Valley, Palo Alto and San Francisco’s “NoPa” neighborhood set for next Thursday and Friday. Requested donations for the events range from $1,000 (for the NoPa and Palo Alto fundraisers) to between $500 and $5,000 (for the one in Mill Valley). Healey’s office didn’t respond to an inquiry about the trip. Her campaign declined to comment.

In the past few weeks, Healey raised money for her campaign at fundraisers on Martha’s Vineyard and Cape Cod, and she’s regularly tapping into the deep-pocketed Democratic donor base in the Boston area. She reported raising more than $557,000 in June, her biggest fundraising haul since taking office, and has taken in more than $1.8 million since the start of the year. As of the end of July, she had close to $3.8 million in the bank.

Healey has a little while before she’s back on the ballot. But going big on fundraising this year means she can scoop up a second round of checks from the same donors next year, and money is already starting to flow on the Republican side.

Former Housing and Economic Development Secretary MAGA TRUMPER Mike Kennealy has already pledged to put $2 million of his own cash in the race. Kennealy ended June with roughly $640,000 on hand, and SLOW ZONE Brian Shortsleeve, another GOP contender, had more than $442,000.

Healey burned through more than $8 million during her 2022 campaign for governor, well above the $1.5 million Republican LOSER Geoff Diehl shelled out on the race.

GOOD TUESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Texas Democrats who fled the state to try to stymie a mid-decade redistricting effort got a warm reception in Boston yesterday afternoon, including a shoutout from Gov. JB Pritzker and raucous applause from Democrats attending a private lunch at the National Conference of State Legislatures summit where the Illinois governor was speaking.

***DICTATOR GREG ABBOTT WHINING TEMPER TANTRUM & HE REFUSES TO TAKE CARE OF TEXAS RESIDENTS! 

TEXAS CONTINUES TO FAIL IN NUMEROUS CATEGORIES: 

US NEW RANKINGS: TEXAS

At home, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott was calling for their arrest after dozens of Democratic members of the Texas state House flew to Illinois, New York and Boston on Sunday — breaking quorum and leaving the Texas Legislature unable to carry out its work.

Lawmakers departed the state after Republicans there looked to move forward with a plan intended to keep the GOP in power in Congress next year by creating five GOP-friendly seats in Texas at President Donald Trump’s urging. They plan to stay out of the state until the special legislative session that would set the redistricting plan in motion ends Aug. 19.

“The people expect us to fight for them, and that's what we're doing,” Texas state Rep. Armando Walle told reporters on his way out of the lunch. “We're using the parliamentary rules that have been in place for generations.”

The handful of Texas Democrats in Boston are planning to hold a press conference at the State House at 10 a.m. tomorrow before heading to Illinois, where many of their colleagues holed up in a Chicago-area hotel Monday. More on how the Texas Democrats’ quorum break is playing out.

TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey delivers the keynote address at the National Conference of State Legislatures at 9 a.m. and speaks at Shakespeare on the Common at 7:40 p.m. Attorney General Andrea Campbell participates in a walking tour of Manchester-by-the-Sea's Central Street Bridge project at 11:30 a.m. in Manchester-by-the-Sea. Sen. Ed Markey visits The Pryde, Boston’s first LGBTQ+ senior housing development, at 2:30 p.m. and stops at Ron’s Ice Cream and Bowling at 4 p.m. in Hyde Park. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu announces businesses that have been selected to participate in the Supplying Capital and Leveraging Education Program at 12:30 p.m. in Roxbury and joins the Boston Police Department for "National Night Out" starting at 3:10 p.m.

Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Drop me a line: kgarrity@politico.com. 

DATELINE BEACON HILL

— Gov. Maura Healey received written warning about surge of migrants in transition document by Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald: “Gov. Charlie Baker’s administration offered a written warning to Gov. Maura Healey about a surge of migrants and dwindling state shelter capacity in November 2022, or months before she took office, according to a transition document approved by Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Kennealy when he was secretary of state. The heads-up largely focused on the need to expand shelter capacity and provide more funding to the emergency assistance program. It also painted a bleak picture of a struggle to build enough housing as the cost of living was putting Massachusetts at a ‘significant disadvantage.’”

***BOSTON HERALD PROPAGANDA RAG PAYWALL!***

NOTICE HOW ALL OF THE FLUNKIES FLOCK TO THIS RAG THAT NEVER FACT CHECKS, RESEARCHES OR ASKS SIGNIFICANT QUESTIONS? 

BLOVIATOR HOWIE CARR STILL HAS A GRUDGE BECAUSE THE BOOB WAS TOO DUMB TO GET INTO HARVARD....NEVER REPORTS FACTS, JUST HIS WARPAGE!  THE BOOB DOESN'T EVEN COMPREHEND THE IMPACT OF THEIR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH...JUST SHARES BLABBER THE TOO MANY UNINFORMED BELIEVE! 

2 MORE REPUBLICAN LOSERS: SLOW ZONE SHORTSLEEVE WHO FAILED TO ADDRESS MBTA PROBLEMS & MAGA TRUMP KINNEALY WHO DID NOTHING TO SOLVE PROBLEMS! 

THE MEDIA GAVE THE WHITE TOOTHED GOVERNOR A PASS & IGNORED HIS MASSIVE FAILURES...

In deal with feds, Mass. will have to pay back $2.1 billion misspent by Baker administration

The costly mistake came to light soon after Gov. Maura Healey took office in 2023.

BOSTON.COM

— National lawmakers zero in on political violence, anger in electorate by Chris Lisinski, State House News Service: “A national summit of state lawmakers from around the country opened Monday with a somber tone as hosts reflected on the June assassination of Minnesota Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and cautioned about the growing threat of political polarization. Legislative leaders from Minnesota paid tribute to Hortman as a beacon of leadership who was unafraid to reach across the aisle, and they urged attendees to honor her by working to counteract increasingly inflammatory political rhetoric. The topic became a consistent theme throughout the opening session to the three-day National Conference of State Legislatures annual summit.”

FROM THE HUB

****ED FLYNN IS A MUD THROWER! KEEP WATCHING! NO SOLUTIONS! THE RESIDENTS ARE RIGHT IN THEIR OUTRAGE OVER MASS & CASS....SOLUTIONS? **** 

— Councilor Ed Flynn wants Boston to declare a public safety and public health emergency over Mass. and Cass by Niki Griswold, The Boston Globe: “The Boston City Council on Wednesday is set to consider a resolution filed by Councilor Ed Flynn to declare a public safety and public health emergency over open drug use and dealing around the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard, known as Mass. and Cass. The area has long been the epicenter of the intertwining crises of homelessness and substance abuse in the city. But in recent months, frustration over the issue has reached a breaking point among South End residents, who say that public drug use and dealing have migrated from Mass. and Cass into their neighborhoods.”

***LOOK AT FOXBORO! WHEN WE LIVED NEARBY, WE PLANNED OUR LIFE AROUND FOXBORO TRAFFIC - A STADIUM CRAMMED INTO A SMALL SPACE IN AN URBAN AREA? THIS WILL BE A DISASTER! KRAFT HAS NOT PRESENTED TRAFFIC MITIGATION PLANS! MAYOR WU IS RIGHT IN PROTECTING HER COMMUNITY!****

MAKING THEIR PITCH — The drawn-out battle between Boston and the Kraft Group over a plans for a new stadium along the Mystic River in Everett escalated Monday, as Boston Mayor Michelle Wu gathered with Boston-area electeds across from the Everett site Monday to call on the Kraft Group to agree to do more to mitigate the impact the yet-to-be-built stadium will have on neighboring Charlestown. Hours later, New England Revolution President Brian Bilello and Everett Mayor Carlo DeMaria defended the process at their own press conference on the other side of the river. Hanging over it all: The mayoral election, where Josh Kraft is challenging Wu. More from The Boston Globe’s Jon Chesto.

— Injured teen from Gaza arrives in Boston for medical treatment by Yasmin Amer, WBUR. 

SPOTTED — Boston Mayor Michelle Wu meeting with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker after his lunchtime speech at NCSL. The duo cut a video Wu posted to Bluesky where Pritzker called her “one of my very favorite people in the Democratic Party.”

THE RACE FOR CITY HALL

MONEY RACE — Boston Mayor Michelle Wu ended July with a significant cash advantage over her chief rival, Josh Kraft, according to the latest filings with the state’s Office of Campaign and Political Finance. Wu raised about $247,000 last month and ended July with close to $2.5 million on hand.

While Kraft raised more than $127,000 during the same period, he spent big in July — paying $1,886,000 to cover a variety of campaign-related costs. That leaves him with under $150,000 heading into the final full month of campaigning before the Sept. 9 preliminary election.

****CARPEETBAGGING NEWTON NEBBISH JOSH KRAFT IS A FAKE & A FRAUD - EVEN HIS ADS ARE FRAUDULENT! ****

HE PROVIDED A SUMMARY OF HIS 'INCOME' - THE PUBLIC HAS NO WAY OF DETERMINING IF HE HAS A CONFLICT OF INTEREST!

ONLY THE WEALTHY WITH NO BOSTON CONNECTIONS HAS FUNDED HIS CAMPAIGN! 

THE NEWTON NEBBISH HAS NO SOLUTIONS! **** 

RELATED — Prominent national Democrats ask Josh Kraft to stop using names, likenesses in unauthorized fund-raising push by Emma Platoff, The Boston Globe: “On first blush, the fund-raising solicitation sure looked like it was coming from US Senator Adam Schiff, the California Democrat well known for tangling with Donald Trump. ‘Hi — this is Adam Schiff,’ the email read, according to a screenshot shared with the Globe. ‘Josh Kraft said I could reach out with this urgent message.’ But the email came from ‘info@joshforboston.com‚’ and it was paid for by the campaign of Josh Kraft, who is running for mayor of Boston, several thousand miles east of Schiff’s district. And, it turns out, Schiff never said Kraft could reach out with that urgent message. The Kraft fund-raising email sporting Schiff’s name and likeness is one of at least five the campaign has sent in recent weeks that feature prominent national Democrats who have not publicly weighed in on the Boston mayor’s race. At least two of those politicians have now asked the Kraft campaign to stop using their names and likenesses in the email fund-raising solicitations.”

— It's not just Wu and Kraft: Meet the Boston mayoral candidates not in the spotlight by Eve Zuckoff, WBUR: “On a steamy Tuesday night in Dorchester, a man trying to replace Michelle Wu as mayor of Boston worked up a sweat over a charcoal grill. Around him, music blasted from a DJ station, kids lined up at the Boston Police Department’s ice cream truck and dozens playing basketball worked up an appetite. It wasn't Josh Kraft."

FROM HARVARD YARD

— Harvard isn't close to a deal with Trump administration, sources say by Kirk Carapezza, GBH News: “Harvard is not ready to accept a deal with the Trump administration, according to sources familiar with internal conversations on the matter. The federal government has cut research funding to numerous universities, launched investigations into those it accused of enabling antisemitic behavior, and demanded changes to school processes around race and gender. Columbia University, the University of Pennsylvania and Brown University all recently announced settlements with the federal government to restore funding and end investigations.”

WARREN REPORT

*****NEVER MIND LABELS! 

LISTEN TO ZOHRAN MAMDANI'S WORDS:  

AFFORDABILITY! 

ANYONE WHO HAS PAID ATTENTION TO NYC KNOWS WHY CUOMO DIDN'T WIN! 

WORN OUT CANDIDATES WITH KNOWN HISTORIES  ARE NOT WHAT VOTERS ARE LOOKING FOR! 

— Warren boosts Mamdani as model for Democratic victory by Emily Ngo, POLITICO: “Elizabeth Warren doesn’t have a problem with Zohran Mamdani being the face of the Democrats. In fact, she wants the rest of the party to follow his example on affordability. The progressive senator from Massachusetts swung by New York City on Monday to pay homage to Mamdani, who overwhelmingly won the Democratic nomination for mayor in June — but still hasn’t secured endorsements from many of New York’s party leaders.”

excerpts:

Monday’s event on the need for publicly funded childcare, held at the lower Manhattan headquarters of the District Council 37 labor union, included advocates for immigrant and low-income communities sharing stories about choosing between paying for groceries and daycare — and also served as a reminder of what fueled Mamdani’s 12-point win over former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the primary. In a nod to the scarcity of coverage for families who need low-cost childcare, toddlers ran around the room as Warren, Mamdani and DC 37 executive director Henry Garrido spoke.

Warren joins Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) in boosting Mamdani and his message as the way forward for the Democratic Party. Establishment Democrats have applauded Mamdani’s focus on making New York less expensive for working-class families but have been reluctant to publicly support him.

“If we want this city to be a place where New Yorkers can raise their kids, then we have to make it so,” Mamdani said. “And the context that we are in today is one where, after housing, childcare is the cost that is pushing New Yorkers out of these five boroughs.”

FROM THE 413

CHICOPEE!

— Making Chicopee ‘a destination’: City councilor aims to renew proposal to revitalize corridor by Namu Sampath, MassLive: “Memorial Drive in Chicopee is a bustling, multi-lane corridor that connects the city to several surrounding towns. The 3.7-mile stretch is a 'goldmine,’ according to Ward 6 Councilor Sam Shumsky, who’d like to make it safer for pedestrians and drivers alike and create more opportunities for economic development in his ward. He’s proposed a related order that the City Council will take up at its meeting Tuesday.”

— State throws weight behind regional affordable housing projects by Scott Merzbach, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “Nearly 200 new apartments to be constructed in Easthampton, Hadley and Holyoke, almost all of which will be set aside for low- and moderate-income residents, are moving forward as part of $182 million in low-income housing credits and subsidies supporting 21 developments statewide approved by the Healey-Driscoll Administration.”

PAY WALL

THE LOCAL ANGLE

***THIS IS A MUST READ! 

THE NEW BEDFORD LIGHT DOES SOME IMPRESSIVE & THOROUGH REPORTING! PLEASE SUPPORT THEM! ****

— How much committee work gets done by New Bedford’s legislative delegation? by Abigail Pritchard, The New Bedford Light: “New Bedford’s legislators sit across 23 committees. So far, just 11 of those committees have reported bills out with recommendations, seven don’t have any bills assigned to them, and four haven’t held any hearings.”

****KELLY DOONER ??? THE WHITE TOOTHED GOVERNOR PASSED THE MBTA COMMUNITIES ACT...MAGA TRUMPER KINNEALLY EXPRESSED SURPRISE THAT IT WAS 'CONTROVERSIAL'? WHERE WERE YOU? 

ISN'T THIS THE SAME GOVERNOR WHO LEFT BEHIND MASSIVE MBTA COSTS & FAILURES? HOW ABOUT THAT MASSIVE GAZILLION DOLLAR SETTLEMENT FOR BAKER'S MISSPENT $$$ THAT FAR EXCEED YOUR PITTANCE?****

— Taunton state official looking to change controversial MBTA housing mandate by Daniel Schemer, The Taunton Daily Gazette: “‘I’ve always been pro-development, but this one-size-fits-all mandate doesn’t work for some of my smaller communities,’ said Kelly Dooner, state senator for 3rd Bristol district, who testified against the MBTA Communities Act at a recent Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government.”

PAY WALL

A surprising history of how a bill became the MBTA Communities law

GBH CHARLIE BAKER'S LEGISLATION

HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH

TRANSITIONS — Joe Hale is joining the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate as chief development officer. He most recently served as president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.

— Holyoke Mayor Joshua Garcia is a finalist for the Northeast Renewable Energy Coalition’s “Mayor of the Year Award.”

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to former ambassador Rufus Gifford, Christina Pacheco, Crooked Media’s Matt Berg and the Boston Globe’s Jim Puzzanghera. Happy belated to Republican gubernatorial hopeful SLOW ZONE Brian Shortsleeve, who celebrated Monday.

Want to make an impact? POLITICO Massachusetts has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Bay State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you’re promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness among this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com.

Follow us on Twitter Kelly Garrity @KellyGarrity3

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Andy Borowitz | Trump Taps George Santos to Head Department Of Labor Statistics

 

04 August 25

$100 DONATIONS HAVE BEEN SCARCE — We don’t get many triple digit donations but they really help when we do. It’s been a dry spell $100 donations so far this month. If you can see your way clear it would really help. Anyone?
Marc Ash • Founder, Reader Supported News

Sure, I'll make a donation!

Andy Borowitz | Trump Taps George Santos to Head Department Of Labor Statistics
Andy Borowitz, The Borowitz Report
Borowitz writes: "In one of the most stunning political comebacks in American history, on Monday Donald J. Trump picked the disgraced former congressman George Santos to lead the Department of Labor Statistics."

Greg Abbott Threatens to Expel, and Possibly Arrest, Dems Who Fled State
Sarah Fortinsky, The Hill
Fortinsky writes: "Texas Gov. Greg Abbott threatened to remove Texas House Democrats from the Legislature after they left the state Sunday in a bid to stop Republicans from proceeding with a redistricting effort that would give the GOP five more opportunities to gain seats in the 2026 midterms."

Naomi LaChance | Trump’s Admin Is Investigating Jack Smith, Who Prosecuted Him Over January 6
Naomi LaChance, Rolling Stone
LaChance writes: "The president long pledged 'retribution' against his enemies for prosecuting him. Now it’s happening."

More Than 3,000 Boeing Workers Begin Strike After Rejecting a Contract Offer
Joe Hernandez, NPR
Hernandez writes: "Thousands of unionized workers at Boeing facilities in Missouri and Illinois went on strike early Monday after failing to reach an agreement on a labor contract."

Hunger Mounts, Cemeteries Grow in Sudan's Besieged al-Fashir
Reuters
Excerpt: "Hundreds of thousands of people under siege in the Sudanese army's last holdout in the western Darfur region are running out of food and coming under constant artillery and drone barrages, while those who flee risk cholera and violent attacks."

Plastics 'Crisis' Is Costing $1.5 Trillion in Global Deaths and Injuries, Report Says
Alexander Smith, NBC News
Smith writes: "A global 'plastics crisis' is costing governments and taxpayers $1.5 trillion annually as they try to cope with the escalating injury, disability and death caused by the substance polluting our land, sea and bodies, according to a new report by a leading medical journal."

The Dean Dean Newsletter: Monday, AUGUST 4, 2025 Trump's Authoritarian Power Grab In Full Swing, Canadian Smoke Chokes US, And BTC Wagering Is Here Dean Blundell Aug 4 Aug 4, 2025 Good Morning! Welcome to the Daily Dean Newsletter. Every day, we cover the top five stories democracy lovers on both sides of the 49th parallel need to know today! Truth over tyranny isn’t just a slogan—it’s a mission. We’re powered by you and work for no one else. Your subscription fuels fearless, independent journalism committed to defending democracy from rising authoritarianism…🙏 “When facts are inconvenient, the playbook is simple: silence the people reporting them.” 1. Trump Fires U.S. Labor Data Chief — A Textbook Authoritarian Move President Trump has fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), a nonpartisan agency responsible for producing the official employment, inflation, and wage data that drive U.S. policy and markets. The firing—reportedly over “unfavorable” job numbers—is more than political interference. It’s a warning shot. 📉 Why it matters: When autocrats want to rewrite reality, they start by firing the statisticians. The BLS is supposed to be independent—protected from political influence so that Americans can trust the numbers. Trump just shattered that norm. And YES, he’s still trying to distract you from his involvement in Epstein’s child trafficking ring while he scrubs his name from the EPSTEIN FILES and gives Ghislaine a spiffy prison upgrade. 🔎 Pattern alert: This follows the same authoritarian script we’ve seen across history and around the world: Step 1: Undermine independent institutions. Step 2: Control the information. Step 3: Gaslight the public. Step 4: Consolidate power. We’re now in Step 2. And the rest of the playbook is already unfolding: Politico/AP coverage notes Trump dismissed McEntarfer after a weak July jobs report showing significant downward revisions: Read more here… 🗣 Expert voices: “Manipulating economic data is the canary in the coal mine for collapsing democracies.” — Dr. Amy Sorkin, Georgetown University, Authoritarianism Studies 2. Texas Democrats Leave State to Block GOP Redistricting Plan In a dramatic attempt to stop what they call “a deliberate dismantling of voting rights,” Texas Democrats have once again left the legislature to block a Republican-led redistricting bill. The proposed map would heavily favor GOP incumbents by reshaping districts to reduce the influence of urban and minority voters. Effectively, Trump knows he’s going to lose the midterms and needs to turn five urban electoral votes into five votes for White Christian MAGA Authoritarianism. Full Story… 🗳 Context: This follows a familiar playbook: redraw the rules to preserve power. Democrats are using the only tool left—denying quorum. 3. Canadian Wildfire Smoke Triggers U.S. Health Alerts Smoke from dozens of Canadian wildfires is sweeping across the U.S. Midwest and Northeast, triggering major air quality warnings. Cities like Chicago, Detroit, and Philadelphia are seeing particulate levels spike, prompting renewed calls for climate action on both sides of the border. It’s also resulted in some DUMB MAGA politicians sending letters to Canada threatening us if we don’t somehow divert the smole away from the US. LOL. Trump Regime Sends Letter To Canadian Ambassador Demanding Canada Control the Weather In The US Dean Blundell · Jul 9 A Letter So Dumb, It Should Be Framed in a Museum of Misinformation Read full story 🌍 Bigger picture: North America is locked in a shared climate crisis. But leadership—especially in Washington—is still divided on whether it’s worth addressing. 4. Delta and Air Canada Top 2025 Airline Rankings J.D. Power’s 2025 customer satisfaction report on North American airlines is out, with Delta and Air Canada topping the charts. The rankings are based on punctuality, customer service, and overall experience. Makes you wonder how much Delta and Air Canada are involved in this survey, or if the bar for quality air travel is that low. 5. Crypto-Fueled Sports Betting Surges in New York A new wave of Bitcoin-based betting tied to the New York Mets’ 2025 season is drawing in a younger, digital-native audience. Major platforms like BetMGM and Caesars are offering crypto promos to Mets fans during key matchups—raising questions about responsible gambling and financial risk. It also further legitimizes Trump’s plan to replace fiat money with crypto and BTC… ⚠️ Watch this space: With minimal regulation and volatile currencies involved, experts warn this trend could lead to a new generation of high-risk bettors and the death of the US economy… Today’s Quote: “Democracy is not a state. It is an act, and each generation must do its part.” — John Lewis 🧭 FINAL WORD Democracy isn’t just about elections—it’s about facts, transparency, and the rule of law. Today’s stories all point to the same challenge: powerful actors manipulating systems that were meant to serve the public good. If you value independent, fact-based reporting—especially in a post-truth world—please consider subscribing and sharing. Your support helps keep this space honest, critical, and above all, accountable.