The Fine Print of Trump Fascism The Trump regime is taking over every major institution in America. Here's how. Robert Reich Jul 31 Friends, Today I want to describe for you the specific mechanism of control the Trump regime is using over the core institutions of America — the media, higher education, our largest corporations, and Wall Street. It's all in the fine print. Start with CBS. It’s now owned by Skydance Media. Under its Trump-appointed chairman, Brendan Carr, the Federal Communications Commission insisted, as a condition of allowing Paramount to sell CBS to Skydance, that the new owner install an “ombudsman.” What will that ombudsman do? According to Skydance Media’s agreement with the FCC, the ombudsman will “receive and evaluate any complaints of bias or other concerns involving CBS” for at least two years. The agreement doesn’t specify the meaning of “bias,” nor does it define whose “complaints” are to be responded to, nor enumerate what “other concerns” might trigger action. But none of this is difficult to imagine. Trump himself could complain of CBS’s bias or anything else. In fact, he probably will. He already has at least once. If the ombudsman then decides that any complaint of bias or other concern is justified, CBS will have to remedy it. If the ombudsman decides that CBS has not remedied it, Skydance Media’s new president, David Ellison, must do so. If Ellison does not remedy it — or if Trump believes the problem continues, regardless of what the ombudsman decides — the Trump regime can claim that CBS has reneged on its agreement, in which case Skydance’s ownership of CBS could be contested by the FCC. Its stock price would plummet. Note that this method of Trump control is indirect but powerful. The regime doesn’t have to assert control over CBS; it just retains the power to do so. And it’s up to Trump to determine what CBS will have to do to avoid being found to be “biased” or avoid any “other concern.” This mechanism of control is similar at Columbia University, whose new agreement with the Trump regime stipulates a mutually agreed-upon “monitor” who will, like CBS’s ombudsman, respond to complaints about “bias.” Columbia will provide the monitor detailed information about the race of students who are admitted and rejected, including grade point averages and standardized test scores broken down by race. All data related to faculty and administrative staff hiring and promotion practices must be provided to the monitor annually, and hiring data will be subject to a “comprehensive audit.” The monitor is also charged with assuring that the university establishes processes to guarantee “civil discourse, free inquiry, open debate, and the fundamental values of equality and respect.” And the monitor will review data to assure Columbia is meting out discipline without regard to a student’s immigration status. The monitor’s decisions are advisory. If the Trump regime is dissatisfied with the monitor’s decision or feels that the university is not acting in accordance with it, the Trump regime reserves the right to open a new investigation of Columbia and possibly revoke current or future federal research funds. Just like the CBS agreement, the Columbia agreement gives final power to the Trump regime. It allows the regime to maintain control over Columbia by holding a cudgel over the university. As Linda McMahon, Trump’s secretary of education, told Fox Business, “This is a monumental victory for conservatives who wanted to do things on these elite campuses for a long time because we had such far-left-leaning professors.” Or consider the Trump regime’s agreement allowing Nippon Steel to acquire U.S. Steel. During his 2024 campaign, Trump denounced Nippon Steel’s acquisition of U.S. Steel as a threat to American manufacturing. “I am totally against the once great and powerful U.S. Steel being bought by a foreign company, in this case Nippon Steel of Japan,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. “As President, I will block this deal from happening. Buyer Beware!!!” On resuming office, though, Trump approved the deal. But this was after forcing Nippon Steel to give a “golden share” to the Trump regime — essentially giving Trump veto power over strategic decisions by the company. You see the pattern? Veto power over strategic decisions. Ombudsmen. Monitors. They’re all mechanisms for giving the Trump regime power to prevent these institutions — a television network, university, or corporation — from doing something that the Trump regime doesn’t want it to do. But because that power is held in reserve, Trump doesn’t have to display it. The heads of these institutions will do all the work for him; they’re likely to go out of their way to avoid offending the regime. The potential chilling effect is enormous. It’s much the same with major law firms that have surrendered to Trump. And with ABC. And with Jeff Bezos’s control over The Washington Post’s editorial page — which appears to be motivated by fear that Trump might retaliate against Bezos’s other businesses unless Bezos forces the Post to toe the line. It’s the same even with Wall Street. “I have been working on multiple deals where I have people inside the White House telling me what I can and can’t do,” a top dealmaker involved in mergers and acquisitions unrelated to the government recently told the Financial Times. “It’s a level of intrusion I have never experienced before.” Note these words: A level of intrusion I have never experienced before. That from a dealmaker on Wall Street! The words apply to more and more institutions in America that used to be free from government control. This level of intrusion inhibits public criticism of Trump, which is what Trump wants. It also deters so-called “conservative bias” in university hiring, however the Trump regime wants to define it. It eviscerates whatever Trump dislikes, such as corporate “diversity, equity, and inclusion” programs, or transgender women in women’s sports, or contracts with people or institutions against which Trump holds grudges. In short, this level of intrusion gives the Trump regime potential control over almost every institution and organization in America, every aspect of American life — but indirectly, quietly, and as a default if the leaders of the institution go too far. I’m old enough to remember when conservative Republicans stood for limited government and accused Democrats of wanting too much government. No longer. We’re now at a point in American history when a so-called Republican regime in Washington is extending its control far beyond the wildest dreams of the most left-wing of Democrats — or even socialists. But this control is not exercised publicly. It’s behind the scenes. It’s found in the fine print. And it is personal. It depends on Trump’s whims. This is what fascist control looks like, people. By the way, my memoir of my life and times, entitled Coming Up Short, will be out next Tuesday, August 5. If you wish, you can preorder here from Bookshop.org, which supports local bookstores, or find it wherever books are sold. I wrote it to share what I’ve learned about stopping bullies — at a time in American history when we’re dealing with an authoritarian bully who is encouraging bullying throughout the nation and the world. I hope you find it helpful for understanding how we combat the bullies. And why I believe so passionately that we will.

Cuomo's Career is Over 6.25.25 Ally Sammarco Jun 25 Happy Tuesday! Welcome back to Common Sense—your no-BS guide to politics, chaos, and whatever else caught fire today. Trump’s ceasefire didn’t last…Trump walked himself onto the world stage Monday night and declared, “the war is done”—apparently mistaking a 48-hour pause in airstrikes for a peace deal. In reality, Iran launched missiles at Beersheba, killing around five civilians—prompting immediate Israeli defense alerts. Israel responded within hours, targeting Iranian radar and nuclear installations in Tehran. Both sides accused each other of violating the truce. At the NATO summit, Zelensky met with Trump behind closed doors, likely pushing for more air defense systems since Ukraine’s power grid keeps getting pounded. When discussing ending the war, Trump said "it's more difficult than people wouldn't have any idea…Vladimir Putin has been more difficult. Frankly, I had some problems with Zelenskyy. You may have read about him, and it's been more difficult than other wars." Common Sense takeaway: If this is peace, what does war look like? Zohran wins NYC mayoral primary…Zohran Mamdani, a 33‑year‑old Democratic socialist and Queens assemblyman, crushed Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic mayoral primary—winning ~43.5% to Cuomo’s ~36.4% in first‑round votes. Cuomo, the former governor, spent a ton on ads and name recognition. Mamdani, on the other hand, knocked on 1.5 million doors, mobilized a multiracial, multi‑generational coalition, and emphasized economic instability—rent freezes, 200,000 affordable units, and free buses and childcare. MAGA pundits are screaming labels like “Muslim communist,” because of course they are. Common Sense takeaway: A socialist just crushed an establishment guy—and that’s a signal. NYC voters are done with centrist attitudes and platitudes. They want affordability, not self-serving career politicians. If Mamdani wins in November, this could be the blueprint for national progressive insurgencies. Common Sense with Ally Sammarco is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Markets somewhat rebound…Wall Street did its usual thing: panic and then reverse course. Stocks rebounded on news of a “ceasefire,” even though nobody knows how long it’ll last. Oil dipped below $70/barrel, crypto bros are still riding high with Bitcoin holding above $107K, and the Fed is talking about a possible rate cut in September if inflation keeps cooling and nothing else explodes. Tesla’s car sales in Europe fell off a cliff — down 37.1% this year. Turns out Europeans aren’t rushing to buy tech from the guy who spends his weekends cosplaying as a free speech martyr on Twitter. Common Sense takeaway: The economy’s not booming, it’s just relieved we didn’t nuke anyone today! Photo by Yashowardhan Singh on Unsplash Heatwaves take over the world…It’s not even July and temperatures are already breaking records across the country. Montreal, Boston, and parts of Europe are all sweltering through heatwaves that scientists say are “unprecedented” but not unpredictable, given how fast our climate is warming. Of course, Republicans are pretending it’s not a big deal. “It’s just summer,” they say as ER visits spike, power grids strain, and wildfires ignite across dry terrain. No plans, no policies—just lies per usual. Common Sense takeaway: It’s not global warming. It’s just the Earth slowly evicting us. Photo by Scott Goodwill on Unsplash Today’s Buzz Sean “Diddy” Combs’ trial is entering closing arguments this week. He faces a slew of charges that range from disturbing to jaw-dropping. Diddy marks yet another celebrity fall from grace in a year that’s been stacked with them. Still wild that we’re living in a world where Diddy’s legal team and Trump’s criminal defense attorneys have both worked overtime in the court room. That’s all for today. Thanks for reading. Check back tomorrow for the next edition of Common Sense.

SHOCK Polls Leave Trump BEGGING FOR HIS LIFE

 

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The Federal Reserve’s new report is predicting a worsening economy in just the first 90 days of Trump, driven by his erratic trade, tariff, and immigration policies, as the 12 US economic regions report cratering manufacturing, home sales, tourism, and banks tightening their lending criteria. Simultaneously, Trump’s new poll numbers paint a disastrous presidency where he lost 7 points of support and now the majority of Americans “disapprove” of his performance. Michael Popok dons his Wall Street hat to tie these two events together and explain why Trump weakly threatened, but then backed off from, firing the Federal Reserve Chairman in advance of the report's release. Tushy: Over 2 million butts love TUSHY. Get 10% off Tushy with the code LEGALAF at https://hellotushy.com/LEGALAF! #tushypod Subscribe: ‪@LegalAFMTN‬ Visit https://meidasplus.com for more! MeidasTouch relies on SnapStream to record, watch, monitor, and clip the news. Get a FREE TRIAL of SnapStream by clicking here: https://go.snapstream.com/affiliate/m... Support the MeidasTouch Network:   / meidastouch   Add the MeidasTouch Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Buy MeidasTouch Merch: https://store.meidastouch.com Follow MeidasTouch on Twitter:   / meidastouch   Follow MeidasTouch on Facebook:   / meidastouch   Follow MeidasTouch on Instagram:   / meidastouch   Follow MeidasTouch on TikTok:   / meidastouch  

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Lawrence: Trump, a 'humiliated clown' who always pretends he never backs down, backed down again

 

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#Trump #JeromePowell #WallStreet

After a disastrous day in the stock market “attributed 100% to the words of Donald Trump,” MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell describes how Donald Trump backed down from suggestions he might fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, revealing that “there is one person in America more powerful than Donald Trump.” For more context and news coverage of the most important stories of our day click here: https://www.msnbc.com/ » Subscribe to MSNBC:    / msnbc   » Subscribe to MSNBC on TikTok   / msnbc   » Subscribe to MSNBC on Instagram   / msnbc   Download our new MSNBC app for the latest breaking news and daily headlines at a glance: https://www.msnbc.com/information/dow... Follow MSNBC Show Blogs MaddowBlog: https://www.msnbc.com/maddowblog MSNBC delivers breaking news, in-depth analysis of political headlines, commentary and informed perspectives. Find video clips and segments from The Rachel Maddow Show, Inside with Jen Psaki, Morning Joe, The Beat, Deadline: White House, All In, The Last Word, The 11th Hour, and more. Connect with MSNBC Online Visit msnbc.com: https://www.msnbc.com/ Subscribe to the MSNBC Daily Newsletter: https://link.msnbc.com/join/5ck/msnbc... #Trump #JeromePowell #WallStreet

 

Another Trump sex criminal is caught

It’s Thursday. There are 600 days until the midterm elections. Walz gets back on the field, another Trump sex criminal is caught and it’s time to shut it down.

Adam Parkhomenko and Sam Youngman Mar 13

Be advised: This newsletter uses profanity. What are we supposed to do when some crazy assholes are attacking Habitat for Humanity?

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Note: Howdy, Sexy Patriots! How the heck are ya today? Yeah, us too. What can we say? Things are pretty fucked up. It’s mornings like this we count our blessings and thank dog for giving us Ted Cruz to make fun of and humiliate…

HuffPost @huffpost.com

Amid fawning praise for Donald Trump's billionaire ally, there were some scathing suggestions the Texas Republican likely won't repeat.

Thu, 13 Mar 2025 07:16:41 GMT

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LOL! At least Cruz isn’t posting porn anymore. So Ted wants to know what we would ask Elon Leon over a beer? Oh we can definitely help with this. So here’s a list of questions we came up with…

1. What’s your fucking problem?

2. No, seriously, what’s your fucking problem?

3. Do you think Ted Cruz’s wife is ugly like Trump does? Or perhaps fugly?

4. Are you the world’s first virgin to have 20 kids?

5. Why do you hate America? Is it because we’re cool and you’re not?

6. Why does your weirdo mommy fight your battles for you?

7. Whose ass tastes better? Trump’s or Putin’s?

8. Where do they plug you in at night? And how can we liberate your poor inflatable sex doll?

9. How many presidents do you think Cruz’s dad killed?

10. Who kidnapped us and forced us to have a beer with your creepy nazi ass?

What did we forget? Feel free to add your own questions for Elon Leon in the comments section. Don’t feel compelled to be polite. The high road is for suckers, and that guy is a fucking asshole. Y’all have a blessed day.

Note two: Great news for champagne producers in the U.S. as Trump loses his temper and announces 200 percent tariffs on French alcohol. What’s that you say? America doesn’t have champagne producers? Why that would mean we’re being led by a moron! More: CNBC

Note three: Some rare good news as Trump withdraws his anti-vaxxer pick to lead the CDC. Unfortunately, we’re hearing he’s going to give the job to COVID. More: NBC News

Note four: New Hampshire has made it harder for married women to vote. Are we seriously gonna have to do the suffrage movement again? More: NHPR

Note five: THIS IS THE FIRE WE WANT TO SEE EVERY GODDAMN SECOND OF EVERY GODDAMN DAY!

Brian Tyler Cohen @briantylercohen.bsky.social

A top Democratic congressman goes off during a DOGE hearing and calls out Elon for trying to cut Social Security. More of this please.

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 19:26:13 GMT

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Note six: We don’t link to Politico, but there’s a story about how Democrats in Washington are pissed that Gavin Newsom is doing a hard-right turn and bro-ing out with Steve Bannon and Charlie Kirk. We feel the same way and we really can’t wait for the chance to vote against him. NO LINK ON PURPOSE

Note seven: We love this. The New York Daily News is talking shit to Tom Homan. More: NY Daily News

Resistance Alert: Our daily newsletter is always free with no paywall, so please share it widely so as many Resisters as possible can sign up for our daily Resistance Newsletter. We have no advertisers or investors. Love y’all!

Note eight: Mayor Pete is passing on a U.S. Senate run in Michigan and probably going to run for president again. Democrats are damn lucky to have a deep bench right now. More: Huff Post

Note nine: Holy crap! Donatella Versace is stepping down! We’re just kidding. We don’t actually care about this. More: People

Note 10: Want to see how shit-filled evil our country is these days? Hell is too good for Trump and his scum.

NBC News @nbcnews.com

U.S. citizen child recovering from brain cancer deported to Mexico with undocumented parents.

Thu, 13 Mar 2025 00:45:09 GMT

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Note 11: Fox “News” is telling its viewers to ignore Trump’s tanking stock market. Sounds like good advice. More: Mediaite

Note 12: CNN’s civility police officer Brianna Keilar was back on her bullshit yesterday, daring to ask Sen. Tina Smith if it was appropriate to call Elon Leon a “dick.” Thank goodness for the press, right? We get that Brianna is painfully out of touch or just desperately trying to keep her job, but this shit is getting old. More: The Hill

Note 13: NPR told one of its big name hosts to skip a Pride celebration. So that’s where NPR is these days. More: Semafor

Note 14: Trump has directed the military to draw up some options for Panama. So just remember that things have just begun to get really fucking stupid. More: NBC News

Note 15: In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, Jig Dance (JD) Vance dressed up as an actual leprechaun. Whoever is dressing Vance hates him as much as we do lol.

PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 @patriottakes.bsky.social

What’s going on with JD Vance’s pants?

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 17:55:39 GMT

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Note 16: Utah is so bigoted now that they might lose the Sundance Film Festival. Stop being assholes, Utah! More: Utah Political Watch

Note 17: In a debate last night, Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Susan Crawford called her MAGA opponent Brad Schimel “Elon Schimel.” We love it. Git his ass, Susan! More: Associated Press

Note 18: We weren’t kidding about the FBI going after Habitat for Humanity. They’re going after the United Way too. Yeah, it’s pretty fucked up. More: New Republic

Note 19: For today’s Happy Ending, we take you to Greenland. We mentioned earlier this week that the country was having its parliamentary elections. Well the results are in and the only pro-Trump party got absolutely trounced. The people have spoken and they said Fuck Trump. Good job, Greenland! More: Associated Press

Note 20: And on that encouraging note, let’s go do some news! We sure hope y’all are having a lovely week. And we hope even more that you never have to get a beer with Elon Leon. Love y’all!

Put him in, coach
Tim Walz is back. Fresh off announcing he won’t run for the U.S. Senate, the guy who could have been our non-couch-fucking vice president is setting off on a national tour to call out scary and mean Republican bullshit. Walz is doing a town hall tour, and he’s starting in Iowa and Nebraska before heading to Wisconsin and Ohio. Walz gave a powerful interview yesterday in which he said “I own this” and talked about the responsibility he felt for where we are now. We’re just glad to see him back on the field. Go get ‘em, coach. More: CNN

A pervy pattern

Donald Trump is greeted by Pastor Robert Morris at Gateway Church Dallas Campus in Dallas, Texas, on June 11, 2020. Credit: REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Another one of Trump’s friends has been indicted for sex crimes against children. So the QAnon freaks missed another one. Robert Morris, a megachurch preacher and Trump’s former spiritual adviser, was indicted in Oklahoma for raping a 12 year old in the 1980s. So this guy is definitely a Trumper. This is the same piece of shit that Gov. Greg Abbott worked with on the anti-trans bathroom bill. They’re all fucking creeps. Lock them up and throw away the fucking key. Start with Trump. More: Texas Tribune

Shut it down
The federal government shuts down tomorrow unless Senate Democrats fold and vote to condone Trump and Leon Elon’s fascist power grab. There have been some mixed signals out of the Senate in the last day or so, and it’s been pretty unclear which way they are headed. Yesterday Schumer announced that Republicans didn’t have the votes to pass their bullshit CR, but it looked like a head fake to pacify us before they did a 180 and let Republicans vote on this disaster. As of this morning though, we are optimistic that they’re going to do the right thing. We are seeing people like Mark Warner say they will vote against cloture. So maybe Senate Democrats have located their spines. We can only hope. More: NBC News

Resistance Alert: Our daily newsletter is always free with no paywall, so please share it widely so as many Resisters as possible can sign up for our daily Resistance Newsletter. We have no advertisers or investors. Love y’all!

Today’s clips
The wife of Mahmoud Khalil, the Palestinian activist who was detained by ICE agents over his role in student protests at Columbia University’s campus against Israel’s war in Gaza last year, on Wednesday said she was wrong to dismiss his earlier concerns about becoming a target for immigration agents. More: Huff Post

North Dakota lawmakers are on the verge of making their state the first to tell the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn its decade-old ruling that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. More: NBC News

Turmoil on Wall Street is keeping financial planners’ phones ringing as 401(k) holders watch their retirement account balances fall with the stock markets they’re tied to. For the most part, they’re being told to sit tight and breathe through it. More: NBC News

Jewish and Muslim advocacy groups condemned President Trump for calling Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) a “Palestinian,” arguing he used it as a slur against the long-time lawmaker. More: The Hill

An hours-long outage Wednesday on StudentAid.gov, the federal website for student loans and financial aid, underscored the risks in rapidly gutting the Department of Education, as President Donald Trump aims to dismantle the agency. More: Associated Press

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Donald Trump wants to intimidate us into silence. He’s firing civil servants if they don’t first and foremost serve him. He’s denying funds to colleges and universities that disagree with him. He’s even ordering deportation – calling it a first “of many to come” – for a legal, permanent resident for exercising free speech instead of

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Trump Golf Track from The Alt Media (visit)

Resistance Alert: Our daily newsletter is always free with no paywall, so please share it widely so as many Resisters as possible can sign up for our daily Resistance Newsletter. We have no advertisers or investors. Love y’all!