Letters To Elected Officials

Posted on February 28, 2026 by Paul Deaton
Iowa State Capitol

Dishes don’t wash themselves, so I went to the kitchen and started cleaning up. Each of us in the household does their share of work, and I like nothing better than clean plates and silverware waiting for supper. Being a blogger is a lot like living with a family. Between now and the primary I will fill in for Dave Bradley on weekends while he takes care of family stuff.

My plan is simple: on Saturdays, write about my personal political activity the previous week, and on Sundays write about Iowa politics more broadly. Campaign season already started with competitive June 2, Democratic primaries for governor, U.S. Senate, and other races.

Veterans of Iowa politics, going back to our 2004 defeat, feel frustrated about how to approach organizing and activism in today’s world. It is no longer enough to harp about knocking doors, making phone calls, and sending mailings based on a central organizing principle. Most of the people I see on a daily basis are not Democrats. Even so, we have meaningful conversations about important things. How do we transition ourselves and our party to be more relevant?

I believe we must write letters to elected officials. Letters to newspapers remain important because political staff do read them. I had three active letters this week:

I received a response from U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley to this email message from Jan. 26, 2026:

I watched the videos of the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Major news media verified what I saw are real footage that depicts the killing of two U.S. Citizens who were no threat to federal agents. Good and Pretti were exercising their constitutional rights when federal agents killed them.

This can’t go on.

As our U.S. Senator I expect you to do something to prevent additional killings like this. I don’t presume to tell you how to go about that. The measure of whether you succeed will be the de-escalation of tension in states where federal agents have landed to address the administration’s concerns about immigration, including Minnesota and Maine.

As a U.S. Army veteran I am appalled by the apparent lack of training and control of these federal agents. Now is the time to put your experience in politics to work and do something most everyone can agree is the right thing to de-escalate these tensions.

Thank you for your service and for reading my note.

Senator Grassley’s response is here.

I reached out to elected officials twice. The emails are self-explanatory.

Vote No on Senate File 2293 – Feb. 21, 2026

Dear Senator Driscoll,

I live in your district and urge you to vote no on SF 2293 which is scheduled for debate in the full senate next week.. The bill changes Iowa Code to remove the requirement for a state history research center in Iowa City

My reasons are the same as when I wrote you Feb. 11: When I studied at the University of Iowa, I took advantage of the State Historical Society research center in Iowa City. It provided a different type of resource than what was available to me at the university. The availability of the staff, artifacts, books, microfilm, and other materials were important to my education and should remain in Iowa City for future students to use like I did.

That said, I am open to alternative solutions, such as incorporating the materials into the University of Iowa Libraries, in effect, making them the research center. I would be ready to have that discussion. 

Please vote no on SF 2293 should it come up for a vote this week.

Thanks, Paul

Impeach the president

Rep. Miller-Meeks

It is time to impeach President Trump and I ask you to take a leadership role in this effort.

The president seeks to usurp the power of the Congress in multiple areas, yet his claims about his authority to impose tariffs is so far out of line, even the U.S. Supreme Court overruled him. As you are aware, immediately after the Supreme Court ruled against the tariffs he imposed, he initiated new ones, and then revised those in a way that created chaos in international markets and among our allies.

Yesterday the Dow Jones Industrial average dropped 1.6 percent in reaction to the president’s tariff vacillation. This is no way for a government to run, hence my request the U.S. House draft articles of impeachment, approve them, and send them to the U.S. Senate for trial. Thank you for reading my message.

The congresswoman replied with a form message within an hour. That tells me someone is reading these missives, even if I don’t like the answer.

I don’t know if I will change any minds, yet we have to do something. We’ll see what else I come up with between now and the June 2 primary.

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Talk To Iran

Posted on February 28, 2026 by Paul Deaton
Jan. 18, 2016 – Photo Credit – Des Moines Register

Those following the president’s public statements about Iran knew trouble was brewing when on Thursday, Feb. 26, after a meeting in Geneva, Switzerland between U.S. and Iranian envoys, mediated by Oman, and with the International Atomic Energy Agency present, the administration provided no readout to members of the press.

“The U.S. reticence is likely in order to give US President Trump maximum space to decide if he wants to continue pursuing diplomacy or, as a massive U.S. military buildup in the region portends, strike Iran in order to try to get a better deal,” wrote Laura Rozen from Diplomatic.

This morning, Israel and the United States bombed Iran.

On Feb. 20, the Arms Control Association issued this statement:

Another U.S. aerial military strike on Iran, as President Trump said on Friday he is considering, would not advance the goal of blocking Iran’s potential pathways to acquire nuclear weapons if its leaders were to decide to do so. Rather, a U.S. attack would undermine ongoing diplomacy between Iran and the United States and damage efforts to secure return international inspectors to sensitive sites that were bombed in 2025 by Israel and the United States. Even a “limited” U.S. military strike runs a serious risk of igniting a wider, more intense, and prolonged regional conflict, and such an attack would be inconsistent with the U.S. and international law.

This came from our local chapter of Veterans For Peace on Tuesday:

The  US is on the cusp of a war on Iran. Although the U.S. stands on the brink of what may be the most consequential military action in over two decades, there has been no public debate nor congressional briefing, let alone a vote to authorize it.  What can peacemakers do? As of now, Feb 24th, war has not broken out.  There is a Massie-Khanna effort in the House, and a Kaine-Paul effort in the Senate which would prohibit military action against Iran unless there is a declaration of war or specific authorization from Congress.  So, #1, we need to encourage Iowa members and other members  of Congress to support those resolutions.  (Congress’ switchboard #  202 224-3121).  #2 we need to bear witness before war breaks out.  Will that stop war from breaking out? – most likely not.  But I would submit that silence is not an option.  SO, what shall we do?  

Hit the streets with local activists to demand No Warand Hands Off Iran.  Where?  When?  Please, let us “reply to all” with suggestions and advice by Saturday, Feb 28th.    Peace, Ed Flaherty 

When will the Congress reign in the president on matters of war? Talks with Iran should continue before more combat.

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Hillary Clinton’s Searing Testimony Backfires On Republicans

Posted on February 27, 2026 by Trish Nelson

No wonder they didn’t want anyone to hear her. She just got to humiliate them by mentioning her work fighting sex trafficking on the global stage and reminded everyone of her advocacy for women and girls worldwide both when she was first lady and as Secretary of State during the first Obama administration. So apparently the Republicans decided they wanted to talk about UFOs and also Pizza-gate, a long ago made up conspiracy concocted by right-wing media. 

Republicans know lies cannot stand beside truth. If given a chance, people can tell who is lying and who is telling the truth.  I found her full statement on Meidas Touch Facebook page.  Support media that tells the truth.

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As Hillary Clinton heads into a closed-door deposition related to the Epstein investigation, she released a pointed opening statement, making clear she knew nothing about Epstein and slamming the Republicans for not allowing her to testify in public.

Below is her full, unedited statement:

SECRETARY CLINTON’S OPENING STATEMENT

Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member, Members of the Committee… as a former Senator, I have respect for legislative oversight and I expect its exercise, as do the American people, to be principled and fearless in pursuit of truth and accountability.

As we all know, however, too often Congressional investigations are partisan political theater, which is an abdication of duty and an insult to the American people.
The Committee justified its subpoena to me based on its assumption that I have information regarding the investigations into the criminal activities of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Let me be as clear as I can. I do not.

As I stated in my sworn declaration on January 13, I had no idea about their criminal activities. I do not recall ever encountering Mr. Epstein. I never flew on his plane or visited his island, homes or offices. I have nothing to add to that.

Like every decent person, I have been horrified by what we have learned about their crimes. It’s unfathomable that Mr. Epstein initially got a slap on the wrist in 2008, which allowed him to continue his predatory practices for another decade.

Mr. Chairman, your investigation is supposed to be assessing the federal government’s handling of the investigations and prosecutions of Epstein and his crimes. You subpoenaed eight law enforcement officials, all of whom ran the Department of Justice or directed the FBI when Epstein’s crimes were investigated and prosecuted. Of those eight, only one appeared before the Committee. Five of the six former attorneys general were allowed to submit brief statements stating they had no information to provide.

You have held zero public hearings, refused to allow the media to attend them, including today, despite espousing the need for transparency on dozens of occasions.

You have made little effort to call the people who show up most prominently in the Epstein files. And when you did, not a single Republican Member showed up for Les Wexner’s deposition.

This institutional failure is designed to protect one political party and one public official, rather than to seek truth and justice for the victims and survivors, as well as the public who also want to get to the bottom of this matter. My heart breaks for the survivors. And I am furious on their behalf.

I have spent my life advocating for women and girls. I have worked hard to stop the terrible abuses so many women and girls face here and around the world, including human trafficking, forced labor, and sexual slavery. For too long, these have been largely invisible crimes or not treated as crimes at all. But the survivors are real and they are entitled to better.

In Southeast Asia, I met girls as young as twelve years old who were forced into prostitution and raped repeatedly. Some were dying of AIDS. In Eastern Europe, I met mothers who told me how they lost daughters to trafficking and did not know where to turn. In settings around the world, I met survivors trying to rebuild their lives and help rescue others — with little support from people in power, who too often turned a blind eye and a cold shoulder.

If you are new to this issue, let me tell you: Jeffrey Epstein was a heinous individual, but he’s far from alone. This is not a one-off tabloid sensation or a political scandal.
It’s a global scourge with an unimaginable human toll.

My work combatting sex trafficking goes back to my days as First Lady. I worked to pass the first federal legislation against trafficking and was proud that my husband signed the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, which increased support for survivors and gave prosecutors better tools for going after traffickers.

As Secretary of State, I appointed a former federal prosecutor, Lou deBaca, to ramp up our global antitrafficking efforts. I oversaw nearly 170 anti-trafficking programs in 70 nations and directly pressed foreign leaders to crack down on trafficking networks in their countries. Every year we published a global report to shine a light on abuses.

The findings of those reports triggered sanctions on countries failing to make progress, so they became a powerful diplomatic tool to drive concrete action.

I insisted that the United States be included in the report for the first time ever in 2011. Because we must hold ourselves not just to the same standard as the rest of the world but to an even higher one. Sex trafficking and modern slavery should have no place in America. None.

Infuriatingly, the Trump Administration gutted the Trafficking in Persons Office at the State Department, cutting more than 70 percent of the career civil and foreign service experts who worked so hard to prevent trafficking crimes. The annual trafficking report, required by law, was delayed for months. The message from the Trump Administration to the American people and the world could not be clearer: combatting human trafficking is no longer an American priority under the Trump White House.

That is a tragedy. It’s a scandal. It deserves vigorous investigation and oversight.
A committee endeavoring to stop human trafficking would seek to understand what specific steps are needed to fix a system that allowed Epstein to get away with his crimes in 2008.

A committee run by elected officials with a commitment to transparency would ensure the full release of all the files.

It would ensure that the lawful redactions of those files protected the victims and survivors, not powerful men and political allies.

It would get to the bottom of reports that DOJ withheld FBI interviews in which a survivor accuses President Trump of heinous crimes.

It would subpoena anyone who asked on which night there would be the “wildest party” on Epstein’s island.

It would demand testimony from prosecutors in Florida and New York about why they gave Epstein a sweetheart deal and chose not to pursue others who may have been implicated.

It would demand that Secretary Rubio and Attorney General Bondi testify about why this administration is abandoning survivors and playing into the hands of traffickers.

It would seek out officers on the front lines of this fight and ask them what support they need.

It would put forth legislation to provide more resources and force this administration to act.

But that’s not happening.

Instead, you have compelled me to testify, fully aware that I have no knowledge that would assist your investigation, in order to distract attention from President Trump’s actions and to cover them up despite legitimate calls for answers.

If this Committee is serious about learning the truth about Epstein’s trafficking crimes, it would not rely on press gaggles to get answers from our current president on his involvement; it would ask him directly under oath about the tens of thousands of times he shows up in the Epstein files.

If the majority was serious, it would not waste time on fishing expeditions. There is too much that needs to be done.

What is being held back? Who is being protected? And why the cover-up?

My challenge to you, Mr. Chairman, Members of the Committee, is the same challenge I put to myself throughout my long service to this nation. How to be worthy of the trust the American people have given you. They expect statesmanship, not gamesmanship. Leading, not grandstanding. They expect you to use your power to get to the truth and to do more to help survivors of Epstein’s crimes as well as the millions more who are victims of sex trafficking.

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Open Letter To Whirlpool: Cancel The Layoffs

Posted on February 26, 2026 by Trish Nelson

 

Editor’s note: Christina Bohannan is a Democrat running for congress in IA-01. I appreciate someone trying to do something about these heartless layoffs, the latest example of corporate greed.  Our current representative, Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks should also be trying to get Whirlpool to change course but sadly she works for Trump, not us.  Below is a press release put out by Bohannan on Tuesday.

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Bohannan Open Letter to Whirlpool Management

Iowa City, IA – Yesterday, Christina Bohannan sent the following letter to management at the Whirlpool plant in Amana regarding their plan for layoffs.

An Open Letter to Whirlpool management and to Iowa’s elected representatives:

I am respectfully asking for Whirlpool to cancel its intended layoffs of Iowa workers at its manufacturing facility in Amana, and to reverse course on its recent offshoring of American jobs to Mexico. I urge all Iowa elected representatives, including US House Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, to join me in calling on Whirlpool to do the same.

Whirlpool has just announced plans to cut nearly 400 jobs at its Amana facility, effective almost immediately. It says it expects to cut even more job cuts in the next couple of months — and all of this year’s cuts come on top of approximately 250 jobs that it cut at the same facility less than a year ago. The Whirlpool management has given virtually no explanation for the latest layoffs and is giving no severance to most of the workers, although many have worked there for years. These workers have built the high-quality refrigerators that supply American households and have fulfilled their end of the bargain. I call on management to come to the table and discuss with the IAM Machinists’ Union Local 1526, which represents 1,300 production workers at the Amana plant, what can be done to preserve these jobs and/or assist the affected workers.

Just a few years ago, more than 3,000 highly-skilled Iowa machinists worked at the Amana facility. But despite marketing itself as “the only U.S.-based manufacturer of major kitchen and laundry appliances,” Whirlpool (like many other manufacturing companies) has moved nearly half of these jobs to Mexico and to non-union shops. Over the last 20 years, Whirlpool has invested more than $1 billion in Mexico, tripling its workforce there while laying off thousands of American workers. Its Mexican assets have grown at twice the rate of its American assets.

This offshoring is a slap in the face not only to Iowa workers, but also to Iowa taxpayers: Whirlpool has received $21.5 million in tax credits, grants, and infrastructure assistance from the State of Iowa since 2006 to encourage investment in Iowa’s economy and communities. I urge Whirlpool not to be just another corporation that takes the money and runs to other countries — but instead to be a true American company that invests in high-quality manufacturing right here in the Iowa heartland. Iowa’s workers are second to none, and they stand ready to work with Whirlpool to make the company more successful than ever.

And to Iowa’s federal elected representatives: being a member of Congress isn’t about playing political games in Washington DC or getting the most corporate donations or even getting reelected — it is about standing up for Iowans here at home. Every member of Iowa’s congressional delegation must push for relief for the local workers at Whirlpool. Specifically, I call upon southeast Iowa’s Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks to respond to the IAM Machinists who have pleaded for her assistance, and I urge her — for once in her career — to put Iowa first.

Sincerely,

Christina Bohannan

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Iowa’s 1st Congressional District contains the cities of Davenport, Iowa City, Burlington, and Indianola. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks faces a rematch against Christina Bohannan, who came within 0.2% of defeating the incumbent in 2024. Bohannan lost by just 799 votes out of 413,000 and outperformed the top of the ticket by over 8 points – more than any other Red-to-Blue candidate in the country. National forecasters, including the Cook Political Report, universally rate this district as a Toss-Up for 2026. With Rep. Miller-Meeks showing historic weakness at just 31% favorability and facing growing opposition even within her own party, Bohannan has the best opportunity to flip a Republican seat in the country.

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LIve: The People’s State Of The Union

Posted on February 24, 2026 by Trish Nelson
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Inside The Fastest Growing Cancer State

Posted on February 24, 2026 by Trish Nelson

Cyanobacteria

I’m not 100% vegan but our household has been increasingly trending toward a more plant-based diet for going on three years.  I’ve been following Mic the Vegan‘s YouTube channel for a while now for the information he provides, and was somewhat surprised to find this video on Iowa’s cancer problem. Turn’s out Iowa is his home state. Who knew?

He was sprayed with what?! ☠️ I go on the ground in my home state to investigate the excess cancer rates and break down the causes with science. ALL SCIENTIFIC SOURCES HERE:   / i-made-mini-151397202   (They didn’t fit in YouTube’s 5,000 character limit) Correction: 1:46 I meant to say “millions” not “thousands” as you can probably already tell!!! Link Page with eBooks, Patreon, and Socials: https://linktr.ee/micthevegan Support Me Here:   / micthevegan   My New Newsletter Sign-Up: https://mailchi.mp/2785ad113ff7/micth…

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Oh, and while you’re here, check out Mic’s video on the unknown until now health benefits of chocolate!

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Meet Annie Craven Candidate For House District 46

Posted on February 23, 2026 by Trish Nelson

Annie Craven is running for Iowa House to represent district 46, covering the areas of Urbandale, Grimes, and Granger (Dallas County).

From Annie Craven’s campaign website:

My name is Annie Craven, and I’m running for the House seat in District 46. As someone born and raised in Iowa, I’ve seen firsthand just how special our state can be. I remember when our public schools were the envy of the nation, when we took pride in our clean air and water, and when Iowa was a purple state leading the way on meaningful progress, like legalizing marriage equality.

I grew up in Urbandale and West Des Moines, graduated from Dowling Catholic High School, and went on to earn two AAS degrees from DMACC. I left Iowa for Wisconsin in 2015, but my husband, a Wisconsin native, and I returned just two years later.

I came back because I love it here. I love this state, and I want to fight for its future. I believe Iowa can be a place that attracts new families and opportunities. Together, I know we can make Iowa a destination where people want to build their lives.

My husband of four years and I currently live in Urbandale with our two cats, Niko and Sophie.

craven4change.com/meet-annie

facebook.com/craven4change

instagram.com/craven4change

Donate 

Interview posted on YouTube December 28, 2025

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About That Voter Fraud

Posted on February 22, 2026 by Dave Bradley

 

2 minutes:

A story came out Thursday that raised a chuckle from me. As you all know, Republicans love to claim that elections are being stolen by all sorts of flim-flammery and packs of foreigners swooping in and voting for Democrats. In reality – a place few Republicans ever travel to – our elections have for decades been safe, secure and fairly free of anyone voting more than once or voting while not being eligible. The few that have recently usually get caught. The ones we usually hear about are Republicans trying to do a solid for King Donald. 

Which brings us to this story reported on https://wtfdetective.blog/republican-mayor-cant-believe-deportation-50/. Once again a Republican who must believe that laws are made to keep Democrats in line: 

“I always loved Trump, this is unfair”: Republican mayor can’t believe he’s facing deportation after 50 years in US 

Joe Ceballos — a longtime Republican and the mayor of the small Kansas town of Clearwater — is now confronting felony voter fraud charges and the possibility of being deported by the very presidential administration he supported. 

Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach (R) announced the charges just one day after Ceballos won reelection in Clearwater, a community of 2,653 residents according to the 2020 Census. The case includes three counts of voting without being qualified and three felony counts of election perjury, which Kobach said could lead to a maximum sentence of 68 months in prison along with fines that may total as much as $200,000. 

On top of the criminal case, the Department of Homeland Security has warned that it may begin deportation proceedings to send Ceballos back to Mexico — a country he has not lived in since early childhood. 

A recent profile of Ceballos, published in The Wichita Eagle by Roy Wenzl, explained that the 54-year-old did not realize that his status as a Mexican immigrant made him ineligible to vote in any U.S. election, despite having been casting ballots since 1991. Ceballos also acknowledged that he “probably” voted for Kobach and former president Donald Trump several times because he automatically selects the candidates with an “R” beside their names. 

Speaking to Wenzl about the charges, Ceballos admitted he was frightened. 

“I haven’t seen Mexico since I was four,” Ceballos said. “I don’t speak Spanish anymore. If I get deported, it would wreck my life.” 

I say make an example of him as if he were a Democrat.  

There is some followup from the NYT that i saw via a post on democraticunderground.com:

When the charges were announced a few weeks before the hearing, the municipal politics of Coldwater suddenly became national news. Many conservatives from outside Comanche County framed the case as an example of rampant voter fraud. Before the first court hearing in December, the Trump administration drew attention to the case, pledging to seek Mr. Ceballos’s deportation if he were convicted.

“This alien committed a felony by voting in American elections,” Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, said in a news release that included a photo of Mr. Ceballos and of his signature on a voter registration form.

Yet inside Coldwater — home to 700 people, zero stoplights and vanishingly few Democrats — the prosecution was widely seen as a personal attack on a pillar of the town. Most of them, Mr. Ceballos included, had voted for President Trump, and some said they supported his immigration policies. But they knew Joe, a fixture in Coldwater since he was a teenager. And they wanted the government to back off.

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“I still strongly believe in Trump’s immigration laws about, ‘Let’s get the bad guys out of here.’ You know, they’re murderers, they killed people, they molested people, let’s get them out of here,” Mr. Ceballos said in an interview. “But I feel like I don’t fit that category. And I feel like that’s how they’re treating me.” 

I also would like to point out how Trump has had no problem pardoning a wide variety of criminals including a big basket of folks who openly committed treason, yet he has no sympathy for this schmuck. Loyalty is a one way street with Donald. So if you commit crimes during the election and you think Trump will have your back, think again. 

You, nor any non-rich person means a thing to Trump or any Republican. You are cannon fodder until you get a few hundred million. 

BTW – what ever happened to that Republican in Woodbury county whose wife voted illegally for him? Looks like she was found guilty, but received a pretty light sentence. You can read up on it here 

Posted in #trumpresistance, Vote Fraud | Leave a comment

Sunday Funday: Withest Goes Andrew Mountbatten Edition

Posted on February 22, 2026 by Dave Bradley

Let’s take a look at a couple of unrelated stories that caught the public’s attention this week. First is the censored interview of Texas senate candidate James Talarico by Steven Colbert on Colbert’s show Monday. Here is the interview. It is a bit long at 15 minutes, but very interesting. See if you can figure out what it is that Talarico says that scared the current administration so much that they felt they needed to force CBS to pull the segment:

 

Alternately, let’s ponder the fate of the former Prince Andrew. While others may have thought what a bad boy Andrew was and is and it looks like he going to get what he deserves. But my head says here is a guy who has a lot to say about another guy who is ruthless and brutal. People who cross that man sometimes die, sometimes disappear but seldom speak up out of fear. See the Republican Party as an example.

So if Andrew talks like we hope he does, he may be joining the list of mysterious deaths that happen to people around Trump. Like the guy who died in a New York prison by supposed suicidal hanging at 1 o’clock in the morning when the survellence system just happened to blip out for a couple of minutes.

While you think about Andrew’s plight I will remind you that it is Black History Month and so we will try to ask some questions about great black accomplishments.

A) In a surprise ruling Friday, SCOTUS decided that the FIWH {Felon In the White House} can or can not impose tariffs by himself?
B) What administration official took a $75,000 minimum trip on our card to see the hockey games at the Winter Olympics this weekend?
C) CBS News is literally falling apart. What star of 60 Minutes refused to sign on for another season, instead staying at CNN
D) Can you name the three black Americans who have been appointed to the SCOTUS?
E) What administration department is pushing to buy a $70 M luxury jet for their leader to fly around the country in?
F) Who two men made a buddy workout video in a sauna and released it last week?
G) Which Catholic diocese agreed to a $180 M settlement in sexual abuse cases?
H) A man who seldom gets recognition for his accomplishments is Ralph Bunche. What do you know about Ralph Bunche?
I) A friend to Martin Luther King, jr. and one of the first black candidates for President, what black leader died Tuesday?
J) Who will be giving the response to the State of the Union (SOTU) address Tuesday for the Democrats?
K) A sewage spill happened in what major US river last week?
L) Who was the first black player in the NBA?
M) What Iowa Democrat dropped out of the senate primary race last week?
N) Once again Republicans in the Iowa legislature are looking to strangle Iowans’ education with unnecessary obscenity laws for what civic institutions?
O) A huge cult like banner of whom was unfurled in front of the Department of Justice Thursday?
P) What black poet was a leader of the Harlem Renaissance who wrote “Let America Be America Again” among many other poems?
Q) South Korea had an insurrection in December of 2024. What happened to the leader of that insurrection?
R) A search with cadaver dogs is going on at a ranch in New Mexico formerly owned by who?
S) What man co-founded SNCC (Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee) and later became a US congress member?
T) The FIWH says he may have what former President arrested because this former prez disclosed classified material when he (former prez) said there were such things as space aliens?

 

WHY IS NO ONE IN THE MEDIA ASKING WHY THE F–K JARED KUSHNER IS FUNCTIONING AS A U.S. DIPLOMAT IN RUSSIA, UKRAINE, ISRAEL AND NOW IRAN? – Jamie Bonkiewicz

Continuing the Colbert saga, Colbert discusses the Talarico video: (7.5 minutes):

 

Answers:
A) can not or at least the way he is doing it
B) Kash Patel – somebody call the FBI!
C) Anderson Cooper
D) Thurgood Marshall, Clarence Thomas, and Ketanji Brown Jackson
E) ICE – trying to buy ot for Kristy Noem
F) RfK, jr. and Kid Rock
G) New Jersey
H) Won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1950 for his work on Palestine peace in the 1940s for the UN
I) Jesse Jackson
J) Virginia governor Abigail Spanberger
K) Potomac
L) While many think it was Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton, it was actually Earl Lloyd (Oct. 31, 1950) for Washington
M) Nathan Sage
N) libraries
O) the FIWH
P) Langston Hughes
Q) The leader was the president at the time, Yoon Suk Yeol. He was sentenced Thursday to life in prison (take a hint America)
R) Jeffrey Epstein. However a rich MAGA bought the property and may have cleaned it up already.
S) John Lewis
T) Barack Obama. When he isn’t sleeping in meetings, Trump is nuts

 

George Conway on Donald Trump: “If this guy isn’t impeached and removed, what’s the point to the whole Constitution? You can’t have a fucking criminal running the government for his own benefit screwing the people. And that’s what we have”

 

Now to bring the Colbert/ Talarico story to a conclusion. here is America’s historian to tell us why the administration is so scared of Talarico (9.5 minutes): {note: the clear answer is unveiled starting @ 7 minutes}

 

Posted in #trumpresistance, Humor | Leave a comment

Myths Blowing Up All Over!

Posted on February 21, 2026 by Dave Bradley

 How do you like that massive Republican Tax Increase?? 

Paul Krugman on Trumpists attacking economist. One manifestation of the Republican myths that are blowing up all over: (6 minutes) 

From what I can find, the Trump lackeys don’t seem to be disputing the truth of the story that US consumers have been saddled with a massive increase in taxes, only that it was reported. Or maybe that it was reported so starkly. Truth in news reporting was something that used to be foundational in the US, now it is frequently attacked not for its validity but just for it being made public. 

Thus, Republicans are having a hard time hiding their tax increase that is being used to pay for the tax cuts for the obscenely wealthy while you and I see our income and savings stagnate and disappear to pay these higher taxes. Remember Republicans raise taxes on those who can least afford it to cut taxes for those who need it the least. 

From the Intellectualist:  

In calendar year 2025, U.S. customs duties — taxes on imported goods — totaled roughly $264 billion in gross collections.  

 Tariffs raise input costs and consumer prices, slowing economic activity and reducing income and payroll tax receipts. After accounting for those macroeconomic effects and expected shifts in trade and consumption, the net additional federal revenue attributable to newly imposed and expanded tariffs relative to pre-2025 policy is estimated at approximately $132 billion. 

 Allocated evenly across roughly 135 million U.S. households, that amounts to about $1,000 per household in 2025. Under the currently enacted and scheduled tariff structure — assuming no repeal or escalation — the comparable net figure rises to roughly $1,300 per household in 2026. Actual impacts vary by income level and by exposure to goods that rely heavily on imported inputs. 

 Tariffs are taxes imposed on imported goods at the border. Importers remit them to the federal government at the point of entry, but the economic burden passes through prices, wages, and profit margins across the domestic economy. 

 One of the stated goals of raising tariffs was to cause our trade to become more balanced. This is yet another facet of the Republican mantra and as we see in newly released data, yet another failure point: 

 Joemygod reports that the Commerce Department reported that the trade deficit recordered a record $1.2T deficit in 2025: 

The Washington Post reports: 

The U.S. trade deficit for goods hit a record $1.2 trillion last year, even as the Trump administration pursued a trade agenda with aggressive tariffs and a staunch “America First” approach. 

Fresh data released by the Commerce Department on Thursday morning showed the full-year total deficit combining goods and services was $901.5 billion, down a smidgen from 2024 but still one of the largest levels in decades. Exports of goods and services rose 6.2 percent to a record $3.4 trillion. Imports rose nearly 5 percent to a record $4.3 trillion. 

There’s major uncertainty for the U.S. and global economies about what comes next, in part because the Supreme Court has yet to rule on whether the majority of President Donald Trump’s tariffs are legal. But the data offered the latest snapshot of a historic overhaul of the economy and old global order. 

How about jobs, then. Wasn’t that the object of all those tax cuts for the obscenely wealthy to begin with? You remember, don’t you? Trickle down – the big guy gets tax cuts and eventually a little works its way into my paycheck. Then I spend my little bit more and collectively we buy enough stuff that it creates jobs. How is that doing? 

Well, if you remember the report that came out late last week, it is not doing so well. While the report for January showed some not losing too much ground, the report for 2025 was totally dialed back to indicate an average of 15,000 new jobs a month for the year. That was a bad week under Biden. 

And while the January report wasn’t horrible, I think we can expect to hear the term “revised downwards” when those numbers are revisited. That is if we believe we can trust numbers coming from this administration, which is iffy. 

The myths say Republicans are great for the economy. Data and reality say otherwise. But what about the stock market, you say. I say give it time and be prepared to move fast. 

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