Let’s start, i just can’t breathe normally. So much, so little. There is one “feeling”. It seems we are (general public) getting used and normalized this government very quickly. But the policies, the executive orders are worse and worse.
But, at my end, i just want to know more about democrats in power. I disclose i am full, unapologetic democrat but it is hard to be one. Not hard because of the policies but hard because the elected leaders are just there, with no action. For 10 years, GOP “repealed” the ACA. It wasn’t repealed but it damaged it to the core. At least 40 different attempts. Democrats in the House and Senate have done nothing in times where they are not in the majority. So, i would like to know why? What are their financial ties to all this? What are the consultants making out of no real resistance? Because people like me, regular democrat base, are fed up with the inaction. The inaction is also part of the corruption scheme of this government.
I understand and feel the same way but the devil's advocate side of my brain says that if the Dems don't let some of this play out then the republican voter will never understand the consequences of their vote. That they will be of the mindset that the dems only fearmonger cause nothing terrible happened (somehow they don't see the covid response as terrible). They don't appreciate what Biden did because it's almost like proving a negative....we didn't go into a recession, we didn't have mass unemployment, etc and they don't understand the effort that went into it to keep that at bay. As much as i don't want the destruction to our country (because we know it will take generations to repair if it's repairable) at the same time if the average republican voter doesn't feel the pain then they will continue to vote red. The key for the dems is to shine the biggest, brightest spotlight in everything and that's how the dems are failing. The spin doctors on the right have always been better than the left. They simultaneously tap into the superiority complex and victim complex to keep the average red voter.
Understood. At my end, it is about corruption and not about “i told you so” MAGA voter. Corruption is the real cancer of US society. And without accountability for all in power, no trust will ever be gained. And no desire to even be a full democrat. I am not trying to create conspiracies of the leaders in the democratic side. What i am advocating is a real dive into the financial dealings of both parties, their disclosures, their consultants, their salaries, on how much they have personally gained and reason for inaction.
Agreed, this whole catastrophe of the rapey felon 47 and his followers has been brewing for years. It’s almost inevitable that they will break apart this country and halt all progress that has been achieved by President Biden, and hurl us backward like a time machine. 1890? 1920, 1929? What decade do these regressive-thinking morons want? Right wing propagandist media has convinced a large portion of Americans that all government is “bad”. So the “FauxNews” and their right wing ilk concentrate their propaganda attacks on norms and values that are against the best interests of the majority of Americans. People are mostly lazy after all, and the decades of being fed Bs conspiracy theories and outright omission of facts has sown doubts about what government actually is doing in our name. Mixed with the reality that white collar crime(which trump is the absolute king of) and committed by people of both parties, has been allowed to fester in that people recognize that justice is unequal in this country. The grievances, anger and resentment of perceived injustice has isolated many people to turn to a demigod-ole rapey felon who says “ he alone can fix it “. My brain hurts trying to understand how people turned to a conman known for serial cheating on his wives, bankrupting businesses and casinos, thousands of documented lies during his first term, let alone taking archived documents, plus other national security breaches. But being gullible, lack of critical thinking, and ignorance is a trait that has manifested in many people to believe in horrendous conspiracies , and commit to a master conman to destroy a country. We, as a nation, will have a reckoning coming and tough decisions will have to be weighed-whether we want a nation of justice for all or do we want a nation where the super wealthy get away with flouting the laws of the land in order to hoard even more wealth at the expense of everyone else. Unfortunately, I think this country will have to go through a 1930’s like era, where republican/magat supporters will feel real pain and devastation before the reality hits that the real enemy is the billionaire class who hoard everything, and tilt justice and society to rule in their favor. Trump’s stupidity along with his sycophants are just accelerating the inevitable collapse of our democracy. (Sorry for the long rant).
This has been more than spin-doctoring. It is a barrage of multiple sources, domestic and international 24/7/365 propaganda. Right wingers here own virtually every single media conglomerate. I agree with your thoughts on having the ignorant MAGAs finally figure out they are irrelevant to felon trump.
I agree with Bridget and I also have to push back on “Democrats did nothing”. My Congressman Don Beyer of Virginia is doing plenty. My state representatives in Virginia's General Assembly are also fighting back hard.
Ditto - McConnell was the master of opposition/ if he were Schumer - he’d have smarmy Lil Kleptocrat boot licker Johnson crying in the corner. Yet Schumer does nothing of opposition - all the Dems have to do is follow McConnell’s playbook .
I’d like to better understand ICE structure. Who are these masked men? How are they hired, supervised. What’s the org structure. Who’s making raid decisions. How much is this all costing. It’s scary the power and force of this army.
It is apparent that one of Trump's goals (if not his main goal) is to massively increase his family's wealth during this term in office. It would be useful to have a cogent, well-researched profile of these corrupt income streams to keep us focused on a story that Trump works hard to obfuscate. This would serve us now, and as a possible guide for investigation and indictment in the future.
I'd like to see some analysis regarding The GENIUS Act. Democrats shouldn't be aiding and abetting the cryptocurrency industry (cough, Kirsten Gillibrand, cough).
And the story of how Kirsten Gillibrand -- the Democratic queen of crypto corruption -- got the leadership position for the 2026 Democratic Senate Campaign Committee (DSCC).
I’m waiting for someone to start deeply investigating who the masked “federal agents” are that are committing blatant crimes by kidnapping people with no warrants. It’s obvious that these are deputized Jan 6ers who are not actual LEOs and they need to be outed and rearrested.
I'd be interested in learning more about medical debt. I follow a Kansas Reddit page. It is apparently legal in Kansas to garnish up to 25% of a person's wages for medical debt. One person said she was hospitalized for a suicide attempt a few years ago. She personally owed $6,000. She has paid more than $3,200, but she owes more than $10,000 now and will never be able to pay it off. She is also losing her house because they are garnishing 25% of her wages for the debt. Wondering whether this is now universal or a model for the new administration.
It would be interesting to understand the relationships among new defense tech companies (Anduril, Palantir, Hadrian), the Trump Admin, and major techno-libertarian Trump donors (Thiel, Lonsdale, Andreessen).
I think it's been consolidated under some DOGE database, possibly in Homeland Security. But yeah, once it's there, who is going to keep an eye on it? It probably can't be dismantled.
Thank you for your diligent work! "A provision in the proposed spending bill would restrict the authority of federal courts to hold government officials in contempt when they violate court orders." I've been wondering why/how no one seems to have picked this up in their coverage of the House spending bill now at the Senate. It's from <https://www.justsecurity.org/113529/terrible-idea-contempt-court/>
I'm not sure people understand how AI is being used all around us, by police, chat bots for customer service, to make financial decisions etc. ai isn't smart, it is an aggregator of data and patterns....a long way from replacing humans....and yet it appears to be unregulated??? Digital privacy act was created in 1996 and nothing since. Is a copy taking place that Americans don't see?
Inside NIH funding. Right now so called council meetings are not scheduled. Council is where actuall money gets awarded to extramural grants. Extramural are all the grants that go to universities. If council doesn't meet NO grants on anything at any university gets funded. It's this kind of inside manipulation that needs attention.
So many good topics to pursue! One that is affecting my community and that of other rural people I know: the defunding of Americorps. I live in the area devastated by Hurricane Helene. We were expecting dozens of young Americorps workers to come work for non-profits this spring, to help rebuild the tens of thousands of homes still unlivable in our area, as well as rebuild trails and other infrastructure devastated by the storm. Many people had no flood insurance or other means to rebuild their homes-- they rely on volunteers. We also know that Americorps crews actively rebuilding homes devastated by the Southern California wildfires were recently fired. And I have a cousin in another rural area who relies on Americorps volunteers to accomplish key tasks in their community-- they lost their volunteer. I know this story is being repeated nationwide. I hear from Trump supporters that they believe his government funding cuts are just eliminating waste and fraud. Obviously we who read your newsletter are well aware of the harm arising from cuts in so many areas! The Americorps program is such a good experience for young people who want to serve and give back, as well as build work skills and experience. They meet Americans from other communities and build relationships. The rural and urban underserved communities where they work are definitely suffering from the loss of these workers. Americorps is a bargain, both financially and in terms of social cohesion. That's exactly what I DO want my tax dollars spent for.
I rely on Popular information to give me in depth understanding on one topic every day. I never feel overwhelmed by your reporting. It keeps me sane. There are 365 days in a year, 365 topics. I trust you to pick the ones that matter. I will only add one that is very specific to my great state of Michigan- water. Water and health (PFAS, bacteria, algae, lead), water and national/foreign policy (our relationship with Canada and Line 5, the Great Lakes Water Compact and the draining of the watershed by non-watershed actors, corporations like Nestle and cities like Chicago selling their rights), water and ecology/climate change (Asian carp, the return of the sturgeon, agricultural runoff, changing levels and the effects on shipping and the Sault lock). 20% of the worlds fresh, drinkable water is 20 miles from my front door. Just a few of the things I think about. Thank you for all you do.
Fellow Michigander. I am devastated by the PFAS rollbacks. PFAS ravaged West Michigan, causing death, cancer, and a lifetime of medical complications. In fact, my township is currently changing to city water since so many residents still have wells and are being subjected to PFAS from local manufacturers and the airport. This is only happening because citizens advocated for their health and well-being after seeing how neighboring communities suffered. I worry this transition wouldn't have been approved under this new regime and mindset. To think we have come this far and will now be prioritizing corporate chemical runoff over the HEALTH and lives of children is beyond comprehension. This regime does not care about health or children.
I hear you and feel for you. Here in Midland the big fight was dioxin. It has been resolved for now, but what would it have been like if we had this EPA ten years ago?
Speaker Johnson said at a press conference following Trump's meeting at the Capital yesterday, 5/20/25, that the burden of the court/legal prices will be switched from the tax payer to the migrant. He said that was one of the items in "the Big Beautiful Bill". Does that mean that only immigrants that can pay for due process themselves can get due process?
Let’s start, i just can’t breathe normally. So much, so little. There is one “feeling”. It seems we are (general public) getting used and normalized this government very quickly. But the policies, the executive orders are worse and worse.
But, at my end, i just want to know more about democrats in power. I disclose i am full, unapologetic democrat but it is hard to be one. Not hard because of the policies but hard because the elected leaders are just there, with no action. For 10 years, GOP “repealed” the ACA. It wasn’t repealed but it damaged it to the core. At least 40 different attempts. Democrats in the House and Senate have done nothing in times where they are not in the majority. So, i would like to know why? What are their financial ties to all this? What are the consultants making out of no real resistance? Because people like me, regular democrat base, are fed up with the inaction. The inaction is also part of the corruption scheme of this government.
I understand and feel the same way but the devil's advocate side of my brain says that if the Dems don't let some of this play out then the republican voter will never understand the consequences of their vote. That they will be of the mindset that the dems only fearmonger cause nothing terrible happened (somehow they don't see the covid response as terrible). They don't appreciate what Biden did because it's almost like proving a negative....we didn't go into a recession, we didn't have mass unemployment, etc and they don't understand the effort that went into it to keep that at bay. As much as i don't want the destruction to our country (because we know it will take generations to repair if it's repairable) at the same time if the average republican voter doesn't feel the pain then they will continue to vote red. The key for the dems is to shine the biggest, brightest spotlight in everything and that's how the dems are failing. The spin doctors on the right have always been better than the left. They simultaneously tap into the superiority complex and victim complex to keep the average red voter.
Understood. At my end, it is about corruption and not about “i told you so” MAGA voter. Corruption is the real cancer of US society. And without accountability for all in power, no trust will ever be gained. And no desire to even be a full democrat. I am not trying to create conspiracies of the leaders in the democratic side. What i am advocating is a real dive into the financial dealings of both parties, their disclosures, their consultants, their salaries, on how much they have personally gained and reason for inaction.
Agreed, this whole catastrophe of the rapey felon 47 and his followers has been brewing for years. It’s almost inevitable that they will break apart this country and halt all progress that has been achieved by President Biden, and hurl us backward like a time machine. 1890? 1920, 1929? What decade do these regressive-thinking morons want? Right wing propagandist media has convinced a large portion of Americans that all government is “bad”. So the “FauxNews” and their right wing ilk concentrate their propaganda attacks on norms and values that are against the best interests of the majority of Americans. People are mostly lazy after all, and the decades of being fed Bs conspiracy theories and outright omission of facts has sown doubts about what government actually is doing in our name. Mixed with the reality that white collar crime(which trump is the absolute king of) and committed by people of both parties, has been allowed to fester in that people recognize that justice is unequal in this country. The grievances, anger and resentment of perceived injustice has isolated many people to turn to a demigod-ole rapey felon who says “ he alone can fix it “. My brain hurts trying to understand how people turned to a conman known for serial cheating on his wives, bankrupting businesses and casinos, thousands of documented lies during his first term, let alone taking archived documents, plus other national security breaches. But being gullible, lack of critical thinking, and ignorance is a trait that has manifested in many people to believe in horrendous conspiracies , and commit to a master conman to destroy a country. We, as a nation, will have a reckoning coming and tough decisions will have to be weighed-whether we want a nation of justice for all or do we want a nation where the super wealthy get away with flouting the laws of the land in order to hoard even more wealth at the expense of everyone else. Unfortunately, I think this country will have to go through a 1930’s like era, where republican/magat supporters will feel real pain and devastation before the reality hits that the real enemy is the billionaire class who hoard everything, and tilt justice and society to rule in their favor. Trump’s stupidity along with his sycophants are just accelerating the inevitable collapse of our democracy. (Sorry for the long rant).
"The spin doctors on the right have always been better than the left." Because the Republicans don't stick to the facts.
They definitely seem to have doctorates in Factual Twistology!
😄 I like that choice of wording…Factual Twistology!
This has been more than spin-doctoring. It is a barrage of multiple sources, domestic and international 24/7/365 propaganda. Right wingers here own virtually every single media conglomerate. I agree with your thoughts on having the ignorant MAGAs finally figure out they are irrelevant to felon trump.
I agree with Bridget and I also have to push back on “Democrats did nothing”. My Congressman Don Beyer of Virginia is doing plenty. My state representatives in Virginia's General Assembly are also fighting back hard.
Ditto - McConnell was the master of opposition/ if he were Schumer - he’d have smarmy Lil Kleptocrat boot licker Johnson crying in the corner. Yet Schumer does nothing of opposition - all the Dems have to do is follow McConnell’s playbook .
I’d like to better understand ICE structure. Who are these masked men? How are they hired, supervised. What’s the org structure. Who’s making raid decisions. How much is this all costing. It’s scary the power and force of this army.
Indeed..they must be tracked down and exposed.
It is apparent that one of Trump's goals (if not his main goal) is to massively increase his family's wealth during this term in office. It would be useful to have a cogent, well-researched profile of these corrupt income streams to keep us focused on a story that Trump works hard to obfuscate. This would serve us now, and as a possible guide for investigation and indictment in the future.
I'd like to see some analysis regarding The GENIUS Act. Democrats shouldn't be aiding and abetting the cryptocurrency industry (cough, Kirsten Gillibrand, cough).
And the story of how Kirsten Gillibrand -- the Democratic queen of crypto corruption -- got the leadership position for the 2026 Democratic Senate Campaign Committee (DSCC).
She’s prob a R in disguise
I’m waiting for someone to start deeply investigating who the masked “federal agents” are that are committing blatant crimes by kidnapping people with no warrants. It’s obvious that these are deputized Jan 6ers who are not actual LEOs and they need to be outed and rearrested.
I'd be interested in learning more about medical debt. I follow a Kansas Reddit page. It is apparently legal in Kansas to garnish up to 25% of a person's wages for medical debt. One person said she was hospitalized for a suicide attempt a few years ago. She personally owed $6,000. She has paid more than $3,200, but she owes more than $10,000 now and will never be able to pay it off. She is also losing her house because they are garnishing 25% of her wages for the debt. Wondering whether this is now universal or a model for the new administration.
Yeah, this story definitely needs light. How awful for her 😢
It would be interesting to understand the relationships among new defense tech companies (Anduril, Palantir, Hadrian), the Trump Admin, and major techno-libertarian Trump donors (Thiel, Lonsdale, Andreessen).
I posted sometime g similar but you expressed it better!
Crypto corruption — anew way to bribe politicians without accountability and regulation. Why are senate democrats going along with this?
What has happened to all of the data that has been siphoned from IRS, SSA, and other agencies?
The massive redistribution of wealth from the middle and lower class to the billionaire class.
I think it's been consolidated under some DOGE database, possibly in Homeland Security. But yeah, once it's there, who is going to keep an eye on it? It probably can't be dismantled.
Thank you for your diligent work! "A provision in the proposed spending bill would restrict the authority of federal courts to hold government officials in contempt when they violate court orders." I've been wondering why/how no one seems to have picked this up in their coverage of the House spending bill now at the Senate. It's from <https://www.justsecurity.org/113529/terrible-idea-contempt-court/>
The implication of global dependence on Starlink.
EvilElmo + StarKink = unmitigated disaster!
I'm not sure people understand how AI is being used all around us, by police, chat bots for customer service, to make financial decisions etc. ai isn't smart, it is an aggregator of data and patterns....a long way from replacing humans....and yet it appears to be unregulated??? Digital privacy act was created in 1996 and nothing since. Is a copy taking place that Americans don't see?
A coup... not a copy. Cursed auto correct. A perfect example machines are not intelligent....they are just fast.
A case in Alabama involving lawyers using AI in court filings points to what you are talking about (It's despicable!): "The lawyers include Bill Lunsford, appointed as an assistant attorney general by Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, which allows him to select others in the firm to work on cases defending the prison system in an avalanche of lawsuits. Lunsford has been paid more than $42 million by the state since 2020, presumably sharing the wealth with others on his team." https://www.al.com/news/2025/05/skeptical-judge-ponders-sanctions-in-alabama-ai-snafu-it-strains-credulity.html?fbclid=IwY2xjawKgax5leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETE0N29oeDFEdjJCTGdsWWMxAR5uReBiQLvLfDqmVLSQoRxPhWkQjyM0H4TBiBdsd35P-t2zFJW6k0MlBnVZ6Q_aem_jndPJhAEsA8ZjVUB_XQqRw
Inside NIH funding. Right now so called council meetings are not scheduled. Council is where actuall money gets awarded to extramural grants. Extramural are all the grants that go to universities. If council doesn't meet NO grants on anything at any university gets funded. It's this kind of inside manipulation that needs attention.
So many good topics to pursue! One that is affecting my community and that of other rural people I know: the defunding of Americorps. I live in the area devastated by Hurricane Helene. We were expecting dozens of young Americorps workers to come work for non-profits this spring, to help rebuild the tens of thousands of homes still unlivable in our area, as well as rebuild trails and other infrastructure devastated by the storm. Many people had no flood insurance or other means to rebuild their homes-- they rely on volunteers. We also know that Americorps crews actively rebuilding homes devastated by the Southern California wildfires were recently fired. And I have a cousin in another rural area who relies on Americorps volunteers to accomplish key tasks in their community-- they lost their volunteer. I know this story is being repeated nationwide. I hear from Trump supporters that they believe his government funding cuts are just eliminating waste and fraud. Obviously we who read your newsletter are well aware of the harm arising from cuts in so many areas! The Americorps program is such a good experience for young people who want to serve and give back, as well as build work skills and experience. They meet Americans from other communities and build relationships. The rural and urban underserved communities where they work are definitely suffering from the loss of these workers. Americorps is a bargain, both financially and in terms of social cohesion. That's exactly what I DO want my tax dollars spent for.
At some point some thought is going to be needed re the strong likelihood (to me anyway) Trump will not voluntarily leave Office 1/20/29.
DOJ is mangled, and, I strongly suspect top (new and improved) military leaders will by then owe allegiance to Trump, not The Constitution.
How is Removal going to happen?
Appreciate all you do.
I rely on Popular information to give me in depth understanding on one topic every day. I never feel overwhelmed by your reporting. It keeps me sane. There are 365 days in a year, 365 topics. I trust you to pick the ones that matter. I will only add one that is very specific to my great state of Michigan- water. Water and health (PFAS, bacteria, algae, lead), water and national/foreign policy (our relationship with Canada and Line 5, the Great Lakes Water Compact and the draining of the watershed by non-watershed actors, corporations like Nestle and cities like Chicago selling their rights), water and ecology/climate change (Asian carp, the return of the sturgeon, agricultural runoff, changing levels and the effects on shipping and the Sault lock). 20% of the worlds fresh, drinkable water is 20 miles from my front door. Just a few of the things I think about. Thank you for all you do.
Fellow Michigander. I am devastated by the PFAS rollbacks. PFAS ravaged West Michigan, causing death, cancer, and a lifetime of medical complications. In fact, my township is currently changing to city water since so many residents still have wells and are being subjected to PFAS from local manufacturers and the airport. This is only happening because citizens advocated for their health and well-being after seeing how neighboring communities suffered. I worry this transition wouldn't have been approved under this new regime and mindset. To think we have come this far and will now be prioritizing corporate chemical runoff over the HEALTH and lives of children is beyond comprehension. This regime does not care about health or children.
I hear you and feel for you. Here in Midland the big fight was dioxin. It has been resolved for now, but what would it have been like if we had this EPA ten years ago?
Speaker Johnson said at a press conference following Trump's meeting at the Capital yesterday, 5/20/25, that the burden of the court/legal prices will be switched from the tax payer to the migrant. He said that was one of the items in "the Big Beautiful Bill". Does that mean that only immigrants that can pay for due process themselves can get due process?