From one of the really good guys on the net – More Perfect Union – comes an update on Tyson’s decision to close a beef processing plant in Lexington, Ne. The town is 11,000 and Tyson’s employs 3,200 of them. You can imagine what that does to the local small businesses, the schools, the property values.
Under the Trump regime, rural America has taken a huge punch in the gut. Whether it be policies on beef, tariffs or corporate ag Trump has screwed the farmer on every front.
The day after Renee Good’s murder in Minneapolis, two civilians were shot in their car in Portland Oregon. Here is a 2 minute video from TV station KATU in Portland with the latest update as of Friday morning:
The murder of Renee Good seemed to really strike deep into our psyches. Maybe for Iowans it really hit hard because we share a lot of similarities with Minnesotans. The Felon In the White House is accumulating dictatorial powers fast. It is looking like 2025 was democracy’s last stand in America.
All too predictably, once the crime was committed, the cover up started. Also the FIWH immediately blocked any investigation by anyone but his own goons. Dictatorial actions.
I am overwhelmed these days. Forgive me if I do not seem as sharp as I once was.
A) Who is Jonathan Ross?
B) The US job market added 584,000 jobs for 2025. How many jobs were added in Biden’s last year in 2024?
C) Whiskey Pete Hegseth, our great Secretary of WAR! has vowed to cut whose military retirement based on comment that man made concerning lawful orders?
D) Sadly, Iowans, the Iowa state legislature gavels back into session tomorrow. What nepo baby will be the new House majority leader?
E) Also, what nepo baby will be Iowa’s Speaker of the House?
F) During a speech following the murder of Renee Good, VP Vance gave what new power to ICE agents that none in this country have ever had?
G) The FIWH talked about what construction project that he wanted ready by July 4th. Therefore the construction of what edifice will begin in “two months”?
H) In what context were machine guns in the news this week?
I) Not quite following protocol, the FIWH told what group about deposing Maduro in Venezuela before he told anyone in congress?
J) In an effort to rewrite history the FIWH has put up a new story (all lies) about the January 6th insurrection. On that web page who is blamed for the insurrection?
K) Secretary of HHS RFK, jr. continues his war on American health. This weak he unveiled a new food pyramid that said that what wasn’t really bad for us?
L) In what looks like an obvious attempt at a cover-up, The FIWH has banned what group from investigating the murder of Renee Good?
M) The US House voted to restore funding for the ACA subsidies. How did Iowa’s delegation vote on this legislation that is vital to Iowa farmers?
N) In a move that caught many off guard, Jeopardy host Ken Jennings came out in support of what candidate for president for 2028?
O) In a somewhat related comment, former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura called the US what?
P) What major US city will lose it top newspaper in May? The paper has been published continuously since 1786.
Q) At Texas A&M, what philosophers works have been banned because of how he deals with race and gender issues?
R) What book has been banned in Utah under ‘sensitive materials’ book ban?
S) The president of what country stated last week that the FIWH has “destroyed the world order”?
T) Due to collapsed immigration and low birth rates, what country has drastically cut its projected population for the next 30 years?
Doesn’t sit right with me that Jack Smith had to explain his investigation of trump’s crimes to trump’s accomplices. – Covie
Tip of the hat to EarlG at democraticunderground.com
Answers:
A) That is the name of the ICE agent who shot Renee Good
B) well over 2 million – the FIWH has averaged less than 50,000 jobs a month.
C) Senator Mark Kelly
D) Bobby Kaufmann
E) Pat Grassley
F) “Absolute immunity” Isn’t that why we fought the revolutionary War?
G) The FIWH’s Triumph Arch
H) One of the charges against Maduro was that he had machine guns. Pretty ridiculous
I) Oil industry leaders
J) Nancy Pelosi
K) saturated fats. Kennedy also had the CDC cut recommended childhood vaccinations from 17 to 11
L) the state of Minnesota’s criminal investigation unit the BCA (Bureau of Criminal Apprehension)
M) Surprisingly Zach Nunn voted for it. Hinson, Miller-Meeks and Feenstra all basically said screw the farmers and voted no
N) The “prosecute the former regime at every level” candidate has my vote in 2028 wrote Jennings.
O) “A third world country”
P) Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette will shut down in May
Q) Plato – MAGAs have standards
R) “Wicked”
S) Germany – the presidency in Germany is mostly ceremonial, yet it has to sting
T) The USA with stagnation starting by 2050 and decline starting in 2070. People don’t want to live in dictatorships.
This bears repeating today: Trump’s Big Ugly Bill tripled ICE’s budget and paid for it by kicking millions of Americans off of Medicaid and by taking food aid away from families.
I was watching a video on YouTube and when it finished among the recommended choices was what was purported to be a Maddow video concerning Canada cutting off potash shipments to the US. Sounded interesting and important. I had not heard something like that happening.
I started to watch and after a couple of minutes I noticed that she was using her hands a lot. Hadn’t seen that before from her. I stopped the video to look at the notes for the video but couldn’t get it on my TV.
I started watching again and stopped after about 10 seconds. This sure didn’t seem like Rachel.
After doing some looking I concluded it was an AI deep fake. So how can someone take a person like Rachel and basically use her image to sell lies? And if that is true what could Rachel do to stop them?
Thanks for any help.
One of the responses pointed me to this video of Rick Wilson of Lincoln Project fame. Included in the notes for the video is a step by step on how to report what is generally called AI slop on YouTube these days: (8 minutes):
Also, here is Rachel herself addressing the slop issue (8 minutes):
From what I have gleaned all real Rachel videos are now posted by the user MS NOW. The user I cited “Maddow’s brief” has been taken down but there were many many others that involved Rachel and AI slop. Be careful out there when you are searching for reality.
Even as Malcolm Nance made his weekly appearance on The Stephanie Miller Show Wednesday morning and predicted that individuals would be getting hurt, citizen Renee Nicole Good was murdered by an ICE officer in Minneapolis. The part that was of major interest to me (at 2:30) is when Nance says that Putin could not have trained a better agent than Trump. (6:48 – note the last minute is advertising):
It almost seems cosmic. As former spy and best selling author Malcolm Nance discusses the Felon in the White House on Stephanie Miller Wednesday, the Trump administration commits murder under the guise of maintaining civil tranquility. Trump has been using the excuse that there is an “emergency” as a cover to invade American cities and to, in effect, wage war on those who live there.
What is the “crime” that people in cities have committed? They vote for Democrats in far higher numbers than Republicans. Therefore to Trumps increasingly fevered brain they are enemies of his and therefore by extension they are enemies of the US. Trump sees anyone who is not allegiant to him as a traitor. Our founders knew that unchecked power quickly led to terror, brutality and dictatorship.
Evidence shows from day 1 of this administration that Trump has been focused on doing whatever his administration could do to instigate an incident that would give him an excuse to have a big show of force and literally take over the running of a city. He had specific cities he targeted and obviously Minneapolis was high on his list.
While there have been some safeguards to keep an executive from doing some very blatant actions, Trump and his henchmen found a sort of a loophole by using immigration enforcement as a backdoor to push a quasi-military force into the cities. The force they are using are ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and CBP (Customs and Border Patrol).
There seems to be little restraint on ICE and CBP. Something that commentors don’t seem to be saying is that ICE and CBP have become a de facto private army for Trump to control via the Department of Homeland Security and his toady Kristi Noem. As Thom Hartmann noted in his Thursday newsletter, the founders were aware of the desire to accrue power and tried to stop it before it started:
When sixteen-year-old Franklin slipped his first Silence Dogood essay under the door of his brother’s print shop in 1722, America had few police departments, no body cameras, no qualified immunity, and few militarized patrols prowling city streets. But young Franklin already understood the danger.
Writing as a fictional widow, Franklin warned that “nothing makes a man so cruel as the sense of his own superiority.” The remark was in the context of self-important ministers, magistrates, and petty officials, but he was also talking about raw state power itself as we saw with the execution of Renee Nicole Good.
Power that is insulated, Franklin taught, answers only to itself and believes its very authority excuses the violence it uses.
Franklin’s insight didn’t die on the printed page but, rather, became the moral backbone of the American Revolution. As Do-Good, he repeatedly cautioned us that power breeds cruelty when it’s insulated from consequence, that authority becomes violent when it believes itself superior, and that free speech is usually the first casualty of abusive rule.
The first 10 days of 2026 have been gawd awful ramping up on the dictator-like policies inagurated in 2025. Now it seems like Trump and his henchmen (especially Stephen Miller and Kristi Noem) have latched onto a direction. Now it seems like full speed ahead with policies that will wrap all power into the presidency while Trump himself steal massive fortunes – such as stealing Venezuelan oil where he gets the proceeds.
According to what Malcolm Nance said above, we have passed the line and Trump has accrued the powers of a dictator. He has a personal army and is waging wars within the country in cities. At the same time he is waging war against democrats where ever they hold power, especially at the state level. His illegal withholding of appropriated funds from democratic led states is clearly illegal, yet he simply ignores the law as he wages his war.
As 2026 progresses, I believe we can expect Trump and his henchmen to ramp up the violence, the illegal acts and another aspect of his consolidation of power, his international policies based in the philosophy of might makes right.
Trump’s personal army (9 minutes):
(an email from Indivisible Friday at 11 AM)
Last night, over 35,000 people joined an emergency organizing call to respond to the horrific killing of Renee Nicole Good by ICE and the escalating violence of Trump’s secret police force in Minneapolis and immigrant communities across the country.
Everyone on the call was clear-eyed about the huge amount of work ahead of us to confront the public menace of an increasingly lawless agency that rampages through communities, targets schools and daycare centers, and commits violence with seeming impunity.
We need more defiance at the state and local level. We need to target ICE’s funding at the federal level. And right now, we need to be in the streets shining a light on ICE’s pattern of unchecked violence, raising our voices to demand: ICE OUT FOR GOOD.
That’s why Indivisible and a broad coalition of partners are banding together for the nationwide ICE Out For Good Weekend of Action this Saturday and Sunday. We hope you’ll join us.
|
| Use our toolkit to host an event |
from Indivisible email
We’re coming together for hundreds of daytime events this Saturday and Sunday to mourn the lives ICE has taken and destroyed. Renee Nicole Good’s tragic death this week was not an isolated incident; over the past year federal agents have shot numerous people — two in Portland just yesterday. Thirty-two have died in ICE custody. Many, many more have had their lives shattered by detention, family separation, and deportation.
Our Weekend of Action will honor all those impacted by ICE brutality, raise awareness of this ongoing pattern of violence, and demand justice and accountability.
The events will take a variety of forms determined by each volunteer-host. They will include:
Our Weekend of Action will call for:
We need the response to this week’s killing and ongoing ICE violence to be loud, peaceful, and inescapable. So if you’re physically able, we need you to be out in the streets.
| A core principle behind all ICE Out For Good events is a commitment to nonviolent action and no civil disobedience. We expect all participants to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values, and to act lawfully at these events. Weapons of any kind, including those legally permitted, should not be brought to events. All events should be held in public spaces or on public property. |
This weekend, we’ll show the regime and their enablers just how widespread the opposition to their brutality is; we’ll put steel in the spines of our Democratic local, state, and national leaders; and we’ll send a message to anyone targeted and terrorized by ICE: You are not alone.
Let’s get out there together. Let’s continue the fight until we get ICE Out For Good.
In solidarity,
Indivisible Team
* Events are being added all the time, so if there’s nothing near you now and you’d prefer not to host one, check back in a few hours.
Ryan Peterman Shatters Fundraising Record for Iowa Secretary of State
DAVENPORT, IA — Democratic candidate for Iowa Secretary of State Ryan Peterman announced today raising over $200,000 in 2025 – already surpassing the total amount Secretary of State Paul Pate raised during his entire 2022 campaign. Based on available campaign finance records, no previous Iowa Secretary of State candidate in history has raised more in the year before the election.
“I’m extremely proud of the grassroots support we’ve received from folks all across the state,” said Ryan Peterman. “Iowans are ready for a new generation of leadership, and this record-breaking support shows there has never been a better opportunity to take back the Secretary of State’s office.”
The breakdown shows Peterman building a strong grassroots campaign:
With polling consistently showing incumbent Iowa Republicans underwater, Democrats over-performing by an average of 22 points in legislative special elections across the state last year, and now this historic fundraising by Peterman–it’s clear that Secretary of State Paul Pate is vulnerable.
As the campaign enters 2026, Peterman will continue traveling across Iowa to share a message that is resonating with voters statewide. “Iowans deserve a Secretary of State who will restore honor and integrity to the office, fight for secure and accessible elections, and revitalize our small business services,” said Peterman.
Ryan Peterman is a former Naval Officer and lifelong public servant who is running to bring nonpartisan leadership to the Secretary of State’s office, and ensure that every eligible Iowan can vote freely and fairly. He is the only Democrat running for Iowa Secretary of State.
Sam MacFarland
Campaign Manager
Peterman for Iowa
515.802.0145
petermanforiowa.com
###
Statement on Ryan Peterman’s campaign website:
Here is a Why I’m Running
I’m running for Secretary of State because I believe in public service—and I believe we need more leaders who treat that responsibility with honesty, humility, and a sense of duty.
For over a decade, I served our country as a Naval Officer. I led sailors overseas, worked on defense policy in the Senate, and helped develop future officers at the Naval Academy. In each of those roles, trust mattered. Integrity mattered. And I learned that institutions only work when people believe the people in charge are worthy of that belief.
That’s what’s at stake in this office.
The Secretary of State’s job isn’t to grab headlines. It’s to make sure every eligible Iowan can vote, that elections are fair and secure, and that politics never gets in the way of doing the job right. I’ve met with county auditors in small towns and big cities across the state. I’ve listened to their concerns and seen how hard they work to protect the vote. They deserve a partner they can trust.
I’m not running to be a partisan warrior. I’m running to do the work, to serve with integrity, and to help rebuild trust in the system we all depend on.
Follow:
Photo: Trish Nelson
You wouldn’t know it by listening to the national media, but there are more things to concern ourselves with besides Trump’s latest boondoggle which should shock no one.
Instead of beating your head against the wall keeping up with the daily Trump fiasco, why not turn our attention to Iowa and see how we might help out right here in our home state.
Check out the Iowa Sierra Club weekly Lunch & Learn, live on Facebook every Friday at noon with environmental topics, knowledgeable speakers, and thoughtful conversations.
Missed one in 2025? No worries, watch them all on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@IowaSierraClub/videos
Here is the latest Lunch & Learn from the Iowa Sierra Club with Wally Taylor.
“The state of Iowa has lost 99.9% of its prairies, 98% of its wetlands, 80% of its woodlands, 50% of its topsoil, and more than 100 species of wildlife, since European settlement in the early 1800s.”
Wildlife Action Plan Updates
Welcome 2026 in with some updates on the Wildlife Action Plan!
At his inaugural ball, President Donald J. Trump said that his “proudest legacy will be that of a peacemaker and unifier.” What planet is he living on? I understand his rationale of peace through strength. In the case of Venezuela it is as bogus as a three dollar bill. The weekend operations escalated war-like behavior, not peace-making. If peace is what he wants, Trump is going in the opposite direction.
According to the Military Times, U.S. military operations are surging under Trump. He has overseen at least 626 air strikes, compared with 555 for President Joe Biden during all four years of his term. Military operations occurred in eight countries listed in the article. Donald Trump is not a peacemaker.
I viewed the entire press conference about weekend operations in Venezuela. It was hard to stomach all the misrepresentations and lies — the self-aggrandizement — yet it yielded a couple of things.
As many of us believed, the invasion and kidnapping of the Venezuelan president was about taking the country’s oil. Some in the United States have been lusting after it for decades. Trump confirmed this during the presser. How U.S. oil companies would proceed is sketchy at best.
The Cedar Rapids Gazette reported on Sunday:
“We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” Trump said at a Mar-a-Lago news conference where he boasted that this “extremely successful operation should serve as warning to anyone who would threaten American sovereignty or endanger American lives.” (Cedar Rapids Gazette front page, Jan. 4, 2026).
Not so fast! Shortly after Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in as Venezuela’s new president she pushed back on Trump. “We are determined to be free,” she said, according to the New York Times. “What is being done to Venezuela is a barbarity.”
“We had already warned that an aggression was underway under false excuses and false pretenses, and that the masks had fallen off, revealing only one objective: regime change in Venezuela,” she said. “This regime change would also allow for the seizure of our energy, mineral and natural resources. This is the true objective, and the world and the international community must know it.” (New York Times, Jan. 3, 2026).
What should happen next is Donald Trump, Pete Hegseth, Marco Rubio and General Dan Caine — and probably others — are removed from office. The only remaining question is how that gets done.
Blog For Iowa 