POKING AROUND AS WE LOOK TO THE END OF WEEK THIRTEEN

Today is Day 86 of Trumjp’s Fascist Coup. There are 565 days to the mid-terms. Maladministration II is defying the orders of two federal courts backed by a 9-0 Supreme Court ruling against their criminal behavior. PINO is attempting to create an opportunity to fire Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, which will destroy the economy.

Yesterday, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg found probable cause to hold Maladministration II in criminal contempt for willfully disobeying his order to immediately halt deportations under the rarely used Alien Enemies Act and turn around any airborne planes. His order gives the Trumptraitors a final opportunity to come into compliance, but says he will otherwise take steps to identify the specific people who flouted his March 15 ruling, which was later lifted by the Supreme Court, and refer them for prosecution. Boasberg wrote: “The Court ultimately determines that the Government’s actions on that day demonstrate a willful disregard for its Order, sufficient for the Court to conclude that probable cause exists to find the Government in criminal contempt. The Court does not reach such conclusion lightly or hastily; indeed, it has given Defendants ample opportunity to rectify or explain their actions. None of their responses has been satisfactory,” The order is a blow to Maladministration II that has dug in on its claims it has no obligation to return any of the men swiftly deported to a Salvadoran prison after PINO invoked the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, which has only been used three previous times, all during wars. In the order, Boasberg faulted the administration for having “spirited out” of the country more than 100 Venezuelans amid their efforts to challenge the legality of their deportations. “The Constitution does not tolerate willful disobedience of judicial orders — especially by officials of a coordinate branch who have sworn an oath to uphold it.” Boasberg’s order gives the Trump administration an opportunity to “purge” or rectify its contempt, but stopped short of requiring what he called “the most obvious way” for the administration to do so, instead asking the government to propose options for doing so. “The most obvious way for Defendants to do so here is by asserting custody of the individuals who were removed in violation of the Court’s classwide TRO so that they might avail themselves of their right to challenge their removability through a habeas proceeding. Per the terms of the TRO, the Government would not need to release any of those individuals, nor would it need to transport them back to the homeland. The Court will also give Defendants an opportunity to propose other methods of coming into compliance, which the Court will evaluate.” The sun will rise in the west before the convicted felon and Russian traitor illegally occupying the White House will ever do any of this. The government is unlikely to agree to prosecute the contempt, but it is almost certain to delay announcing a decision for as long as possible so as to keep other proceedings from beginning. Judge Boasberg wrote that if the government declined to prosecute the contempt, he would use a process that permits the appointment of private prosecutors to move the matter forward. Stay turned to see Maladministration II lawyers led out of court in handcuffs.

From the Department of The Fascist Coup Continues: On Monday, Harvard University informed Aladministration II that it would not collaborate with the fascist scum who want to destroy higher education and would not knuckle under to their illegal attempt to take control of the operation of Harvard. On Tuesday, the Traitor who illegally occupies the White House said that Harvard’s tax-esempt status should be rescinded, posting on Lies Anti-Social: “Perhaps Harvard should lose its Tax Exempt Status and be Taxed as a Political Entity if it keeps pushing political, ideological, and terrorist inspired/supporting ‘Sickness?’ Remember, Tax Exempt Status is totally contingent on acting in the PUBLIC INTEREST!” Yesterday, Andrew De Mello, the IRS’s acting chief counsel, received an inquiry from the Treasury Department requesting that the agency rescind the Ivy League school’s tax-exemption status, a day after the convicted felon in the White House suggested the idea. Only the IRS can review and revoke the existing status of taxpaying entities and has traditionally done so without presidential interference, as mandated by tax laws. “The IRS is supposed to administer the tax rules impartially, not pursue political vendettas against exempt organizations,” said Steve Rosenthal, who served as senior fellow at the Tax Policy Center, a Washington-based think tank. Also, ICE Barbie announced the cancelation of more than $2.7 million in grants to Harvard. DHS also noted in the press release that the secretary requested “detailed records on Harvard’s foreign student visa holders’ illegal and violent activities” in a letter. “Harvard bending the knee to antisemitism - driven by its spineless leadership - fuels a cesspool of extremist riots and threatens our national security,” ICE Barbie said in the release. “With anti-American, pro-Hamas ideology poisoning its campus and classrooms, Harvard’s position as a top institution of higher learning is a distant memory. America demands more from universities entrusted with taxpayer dollars,” she added. A Harvard spokesperson said the school was “aware of the Department of Homeland Security’s letter regarding grant cancellations and scrutiny of foreign student visas, which—like the Administration’s announcement of the freeze of $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contracts, and reports of the revocation of Harvard’s 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status—follows on the heels of our statement that Harvard will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights. We continue to stand by that statement. We will continue to comply with the law and expect the Administration to do the same. Harvard values the rule of law and expects all members of our community to comply with University policies and applicable legal standards.”

From the Department of Fuck Around And Find Out MAGAts: Yesterday, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan indefinitely blocked the EPA from clawing back billions of dollars in Biden-era climate grants. Judge Chutkan said the EPA may not suspend or terminate the green grant awards nor limit access to those funds while a lawsuit challenging the effort to recoup the money moves forward. The judge also ordered Citibank, which received the funds but refused to disburse them at the government’s request, to unfreeze the climate groups’ funds. However, Chutkan directed Citibank to refrain from releasing any funds until Thursday afternoon. After that, the groups will be able to use that money to finance climate-friendly projects. Maladministration II has appealed her decision, which she said would be explained in a forthcoming memorandum. Judge Chutkan’s order unfroze $14 billion of the $20 billion total. Her decision comes after she previously blocked Citibank from returning the funds to the U.S. Treasury and said the EPA cannot terminate the grants while the issue plays out in court. The r Coalition for Green Capital The groups celebrated Chutkan’s order in a statement: “Today’s decision gives us a chance to breathe after the EPA unlawfully — and without due process — terminated our awards and blocked access to funds that were appropriated by Congress and legally obligated. After a year-long application process, we were hired to do a job that we’ve done for decades: investing in communities and strengthening markets. We want to get back to work.” The EPA laimed the funds were being held up due to waste, fraud and abuse, but during a hearing last month, it was not able to provide evidence to back up those claims, and Chutkan has said it has not demonstrated them to be true. “You’ve been very candid with me in saying you don’t know what the evidence is of waste, fraud and abuse, and violations of the law, and corruption, and all of that,” Chutkan said to government lawyers. “And, you know, and I still don’t [know].”

From the Department of Some of The GOP House Scum Appear To Have Brains After All: If you’re looking for a sign that House Republicans are getting worried about cuts to Medicaid, here it is: 12 House Republicans are warning GOP leaders that they won’t back a reconciliation package that includes massive cuts to Medicaid. It’s an escalation of what’s going to be the most difficult problem for Republicans as they try to pass PINO’s agenda in coming months. These moderate Republicans, many of them in key swing seats, are going to be locked in a battle of wills with conservative hardliners who want to slash federal spending, including Medicaid and other social safety net programs. The fate of Republicans’ behemoth reconciliation bill — which will also carry key GOP priorities like tax cuts, a Pentagon spending hike and more border security funding — is linked to the Medicaid standoff. House Republicans’ reconciliation plan includes cutting $880 billion under the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s purview, much of which will likely have to come from Medicaid. The moderate Republicans’ letter to House GOP leadership and Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Brett Guthrie says Medicaid cuts could threaten nursing homes and hospitals, especially in rural and underserved areas. Here’s the key part: “We support targeted reforms to improve program integrity, reduce improper payments, and modernize delivery systems to fix flaws in the program that divert resources away from children, seniors, individuals with disabilities, and pregnant women — those who the program was intended to help. “However, we cannot and will not support a final reconciliation bill that includes any reduction in Medicaid coverage for vulnerable populations.”

The House Republicans who signed onto the letter include: Reps. David Valadao (Calif.), Don Bacon (Neb.), Jeff Van Drew (N.J.), Rob Bresnahan (Pa.), Juan Ciscomani (Ariz.), Jen Kiggans (Va.), Young Kim (Calif.), Rob Wittman (Va.), Nicole Malliotakis (N.Y.), Nick LaLota (N.Y.), Andrew Garbarino (N.Y.) and Jeff Hurd (Colo.).

From the Department of Why Does It Not Surprise Me That A POS Cop Would Be The Cause Of This Problem? : The police detective who accused a mistakenly deported Kilmar Abrego Garcia of being a member of MS-13 was suspended days later for leaking confidential information to a woman he was paying for sex. Maladministration II has admitted Kilmar Abrego Garcia was deported to the Salvadoran concentration camp CECOT due to an “administrative error” but has refused to facilitate his return. Officials have repeatedly claimed he is a member of the MS-13 gang based upon a single flimsy allegation made in a field interview report from 2019. The corrupt cop’s allegation is the only evidence the government has ever produced to support its MS-13 claim. Ten-year police veteran Ivan Mendez was suspended on April 3, 2019 for “providing information to a commercial sex worker who he was paying in exchange for sexual acts,” the department announced in a press release at the time.

Mendez was the lead investigator on Abrego Garcia’s case. Just days before his suspension, Mendez had interviewed Abrego Garcia at the Prince George County PD. Police questioned him about gang activity, but after he said multiple times that he didn’t have any information, they turned him over to ICE without charging him with any crimes. Mendez nevertheless filled out a “Gang Field Interview Sheet” and wrote that a confidential informant had identified Abrego Garcia as a member of the MS-13 Westerns clique. The Westerns operated in New York, a state Abrego Garcia had never lived in. Four days later, on April 1, 2019, Mendez’s fellow officers reported him for leaking information to the sex worker. In the meantime, Abrego Garcia received a notice to appear at a deportation hearing since he had entered the country illegally. During his first removal hearing on April 24, 2019, Abrego Garcia’s attorney requested bond, but ICE objected that he was a danger to the community. ICE claimed he had been detained “in connection with a murder investigation,” and local police had “verified” he was gang member. In fact, he had been detained for loitering outside the Home Depot, according to Mendez’s “Gang Field Interview Sheet.” Abrego Garcia applied for asylum and was granted a “withholding of removal” order, a legal form of protection that says the government won’t deport someone to their home country if the person is “more likely than not” to face persecution there. All levels of government in this case are guilty of being the criminals. PINO’s Goulash Fascist, alleged “counterterrorism chief” and all-around kiss-ass Seb Gorka, says that advocating for Garcia to get due process is “aiding and abetting a terrorist” and could result in charges. These people are so fucking dumb they need caregivers to remind them to breathe.

From the ever-busy Department of The Wrong RFK Got Shot: RFK Jr unleashed a bizarre take on autism during a press conference Wednesday, describing the neurodevelopmental condition as a “preventable disease” caused by a mysterious environmental toxin. Addressing rising autism diagnoses, the HHS secretary claimed many children were “fully functional” before they “regressed, because of some environmental exposure, into autism when they’re two years old.” This contradicts the latest study on autism from the CDC, one of his own agencies, which said the uptick “might be due to differences in availability of services for early detection and evaluation and diagnostic practices.” The CDC survey found autism prevalence in the U.S. increased from 1 in 36 children in 2020 to 1 in 31 in 2022. The figure was 1 in 44 in 2018. The stupid ignoramus presented the survey as evidence that “the epidemic is real,” and called rising autism diagnoses “catastrophic” for the country, rattling off a dehumanizing vision of what life on the autism spectrum disorder entails. “These are kids of who will never pay taxes, they’ll never hold a job, they’ll never play baseball, they’ll never write a poem, they’ll never go out on a date, many of them will never use a toilet unassisted,” he said, adding that autism “destroys families. More importantly, it destroys our greatest resource, which are children.” According to the UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine, around 80% autism cases can be linked to inherited genetic mutations. But Secretary Fuckheaded Shitbird, an anti-vaccine activist who has a history of spreading conspiracy theories, claimed, “Genes do not cause epidemics.This is coming from an environmental toxin. Somebody made a profit by putting that environmental toxin into our air, our water, our medicines, our food,” he alleged, promising to announce a series of studies in the next two to three weeks to identify “precisely what the environmental toxins are.” FACT CHECK: THERE IS NO “EPIDEMIC”!! What there is, is much better understanding of Autism by everyone except this shitheaded moron and his fellow shitheads, which leads to earlier diagnoses. AUTISM IS NOT A FUCKING DISEASE AND YOU DO NOT “CATCH” IT!!! I sooo much want 5 minutes in a room alone with this drug addicted piece of shit. Me and my baseball bat, with the door locked. What a fucking asshole. What a soulless fucking ghoul to think there’s something wrong with someone when there isn’t. What a miserable piece of shit.

Proof we are moving in the right direction:

Bernie and AOC spoke to 10,000 people in ruby red Bakersfield on Tuesday afternoon (MSNBC report), following up with an appearance before 30,000 in Folsom (which probably included a lot of folks from nearby Sacramento); 20,000 people RSVP’d for the rally in this Republican-held district and 30,000 showed up. The line to get into the rally stretched three miles long. The event was the third-largest in Sanders’ political career, following Los Angeles the previous week and Denver, Colorado earlier this month. Yesterday they spoke to 7,500 with an overflow of 1,500 who listened outside, in Missoula, Montana. On Sunday they spoke to 20,000 in Salt Lake City and 12,500 in Nampa, Idaho. Senator Sanders’s office says that 21% of those attending these rallies are Independents, and 8% are Republicans. All told, 146,950 people came out for the week's events, including 35,000 during his surprise appearance at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, where he introduced the artist Clairo, and 36,000 in Los Angeles, California -- the biggest crowd Sanders has ever attracted (and the biggest demonstration ever in LA). Livestreams of this week’s events have been watched nearly 2 million times across social media platforms. In total, 254,931 people have come out to seventeen stops across eleven states. Prior to this week’s swing, Sanders held rallies in Omaha, Iowa City, Kenosha, Altoona, Warren, Las Vegas, Tempe, Greeley, Denver, and Tucson. More than 6 million people tuned into those livestreams. Sanders said, “This week, the American people turned out in enormous numbers. And their message was clear. They do not want oligarchy. They do not want authoritarianism. They are tired of massive income and wealth inequality and the greed of the billionaire class. They are tired of a corrupt political system that allows billionaires to buy elections. And, most importantly, they are prepared to fight back.” This is the best thing that’s happened for Democrats since the Traitor was re-elected. I hope to hell the rest of the party looks at what they’re doing and sees the path to our future victories in 2026 and 2028.

From The Economist: “Three months into his term, there are signs that his popular standing is eroding. His approval rating has fallen by 14 points since he entered office, more steeply than the five-point drop he had suffered by this time in his first term. In polling from YouGov/The Economist, Americans give Mr Trump a net rating of minus-seven percentage points on his handling of the economy, compared with positive ratings at this point in his first term. Nearly one in five of Mr Trump’s own voters in 2024 say they disapprove of his handling of inflation and prices, while 12% disapprove of his handling of jobs and the economy. Likewise, in early April data from the University of Michigan’s survey of consumers showed Republicans less optimistic about the economy than at any point during Mr Trump’s first term, aside from December 2020, after he had lost re-election.”

Dumb fucking shitheaded fuckwit, alleged “Governor” of the State of California Gavin Newsom has decided that the whole Garcia case is a “distraction.” It’s nice to know a Democratic politician is a worthless piece of shit before we elect them to higher office. Have fun in the presidential primaries, you fucking shitbird. Go back to haning out with your fellow shitbirds, Steve Bannon and Charlie Kirk. Do. Not. Vote. For. California. Democrats. For. National. Office. Ever.

Rachel Maddow gets the last word (from last night):

“The resounding no that you are hearing, or the resounding clown show Raspberries, or the resounding ovation for the, this doesn't look like Trump country. This looks like our country comment from Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez. What I just showed you is a, just a snapshot of a day. But that kind of resistance, that kind of saying no, that kind of rejection of what Trump is doing and are willing to protest it and say no to it.

“It's taking every different form. The pro bono legal defense network for federal workers, more than a thousand lawyers joining that to work pro bono for federal workers. The mutual academic defense agreements for colleges, the big rallies, the small handful of brave protestors, making sure dissent is visible at local congressmen's offices, local Social Security offices, local IRS offices.

“So the ways people are standing up and saying no, and standing up and saying they reject this and standing up and giving the administration the one finger salute put it in blunt terms. They are innumerable and unpredictable and they surprise me every day that we cover this stuff.”

Corky and Sebastian

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