Youth Advocacy

📰 Youth Advocacy

(October 27, 2026)

• 🛡️ Purpose of the Blog: This platform intentionally bypasses the daily, surface-level distractions manufactured to overwhelm and confuse the public, choosing instead to analyze deep-seated trends to provide a clearer structural understanding of the current administration.

• 👥 Our Mission: We stand firmly on the frontlines for the next generation by confronting the defining crises of their era: the intentional erosion of democracy and the dangerous, unregulated expansion of AI systems.

• 🛰️ It’s Time: Reflecting on a recent analysis by Nobel laureate Paul Krugman, this piece argues that control over critical national security assets like Starlink must be stripped from unaccountable billionaires who independently interfere in foreign policy.

🖋️ Commentary Overview

• 🧵 Puppet on a String: Examining an assessment by cognitive specialists, this article outlines how the President's erratic and remorseless behavior points to severe clinical psychopathy, making an unprecedented voter turnout in the upcoming midterms crucial to reclaiming democratic guardrails.

• 🧠 Why Is Strategy So Difficult?: Drawing on insights from military historian Eliot A. Cohen, this article highlights the current administration's profound strategic failures in Iran, tracing them directly to a pathological lack of empathy, humility, and moral courage.

• 🎭 Who Are the Socialists?: Unpacking a mid-sentence press conference stumble by J.D. Vance, this piece exposes the hypocrisy of the regime's campaign rhetoric by showing how the administration's aggressive equity stakes in private tech and defense companies meet the classic definition of state socialism.

• 🎶 Free Advocate Compilation: If you are actively organizing, volunteering, or assisting in the defense of fair and free elections, you can claim an entirely free musical collection featuring multiple potent protest anthems to fuel your grassroots efforts.

Visual Stories

🎥 Featured Anthem: "There's Only One Way We Can Lose"

• ✊ Watch the Visual Story: You are warmly invited to watch the powerful new Canva-crafted presentation for "There’s Only One Way We Can Lose" directly on our YouTube Channel.

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🖋️ Articles and Commentary

Source | Paul Krugman Substack

It’s Time to Take Starlink Away from Elon Musk

https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/its-time-to-take-starlink-away-from?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=user%2FSubstack

It’s Time

Paul Krugman is a world-renowned American economist, academic, and prominent public intellectual who was awarded the 2008 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. So, when Krugman writes in his Substack that “it’s time” (to take Starlink away from Elon Musk), we must take him seriously.

Everyone in the regime is denying they pulled the switch on October 14th that virtually dismantled Ukraine’s Starshield (the military version of Starlink). Musk said Trump decided, Trump said, “I don’t know who did it, but I was not involved.” Rubio said no one had any foreknowledge; but none of these people are reliable sources meriting our trust. However, all signs point to this being an arbitrary solo decision of Elon Musk.

On October 24th, Musk made this statement: “Ukraine military violated Starlink terms of service and used it for offensive drone strikes to kill people. That loophole was closed last week." (Source | NewsNation)

Here is how Krugman summarizes the events: “However, given that there is now finger-pointing going on and there are credible statements that Musk himself was the instigator, we now need to seriously consider the implications. No private individual should, or indeed even have the capability to, make national security policy. Slowing down Starlink was, in effect, a U.S. intervention in a foreign conflict. It helped Russia, our long-time adversary, and hobbled Ukraine, during a very critical time in this war. It also helped Russia at a time when Putin is increasingly emboldened to menace Europe through acts of sabotage, intimidation, and support of the extreme right such as the AfD in Germany.”

Krugman points out that Putin has been losing this war, and his response has been to focus increasingly on bombing civilian targets and seducing Donald Trump. Both Musk and Trump blatantly support Putin in this war. The people of the U.S.—and even the Republican Congress—are largely against that strategy; indeed, as of today, some House Republicans are calling for an investigation into who bears responsibility for this action. Trump, at least, is facing some political pressure for going against Congress and the citizens of the United States (not that he apparently cares). Musk, on the other hand, has no one to answer to, and evidence points to him making the decision to pull this plug on his own, “intervening in foreign policy to his own ends.” And thus, Krugman points out, it’s time to take the controls away from him.

Krugman points out that the U.S. has made similar moves in the past, specifically in WWII, when the National War Labor Board “negotiated mandatory settlements between management and workers.”

Democrats have threatened to investigate Musk if they win the election. In return, Musk has used “Twitter (X)” to threaten Congress, saying, “Live by the sword, die by the sword. Those who pick fights with me should understand I will find out who is really pulling the strings and come for them, not just their puppets…” Musk continued threatening the Republicans this morning, who had begun opening up investigations into his behavior.

Musk appears to believe that his wealth makes him invincible.

Flicking the ownership switch at Starlink, the way that Musk flicked the switch with Ukraine, would substantially serve to reduce his impermeable sense of being the Wizard of Oz. I agree with Mr. Krugman. “It is time…”

Source | The Daily Beast

Trump, 80, Is Psychotic and It’s Getting Worse, Says Cognitive Doctor

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-80-is-psychotic-and-its-getting-worse-says-cognitive-doctor?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=topic%2Fbrain

Puppet on a String

If I said, “Trump is a puppet on a string,” most people might immediately think I was discussing his relationship with Putin, but this article, by Farrah Tomazin, reviews the ongoing diagnosis of 1700 doctors examining the behavior of Trump (although admittedly without access to the man himself). They believe that Trump is a “puppet on a string,” but the string is actually his own mental psychosis.

Tomazin quotes Dr. Vincent Greenwood, director of the Washington Center for Cognitive Therapy, who wrote the book, “Puppet on a String: Trump Is Ruled by an Ominous Psychological Condition.” 

Here is what Greenwood states: “Trump exhibits clinical psychopathy, characterized by three particularly destructive traits: impulsivity, remorselessness, and an intense drive to dominate.”

Greenwood believes that one particular aspect of this diagnosis is most dangerous; here are his words: “Perhaps the most central and most problematic trait is remorselessness. Psychopaths just don’t have the guardrails that a normal functioning conscience provides. They just don’t experience guilt or shame. There’s just no feeling of discomfort at all at the suffering of others, and they deflect all responsibility for any damage they may inflict.”

Backing up his claim, Greenwood points to recent statements by the President about annihilating “a whole civilization,” taking out American cities, and his live outbursts at reporters, including the one on October 19, threatening journalist Andrew Feinberg, when Trump yelled, “I don’t know who the hell you are, but you better be careful.”

Many of us are still reflecting on the November 14th, 2025 episode when Trump yelled at Bloomberg reporter Catherine Lucey, aboard Air Force One. She had just begun to question him about the Epstein files when he wagged a threatening finger at her and yelled, “Quiet. Quiet, piggy!”

Yes, Trump is Putin’s puppet on a string, but he is also a puppet on a string to his own psychopathological emotions. Greenwood’s final warning is ominous: “Trump’s response to a political setback may be driven less by conventional calculations than by an overriding need to avoid humiliation and a loss of control.”

If the statements and behaviors we are seeing now are those of a “semi-cognizant man,” it is horrifying to consider what the statements and behaviors of an “unrestrained Trump” might be like. Greenwood believes it is time to call on Republicans to pursue the 25th Amendment and remove the president before he can further damage the country. Only recently have Republicans shown any backbone due to Trump’s capitulations to Putin on Ukraine. Other than that, Republicans have consistently been this president’s “puppets on strings.” They have been blindly supportive throughout Trump’s convictions, the hiding of the Epstein Files, the Iran War, the Tariff wars, and the Immigration scandals. What could possibly bring these sycophants to impeach their Orange Diety? One might be too frightened to ask.

The long-term solution is in voters’ hands this November 3rd. We need a remarkable showing, an historic turnout at the midterm elections. Granted, the U.S. has not experienced turnouts like this since the late 19th century, but an 80 percent turnout would provide the power to enact Article II, Section 4, of the Constitution. This explicitly allows for the impeachment and removal of the President, Vice President, and all civil officers of the United States, for treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.

Unfortunately, time is of the essence, and we may not be able to wait for this regime to seat the newly elected Congress (if they even do), so we are left with a bad choice, relying on marionette-like Republicans to impeach their own puppet master. But here is one whisper of hope: Perhaps after devastating losses at this year’s elections, lame duck Republicans will finally grow the backbone needed to confront this president and impeach him in a last-ditch show of disgust. One can hope…

Whatever you believe, don’t let your own puppet strings keep you at home this year; vote early. Many polls are open now. Make your plan and get your vote in; our children’s future depends on it.

Source | The Atlantic

Trump’s ‘Staggering One-Two Punch’ to Ukraine

https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/2026/10/ra-ukraine/689068/?utm_medium=offsite&utm_source=flipboard&utm_campaign=all

Thirty Pieces of Silver

Putin was almost finished: economy collapsing, resentment rising, sanctions working; then someone stepped in to save him. And that someone; none other than Donald Trump. Days before midterms, the president of the United States rescued the dictator of Russia. One has to sit and let that settle in for a minute to understand the breadth of the statement. 

But let’s not stop there; let’s examine why this traitorous act; undermining a European democratic nation supported by the people of the United States and even the Republican Congress (EVEN!). 

This podcast from The Atlantic hosted by Adam Harris and featuring Russian/Ukraine experts, Jonathon Lemire and Simon Shuster, examines the insanity of these events. It’s a short listen and one worth your time on the podcast, Radio Atlantic.

They focus on three actions that Trump took: here is Adam Harris’ take on the events: “Over the last few weeks, the president has turned on Ukraine. He struck a deal with Vladimir Putin to import Russian diesel fuel. He exempted Russia from a sanctions bill he himself signed. He’s repeatedly attacked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. And last week, sudden restrictions on Starshield, a version of Starlink that is crucial to Ukraine’s military operations, caught the world by surprise.”

Trump hates Zelensky. The President of Ukraine is everything Trump wishes he was. A bold hero beloved by his country and, indeed, by the world. He has been a high-profile favorite among bookmakers and has received multiple formal nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize—including in 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2026—but the Norwegian Nobel Committee has historically avoided awarding the prize to active wartime leaders whose military forces are currently engaged in conflict. Even war monger, Lindsay Graham, loved Zelensky. The sanctions bill that Trump signed—and then overturned—was named after Graham in honor of his death.

Why the hatred? The interviewers go back to when Trump asked Zelensky to come up with damning evidence to sink Joe Biden, and the Ukrainian president refused to do it. All of which was caught on tape and led to Trump’s first impeachment. Then, there was the televised exchange between Zelensky, Trump, and J.D. Vance in the Oval Office. Leaving the two Americans looking stupidly childish.

Some have suggested that Trump actually wants to throw Republicans under the bus during the midterms because he knows that the OBBB will have a horrific impact on the U.S. economy, and he will be able to blame it on Democrats when the 2028 Presidential election occurs.

I continue to suggest (though it cannot be proved) that Trump has another agenda behind his apparent rush to help Putin defeat Ukraine. All we have to do is examine the behavior and motives of Donald Trump to realize he makes decisions based upon what will enrich himself. What does Donny want and what is Putin offering that will provide enough comfort for this President to undermine his own country, its international reputation, and alliances almost a century old? Saving a Russian despot and selling off a democratic nation in the process is a big payoff. It’s the proverbial “thirty pieces of silver.”

This is what Donald Trump will be remembered for, along with being a rapist, a pedophile, and a malignant narcissist.

Trump needs some place to retreat to after he loses the upcoming midterm elections. What will his thirty pieces of silver buy him from Vladimir Putin?

Source | The Atlantic

Why Is Strategy So Difficult?

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/10/strategy-military-politics-war/689072/?utm_medium=offsite&utm_source=flipboard&utm_campaign=all

“Know the enemy and know yourself…”

This article, based upon the book, “The Strategist: How to Think About War and Politics,” by Elliot A. Cohen, is one I wish we could add to a “must read before you make decisions about war” for all political leaders. It is a recap by the author himself of the book identifying errors made in recent global conflicts; not just with Iran, but in Ukraine, Vietnam, Iraq, and WWII.  Please take the time to read through the entire article. I just invested in the book this morning.

It would be impossible for me to review all that is in this article worth reviewing. But it begins by asking us to face the truth; a truth the current regime will not admit; We are losing the war in Iran.

We can only analyze and grow from our failures if we are willing to tell the truth—to ourselves. And, as U.S. citizens, we must admit that we not only are failing in Trump’s Iran war, but we are failing in this regime. Trump failed to create a soluble strategy for his war-of-choice with Iran and is either incapable or continuing to profit from the denial of his failure.

Cohen takes us through seven questions that would lead to a viable strategy and unpacks decisions about wars (current and past) that have been made about each of those questions.

One quote by Cohen from General Sun Tzu (The Art of War) pretty much sums up the failure of this regime (and the U.S. at this time); “Know the enemy and know yourself, and in a hundred battles you will not be defeated.”

The evidence (based upon results) is very clear: Trump—and those supporting him, or at the very least, refusing to disagree with him—did not know himself, his own strategy, and did not listen ( is not listening) to his any advisors who disagree with him. In fact, like most dictators, he attacks the opposition and seeks ways to silence them.

Rather than going through this article line by line (which would be worth it), I’m going to reprint two paragraphs that I found especially poignant about this regime, and, in particular, Donald Trump:

“These and many other pathologies have beset not only the Trump administration in Iran, but most countries at war. They can be mitigated but not resolved. Formal procedures are less helpful than qualities of character. Of these, the most important are empathy, to understand both the enemy and one’s own side; curiosity, because every war is new and distinctive; humility, to accept that one has made mistakes; and above all, moral courage, to face facts for what they are and to make decisions accordingly.”

‘The president is singularly deficient in all of these aspects. He finds it difficult to imagine the world as seen by others; he seems to be incurious about the important details of military operations; he is far from humble; and if he is averse to anything, it is admitting that he might be wrong. These traits do not seem, moreover, to be confined to him but are shared by many in his administration.”

We must, as citizens of the U.S., recognize we too must know the enemy and know ourselves. Trump is the enemy of the United States. He has proven, through graft and deception, that he has not an interest in this country, except to the point that it can enrich both himself and his family. It is almost too obvious that he has a retirement plan that includes Russian sponsorship and protection, and he will do everything he can to pad that traitorous dream as quickly as possible. None of this would be possible without a supportive Republican Congress and Supreme Court. But we, U.S. citizens, must bear our responsibility as well. Our country voted for him—twice (or stayed at home and allowed him to be elected).

Source | Raw Story

JD Vance realized mid-blurt he was exposing Trump's secret con

https://www.rawstory.com/raw-investigates/trump-socialism-2678096863/?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=RawStory%2Fmagazine%2FTop+Stories

Who are the socialists?

Elon Musk is using his millions of dollars in tax breaks and 100’s of millions in government contracts to buy another election. And, since Republicans really have no platform worth supporting, he’s focusing his money on painting Democrats as socialists.

The problem is, according to Substack Author, Sabrina Haake, no Republican seems able to define socialism. So Haake makes sure we can identify it: “By strict definition, socialism is an economic and political system in which the means of production—such as factories, land, raw materials, and machinery—are owned or controlled collectively by society or the state, rather than by private individuals or corporations.”

In an October 8th press conference, J.D. Vance found himself sliding into a muddy hole when he attempted to define socialism to the questioning press. He began by offering the textbook definition: ”Classically, you would think socialism is about prioritizing workers…” 

Suddenly, he caught himself explaining a version of socialism that would sound positive to voters today, so he switched to the Trump regime definition they have been peddling: “I think in reality what it actually means in the American context is that you want to replace American workers with foreign workers and you want boys to play in girls’ sports.”

Uh oh, J.D. almost got caught telling the truth.

But this is the message the White House wants us to swallow. (Trump carries it further and says that parents are dropping their children off at school in the morning as one gender, only to pick them up in the afternoon as a different gender.) This regime wants to blame our economic woes on foreign workers, boys playing on girls’ sport teams, and unauthorized sex change operations magically performed sometime between math class and P.E. This is the detritus Fox News is broadcasting, and Elon Musk is bankrolling. The last thing they want you to do is understand what socialism really is and who the socialists really are.

The problem with the real definition, according to Haake, is that it points back to this regime. Trump’s government is hastily attempting to buy stakes in multiple venues of business—to complete his graft portfolio before Republicans lose office. Those interests include: semiconductors, rare earth minerals, steel production, and defense contractors. This, Haake points out, is socialism in its truest form.

So, as Musk, Rubio, Trump, and Vance try to do their Orwellian word puzzles, remember who the true socialists are. They are the Republicans in government right now.

Vote them out! Don’t listen to their lies! Question everything!

Youth Advocacy

📢 October 20, 2026

🔍 Weekly Review and Announcements

Welcome to this week's strategic briefing. This blog purposefully steers clear of the daily, chaotic distractions engineered by the current regime to overwhelm and confuse the public. Instead, our mission is to analyze deep-seated structural trends, empowering you to understand these authoritarian maneuvers on a fundamental level while fiercely advocating for our youth. Today's rising generation faces two unprecedented existential threats: the systemic demise of democracy and the unchecked, corporate-driven expansion of artificial intelligence. We are here to provide the insights and tools needed to protect their future.

• 🖋️ Choosing Stupidity vs. Fighting for Truth: We explore how structural "stupidity"—the stubborn choice to resist learning and self-correction—is weaponized by elite political and corporate actors to accelerate existential threats like unregulated artificial superintelligence, highlighting the press corps' relentless questioning as our vital line of defense.

• 🖋️ Dismantling Corporate Dynasties: We look beyond individual wealth taxes like California's Proposition 40 to expose how corporate power, low-wage loopholes, and historical rollbacks like Citizens United systematically manufacture billionaires at the expense of working families, calling for structural shifts like steward ownership.

• 🖋️ The Reality of Modern Remote Drone Warfare: We dissect the long-term, devastating consequences of transactional, short-term executive decision-making, contrasting Ukraine's calculated defense of democratic stability with a broader, unconstrained escalation of international drone tech.

• 🖋️ Exposing the Depth of Regime Corruption: We pull back the curtain on the transactional corruption driving illegal foreign policy deals—such as illicit diesel imports from Putin's regime—and detail the necessity of systematic legal accountability to strip bad actors of ill-gotten gains.

• 🖋️ Weaponizing Law Enforcement Against Dissent: We confront the dangerous weaponization of federal agencies used to execute racist, revenge-driven politics against domestic critics like Representative Ilhan Omar, marking it as a critical violation of the constitutional separation of powers.

🎶 Free Resource for Election Defenders: If you are actively working on the frontlines to protect and assist in fair elections, you can download a completely free musical collection—including multiple powerful protest anthems—directly from our hidden Anthems Page.

If you are a youth advocate navigating these systemic shifts on the ground, please access your custom resources on our hidden Advocates Page.

🎬 Visual Stories

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✊ We invite you to experience the official visual story for "Take It Back," a driving musical anthem explicitly composed for youth advocates and voting rights organizers fighting back against institutional corruption. Watch the full video for free right now on our YouTube Channel and share it with the leaders in your network to amplify the resistance.

🌐 Connect & Support the Movement:

• Main Website & Music Store: Communities of Trust

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• Direct Inquiries: Contact Dr. Jerry Goebel at goebeljerry@me.com

🖋️ Articles and Commentary

Source | Psychology Today

Stupidity Threatens Everything

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/about-thinking/202610/stupidity-threatens-everything?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=topic/science

Question Everything

Guy P. Richardson wrote a book entitled, “Think: Why You Should Question Everything.” In this article, Mr. Richardson differentiates between “ignorant” and “stupid,” and delves into why we could face global catastrophe because of the latter.

First, we should understand his terminology: “Once a medical term, ‘stupid’ has been thoroughly popularized and weaponized in our everyday interactions. But this word is much more than a mere insult. Stupid does not mean uneducated or ignorant. Ignorance is an absence of knowledge, a condition remedied by learning. Stupidity, however, is a lack of desire and/or effort to acquire new and better information. Stupidity emerges from the stubborn resistance to learning and self-correction in light of new and better information.”

In short, one can lack intelligence, but one must choose stupidity. 

The author suggests we are choosing stupidity in the face of some very dangerous global and national issues. Here are some of the issues raised by Richardson: “Today’s greatest perils—nuclear war, climate change, biodiversity loss, pandemics, ecosystem destruction, the possible rise of an artificial superintelligence—are all unnecessarily complicated and worsened by stupidity.”

Fortunately, the writer reminds us that stupidity is not incurable and suggests that each of us must do our own part to question the world around us. He points out that we have a responsibility to recognize there are unethical players in the world around us using stupidity to manipulate us and goes on to call out those who actually create a political or corporate strategy to maximize and exploit stupidity.

This leads him to the strategy of “Question Everything.”

This week, reporters questioned Trump’s new appointee to White House Press Secretary, Katie Zacheria, who introduced herself to the reporters as a “lawyer.” When asked where she passed the bar exam, she said she studied in China. I find it rhetorical that, of all the people who have lied in this White House, the only one to be fired for lying is a woman. Thank you to the White House Press Corp for relentlessly questioning everything. It is getting to Trump and his regime. Now, the rest of us must do our part. Question Everything!

Source | Time

Billionaires Are the Symptom, Not the Disease

https://time.com/article/2026/10/16/billionaires-are-the-symptom-not-the-disease/?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=user%2Ftime

Making Billionaires

Christopher Marquis of Time Magazine does a good job explaining to us why billionaires are symptoms of economic and political problems within the U.S., but they are not the cause. The cause is corporate power and—though he agrees with current proposals to tax the wealthy (such as California’s Proposition 40)— taxing billionaires is not going to solve how billionaires are created and the undue influence they have on the politicians they buy.

Finding the core problem would take us back to the Supreme Court affirming “Citizens United” in 2010, which crushed any semblance of fairness in political funding. Now, Marquis says, “Over the past half century, political spending has become a core business strategy and arguably the highest-return investment a large company can make.”

Part of the issue, that Marquis points to, is not just the lack of taxes that corporations pay, but how corporations, like Wal-Mart, create loopholes whereby taxpayers essentially fund their business model. Here again is Marquis’ take: “The Walton fortune rests on wages so low that a federal watchdog found Walmart among the biggest employers of workers on Medicaid and food stamps. In other words, taxpayers are subsidizing the payroll beneath a dynastic fortune.”

So, what does the Republican “Welfare Queen” really look like? It looks like Jeff Bezos’ $500 million yacht, “Koru,” which costs $30 to $50 million a year, just to maintain. And it comes with a $75 million dollar support vessel (shadow vessel) to service the yacht.

Marquis offers multiple business models that would prevent the obscene funding of corporate dynasties. Again, let’s turn to Marquis’ words as he can describe the models much better than I: “It also means redesigning ownership itself. In my research on alternative corporate models, I have studied companies that are deliberately structured so that no one can extract a dynastic fortune, because the equity is legally locked to purpose. When Patagonia's founder moved the company into a purpose trust in 2022, such extraction became impossible by design; Bosch has been majority-owned by a foundation for decades and competes ferociously. Steward ownership, employee ownership, and benefit corporations are working alternatives operating in thousands of companies around the world and address wealth concentration at its source.”

As we encourage the new wave of politicians (that will hopefully be certified in January 2027), let us also encourage them to look beyond just taxing billionaires and have them consider ending the process of making billionaires.

Source | The Atlantic

Ukraine Finds a New Set of Targets

https://www.theatlantic.com/national-security/2026/10/ukraine-russia-trump-putin-war/689002/?utm_medium=offsite&utm_source=flipboard&utm_campaign=all

The new world of drone warfare

When I say “long-term consequences,” very few people would associate Donald Trump with that phrase. In fact, just the opposite: Trump has two basic modes of thought: “What’s in it for me?” and “Do it Now!” Even when warned by his own intelligence agencies, if it goes against what he already believes, he rejects it. Proof-positive? His unilateral decision to go to war with Iran and then watch helplessly as the Strait of Hormuz is closed.

In this article, long-time war correspondent and staff writer for The Atlantic, Simon Shuster, points out the obvious consequences of short-term thinking in the new world of drone warfadddre being utilized by small but mighty countries like Ukraine and Iran.

Trump asked Zelenskyy to stop bombing oil depots in Russia, but also told him, “there are plenty of other targets.” Trump did not ask Russia to stop targeting civilian targets in Ukraine and, in fact, Putin has only increased bombing such targets in the last months. As Shuster points out: “The most recent casualty report from the United Nations said that the Russian bombing campaign reached ‘a new level of intensity’ last month, killing at least 200 civilians and injuring 1,234 from September 1 to 24, when the report came out.”

While Trump plans on sending billions to Putin, he expects Zelenskyy to capitulate or the people of Ukraine to pick a new leader who will capitulate to Putin’s land invasion and internationally illegal land grab. While the Ukrainian leader has largely prevented drones from targeting civilian sites, he has allowed his defense department to continue with plans (including manufacturing drones with the capability) to take out such targets. 

Shuster points out that one such plan he reported on prevented Moscow’s airports from functioning (the M&M plan); even stifling Putin from landing there after a trip abroad. No airports were destroyed and no civilians harmed, but the airports were shut down for a significant time.

It is clear the Ukraine is running out of options to defend itself, and with Trump seeking to fund Putin through an illegal back door, those options are only going to become worse.

Of course, it wouldn’t be long before Iran began writing from the same playbook, and they have already been targeting airports throughout the Middle East. But, Iran does not have the same moral restraints shown by Zelenskyy. They have sent drones to take out airports in cities such as Riyadh, Jeddah, Dubai, Iraq, Kuwait, and multiple targets in the UAE.

In the meantime, madman Trump is generously offering up U.S. targets in California. Does he have any understanding of the power of drone warfare and their ability to be manufactured and operated remotely anywhere in the world? Of course not… 

That would be thinking ahead. That would require long-term planning. That would mean listening to people who have been experts in international intelligence for decades.

Obviously, Donald Trump does not understand the new world of drone warfare. Or, if he does, he’s already calculated the cost to be acceptable. It isn’t his family or him that is on the line. He’s got the safety of his new ballroom/war room to retreat to with his tender little bone spurs. Donald Trump stands to make money from the wars in Iran and Ukraine. When we find out how, we will find out how to end these drone-saturated conflicts without sacrificing civilians.

Source | The Atlantic

Trump’s Affection for Russia Is No Mystery

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/10/trump-russia-putin-oil/688986/?utm_medium=offsite&utm_source=flipboard&utm_campaign=all

Putin’s Darling Donny

Jonathon Chait, of The Atlantic, seeks to unwrap for us the reason(s) that Trump is Putin’s Darling Donny. In light of Trump’s illegal action to buy diesel from Putin, many people are asking the same question: What does Putin have over Trump that makes this president so willing to do his continual bidding?

The effect of the diesel Trump is buying will have no real impact on world reserves, but it will essentially supply Putin with much-needed money to continue his war against Ukraine.

Make no mistake, the action is illegal. The law clearly states that buying oil from Russia is not unlawful “unless it makes peace with Ukraine.”

Even (and I do mean, even) some Republicans are calling for the President to nix this deal. They appear to be fine with his criminal convictions, hiding the Epstein files, and the conspicuous graft, but buying oil from Putin is a step too far.

Somewhere, in Donny’s magic fairy-tale world of global economics, this blip of diesel on the market will alleviate the price problems the U.S. is facing prior to the midterms.

1. Chait examines multiple theories of why Putin pulls Darling Donny’s strings so easily. The three primary theories are:
   Putin masterfully strokes Donny’s ego;

2. Trump admires dictators;

3. A third possibility, according to Chait, depicts “Trump as merely amoral, driven by transactions and indifferent to moral concerns.”

None of these seem to adequately explain the depth of Trump’s idolization of Putin, so Chait examines another possibility: Trump’s pure corruption and the manipulation by Putin of that character deficit. Once again, let’s turn to Chait to explain:

“During the 2016 campaign, Russia dangled a lucrative deal to develop Trump-branded properties in Russia that would deliver hundreds of millions of dollars in profit with no risk. More recently, The New York Times reported that Trump advisers and Russian officials have floated deals that would enrich Trump’s inner circle as part of ending the war.”

With Trump’s attempt to rename national buildings, oceans, and build gilded monuments to himself in the U.S. somewhat stymied, perhaps he is hoping that streets will be renamed after him in Russia.

The corruption of this president is unmatched in history; we should not be surprised if he is willing to sell out the United States for a hotel in Russia or the Donbas region of Ukraine, or beachfront property in Gaza. His family and he will need someplace to continue raking in the “hundreds of millions” after they are thrown out of the U.S. Is this all part of an asylum deal as Trump begins to realize he will face constant prosecution post-presidency, perhaps even as early as post-midterms?

Trump’s Supreme Court has virtually guaranteed that Trump cannot go to prison for his behavior as a president, but that doesn’t prevent him from going to prison for other crimes he has committed. Jack Smith’s prosecution will go to trial, the Epstein files will be read, and the illegal killings around the world—and in the U.S.—will be tried. It is our duty to make sure that the Trump family is left with none of their ill-gotten gains so they can’t continue to haunt us after Trump has finally died.

Putin’s Darling Donny and his entire family must be banished, shamed, and made an example of to the world. Even as he attempts to dismantle the International Criminal Court (ICC), we must make sure he—and his lackeys—are prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

Source | Esquire

There Are So Many Things Wrong with What the DOJ Is Doing to Rep. Ilhan Omar

https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a74111250/ilhan-omar-doj-dhs-trump/?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=other

Racist, Revenge Politics

There are only two possible reasons for the FBI “break-in” of Rep. Ilhan Omar’s DC residence: Racism and Revenge.

Here’s how Esquire columnist, Charles P. Pierce, puts it:

“First, this is another example of the president weaponizing law enforcement to play out the demonology in his increasingly superfluous brainpan. Second, it also is a shocking violation of the separation of powers. And, yes, the cowardly sycophantic behavior of the Republican majorities made Congress vulnerable to institutional sabotage. But many of the Republicans in Congress are just as rabid about Representative Omar as the president is. Their bigotry cannot replace the constitutional order, even under this president, who wouldn’t know the constitutional order if it fell on his head, which, one day, I hope will happen.”

Omar has two primary issues going against her: 1) She is Somali, and 2) she has been adamant in her opposition to this administration and its Republican regime. Lesser threats have not worked against her, so this last-ditch effort of breaking into her residence is similar to the attack on Jack Smith by a Republican Senate panel that backfired only weeks ago. Trump has continually called the Representative from Minnesota “crooked” and “garbage.” She was a prominent member of "The Squad,” and Omar is an outspoken domestic critic of Trump's agenda. She has actively campaigned against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in Minnesota and has aggressively challenged executive mandates—such as pushing back against Elon Musk's interventions into the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

If you are tired of a racist, revenge-focused, Republican regime that illegally targets opposing voices with attacks such as these against Omar and Smith. Your time to show it is just weeks away. Don’t let anything stop you from voting this November. And if you are one of those brave souls showing up to monitor voting at the polls, I have a gift for you. If you go to my website, there is a free download of my protest music available. Go to my “Anthem Page” for more information.

Youth Advocacy

October 13, 2026

📢 Weekly Review and Announcements

Welcome to this week's briefing. As always, the core purpose of this blog is to completely bypass the daily, superficial distractions used by the current regime to overwhelm and confuse the public. Instead, we pull back the curtain to analyze long-term trends, helping you understand the architecture of this authoritarian administration on a deeper level. Our ultimate mission remains unchanged: to aggressively advocate for our young people by confronting the two greatest existential threats to their generation today—the rapid demise of democracy and the unchecked, unregulated growth of artificial intelligence.

If you are a voting advocate standing on the frontlines to protect fair elections, don't forget to access your free musical resource package. You can immediately download your complimentary compilation album filled with powerful protest anthems via the hidden Anthems Portal. Additionally, youth mentors can access dedicated regional tools through our hidden Advocates Portal.

📋 Current Briefings:

• The Foundation of Our Future: Robert Reich analyzes how public backlash against nationalist politics creates an opportunity for democratic resurgence during the midterm elections, provided election results are certified against potential authoritarian interference.

• Trump Is an Easy Mark for Putin: David Frum details how the current administration risks Western security alliances for personal financial gain, framing the midterms as a crucial defense against permanent autocratic rule.

• Under the Gun: Understanding America’s Defense Spending Paradox: Joshua Keating explains how bureaucratic inertia and erratic leadership have left the United States military dangerously depleted of essential munitions despite record defense spending.

• Making a “Killing” on Fossil Fuels: Troy Farah highlights how the current administration profits heavily from rising oil and gas stocks driven by conflicts abroad, while domestic trucking businesses collapse under the weight of soaring fuel prices.

• Spectacle Politics: Jillian Wilson breaks down the administration’s reliance on shock-value optics, connecting the defense secretary's sudden push for a historic, livestreamed military execution to a broader pattern of erratic, diversionary political theater ahead of the midterms.

🎥 Visual Stories

Music has always been the heartbeat of true resistance, turning collective anxiety into focused defiance. We invite you to step away from the noise and experience a visceral story of democratic resilience. Watch the official visual presentation for the powerful anthem "Take It Back" directly on the Jerry Goebel YouTube Channel. Let the rhythm reset your resolve, and share it with the advocates in your network who need to hear it most.

🖋️ Articles and Commentary

Source | Raw Story

Full-throttled dictator Trump may have one last resort if Dems win midterms

https://www.rawstory.com/trump-dictator-2678070869/?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=RawStory%2Fmagazine%2FTop+Stories

The Foundation of Our Future

Robert Reich is pessimistically hopeful about the midterm elections. He believes the Republicans will finally lose at the voting booth due to their full-throated support of Donald Trump. But… he adds this strong caveat: “We may soon witness the beginning of the end of this daymare — unless Trump goes full-throttled dictator and prevents votes for Democrats in the Senate and House from being certified.”

Reich analyzes the conditions that made the Trump revolution possible, beginning in the 1980s when the elite rich began receiving tax favoritism under Reagan’s “Trickle Down Economics.” Of course, instead of trickling down, the rich used their newfound tax breaks to buy more political clout and deepen their economic advantage. It is this, that Reich believes led to the anger of many voters who saw the “American Dream” slip out of their reach. Trump took advantage of that frustration and many bought into his lies. Here’s Reich’s take on the situation: 

“Trump has channeled their anger into rage at carefully selected scapegoats — immigrants, trans people, Black people, ‘socialists,’ women, Muslims — and asserted white male Christian nationalism as a cure-all.”

‘But it’s become evident to a growing number of Americans that white male Christian nationalism has cured nothing whatsoever. It’s just made it more difficult for us to join together to reestablish the basic bargain.”

Reich believes that the midterms, if the popular vote is certified, will allow the majority of citizens to take back the reins of the economy and “get big money out of politics.”

If, he says, we can get Trump and his Supreme Court out of politics, we have an opportunity to “lay the foundation of our future.”

The “ifs” are up to us. It begins with turning out a supermajority to say we are done with this regime. Demanding the vote be certified. Willing to make our voice heard through peaceful demonstrations if the Republicans block the results. The “If” belongs to us. 

The foundation of the future is in our hands.

Source | The Atlantic

Trump Is an Easy Mark for Putin

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/10/trumps-diesel-deal-sells-out-ukraine/688964/?utm_medium=offsite&utm_source=flipboard&utm_campaign=all

If…

David Frum is one of the podcasts that I regularly listen to. I find his insights well-researched and deeply stimulating. In this commentary, Frum offers us insights into how Russia is using Trump to further its own ends in the world. I think Frum sums the article up in a quote by Nancy Pelosi, who said to Trump’s face, “With you, all roads lead to Putin.”

Trump is selling out Ukraine, Europe, and the United States for a retirement luxury “Dacha” in Putin’s Russia. His non-elected ambassadors, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, stand to make additional millions from deals they are creating in clandestine meetings with Putin’s envoys. Here’s what has been uncovered so far: “The New York Times reported last week about an even more brazen Russian offering: a multibillion-dollar oil deal for assets owned by Russia’s Lukoil, which would directly benefit a Trump donor and two Middle Eastern groups that have done business with Kushner or Witkoff’s family.

Trump is a traitor who has sold out the United States for his own interests. The stockpile of billions he has created will be used to keep the Trump family (and his close supporters) in power for decades—if he has his way. If…

What stands between the Trump Regime and permanence is the mid-term election. If Trump—and his white nationalist supporters—have their way, this will be the last fair election in the United States—and we don’t even know how fair this election will be. Trump has already blocked an international agency (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, OSCE) from observing the U.S. elections, and there’s already proof he will deny any results unfavorable to the Republican Regime.

We can stop this regime IF…

If… we turn out in overwhelming numbers. If… we demand the certification of elected officials, no matter the obstacles this Republican Regime attempts to use to block the results. If… we are prepared to (as Vaclav Havel says) “put our feet down on the street.”

Our vote against Trump and his regime is also a vote against Putin, it is a vote against Netanyahu, it is a vote against Elon Musk, a vote against Pete Hegseth, a vote against ICE unleashed in our cities. It is a vote against publicly broadcast executions, against unsupported wars abroad, and tariffs choking our economy. It is a vote against undermining historic international friendships and undermining NATO. 

If… we show up in mass. It is a vote for future generations. A vote for civil and human rights.

If…

Source | Time

Under the Gun: Understanding America’s Defense Spending Paradox

https://time.com/article/2026/10/10/understanding-america-defense-spending-paradox/?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=time%2Fmagazine%2FTop+Stories

High on War; Low on Ammo

Author, columnist, and expert on foreign policy and national security, Joshua Keating is well-positioned to explain why the United States is high on war and low on ammo. He cites an historic disastrous decision by British Military leaders to attack entrenched German troops at the Battle of Aubers, France. Troops were seriously depleted because the English forces didn’t have enough artillery to support the invasion. It led to new policies reorganizing the British’s defense production, and ultimately, the fall of Prime Minister H.H. Asquith.

Currently, the U.S. finds itself in a similar predicament in Iran. For a number of reasons, which Keating cites, we have drained our stock of support ammunition dry. In fact, Keating tells us, “A CSIS report warns that the U.S. would likely run out of some types of long-range missiles after just a week of combat in a war over Taiwan.”

Of course, the Trump regime denies this and claims there are “virtually unlimited amounts of Mid to High Grade Ammunition.” But, it is obvious—even according to the pentagon’s own accountants that this is a lie.

Similar to the oil crisis that the U.S. faces, Trump blames this shortage on Ukraine. He says they are using up our missiles for their defense. But, that too, is a lie. The problem is much deeper than Ukraine and this regime simply doesn’t have the mental resources (or administrative capabilities) to respond.

Despite the fact that the United States spends more on its military than the next seven largest countries combined (including Russia and China), that spending goes largely to other critical sources and high-cost items like Aircraft Carriers and military personnel. It is also not in the interest of weapons manufacturers to retool their factories for weapons production when it could only be a short-term project.

U.S. weapons are extremely expensive while the weapons we are defending against are not. Keating points out that shooting an Iranian drone with a Cruise Missile is what Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) calls, “throwing a Ferrari at a frisbee.”

Finally, our military is running out of money and missiles because this regime is fighting on too many fronts. Keating reminds us of “when the USS Ford was diverted from the Mediterranean to Venezuela and then back to the Middle East again as the administration jumped from one conflict to another. The ship would spend a record 326 days at sea—a mission that included food shortages, sewage leaks, and a nearly disastrous fire.”

Military priorities change at the whim of an irrational president who cannot sustain a long-term vision, but also at the direction of a director who is more concerned about cliches, like, “No fatties, no trannies, no beardos, no weirdos, no radicals. Just warriors.” Cliches don’t win wars, neither do public assassinations. But Hegseth’s war is not with Iran, it is with his own personal addictive demons and we are at the whim of two madmen.

We are a military that is high on war and short on ammo.

Source | Salon

Trump gets richer while gas prices soar

https://www.salon.com/2026/10/10/trump-gets-richer-while-gas-prices-soar/?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=Salon%2Fmagazine%2FNews+%26+Politics

Making a “Killing” on Fossil Fuels

This article, by Salon News Editor, Troy Farah, opens up an exploration of why the Trump regime has no interest in renewable energy or ending the Iran War. And… as all things Trump… the answer is greed. Trump is literally making a “killing” on fossil fuels. The higher the price, the more he makes.

Here is one example that Farah cites: “Trump has caught plenty of these profits, with an August report from the Joint Economic Committee finding that the president ‘owned as much as $45.6 million in oil and gas company stocks in 2025, a portfolio that is now worth as much as $61.1 million given the surge in oil and gas stocks driven by Trump’s war in Iran.’”

Meanwhile, China—who have invested heavily in alternative energy—has not only a plethora of power, but too much. In fact, Youyuan Huang, executive vice chairman of BTR New Material Group, the world’s top maker of battery anode materials, said “China’s grid is a very strong and stable one . . . but we’ve installed too much green energy.”

The Trump regime continues to distribute external blame for the price of diesel, which, according to Farah, has caused at least 16 U.S. trucking companies to go bankrupt and is currently costing truckers almost $1000 each time they fill up their trucks. The regime is fond of saying it is Ukraine’s fault (for bombing Russian oil refineries). And, of course, it is Iran’s fault—though this self-initiated war of Trump’s could be ended at any time. But it won’t be… not as long as Trump continues to get rich off this war and the fossil fuel shortages. Yes, the president is literally making a killing off this shortage. He doesn’t have the concerns of the U.S. or the globe in mind, only his own fortune and power. Farah sees only one way to remedy this gross state of affairs: “The solution is to nail these people to the consequences of their decision. They don’t want to end this crisis, so we must make them.”

Source | ABC News

Hegseth says Hasan execution will be public

https://abcnews.com/Politics/hegseth-hasan-execution-public/story?id=137110734&cid=social_twitter_abcn

Spectacle Politics

On October 7th, according to HuffPost reporter, Jillian Wilson, President Trump was interrupted 12 times by hecklers at a rally for Ken Paxton in the deep red state of Texas. In addition to using the podium to attack his attackers, Trump did something perhaps never-before-seen in the annals of presidential behavior. He stuck his tongue out at a heckler. (https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-heckled-body-language_l_6ac7b0eae4b0e825de12ad33?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=user%2Fhuffingtonpost)

Most of us, as adults, would have to spend a great deal of time trying to remember—if ever—the last time we stuck our tongue out at someone. It is not just a sign of helplessness, but also a sign of infantile petulance. It is a sign that we have given up cognitive responses.

On October 8th, Pete Hegseth announced that Nidal Hassan, a former Army Major who killed 13 people and wounded 32 others at Fort Hood, Texas, would be executed publicly by firing squad. Currently, the Army has no protocol for public execution by firing squad. The last public execution by the military was carried out in Kentucky in 1936, and the last person executed by firing squad in the military was in 1945.

There is no doubt that Hassan is guilty of the heinous crime he is charged with. He was caught on the scene. He was shot in the back (and crippled) during the arrest.

Donald Trump himself decided that the execution should be carried out by firing squad shortly after the botched execution attempt of Christa Pike in Tennessee.

At this point, we know that everything that this regime is doing is purely for optics/spectacle. Purely to try and win back votes in an upcoming election that appears like it will be a disaster for Trump and the GOP. I’m interested in who advised this tongue-displaying puerile president that a public execution would be good optics.

This is nothing but spectacle politics.

This can’t be just the brainchild of Testosterone Pete. Was this another fiasco concocted by Stephen Miller, because of his hatred for all things not white? No doubt a public execution would appeal to a President who has stooped to tongue protrusion as a defense mechanism. But who instructed him that this would garner votes prior to midterms when they are losing “bigly” on the economy, the Iran War, and the tariff fiasco? Or, is this just another attempt to keep voters from bringing up the Epstein files?

No doubt there will be some people who are morbidly curious enough to watch the military shoot a crippled man bound in a wheelchair. Is that the audience the White House is now looking towards to secure this election? Is this the spectacle that will pull back the MAGA base that is growing ambivalent to their childish master?

It will be interesting now to see who this regime will attempt to force to cover this spectacle or will it only be shown on Trump’s private network: Trump TV: The Essential Network. Will he force billionaires to attend and pay for admittance as he has done with so many of his balls and state dinners? Is this the follow-up to cage wrestling on the White House lawn?

Youth Advocacy

08.10.2026

Weekly Review and Announcements

Welcome back to our community of advocates. A quick reminder to all our readers: the core purpose of this blog is not to chase or respond to the exhausting daily distractions this "Regime" deploys to overwhelm and confuse us. Instead, we are here to analyze the underlying trends, offering deep-dive insights that help you understand the mechanics of this regime on a much more profound level.

For the dedicated leaders and citizens working tirelessly on the front lines of fair elections, your courage does not go unnoticed. You can download a completely free musical collection—featuring multiple, high-energy protest anthems—directly via our dedicated Voting Advocates Portal.

Current Briefings & Core Trends

📊 Trend Index 01 | A Small Price to Pay

When this administration glibly claims that an enemy strike destroying major American cities like Los Angeles or San Diego is a "small price to pay," they expose a terrifying reality: to a billionaire regime, our lives, our communities, and our daily economic survival are completely expendable components of their corporate power structure.

⚖️ Trend Index 02 | Conservative Might over Human Rights

Justice Samuel Alito and the unchecked Roberts Supreme Court have abandoned constitutional fidelity to target fundamental human rights—from voting rights to marriage equality—shielding themselves from democratic criticism to construct an unchallengeable autocracy driven strictly by partisan victory.

🗳️ Trend Index 03 | Voting for Consequences

As Trump appointees intentionally break the Hatch Act to turn the raw power of executive agencies into a partisan campaign machine, this November’s midterm elections are no longer a mere policy debate, but our final democratic mechanism to impose legal consequences on a regime acting with absolute impunity.

🧠 Trend Index 04 | Clarifying Terms (Stupidity)

By applying Carlo Cipolla's economic laws of human stupidity to our current crisis, we see the true catastrophe of an administration where destructive, billionaire "bandits" driven by greed operate hand-in-hand with "stupid" actors who dismantle the critical regulatory safeguards protecting our health, safety, and digital future.

📉 Trend Index 05 | Trump Can—and Will—Get Worse

Trapped inside a self-serving echo chamber of unchecked sycophants, the president's compounding cognitive decline has decoupled his administration from objective reality, leaving a shell of a man who mistakes personal architectural fantasies and unverified corporate trade deals for established facts.

Visual Stories

We invite you to experience our latest creative resistance piece. Watch the official visual story for "Take It Back," a powerful musical anthem designed to shake off quiet compliance and challenge the rising tides of authoritarianism.

👉 Watch "Take It Back" Free on YouTube

🎵 Featured Visual Track | Take It Back (Official Visual Story)

A powerful anthem of youth advocacy and resistance against rising authoritarianism. "Take It Back" pairs an urgent message with an unforgettable rhythm, challenging us to stand firm, use our voices, and reclaim our future. This track is featured on the award-winning album by Dr. Jerry Goebel.

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Articles and Commentary

Source | Primetimer

"This should outrage every American" - Maria Shriver reacts to Trump saying Iran bombing US cities "is a very small price to pay"

https://www.primetimer.com/news/this-should-outrage-every-american-maria-shriver-reacts-to-trump-saying-iran-taking-out-us-cities-is-a-very-small-price-to-pay?utm_campaign=rss_syndication&utm_medium=all_items&utm_source=rss_feed

A Small Price to Pay

On October 5, at a Nebraska political rally, Trump said that bombing a U.S. city was a “small price to pay.” Here is his quote: "And again, remember, with the war, it's just artificial. It's a little bit high. It's a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe. They could take out a city. Let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego. This is a very small price to pay and it's gonna be over with very soon. It's essentially almost over with."

What else is a “small price to pay” for this president? Those service people who have died in his war, our gas prices, our grocery prices, basically, anything that doesn’t affect the Trump fortune is a small price to pay.

This president and the Republican regime that continually supports him sees all of our pain and suffering as a small price to pay for their largesse. As long as they remain in power, and can continue funneling trillions to his amigo billionaires, that’s all that matters. Apparently, it is all “artificial” to them (whatever that means).

Midterms will be our opportunity to remind this regime, “We are not a small price. We are the ultimate cost.” And they will pay it; beginning this November at midterms.

Source | The Atlantic

Zombie Originalism

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/11/samuel-alito-originalism-so-ordered/688699/?utm_medium=offsite&utm_source=flipboard&utm_campaign=all

Conservative Might over Human Rights

Make no mistake, this Supreme Court—especially Justice Alito—has no intention of making decisions that are indicative of the opinions of the citizens of the United States. Hidden in this article is the premise that Alito, especially, also really has no intention of even making decisions consistent with the Constitution. Alito—and to the extent that he can sway the other justices—has an audience of one: himself. And what Alito wants is absolutism: the omnipotent power to prevent a liberal court from ever returning, even if that means giving power to an authoritarian president.

Liberal, to Alito, encompasses civic rights, voting rights, minority rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and women’s rights. All of these human rights are secondary to conservative might.

Here is how the writer of this article, Jack Goldsmith, puts it: “It dovetails with a Trump-era New Right conception of law that is unshackled by restraint and focused solely on conservative victory.”

In an interview with CBS News (https://youtu.be/QQtqOLAUOmE?si=JEKl89iHiax6yHc7).  Alito has expressed that “criticism of the Supreme Court can be damaging.”

I would suggest that what would be even more damaging than honest criticism is a Supreme Court that answers to no one, which is what the Roberts Supreme Court has become. Roberts has been systematically trying to create a court to whom all branches of government (and the fourth estate—the press) succumb.

Goldsmith, who is a Law Professor at Harvard Law School and was Assistant Attorney General under the George W. Bush administration, is far from a liberal critic of the Supreme Court, but he is a critic, especially of Alito, and I would suggest reading his full article to find out more about Goldsmith’s insights in light of the provenance of Samuel Alito.

Alito wants four things: White Christian Nationalism, unquestioned dogma, plenary executive power, and a canonized system that would never challenge conservative might. Having been the primary voice undermining Roe v. Wade, he is now turning his eyes on ending the rights of U.S. citizens to marry whom they choose (the Obergefell v. Hodges decision).

In her October 5th “Letters From An American,” Heather Cox Richardson reminds us of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), written under the guidance of the beloved Eleanor Roosevelt and announced in 1948. It was written to provide a common standard of fundamental rights for all human beings. As Cox Richardson says, “Those rights included freedom from slavery, torture, degrading punishment, arbitrary arrest, exile, and ‘arbitrary interference with…privacy, family, home or correspondence, [and] attacks upon…honor and reputation.’”

Alito and this Supreme Court are obviously declaring they have no legal reason to adhere to the decisions of the United Nations, and Trump is obviously doing all he can to undermine it; even if it means “interfering with privacy, family, and home.” Such basic human rights seem beneath Alito’s dignity, certainly beneath his true goal of Conservative might.

If we want to stop this dogmatic juggernaut, it’s clear we must 1) impeach this president, 2) dismantle the Republican regime, and 3) break apart the Roberts court. The midterm election is where we start. Let’s focus on turning out the vote so that our children can have a democracy focused on human rights rather than an autocracy focused solely on conservative might.

Source | The Atlantic

Using the Power of the Government to Win Elections

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/10/government-neutrality-elections/688877/?utm_medium=offsite&utm_source=flipboard&utm_campaign=all

Voting for Consequences

Paul Rosenzweig is particularly well-suited to write this article. He was deputy assistant secretary for policy of the Department of Homeland Security under the George W. Bush administration and served as a senior counsel in the investigation of President Bill Clinton. So no one can really cite him as a Democratic hack with an ax to grind. Rosenzweig seeks to address the issue of the Hatch Act and begin asking if there should be any consequences for ignoring it. The Hatch Act was enacted in 1939 to: “limit certain government employees to ensure that these officials in their executive functions are above partisan political activity. Federal employees may not use their official authority to influence an election, though they can engage in political activity when they are off the clock, and restricted employees (which includes all national-security and law-enforcement personnel) may not “take an active part” in any political campaign.”

Rosenzweig points out that this law has been intentionally ignored by multiple Trump appointees who have campaigned without consequences for breaking the law for this administration. Pete Hegseth (DOD), Brendon Carr (FCC), Todd Blanche (AG), have all hit the road and/or used their role to support this regime and only the Supreme Court prevented Trump from using the U.S. Postal Service to his ends. Whether Trump uses the Department of Homeland Security to monitor voting locations and threaten to arrest individuals remains to be seen.

Another term for intentionally ignoring the law is intentionally breaking it. The midterms are a great threat to Trump and his regime. Complying with the law is obviously not on their agenda. Clearly, we can expect this behavior to worsen. This regime (including Trump and the Republicans) obviously believes they can act without impunity. Why? Because they have acted without consequences. Thus far, there have been no consequences for intentionally ignoring the law, largely because that would fall on the Republican Congress to pursue any recourse.

This election is not just about which party will hold the reins after the midterms, it is about whether consequences will be held for acting illegally in future elections.

Source | The New Republic (TNR)

Trump Personifies the Basic Laws of Human Stupidity | The New Republic

Clarifying Terms: Stupidity

This morning’s article by Ross Rosenfeld of The New Republic (TNR) gives us important designations on a term we must embrace. Clarifying terms is another way of putting a handle on a suitcase to make it easier to carry. It doesn’t lessen the weight or make the piece of luggage smaller; it just makes it easier for us to haul around. In a group context, clarifying terms can help us rally around solutions that are better targeted at solutions that will work.

The book is by Italian economist, Carlo Cipolla, who became an author and lecturer at Berkeley University, where he penned the book “The Basic Laws of Stupidity.”

Cipolla, writing after the Vietnam War, was committed to understanding how advanced societies could commit blatantly stupid acts. Rosenfeld points to the following events that make it imperative we reopen Cipolla’s book again: “Today, as we witness one of the dumbest wars in history unraveling in Iran, an inept health and human services secretary working to bring back measles and polio, a Republican Party wherein only 20 percent view the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol as a violent insurrection but 71 percent deny Joe Biden won the 2020 election, and an administration that refuses to properly regulate AI and crypto industries that threaten the economic well-being and safety of all…”

I want to quote straight from Rosenfeld now, because I could not interpret his summary of Cipolla better than he wrote it:

Cipolla divided people into four groups: the helpless, whose actions harm themselves but benefit others; the intelligent, whose actions benefit themselves and others; the bandits, who enrich themselves while harming others; and the stupid, whose actions harm others while producing no benefit to themselves. This latter group is Cipolla’s main concern. “No matter how high are one’s estimates of human stupidity,” he wrote, “one is repeatedly and recurrently startled by the fact that a) people whom one had once judged rational and intelligent turn out to be unashamedly stupid; b) day after day, with unceasing monotony, one is harassed in one’s activities by stupid individuals who appear suddenly and unexpectedly in the most inconvenient places and at the most improbable moments.”

Cipolla goes on to say that the real danger is when stupid people gain power. What occurs then? Again, let’s turn to Rosenfeld:

“In this scenario, the stupid will have at their disposal means of destruction created by the intelligent—armies, weapons systems, monetary levers, media influence—and will oversee industries often controlled or influenced by bandits, weakening the institutions designed to monitor them. Imagine, if you will, if an extraordinarily stupid man were to somehow become secretary of defense, jeopardizing both our soldiers and our position in the world while also promoting a testosterone-based culture that could damage our forces for years.”

The role of the intelligent, according to Cipolla, is to keep the stupid in check, which is possible in a democracy, but difficult because, as Cipolla says, “politicians often have to appeal to the stupid in order to maintain power, ensuring that stupid politicians will always make up a fraction of government officials.”

Cipolla presents five laws that validate his theories. Please refer to the article if you want to dive deeper into them. But the emphasis is that the intelligent repeatedly underestimate the stupid to their gross detriment. He then goes on to chart people based upon their consistent behavior (acknowledging that people can change, but asking us to look at the overall results of their actions and not just their words): Helpless, Intelligent, Bandits, and Stupid.

Rosenfeld does a good job charting out this regime based upon their behavior. What he says is extremely insightful and important for us to understand:

“If we were to do a current-day chart, you would find most of the Trump administration leadership in either the “bandit” or “stupid” quadrant—though their exact coordinates on the chart would undoubtedly be a matter of debate. Some might reasonably argue that Trump himself should be on the stupid side. I’d put him close to there, as many of the things he does are just plain stupid. But I contend that his utter stupidity cannot match his unadulterated greed, so I would put him in the “bandit” quadrant but right beside “stupid”—and as far away from “intelligent” as possible. Other top Republicans in that quadrant might include Mike Johnson, Marco Rubio, Scott Bessent, JD Vance, and Kash Patel, while those more worthy of the “stupid” quadrant are RFK Jr., Pete Hegseth, and Tommy Tuberville.”

The dangerous predicament we find ourselves in today—especially regarding AI—is best summarized by Rosenfeld who says, “It’s like we built a hydrogen bomb, then entrusted Gordon Gekko to make a profit off it and Barney Fife to monitor him.”

I want to thank Rosenfeld for this article; it is so important that we clarify terms so we can better improve our strategies. It will help us all be on the same page. Please open the link to Rosenfeld’s page and read this in more depth; I promise it will be worth your time. Share it with others and talk about the definitions that Cipolla created. Clarifying terms can help us improve strategies in order to defeat this regime.

Source | Letters From An American

October 1, 2026

https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/october-1-2026?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=user%2FSubstack

Trump can—and will—get worse.

Surrounded by sycophants and unable to complete a sentence, the president still wields an immense amount of power. 

In this commentary by historian/professor Heather Cox Richardson, we are allowed glimpses not only of how bad Trump’s cognitive decline has become, but also the extent to which he has surrounded himself with people who constantly tell him that his policies are working and that he is a popular—perhaps the most popular—president ever.

As to his cognitive unraveling, Cox Richardson cites this excerpt from Trump’s recent interview by senior political correspondent Eric Cortellessa and editor-in-chief Sam Jacobs of Time Magazine: “I have the highest of IQs. I have the highest. I’m fine, and I understand that stuff. You know, my uncle was at MIT for 41 years, and you know, I’m a—I believe in genetics, frankly, and I understand. I understand it much more than I think any president would, because I do have an ability on this. I have an ability on those things that were the new frontiers.”

Does that sound like a person you want anywhere near the nuclear codes?

But that not only reveals how undercooked Trump’s soft-boiled brain has become. It seems all that is left in the shell of this man’s cranium is revenge and self-service.

Again, Cox Richardson cites the Time interview: “The interview reveals a man unable to answer questions coherently, obsessed with his architectural projects, consumed by his own fantasy of himself, and angry at the media that he feels mistreats him. He does not appear to be a well man.”

The historian reveals that Trump is living in a fantasy world where he actually believes if he says something, it automatically becomes fact. She points to two projects that Trump touted as “done deals” that, in fact, are still in the approval process. One in Alaska with South Korea and one in Iowa with the State Legislature.

Feeding Trump’s illusory world are sycophants like Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick who praised his idol in front of the press; “…your 232 tariffs, the steel tariffs at work,” and, “I think this deal is done. This deal is done. They’ve already worked it out. That’s why we’re all together with the president. The president doesn’t bring people together unless it’s a done deal. You guys know that already.”

But no evidence of land being purchased for a factory can be found. It’s all in the head of Trump and his sycophants.

Trump can—and will—get worse.

One has to wonder what else in his mind does he believe exists because he uttered the magic word?

Youth Advocacy

Youth Advocacy

Weekly Review and Announcements

The core purpose of this blog is to look past the daily noise and media distractions designed to overwhelm us, focusing instead on the underlying systemic trends to help us understand this regime on a deeper level.

• 📈 What Is Trump Doing? — Jonathon Lemire breaks down how a chaotic, ego-driven strategy is alienating voters, alienating the press, and causing Republicans to panic about a potential midterm "Blue Wave" overriding the Senate.
  Source | The Atlantic

• ⚖️ The Party of Projection — A flawed Senate attack on Special Counsel Jack Smith by Eric Schmitt and Katie Britt completely backfires, showcasing the frantic lengths to which Congressional Republicans will go to deflect their own ethical failures.
  Source | The Independent

• 📜 Democrats Need to Get Serious About Amending the Constitution — Pete Buttigieg lays out a multi-point plan for critical structural reform post-election, reminding us that repairing our democracy requires fixing systemic constitutional crises that run deeper than Trump alone.
  Source | The Atlantic

• 🗽 The Defiance of Hope — Heather Cox Richardson contrasts the transactional, isolationist, and authoritarian UN address delivered by Donald Trump with Secretary-General António Guterres’ inspiring vision of international equality and multipolar interdependence.
  Source | Letters from an American

• 🏰 Mad King Ludwig — Timothy Noah compares Trump's rapid cognitive decline and malignant narcissism to a historical king building elaborate monuments to himself while his party prepares to cut ties for their own political survival.
  Source | The New Republic

• 🛑 Break Things and Walk Away — Andrew Exum details how the Trump administration is following the traditional GOP playbook by intentionally driving up national debt and starting a foreign crisis in Iran, only to leave the cleanup to a future administration.
  Source | The Atlantic

• 📉 Lenders Don’t Trust the United States Anymore — David Frum provides a sobering look at how a lack of transparency and systemic corruption under the current regime has severely degraded the international financial credit trust of the United States.
  Source | The Atlantic

🗳️ Voter Advocate Announcement: For those actively dedicating their time to ensuring fair elections and protecting turnout, a free musical collection of original protest anthems is available for immediate download. Organizers and volunteers can access this gift directly through the Anthems Compilation Page to share with their grassroots networks.

Visual Stories

Our featured visual narrative this week centers on a collective call for democratic resilience, taking a direct stand against systemic overreach through the power of music. You are invited to watch the free YouTube video presentation for "November Light," created on Canva and streaming now on the Communities of Trust YouTube Channel. Let this track serve as an anchor for your grassroots advocacy work this week.

🖋️ Articles and Commentary

What Is Trump Doing?

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/2026/10/trump-midterms-polls-senate/688840/?utm_medium=offsite&utm_source=flipboard&utm_campaign=all

What Will Feed His Insatiable Ego?

Jonathon Lemire of The Atlantic brings us an in-depth article about Trump’s flailing presidency. He begins by pointing to the disastrous arrival of Communist China’s leader, Xi Jinping. Trump had a new granite helipad installed for the event (est. cost at $5 million), but there were not press cameras to cover the spectacle. Why? Trump had kicked CNN, MSNOW, and Politico out of the White House, and the other news services refused to cover Trump in solidarity. As Lemire points out: “At the risk of understatement, Trump has never been one to think all that many moves ahead. But his impulsive decision to ban media outlets spawned unintended consequences that derailed his own plans.”

In fact, says the journalist, this has been a theme of this presidency. Loading a scatter gun with unilateral actions that wind up exploding in his face. The litany of failed policies would take up all the bytes I wish to dedicate to this review. But, suffice it to say—as Lemire points out— the bottom line is that the majority of citizens do not think this regime has their interests at heart.

Republicans are increasingly worried about a Blue Wave overcoming not only the House, but also the Senate. And Trump is not helping. He has no plans to campaign in swing states, only deeply red states. Why? What is the strategy? Or, as Lemire says, “What is Trump doing?”

According to Lemire, Trump is only going places where he feels assured of a receptive audience. Here’s how the journalist puts it: “For any president, even an unpopular one, his most valuable resource is his time—and heading to those deep-red states comes at the expense of a potential stop in a swing district (though the stop in southern Oklahoma does bleed into a Texas media market). The answer might be surprisingly simple: ego.”

Trump’s strategy (if you can call it that) has become increasingly easy to track; “What will feed his insatiable ego?”

Viral slow zoom on Katie Britt says it all as she realizes Jack Smith gotcha moment is going up in flames

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/katie-britt-jack-smith-eric-schmitt-hearing-b3058627.html?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=other

The Party of Projection

The Republicans are the Party of Projection, and nothing exemplifies this further than their attempt to paint Jack Smith with the worst traits of themselves.

This is one of those events that everyone needs to share. For even more depth into the situation, I recommend the commentary by Heather Cox Richardson on her “Letters from an American” feed for September 30, 2026.

The emphasis of both articles is on the kangaroo court by Senate Republicans yesterday attempting to paint Special Counsel Jack Smith with their own worst traits: projection. 

Smith is especially a target of Trump—and thus Republicans—because Smith’s investigation found Trump guilty of both attempting to turn over the 2020 election and retention of classified documents. Trump and Republicans know that the evidence is overwhelming and will eventually see the light of day. In the meantime, it is their intent to make it as opaque as possible. Neither Trump nor his lackeys wants this information to come before voters—especially before the midterms. Which is why, Cox Richardson points out, it is interesting that Republicans would choose to drag out this information at this time.

It is obvious though that these Republican hacks thought they had irrefutable evidence that Smith had colluded with Fanny Willis at an Atlanta Hawks game in Atlanta, Georgia. Senator Eric Schmitt (R-MO) launched his attack based upon information provided to him by Senator Katie Britt (R-AL). With the evidence they believed they had, they attacked Smith. At one point, Schmitt called him a “total dirtbag.”

Cox Richardson’s point in her column is that a citizen of the United States could not bring such charges or make these statements in court without facing prison. However—due to a ruling by Trump’s sycophantic Supreme Court—members of Congress and the president are protected from crimes like these (unless they include evidence of treason).

After attacking Smith and calling him a “dirtbag,” it became apparent that the evidence they received from Senator Britt was grossly flawed. The Republican Senators accused Smith of colluding with Willis at an Atlanta Hawks game when, in fact, Smith was at a game in Maryland with the Iowa Blackhawks. The look on Britt’s face is priceless when she realizes how badly she failed in her sloppy investigation. However, Schmitt simply dug in and continued his name-calling and full-throated bullying.

This event needs to go viral. It truly shows the extent that Republicans are willing to go to in order to protect themselves and their president. Perjury, defamation of character, and treason are but a few of the charges that come to my mind. But the primary point is this: Republicans are projecting their own guilt upon others. They simply cannot understand how other people are not as immoral as they are. It’s not in their conscience; they have sacrificed all their core beliefs to support a president who has no core beliefs. This is the party of projection. And they project upon others the worst aspects of themselves.

We are mere weeks away from the midterms. We have the opportunity ahead to cast out this Party of Projection and clean both Congress and the executive branch of traitors. Then, we can start the hard work of cleaning out Trump’s Supreme Court.

Perhaps, in a future Democratic administration, Jack Smith can return as Attorney General of the United States. He certainly has proven himself worthy of such an honor.

Buttigieg: Democrats Need to Get Serious About Amending the Constitution

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/2026/09/pete-buttigieg-democrats-trump-midterms/688666/?utm_medium=offsite&utm_source=flipboard&utm_campaign=all

Pete Buttigieg

Pete Buttigieg is possibly one of the sharpest intellects in politics today. In this article, he reminds us of the serious work Democrats need to undertake post-election, both in midterms but also in 2028.

In this interview with The Atlantic’s Editor-in-Chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, Buttigieg lays out a multi-point plan for fixing government so that what happened with the Trump Regime would not occur again. He reminds us that this problem is deeper than Trump and won’t just go away with his removal. We have a constitutional crisis that needs to be addressed.

Here are just some of his suggestions:

- Tax the wealthy

- Prevent the wealthy and corporations from buying elections

- End the Iran War

- Use the windfall from all the above actions to provide health care to all Americans

- Protect voting rights of all Americans

- Create a humane and functional immigration system

This is just a partial list of Buttigieg’s immediate suggestions.

What I didn’t see—and wish I had, but was perhaps prohibited because of the time constraints of The Atlantic’s forum—was how we must and how we are going to claw back the Trump fortune. David Frum, and other prominent journalists, have pointed out autocrats who are allowed to keep their fortunes, return to power in a relatively short period of time. Examples would be the Marcos family in the Philippines, the Shinawatra family of Thailand, the Fujimori family of Peru, and the Kenyatta family of Kenya.

It is quite obvious that Putin is banking on the Trump family’s return to power by the way they are paying for events (like Donald Trump Jr’s wedding in the Bahamas) and bankrolling their real estate projects in hotels and golf courses around the world. 

The Atlantic’s October Cover: Anne Applebaum on the “Empire of Grift” and the Revolution in American Foreign Policy

https://www.theatlantic.com/press-releases/2026/09/the-atlantics-october-cover-story-by-anne-applebaum/688604/?utm_medium=offsite&utm_source=flipboard&utm_campaign=all

A Tool of Private Gain

The cover of October’s The Atlantic should shock readers; it is meant to. Politicians sitting around a table selling off pieces of the world. Although you cannot see the faces of the people around the table, you can see they are all male. What Anne Applebaum, staff writer at The Atlantic, says they wish to convey in this cover art is how, “far-right ideologues have transformed American foreign policy into a tool of private gain and antidemocratic reaction.”

She emphasizes that we no longer have diplomats at the bargaining table promoting peace; instead, “far-right ideologues have transformed American foreign policy into a tool of private gain and antidemocratic reaction.”

We should all be alarmed at the way that international relations—and often, internal politics—have become the tools of small, hard-core, conservative groups interested only in furthering their own goals, embedding their own power, and expanding their own fortunes. 

Pete Buttigieg points out that future elections must target the processes that have given these people power and authority. Predominantly, tax breaks and unlimited campaign donations, which are used to buy politicians who will favor laws that favor their personal and corporate interests. That system must be dismantled. If we don’t begin doing it in this upcoming election, we may well miss our chance. One more cycle of this kleptocracy could make it a forever form of government requiring nothing less than a revolution to overturn it. Of course, that could happen sooner than we think if Trump and Mike Johnson refuse to seat new congressional winners after the November midterms.

Letters From An American

https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/september-22-2026?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=user%2FSubstack

The Defiance of Hope

The United Nations was presented with two opposing world views on September 22, at its annual gathering. One belonged to a deteriorating octogenarian narcissist who can barely put sentences together—even when reading from a teleprompter. The other from a masterful statesman who seeks a world of peace and sustainability. 

If you want to be depressed, read the narcissist’s view of the world (Trump); if you want to be inspired, read the statesman’s version (United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres).

Trump presented a rambling discourse on how great he is and how the United States is making the world bend its knee to his power. He told the U.N., “To the victor belong the spoils.” He spoke of annihilating Iran if they don’t give him the peace deal he wants and of taking over the Western Hemisphere. (Iran walked out of the first part of his speech, and Cuba walked out of the second.)

Guterres spoke of two paths the world could pursue, one of “transactionalism and mistrust” and one of interdependence; “A world in which multiple centres of influence coexist within a common framework of international law and shared rules.”

Guterres goes on to say, “Equality is not a dream, it is a decision.” And calls for defiance of the world of Trump and his authoritarian counterparts; “In the face of a global catastrophe more than 80 years ago,” Guterres said, “…the United Nations was created as an act of defiance. The defiance of people who refuse to surrender the future to fear. The defiance against the self-defeating notion that might makes right. The defiance of countries that know our futures are bound together.

“The defiance of hope.”

The upcoming midterm elections are a shibboleth of which world the United States will decide to pursue: Trump and the Republicans’ vision of world dominance and destruction or Guterres’ vision of equality and interdependence. Will this election be our “defiance of hope?”

Why Trump May Not Serve Out His Presidency

https://newrepublic.com/article/215634/trump-may-not-finish-presidency?vgo_ee=zxl+CzpYtEYa4jEWlsDXtOfGh+m13VE%2FY6YJ8WLhJ19gqpml+A%3D%3D%3AWQjzPF0FbF0vlhFIr%2FGKUkEeo7wJRZM6&utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=other

Mad King Ludwig

This article by Timothy Noah of The New Republic provides a list of reasons that Trump will not finish his second term. Primarily, Noah focuses on his mental health. In addition to his obvious cognitive decline, there is his diagnosis for Malignant Narcissism. The two diseases bring to mind the lead one author to refer to Trump as, “Mad King Ludwig.” King Ludwig remains one of Europe’s most fascinating and eccentric monarchs. He constructed a “fairy tale kingdom,” and borrowed massive foreign funds to build it. 

His similarities to Trump are legendary. Here is how a group of 225 mental health professionals have diagnosed Trump’s decline: “a dramatic decline in verbal fluency, tangential thinking, diminished vocabulary, overuse of superlatives, and filler words.”

Noah believes that Trump is fast approaching the point where even Republicans will not be able to support him and politically survive. When that point is reached, they will cut bait and do ask what politicians repeatedly ask, “What’s in this for me?”

The journalist goes on to quote Maggie Haberman, co-author of Regime and New York Times reporter, who said last month that, “Trump spends 70 percent of his time playing Mad King Ludwig of Bavaria, gilding this, redecorating that, and building ever more elaborate monuments to himself.”

Personally, I hope that Trump lives long enough to see his regime dismantled, his fortune clawed back, and his name removed from every item to which it is attached.

Noah goes on to quote Thomas B. Edsall, who wrote in The New York Times that, “no action to remove Trump from the White House will happen until he does something so threatening and damaging that drumming him out of the White House becomes an inescapable necessity.”

Noah’s final paragraph is chilling and deserves being read in its entirety: “Trump’s behavior will grow more erratic. Already, Trump’s children are frantically stuffing their pockets with cash as if this bonanza could end tomorrow. If the midterms are as catastrophic for Republicans as political professionals expect, Trump’s political sway over his party will weaken dramatically, along with his ability to do mischief. Everything we know about Trump tells us he will not take that well. He’ll deny the midterm results as he denied the 2020 election, and will probably attempt some chicanery to keep newly elected Democratic House and Senate members from being seated. I believe he will fail. But whether he succeeds or fails, anything Trump does to further subvert democracy will drive his approval ratings down further, and drive further upward the public’s conviction that he’s lost his marbles.”

Trump Could Leave the Iran Mess to His Successor

https://www.theatlantic.com/international/2026/09/trump-iran-successor-blame/688754/?utm_medium=offsite&utm_source=flipboard&utm_campaign=all

Break Things and Walk Away

Look at the playbook: “Break Things and Walk Away.” 

The GOP repeatedly starts wars, plunges the U.S. into debt, then leaves the next administration to clean up their mess. Meanwhile, they use their terms out of office to blame the Democrats for the messes they created. Both Bushes did it, Trump 0I did it with Afghanistan, and there’s little doubt that Trump II will do it again with his new forever war in Iran.

In this article by Andrew Exum, we are warned of this recurring cycle of “break and walk away,” and what to expect. Trump is bored with this war, and he doesn’t look like he is interested in solving it. Exum tells us that, rather than facing the political and economic consequences of cleaning the mess he created, he will leave that to another administration. 

Is this cowardly? Yes. Is this irresponsible? Yes? Is this classic Donald Trump? Yes again. Look at the number of businesses he’s broken and walked away from, look at the number of marriages he’s broken and walked away from, look at the number of tariffs, treaties, and people he’s broken and walked away from. If there is one thing we can expect from this regime, it is that they will break things and walk away.

Lenders Don’t Trust the United States Anymore

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/09/trump-national-debt-interest-rates/688783/?utm_medium=offsite&utm_source=flipboard&utm_campaign=all

More Break Things and Walk Away

David Frum’s analysis of upcoming financial hardships for the U.S. post-Trump is sobering. His major point being that, “Low interest rates are a factor of trust x transparency.” In this regime, under Trump and the Republicans, we have neither: “Trustworthy borrowers with solid finances and honest leadership pay less. Distrusted borrowers with disordered finances and corrupt leaders pay more. In times past, the United States would have headed that first list. Under President Trump, the United States has tumbled onto the second one.”

Of course, Trump isn’t solely to blame for the plight of the USA’s credit rating, but Republicans, “the party of fiscal responsibility,” have been anything but responsible. 

But Frum digs deeper; it’s not just fiscal stability markets want; indeed, many nations have a greater debt-to-GDP ratio than the US’s, but Republicans—and especially Trump—have increasingly threatened to default: “Trump has speculated about refusing to pay some or all of the country’s public debt. In a CNN town hall in 2023, Trump urged congressional Republicans to “do a default” to force “massive” spending cuts on the Biden administration.”

Here is the culmination of Frum’s article: “A 2006 study found that the more corrupt a country was rated by the nonprofit Transparency International, the more it paid for its debt. Within the United States, more corrupt states pay higher interest rates than more honest states. In August 2024, a Trump-campaign social-media account posted an anti-immigration warning: “Import the third world … Become the third world.” Yet Trump’s multibillion-dollar self-enrichment schemes, perversion of presidential pardons, attacks on the independence of the Federal Reserve, and costly vanity projects throughout Washington all make the United States look more like Pakistan, Nigeria, or the Philippines than a consolidated democracy.”

In essence, lack of transparency x corruption = higher interest rates.

LowT x highC = IR.

This regime’s current endeavors to shut down the free press will not increase transparency.

This will be another mess the Republicans leave the next administration to clean up. “Break things and walk away…”

From motorcycles to booze, US ban on $1 billion worth of Canadian imports goes into effect

https://apnews.com/article/canada-us-trade-ban-tariffs-bdb4d9b946e98f84088c5c0f7f522588?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=other

He’s Still At It

I’m sure most of us are moving from, “He’s at it again…” to, “He’s still at it…”

The bankruptcy king in the White House is not satisfied with ruining the economy by going to war with Iraq. He must also continue his tariff war against the United States’ greatest friend, trading partner, ally, and neighbor: Canada.

According to Regime authors, Maggie Haberman and Jonathon Swan, Trump likes to use tariffs because they give him a “sense of power.” It certainly gets him massive amounts of attention—the fire that makes his narcissistic engine run. He loves creating disturbance. One begins to wonder if he loves being hated as well. Nearly every policy of this regime is costing the lowly, sycophantic Republicans at the polls.  The graft, the sinking economy, the skyrocketing price of energy, the war in Iran, and… of course, these tariff wars. Perhaps most threatened by these tariffs (as well as his immigration policies) are farmers and ranchers in the U.S. Previously, a hard-core demographic of Trump support, but now, even they are counting the cost of their allegiance to this egocentric madman.

Yes, he’s still at it and he’s likely to be “at it” until we impeach him. So let’s make sure we have our voting plans ready AND fail-safe. Remind those you know that “staying home” is not an option; it is a vote for this pedophile and his sycophants.

Vote, vote, VOTE! So one day we will be able to wake up and not have to say, “Is he still at it?”

Youth Advocacy

Youth Advocacy

by Dr. Jerry Goebel

📢 Review and Announcements

✊ Weekly Review & Announcements

Review and Announcements

Before diving into this week's visual updates, I highly encourage you to check out my latest analytical breakdowns on youth advocacy and confronting modern authoritarianism.

👉 Read the full articles on my website: Explore the archive and subscribe to our weekly briefings directly at Communities of Trust Articles.

• Free Advocate Resources Available: We are committed to equipping front-line leaders. If you are a voting or youth advocate, don't forget to access our two exclusive, free music compilation pages—"Anthem,s" and "Advocates"—hidden right within our digital space for those doing the work.

• Connect on Socials: Let's keep the dialogue moving daily. You can find my latest updates, micro-blogs, and shared resources on Substack (under @drjerrygoebel), Bluesky (@docjerr.bsky.social), and Facebook. For a complete dashboard of all our active hubs, visit my Linktree.

Visual Stories

This week's featured visual story brings the core theme of democratic ownership straight to your screen. Music has always been the frontline engine for social change, and right now, the high-stakes reality of our upcoming November mid-term elections demands that we step out of quiet compliance and make our presence felt in the voting booth.

Our featured video, "Only If We Say So," is a high-energy, raw rock-and-roll rallying cry. Heavily inspired by the uncompromising stance of Bruce Springsteen, this track strips away political noise to remind us of a fundamental truth: absolute authority belongs to the people—but that is only true if we actually stand up and claim it.

We cannot expect the scales of justice to balance themselves if we are sitting safely on the sidelines. Watch the performance, catch the rhythm, and most importantly, get in line to vote this November.

🎥 Watch the Visual Story Now on YouTube: Only If We Say So – Official Video

Articles and Commentary

08.09.2026 | Source: Letters from An American

September 3, 2026

https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/september-3-2026?r=14ehv&utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=user%2FSubstack

Heather Cox Richardson gives an in-depth, comprehensible read into the myriad schemes coming from the Trump Regime and Republicans to prevent their losses in the upcoming 2026 mid-term elections. 

Many of Trump’s brainstorms involve illegally forcing the United States Postal Service to either not send ballots to voters or not accept ballots from voters. If you, like Donald Trump, vote by mail, those ballots are supposed to be sent to voters on September 5th. (If you don’t receive one in the appropriate timeline and you’ve asked for one, then you might be one of those that this regime blocked. CALL YOUR VOTER REGISTRATION OFFICE!)

From his side, Trump looks like he’s preparing for a major loss. He’s trying to create a shell company to cash in on Venezuelan oil (according to Cox Richardson, Congress has so far said “no,” until it can see where the money is coming from and going to), he’s pushing through his illegal triumphal arch (bypassing Congress again), and he’s having a coin minted in his name. Of course, he’s going ahead with his ballroom (this time with the Supreme Court’s approval) and he’s hired another consulting firm (without going through the proper vetting channels) to clean the algae from the National Reflecting Pool. None of these projects would see the light of day under a democratic Congress.

Trump has ordered his staff to keep the focus off of Iran and his failing war. It is hard to conceive what distraction this regime will create next to accomplish that task. And yet… this regime might well go down in history as a master class in distraction. The Epstein files, shooting innocent citizens, the tariffs, I simply don’t have the bandwidth to cover all the failures that this regime is trying to hide…

07.09.2026 | Source: The Atlantic

The Singularity Is Not What It Seems

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/2026/09/ai-future-reckoning-singularity/688487/?utm_medium=offsite&utm_source=flipboard&utm_campaign=all

Last week, a batch of bots (AKA a swarm) broke loose and attacked another company (Hugging Face—an open-source platform for the AI community), without the AI bots’ owners being aware of the massive security breach. It is causing a substantial amount of alarm in the AI world. Here is how The Atlantic contributors, Matteo Wong and Charlie Warzel, put it: “This fear has not been helped by the fact that AI companies appear to be willfully ignorant of their bots’ worst behavior. OpenAI said that it hadn’t noticed that its agents were conspiring to hack another company until the swarm hacked another company. Anthropic’s bots caused similar incidents; the company reported that it hadn’t launched a rigorous review to identify such behaviors until after OpenAI started talking about the Hugging Face hack.”

None other than Bill Gates (Microsoft founder and former CEO) came forward last week with a 6,000-word essay on the dangers of AI; his warnings are accompanied by the cautionary words of AI podcaster, Dwarkesh Patel.

Wong and Warzel warn us that the primary consensus, or what they call the “defining feature” of the moment, is a “loss of control.”

The revenue opportunities of AI are so large that no one wants to be left behind. Elon Musk estimated, before going public with SpaceX, that revenue would top $28.5 trillion (with a “T”), that is larger than the U.S. gross domestic product. But the costs are similarly excessive. We can expect Musk to be excessive in his estimates and less than honest to potential investors, but Anthropic, preparing for its own public offering, put estimated revenues at $30 trillion (again with a “T”).

The Trump Regime—no doubt seeing potential personal payoff—is on board and has proposed building the largest fossil-fuel power plant in the nation’s history. This despite the fact that U.S. voters are largely against such development, as Patel and Warzel say: “Three-quarters of them oppose a data center being built near where they live. The negative sentiment is hard to overstate: There is very little else that three-quarters of the country agrees on. And much of the outrage seems to stem from a pervasive sense of agency slipping away. A person cannot control how chatbots reshape their workplace, their school, or their relationships. Town residents lose control over the empty lot in the area being converted into a data center. Even in cases where major data centers are blocked, a back-of-the-envelope calculation suggests that doing so can slow AI progress by only a few hours or days—and that’s assuming the data center won’t just get built elsewhere.”

Agency is the primary word for all of us today. When we fear losing agency, we often make poor decisions—especially about who will govern us. Republicans have known this for decades, and it is an essential part of their political strategy to sow chaos and create fear in order to drive voters to their brand of authoritarianism. 

The question at this time, though, seems not to be, “Who will control AI?” But “Can AI be controlled?” 

Sam Altman, OpenAI’s CEO and parent company of the renegade bots, is scrambling to create excuses for their errant behavior, joining the chorus of technocrats telling us their concerns about AI. His seems twofold, according to Patel and Warzel: “One is ‘a loss of control, where AI somehow just becomes too powerful in a way that we can’t guarantee the control we want.’ The other is that ‘power gets too centralized’ and ‘you have one company or model or person with too much power.’”

Right now seems like a particularly creepy time for the ownership and leadership of such a dominating technology to be up for grabs. If you feel somewhat like Frodo confronting Mordor in the Lord of the Rings, you wouldn’t be isolated. To think that control could be held in the hands of a Trump Regime under a military guided by Pete Hegseth, then you—like me—must have a pit in your stomach. Control of AI is a critical issue rapidly slipping through our fingers. It will determine the type of world our young people live in. The two predominant camps in the AI tech world today are “Doomers” and “Boomers.” Doomers suggest we initiate a “full pause” on technological development until we can get a handle on where we are going and who will be our guides. Boomers tell us that this will only put us behind others, like China, who are full speed ahead with the technology and that singularity will actually lead to a better world with improved medicine, education, politics, and human rights. Where are you on this spectrum (for indeed it is not a binary choice)?

Do the politicians you are supporting this November seem educated in this critical arena? Do they present platforms that are beyond the immediate? Beyond just preventing a data center in their district?

04.09.0206 | Source: TNR (The New Republic)

Trump Is a Liar. That’s Bad. But He’s Delusional—and That’s Even Worse

https://newrepublic.com/article/214916/trump-venezuela-oil-deal-delusional?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=other

What is worse than having an incompetent, intimidating, ignorant leader at the helm? According to Michael Tomasky—author of this article—having a delusional one. Tomasky makes the case that Trump is beyond lying these days; he’s moved on to delusion. The difference is vital. Trump 1.0 knew the truth and chose the lie. Trump 2.0 seems to be completely unaware of truth and has surrounded himself with only people who will support his delusion; even more, who are dependent on his delusion.

Tomasky looks at the most apparent lies that this Regime has released during it’s term—in truth, they almost seem to many to count—but he points especially to the recent statements about an oil windfall in Venezuela, the tariffs, the elimination of income tax, Iran, and the reflecting pool. Here’s why Tomasky says a delusion is far more dangerous than a lie: “Because while a liar can change course, a delusional person cannot.”

Does the cabinet, the Supreme Court, and congress know this president is delusional? Most likely, but as pointed out before; their future lies in supporting the delusion. They are part and parcel of the delusion. Trump’s delusions would be dead in the water were it not for the support of people like Mike Johnson, John Roberts and Pete Hegseth. And none of them will tell him (or us) the truth. They have to much to lose by choosing honesty. Their futures are tied to this madman’s delusions. They supported him in his lies, now they’re indebted to his delusions.

We have a small window to break the captivity of this madman’s delusions; a small window. The November 2026 elections. Make your plan to make your vote count. Support fair elections and encourage turnout with all your ability. The scales can tip—but not unless we weigh in. There will be change, but only if we say so.

03.09.2026 | The Atlantic

Roy Cohn Did It First

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/10/roy-cohn-american-scoundrel-review/688351/?utm_medium=offsite&utm_source=flipboard&utm_campaign=all

To understand Trump, one must first understand Roy Cohn, Trump’s Machiavellian Mentor and puppet-master in his early years. This article by Kim Phillips-Fein, focuses on the new book about Cohn by authors, Kai Bird and Susan Goldmark, “American Scoundrel: Roy Cohn’s Dark Journey from Joseph McCarthy to Donald Trump.”

Here is how Bird describes Trump and Cohn: “Both men were avatars of the glitzy New York of the ’70s and ’80s, sharing an obsession with sex, a love of celebrity, and a hatred for expertise.”

Perhaps Cohn’s mentoring of Trump might be summed up in these words; “Bird argues that Cohn’s willingness to say and do anything to get what he wanted—no matter who might suffer along the way—provided a model for Trump’s approach to political life.”

Bird concludes that Cohn; “…was an “empty vessel” with “no coherent personal philosophy unless you count his shallow mirroring of Ayn Rand’s celebration of unadulterated selfishness.” But he would surely have been bothered by the epitaph that was included on the AIDS Memorial Quilt—especially the last word: roy cohn. bully. coward. victim.

Trump didn’t love Cohn (is a narcissist capable of love?), but Trump did adore and emulate him. We will remember Trump in the same way: bully, coward. victim.

02.09.2026 | The Atlantic

What Might Happen to Trump’s Ill-Gotten Gains

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/08/reclaim-wealth-trump-corruption/688435/?utm_medium=offsite&utm_source=flipboard&utm_campaign=all

Whenever I see an article by David Frum, I pay attention. I also regularly listen to his weekly podcast (The David Frum Show) and would encourage you to do the same. 

Frum is a historian who moved to the U.S. receiving a Bachelor of Journalism from Yale and a Law Degree from Harvard. His parents, Barbara and Murray Frum, were famous in Canada for their journalism. Frum was a conservative who worked for the Reagan campaign before writing for The National Review and The Walla Street Journal. As you can see, he has impeccable street cred.

In this article, he takes a historians view of what could happen to the fortunes the Trump family has amassed during his presidency. Frum says of Trump’s ill-gotten gains: “The Trump presidency has often looked more like a post-Soviet or postcolonial regime than like a first-world democracy. The Trump post-presidency may look the same. Trump has abused his office to enrich himself and his family in ways that are completely unprecedented—not only in the United States but also in the history of almost any peer democracy.”

While Frum acknowledges that the Supreme Court of John Roberts has largely protected Trump from prison by bestowing criminal impunity upon him, there are a number of things that the US can do to recover what he has stolen.

Frum examines similar kleptocrats of other countries that were also corrupt and how their countries recovered their stolen funds once deposed. He looks at Peru, the Philippines, and Nigeria. The lessons learned?

• These countries started a special commission to recover the funds.

• Many of these countries faced opposition recovering the funds.

• Many of the families of these kleptocrats used their fortunes to restore themselves to power and try to clear the names of their families.

Frum notes that the Trump family remains a danger if funds are not recovered, here’s how he closes his article: “If the Trump family can keep the money it has accumulated this term, the next generation of Trumps will be far richer than Donald Trump ever was until his 80th year. Americans traditionally let bygones be bygones after a president leaves office, on the theory that ex-presidents rarely cause much trouble. But money is power in politics, and dirty money needs power to protect itself from the law. As much as Americans may wish to forget the Trumps and their corruption after this presidency ends, the next generation of Trumps surely understands that political power is its surest defense against legal retribution. This makes recovering the Trumps’ wrongfully obtained wealth not only a matter of justice but also a matter of democratic survival.”

This is an important warning shot across the bow of the USA. We must remember that Trump did not attain his power alone. His graft was empowered by a criminally negligent congress who also aided Trump in hiding his pedophilia. This chapter could end, but “Only If We Say So!”

November 7 is our final chance to “say so.” Make a plan to vote. Make a plan to protect fair elections in your community.

Are you volunteering to support free elections? I want to fuel your efforts with some music.

To claim your free copy of the Anthems music compilation, follow these simple steps:

1. Head over to the private Anthems page on my website: https://www.communitiesoftrust-jerrygoebel.com

2. Stream or download the tracks directly to your device.

3. Feel free to share this page with fellow election volunteers and voting advocates who need a lift!

Youth Advocacy

Youth Advocacy

Dr. Jerry Goebel

26.08.2026-01.09.2026

📢 Review and Announcements

Welcome to this week's review. Below, you will find direct links to the full articles featured in this Youth Advocacy blog, detailing the critical challenges facing our democratic systems and national security. Let’s unite to make sure young people grow up and understand democracy!

• 🔍 Read Full Feature: Pete Hegseth and the Cost of "Lookism"
  Dive into our analysis of Brynn Tannehill’s article from The New Republic, detailing how blind loyalty and camera-readiness are impacting the U.S. military. Tannehill sums up the situation perfectly: “Trump and Hegseth keep claiming that they’re restoring the American military. To the rest of the world, it looks like chaos and weakness caused by people too egotistical and incompetent to know they’re incompetent: the Peter principle and the Dunning-Kruger effect all rolled into one.” Read the full commentary and the original source here: Pete Hegseth Is Too Egotistical to Know How Incompetent He Is.

• 📰 Read Full Feature: The Pentagon and Classified Leaks
  Explore our look at The Hill's coverage regarding internal dissent over the Iran war operations. We examine what happens when public servants speak the truth and why independent journalism remains an essential shield for the public interest. Read the full post here: Pentagon Erupts Over Classified Leak of Iran War Dissent.

• 🗽 Read Full Feature: The Assault on Naturalized Citizens
  Review our commentary on The Atlantic's feature regarding the new movement targeting the constitutional rights of foreign-born citizens, exposing the deep contractions and foreign influences within the current administration. Read the full analysis here: Not American Enough.

• 🗳️ Read Full Feature: The Supreme Court and Voting Rights
  Examine our breakdown of Matt Ford’s piece on the Trump v. California shadow-docket decision, uncovering how the high court's conservative bloc is facilitating voter suppression by attempting to bring state mail-in voting under direct presidential control. Read the full article here: The Supreme Court Joins Trump’s Insidious War on Voting Rights.

• 🍁 Read Full Feature: Kicking Allies and New Global Alliances
  Read our deep dive into Heather Cox Richardson’s Letters from an American, dissecting the reckless tariff wars against long-standing allies like Canada and how world leaders like Mark Carney are building a future that no longer depends on a volatile United States. Read the full breakdown here: Letters from an American: August 24, 2026.

🗳️ Free "Anthems" Music Compilation Release

We are officially releasing a special, free music compilation dedicated entirely to anyone who is supporting fair voting turnout in the upcoming election. This collection is built to inspire, mobilize, and sustain leaders on the front lines of democracy.

• How to get the compilation: You can access and download the music immediately on our hidden page: Get the Anthems Music Compilation.

• How to tell others about it: We need this music to reach grassroots coordinators, student organizers, and community leaders. Please share this dedicated link directly via your network emails, or copy it over to your social platforms to help amplify the call for voter engagement.

🎬 Visual Stories

• Featured Song: “You Don’t Get My Attention”
  When confronting the rise of authoritarianism in both government and digital spaces, focus is our ultimate currency. Watch the complete visual presentation for the track “You Don’t Get My Attention”directly on the Jerry Goebel YouTube Channel. This presentation brings the sonic narrative to life, offering a stark reminder of where we must place our boundaries and our energy.

Articles and Commentary

01.09.2026 | TNR

Pete Hegseth Is Too Egotistical to Know How Incompetent He Is

https://newrepublic.com/article/214860/pete-hegseth-pentagon-controversy-egotistical-incompetent?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=thenewrepublic%2Fmagazine%2FThe+New+Republic

In his second term, Trump picked his cabinet based upon loyalty and whether they would “look good on tv” (lookism). Stephen Miller apparently squeaked under the radar on the looks side because he scored so highly on the loyalty spectrum. What didn’t matter was competence. Especially the type of competence that comes with leading large teams down democratic paths of leadership. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the leadership of the world’s largest military, by the world’s least qualified military leader, Pete Hegseth.

In this article, by Brynn Tannehill, we see the critical and destructive choices Trump has made by selecting someone who only makes decisions based solely upon how it pleases his/her “audience of one.” “How will this please my master?”

In the process, Hegseth has depleted the military both of its best leaders (and minds) and of its stockpiles of weapons. Hegseth’s military is more focused on attractiveness and loyalty rather than competence. This “lookism” is ruining the U.S. military and costing lives abroad. Yet it is exactly how Trump picked Hegseth. Here’s how Tannehill puts it: “This is basically the phrenology of fitness metrics, right up there with BMI.”

Tannehill sums up his article with this important statement: “Trump and Hegseth keep claiming that they’re restoring the American military. To the rest of the world, it looks like chaos and weakness caused by people too egotistical and incompetent to know they’re incompetent: the Peter principle and the Dunning-Kruger effect all rolled into one.”

Trump’s choices for blind loyalty and camera-readiness have set our military back decades, if not generations. He continues to do the same in choices domestically and internationally. Agriculture, basic democracy, economy, education, environment, immigration, infrastructure, international diplomacy, justice, voting rights, and yes, defense. It is going to be hard to tally the damage, harder still to make up the deficits. Trump appealed to a significant portion of the United States that loved his theatrics and performance. Now we have a country that is all show and no content—just like our military under Hegseth.

November 7, 2026; that may be the most important day in U.S. history. The day we learn if democracy will survive. The day we learn if the voting public of the United States has learned to dig beneath the wig and orange makeup, the “lookism” of this regime. Have you made your plans?

31.08.2026 | The Hill

Pentagon erupts over classified leak of Iran war dissent

https://thehill.com/newsletters/morning-report/6060440-pentagon-trump-administration-response-iran-war-dissent-leak-washington-post/?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=user/TheHill

Someone told the truth…

Hegseth is fuming… most people would reply, “Still?” And we also know that when Pete Hegseth is fuming it is usually because someone is telling the truth to the public and it leaked to the press. What the Washington Post shared with taxpayers (who are funding this war and being asked to support it in multiple ways including the lives of sons and daughters) is that (according to Jared Gans, author of this article): “…top military leaders recently warned Defense Secretary Peter Hegseth against extending large-scale Iran war operations.”

The question is, “Who doesn’t know that?” Who doesn’t know that we are losing this self-initiated war against Iran and have no strategy to turn it around? Apparently, only this White House… And that is largely because Hegseth is working so hard to keep Trump in the dark about how badly he’s failing.

When the Pentagon tried to say that Post reporters were “traitors” for telling the truth in the General’s report, Post Military Affairs reporter, Dan Lamothe, responded: “Fact check: Independent journalism is not a crime. It’s also especially important at a time when government officials are withholding key details and concerns about a war being fought on behalf of the American people with their taxpayer dollars.”

Hegseth has been fighting a war of his own, a war against the press. A war against letting his master, Donald Trump, see how badly he is failing.

What do you think? Is it traitorous to give the public (and Congress) accurate information about a war this regime started and said would only last “four to five weeks (PBS, Feb. 2026),” but is now entering its sixth month? The sad truth is that the President is probably not getting accurate information from his Cabinet pick, Hegseth, either. Most presidents pick their cabinet leaders for their ability to provide accurate information—especially during critical times like war. But we know this regime picked its cabinet members based on three parameters: 1) loyalty to Trump, 2) loyalty to Trump, and 3) how they would look on camera.

What do you think? How is Pete looking on camera lately?

I think Pete is increasingly looking pretty red-faced. The truth is catching up to him. He’s in way over his head, and he’s in overseeing a losing war while following up his lost cause by completely depleting the U.S. Military for generations to come.

What do you think? Does the public have the right to know this? Is it traitorous to tell the public that military readiness is compromised by incompetency at the administrative level?

What made Hegseth mad? Someone told the truth…

You can expect that this regime will turn red-in-the-face whenever and because someone told the truth…

31.08.2026 | The Atlantic

Not American Enough

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/2026/08/naturalized-citizens-ban-elected-office-trump/688415/?utm_medium=offsite&utm_source=flipboard&utm_campaign=all

It seems like almost daily that Republicans seek another way to upend the constitution in order to make the United States into a white, Christian, nation. This week it is a new movement to bar foreign-born citizens—yes citizens—from running for public office. Not that the Republicans or this regime care about the constitution, but fully 20% of the writers of that document were foreign born. Of course, the brain-fart behind all this racism came from Trump’s boy wonder, Stephen Miller, but the banner-carriers are not in short order among this xenophobic class of Trump lackeys. Voices pour in from Red States across the nation, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Arizona. Currently, this ban would impact 26 House members and six senators. But the main target seems to be the Mayor of New York, Zohran Mamdani. Here is how the author of this article, Toluse Olorunnipa, describes the situation: “When Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen first floated the idea of barring naturalized citizens from serving in elected office, he cited Mamdani’s mayoral run as one impetus.” And when asked for his reasoning, here is what Mr. Allen said, “We want to make sure that no potential foreign influence or foreign meddling could impact our state’s highest elected leaders...”

The hypocrisy of that statement couldn’t be any more sanctimonious. Republicans support a president who flies around in a jet donated by Qatar (when he’s not hiding in a catering cart with Natalie Harp while others serve as his decoy), and whose both sons acknowledged that a major amount of their loans came from foreign sources. In 2008, Donald Trump, Jr. stated that their companies saw "a lot of money pouring in from Russia" to support golf courses and real estate projects when American banks pulled back and in 2014, Eric Trump stated, “We have all the funding we need out of Russia" for golf courses.

No presidency has been as openly criminal as this White House, and no president more indifferent to the Emoluments clause for public officials. Yet, where are the Republicans to protect Mr. Allen’s charge of “potential foreign influence” in these instances? 

The Trump’s are owned by foreign investors, and the Republicans are owned by Trump.

November is our chance to stop this supremacist madness. But, as can be plainly seen, impeaching the president and his cabinet is not enough. Radical changes must occur in Congress and the Supreme Court. Your vote is vital.

Are you volunteering to support free elections? I want to fuel your efforts with some music.

To claim your free copy of the Anthems music compilation, follow these simple steps:

1. Head over to the private Anthems page on my website: https://www.communitiesoftrust-jerrygoebel.com

2. Stream or download the tracks directly to your device.

3. Feel free to share this page with fellow election volunteers and voting advocates who need a lift!

28.08.2026 | TNR

The Supreme Court Joins Trump’s Insidious War on Voting Rights

https://newrepublic.com/article/214738/supreme-court-trump-war-voting?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=thenewrepublic%2Fmagazine%2FThe+New+Republic

Do you know who votes by mail and wants his vote to count—but not yours? The President of the United States. A lower court disagreed with him in what will become a landmark case: League of Women Voters of Massachusetts vs. Trump.

The author of this article, Matt Ford, confronts the Roberts’ Court for beginning their preamble to counteract the lower court Massachusetts decision with a blatant lie. He quotes the court as saying: “About five months ago, President Trump issued an Executive Order designed to maintain public confidence in federal elections…” It’s obvious to even the most obtuse follower or anyone who listens to any news besides Fox News and Trump’s own, Truth Social, that Trump has spent the last 20 years trying to undermine public confidence in the US elections.

Voting is a state issue, not a federal issue. But Trump and his Supreme Court want to change that. They are intent on making the Administrative Branch of the Government, the primary decider on who gets to vote and who does not. It’s not the way the Constitution is written, but it is the way this President and the Supreme Court want the law to read. Why? Because their positions are threatened by a democracy and they do not want to lose the power they wield.

Chief Justice John Roberts lied to get into the Supreme Court. He was never intent on promoting the Constitution and protecting the American right to vote. Even in his early days under President Reagan as Special Assistant and also as Associate Counsel. When Roberts was sworn in to the Supreme Court in 2005, Senator Ted Kennedy heavily pressed Roberts over his past Reagan-administration memos, arguing that Roberts historically held a "cramped" and "mean-spirited" view of the Voting Rights Act. In response, Roberts defended his record and explicitly stated his support for extending the landmark 1965 civil rights law. In truth, no one has done more to undermine the VRA than John Roberts and his conservative toadies.

Allowing citizens (especially minorities and women) the right to a fair vote would definitely undermine his efforts to secure a white, Christian, USA that furthered democracy.

This President and this Supreme Court know they will not survive in a democracy with full voting rights. Let’s prove them right at this upcoming election. Let’s end this tyrannical regime and bury its voices.

27.08.2026 | Letters from an American

August 24, 2026

https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/august-24-2026?r=14ehv&utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=user%2FSubstack

An anti-dependent child will act out against parents because he/she believes they won’t cut him off. Trump is a mentally anti-dependent child with the power of a president. According to Heather Cox Richardson, he is acting out against Canada and other allies because he is losing in so many other areas. Here is how she puts it: “Trump is flailing in Iran, and so—as national security scholar Tom Nichols pointed out in The Atlantic after Trump nonsensically attacked South Korea, another longstanding and loyal ally—he is looking to reassert his dominance. Trump doesn’t dare to cross the leaders who actually threaten the U.S., those like Putin, China’s Xi Jinping, and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un. Instead, Nichols writes, he is trying to make himself feel better by ‘kicking America’s allies, the nations he can punish without fear that they will kick him back.’”

In a healthy USA, Congress and the Supreme Court would rein in an incompetent president, but this is not a healthy country and, in particular, not a healthy democracy. Premier Mark Carney’s response to Trump’s tariffs (cutting off trade talks) is the most functional adult response to this president’s tiring adolescent behavior. 

As his mind continues to decay (and his body shows continual evidence of it as well), Trump’s behavior becomes increasingly dangerous, isolating the USA from our closest allies. The behavior is not just current. Foreign powers recognize that the United States voted for this man twice—in full admission of his agenda. They are unlikely to rally round a country and a Congress that is so schizophrenic. As Trump courts Kim Jong Un, Xi Jinping, and Vladimir Putin, the world rallies around new alliances. The USA can’t afford a president who thinks little deeper than a spoiled child with a Congress (and Supreme Court) acting as his indulgent and permissive parents. 

Make sure whomever you cast your vote for in November has a plan to rein in this president, cabinet, Supreme Court, and Congress; a plan that includes consequences for damaging behavior. It might be too late to influence our allies, but we can at least protect democracy for our children.

. Here is a summary by White: “Perhaps the best one can say is that many Americans, for many different reasons, are not comfortable with the makeup of US society today. They blame Washington, and they vote for Trump.”

For White, the revolution began with Trump; for me, the revolution is about to begin with the overthrow of this regime.

It is critically important that we listen to the voices of world leaders observing the U.S., Ursula von der Leyen of the European Commission, Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico, Mark Carney of Canada, voices from abroad who might be much abler to inform the U.S. of its predicament than the biased voices at home. From them, we learn the world is coalescing around a global system sans U.S. leadership. A world where even China is more reliable than the U.S.

I hope that not only Congress is taking notes, but also voters in the U.S. The movement within the Democratic party itself shows us that, although everyone is united against Trump and his regime, they are also against the way business has always been done in Washington. Tired of big money, tired of corporate power, tired of oligarchical systems, and tired of the Supreme Court. We’re tired of politicians so old that they have to offer proof they are even alive, of the monarchal system that believes it is privileged enough to appoint someone to Congress simply because she is the brother of a dead Senator.

The whole of the U.S. voting class could quote Lili Van Shtupp in Blazing Saddles, “I’m Tired.”

*White, Hugh. Hard New World: Australia’s Post-American Future (Black Inc).

Youth Advocacy

Youth Advocacy | Dr. Jerry Goebel

19.08.2026-25.08.2026

Review and Announcements

• Frontline Voter Gift Release: In exactly 70 days, U.S. voters face a monumental choice at the 2026 midterms. To fuel, support, and honor the frontline advocates working tirelessly to protect the vote, we are dropping an exclusive gift release this November. Make your explicit voting plan today, and stay tuned for details on how to claim yours as we stand united for democracy.

• Exposing the Anatomy of Deception: This week's curated reads analyze a coordinated, systemic onslaught against democratic norms. From Tom Nichols’s breakdown of the White House’s petulant, retaliatory military drawdowns in South Korea, to Shermin Kruse’s investigation into "motivated reasoning" and why smart people succumb to political self-deception, the warning signs are clear. We are standing against an entrenched regime of structural lies.

• Empowering Youth Literacy: Countering this normalization of falsehood requires actionable educational tools. We spotlight Finland's preschool disinformation curriculum as a model, offering real-world classroom strategies to help students identify neighborhood stereotypes, deconstruct bias, and spread positive, community-driven social narratives.

• The "Freddish" Standard: We explore the brilliant communication legacy of Fred Rogers. By applying his disciplined "9 rules for talking to children" to our modern advocacy work, we can transform complex, high-stakes political truths into clear, non-judgmental, and constructive dialogue that unites rather than divides.

• Support the Mission Directly: Our ongoing advocacy for youth and resistance to authoritarian overreach relies entirely on our community. Help keep this platform fully independent and self-supporting by booking an upcoming speaking engagement or purchasing message-driven music directly from our Communities of Trust Website.

• Secure Your Digital Hub: Algorithms actively filter independent truth. Stay permanently bypassed and connected by bookmarking our master directory on Linktree, digging into long-form pieces on Substack, and participating in daily strategic discussions on BlueSky and Facebook.

Visual Stories: "El Gran Presidente"

"El Gran Presidente" stands as a direct, visceral response to the systemic narcissism, manufactured trade hostilities, and structural gaslighting exposed in today's blog. From unprovoked trade conflicts with Canada to the quiet erosion of the Voting Rights Act, this track confronts the unchecked ego of modern autocrats who delight in the pain of vulnerable targets. Watch the complete visual story, track the exact lyrical narrative with our embedded English subtitle translations, and share the video directly on YouTube.

Articles and Commentary

25.08.2026 | Source: The Atlantic

How to Lose a Trade War

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/08/why-us-canada-trade-talks-fell-apart/688386/?utm_medium=offsite&utm_source=flipboard&utm_campaign=all

With Trump losing other wars, he’s now decided to start a trade war… with the U.S.’s closest (physically and politically) ally: Canada.

David Frum (staff writer at The Atlantic and former Canadian) analyzes this new war-of-choice in light of the other wars this regime is losing. Here is how Frum puts it: “Yes, Trump can hurt Canada more than Canada can hurt Trump. That part of Trump’s thinking is true. But wars are not decided only by the question Who can inflict more pain? Wars are also decided by the question Who can endure more pain? Trump’s failure to accept this truth is why he lost the Iran war—and why he is losing his trade wars.”

It is not very hard to ascertain which leader has more trust among his people to endure more pain (Carney’s approval rate is between 55 and 66%, while Trump is at an all-time low of 33-39%). National endurance based in trust surely doesn’t exist with this U.S. president (who seems to smugly delight in inflicting pain on his own people, not just through trade, but also through his other self-declared wars: His war with Iran, his war with the people of the U.S., his war with Congress (and not just Democrats, but seemingly Republicans too), and most-of-all, his war with truth).

Who is advising Trump to take these self-defeating actions? Probably, no one. Trump doesn’t take advice. He listens to the little man “upstairs” in his own “genius mind,” he’s a man of his own deranged counsel.

Maggie Haberman and Jonathon Swan, who wrote, “Regime Change*”, tell us that this president loves tariffs for the sheer power he can wield, for the fear he can cause. He doesn’t understand their long-term effect. Frum calls this administration an “omnishambles.” As Frum again puts it: “The story may not be over. Donald Trump is notorious for issuing threats, then reversing them. Wars are on, off, on again, off again, then on a third time—but only as a “little detour.” This is not an administration that thinks even one move ahead. But without a supersized Trump TACO, the U.S.-Canada impasse likely won’t resolve soon.”

Who else can Trump start a war with? Who is left? His mind is so deranged now that imaginary enemies seem to be spawned daily. Foreign powers, allies, the press, immigrants, citizens, the only ones Trump doesn’t seem to be at war with are the world’s leading dictators, especially Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin. Because Trump is a malignant narcissist with pedophilic tendencies (with entrenched cognitive distortions), he enjoys causing pain. And the more helpless his victims, the more pleasure that he feels.

We have one chance to stop this: Midterms, 2026, 70 days from this posting, the U.S. voters can decide whether or not they want this lunacy to continue. Have you made your plans to vote?

* Haberman, Maggie, and Jonathan Swan. Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2026.

24.08.2026 | Source: The Progressive

The Long Con of John Roberts

https://progressive.org/magazine/the-long-con-of-john-roberts-blum-20260821/?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=other

Bill Blum, the attorney and former state judge from California is well-equipped to take us on this hefty dive into the “long con” of Judge Roberts. In fact, Blum states: “There is no bigger con man in the United States than Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts. Not even President Donald J. Trump.”

Blum presents the Merits Docket and Key Decisions that led up to Robert’s devastating blow to the Voting Rights Act (VRA). He points to a young Roberts who lied to Senators during his hearings saying: “[T]he existing Voting Rights Act—the constitutionality has been upheld. And I don’t have any issue with that.”

Essentially, Roberts has been attacking voting rights every step of his career. He is a hardened racist and slowly (the Long Con) worked his way up to Chief Justice before he unleashed his total ire for fair elections. Of course, none of this would have been possible were it not for his collaboration with the crafty (and now missing) Senator Mitch McConnell who denied President Barack Obama the choice of a Supreme Court justice. Roberts and his majority white nationalist majority are currently having a heyday making sure the court implements ruling that will strip the United States of a fair democracy and install a white conservative majority that any future court will have a difficult (if not impossible) time dismantling. His long con has been very effective and his hand has been played. Whomever we elect in the next election must have a solid plan for changing this Supreme Court and rolling back the damage that con men have done, in the courts, in congress, and in the regime. We must keep in mind that we are standing against a regime, not a man. This is not a Trump problem, it is a white, Christian, nationalist problem rooted deeply in systemic racism.

24.08.2026 | Source: The Daily Beast

The Only Truth About Trump’s America Is That Everything Is a Lie

https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-only-truth-about-trumps-america-is-that-everything-is-a-lie/?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=user%2FTheDailyBeast

They lie. According to columnist David Rothkopf, this is the one truth we can count on about this administration. Here is how Rothkopf puts it: “How do we know the lies will keep flowing? Because they seem more and more compelled to lie about smaller and smaller matters. If they are going to lie about the actual role being played by the president’s… amanuensis Natalie Harp, or the state of the Trumps’ Potemkin marriage, or the causes of bruises on his hands or his golf scores, you know that they are going to lie about the big damaging realities we face.”

And what is “the big stuff?” The debt, Iran, the economy, and always… the Epstein files.

Rothkopf’s solution does not rely on governmental change—especially in this era—it relies on us. Here’s his suggestion: “The only path out is that each of us, individually, makes seeking the truth our top priority, and skepticism our constant ally. We must seek out reliable sources of information and reject those who deliver anything less.”

This is on us, this is up to us. Whatever we hear from this administration; we must assume it is a lie, or it is a distraction to cover up another lie. If their mouths are moving; they’re lying. It doesn’t matter if it is Trump’s golf scores or health care. It’s a lie. It’s a lie. 

It’s a lie.

Our work goes deeper (as we looked at in yesterday’s column about “Why Smart People Believe Lies”). We must teach our children not to believe their eyes, not to give the benefit of the doubt to the adults around them. Make people earn your trust—especially our politicians. No doubt for all of us; this is not the world we prefer to live in, but it is the world that this administration has normalized.

21.08.2026 | Source: Psychology Today

Why Smart People Believe Lies

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-stoic-heart-the-human-whole/202608/why-smart-people-believe-lies?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=topic/consciousness

Self-deception is a form of cognitive shielding with the priority of maintaining a coherent sense of self. Shermin Kruse, J.D. provides us with insights into an imperative question in this age of demagogism; “Why do smart people believe lies?” But she looks deeper than why we accept them from politicians or on social media and into why we lie to ourselves. The term psychologists often use for this type of self-deception is “Motivated Reasoning.” Here’s how Ms. Kruse defines it: “Motivated reasoning …results from the cognitive dissonance between the truth and what we need to be true.”

I would emphasize her use of the phrase, “need to be true.”

There are a variety of reasons we might need something to be true. Kruse tells us our primary reason is: “Self-deception often preserves our coherent sense of identity.”

She presents a contrast between Intelligence and Intellectual Honesty, suggesting that intelligence may even assist us in self-deception by adding to our reasoning power (our ability for self-justification). Whereas Intellectual Honesty demands humility, requiring us to examine our beliefs in light of, “what we may emotionally gain from reaching them.”

It is imperative we ask ourselves, “Is this belief I hold truth or is it a convenient way for me to justify my personal self-deception?”

This step of self-analysis might also become a way we can better understand why others believe such obvious deceptions from an administration so prone to intentional deception.

As a Youth Advocate, I feel it is imperative for me to find ways to teach this concept to others—especially young people. I admire Finland, who includes classes on digital literacy and identifying disinformation into their national curriculum as early as preschool. It is inspiring to see others following suit. For example, in England, but also in states like California, Delaware, and New Jersey. In fact, at this moment, 19 states are trying to pass similar laws for youth awareness.

My teaching suggestion would be to have a team of students identify derogatory statements or stereotypes they might have heard about their neighborhood (this especially works if the school is in an impoverished area). Ask students to create ideas for how those false beliefs may have arisen and been spread. Then ask students to strategize on ways they could challenge those false mindsets. Students can also discuss how to develop a strategy for spreading an alternative positive social message throughout their school(s) and who (from their community) they might have to enlist to enact that strategy. This provides students with ways to connect with their community and deepen the strength of their positive messages through cognitive dissonance. 

20.08.2026 | Source: Upworthy

Mister Rogers' strict '9 rules for talking to children' were the secret to his brilliance

https://www.upworthy.com/mister-rogers-strict-9-rules-for-talking-to-children-were-the-secret-to-his-brilliance/?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=topic/learning

Communicating better should be on all of our agendas. I have always found that if you can communicate effectively with children or youth, then you are a much more capable communicator with adults. This article about Mister Rogers’ tools for talking to children is, as columnist Cicely Nobler says, “Brilliant.”

These nine rules may at first seem onerous, but if you start applying them to your communications, they will become a regular tool that you use to improve all your communications.

Were I teaching these rules to a group of people (staff or volunteers), I would have them draft a message they would like to share with their audience. Then, I would have them work through the rules one-by-one to improve and deepen that message. Depending on the time, I would encourage them to share those messages with the entire group and create comments for each other. 

Before attendees left, I would have them create some tough communication scenarios they might be facing when going back to the families, units, or workplaces and encourage them to involve collaborators in the same process.

With time, the nine rules would become a habitual way of interacting and not a checklist for every discussion.

19.08.2026 | Source: The Atlantic

Trump Will Make South Korea Pay for His Iran Humiliation

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/08/trump-iran-korea/688306/?utm_medium=offsite&utm_source=flipboard&utm_campaign=all

Tom Nichols is one of my favorite The Atlantic writers. In this column, he writes about the continuing insanity of the feckless regime in the White House at this time. He examines why Trump has decided that he will punish South Korea by withholding support for military exercises off their coast. Exercises the U.S. has been involved in for decades that show nuclear-powered neighboring dictator, Kim Jong Un, that our country will continue to support democratically led South Korea. But this president supports dictators (and admires them) worldwide. He is also mad at South Korea because they did not “support us” in our Trump-inspired failure of a war with Iran.

Here is how Nichols puts it: “And because Trump is unable to subdue Iran, unable to replenish stocks of U.S. weapons he should never have expended in this war, unable to take care of the service personnel he has put in harm’s way, someone is going to pay. The most convenient target he could find, at least for the moment, was South Korea.”

Of course, this makes no sense. But seeking to make sense of this regime would drive any rational person senseless. The only thing that makes sense to this president is guarding his own narcissistic ego.

We are attacking friends worldwide and proving to enemies that the United States no longer adheres to the values it has long held. Trump’s relationship with our historic friends reminds me of a teenager’s behavior. Secure in the love of one’s parents, he lashes out at them without reason while coddling his anti-dependent peers.

What we must keep in mind is that this regime’s behavior is not only a reflection of it; but also of those who voted it in… and certainly (as Nichols points out) the Republican Congress that gives this petulant child desires. The world is learning… and adapting, to a landscape devoid of moral U.S. leadership, vacuous of civil rights, and/or global justice. A world led by a madman whose simple aim is to enrich himself and satisfy his ego. Early November is our chance to end this. Let’s end it resoundedly. In such a way that there is no doubt left that this is not the country or leadership we desire.

Youth Advocacy

✊ Weekly Review & Announcements

12.08.2026-18.08.2026

The Regime of Cowardice

Cowardice is our defining theme this week. We are witnessing a leadership that hides away while leaving others behind as decoys. Concurrently, a complicit Congress refuses to challenge the unchecked installation of a weaponized Justice Department. This system is actively pivoting to protect corruption and carry out personal retribution. It is a regime built on pure, unadulterated cowardice.

A Gift for the Frontlines

For those standing on the frontlines of resistance, your exhaustion is seen, and your resilience is vital. If you are organizing, turning out voters, or monitoring stations for this upcoming November election, I am preparing a direct gift for you. Keep a sharp eye on this space for a completely free digital compilation of my resilience music to fuel your fire on the ground.

🎬 Visual Stories: "They Ain't Gonna"

While this administration actively plots to impose a corporate, mudsill economy that strips the working class to enrich billionaires, our communities are standing shoulder-to-shoulder. We have a different answer: "They Ain't Gonna."

Watch the Anthem

This track is a direct, uncompromising Southern rock and outlaw country confrontation against authoritarian governance and administrative deceit. It is explicitly built to inspire educators, youth advocates, and independent thinkers who refuse to watch our Constitution dismantled

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Articles and Commentary

18.08.2026 | Source: The National Magazine

Tracking the Crisis: Running on Empty

https://thenationmagazine.substack.com/p/tracking-the-crisis-running-on-empty?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=topic/middleeast

Jump Ship… 

The man the U.S. elected was a king of bankruptcy before he was a president. He was a failure in business management, a failure in marriage, and by all measurable means, a failure in morality. Yet, voters chose him. Now he’s bringing the same failing mindset to the nation that elected him. He has depleted U.S. weapons, he has depleted U.S. trust, he has depleted the U.S. oil reserves, he is destroying the U.S. economy, and now we have reports of naval members on the U.S.S. Lincoln depleted of sanitary conditions, safe food, and other essentials of life. The U.S.S. Lincoln is a perfect example of the United States itself. Many are ready to “jump ship.” 

And, where is the Commander in Chief? Taking calls from either his golf cart or hiding in a catering cart while leaving staff and journalists to die in his place. If Trump were the captain of the Titanic, he’d be the first to “jump ship.” He’d be pushing women and children out of the way to stock his own lifeboat and leave everyone else behind.

This article, by the editorial staff of The National Magazine, examines the many ways that Trump has “jumped ship” and left the people of the United States depleted… running on empty.

17.08.2026 | Source: NPR

Adults have struggled to set rules for AI in school. These teens figured it out

https://text.npr.org/nx-s1-5853571?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=topic/u.s.politics

I’ve always believed that finding sustainable solutions lies in empowering the people closest to the problem to create them. According to Cory Turner, that is exactly what happened recently when a group of high school juniors and seniors from across the United States were gathered in a mock Senate hearing to create solutions to the issue of AI’s use in schools. 

These brilliant young men and women crafted what they called, “The Student’s First Act,” and, according to Turner, included some of the following requirements: “States should provide AI literacy as soon as students get access to classroom devices; AI use should be banned on all graded tests; and teachers can require an oral defense of any project from a student suspected of using AI inappropriately.” (Turner includes a full copy of the bill in his article).

This is a wonderful example of “how it’s done”: Empower the people closest to the problem to develop their own solution, and they will always craft something more sustainable and applicable than anyone else.

15.08.2026 | Source: The Atlantic

A Green Light for Crooks

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/08/corrupt-administration-shell-company-business-transparency/688274/?utm_medium=offsite&utm_source=flipboard&utm_campaign=all

Casey Michel is an author who wrote the book, “United States of Oligarchy: How America’s Wealthiest Align with Dictators, Weaken the U.S., and Destroy Democracy.” That background surely comes to the fore while analyzing the work of the Republicans and Trump’s Treasury Department under Scott Bessant this week. Here’s how Michel puts it: “On Tuesday, the Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) announced that businesses formed in the United States would no longer need to disclose their actual owners, and that nearly all the data already gathered on such companies would be destroyed.”

As the title of this article suggests, this is basically a “Green Light for Crooks.” Not only has this regime promised to allow wealthy individuals to hide their investments, but they will go on to destroy any information that’s already held about such ownership. This means that drug dealers (or wealthy U.S. citizens) can hide money in any shell company of their choosing. It also means, according to Michel’s: “Now anyone, domestic or foreign, can secretly barrel as much money into American elections as they want.” 

As if U.S. politics weren’t replete with dirty money enough once Mitch McConnell shepherded “Citizens United” through a cash-hungry Congress.

These oligarchic policies will further imbed politics into the hands of the wealthy, and they will not be stopped by the regime and Republicans who favor them as a primary means to raise money and retain power. Welcome to Trump’s America: Land of the thieves and home of the corrupt. Trump voters: “This is on you…”

14.08.2026 | Source: TNR

The Endless, Maddening Wait for a Woman President

https://newrepublic.com/article/213744/america-first-woman-president-endless-maddening-wait?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=thenewrepublic%2Fmagazine%2FThe+New+Republic

“A promise just a little too far away to be kept…” that’s how Ana Maria Cox describes the promise of a woman being elected to the United States’ presidency. She researches and offers insights on the history and offers insights into why women have almost been president so many times, but voters continue to deny them the office. I thought her most insightful comment was: “The history of people telling women they will not become president is rage-bait. ‘Never’ is always ‘never.’ But a march through the history of ‘soon’ leaves a mark on the heart. Over one hundred years of ‘someday’ makes each next chance feel even further away, not closer. Certainly, women are not the only group that hasn’t had their turn in the Oval Office; our grief is not unique—or rather each intersectionality can claim its own particular shade of mourning. What all women can share is the familiar sense of a promise just a little too far away to be kept.”

Maria Cox speaks about four women who possibly have a shot at the office in the 2028 Presidential election: Gretchen Whitmer, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Kamala Harris, and possibly, Amy Klobuchar (especially if she wins the race for Governor of Minnesota).

The journalist also addresses social-psychological issues of why women have “almost made it” using the term, “pluralistic ignorance”; when people say they are willing to do something (like vote for a woman), but given the opportunity, consistently do not.

I, like many others, would like to be part of the generation that sees this glass ceiling finally shattered. In fact, I long for it. Living in Mexico right now, I see the impact that a woman president can have on a country. Claudia Sheinbaum has brought universal free health care to all citizens of this country. Pew Research Center puts her favorability rating at 64%, and some polls go as high as 68% (Enkoll/El Pais). The United States has twice elected a rapist and pedophile to the Presidency over women, and he now has an historically low approval rating of 32%. The closest thing to a health plan that the U.S. has is being dismantled in favor of tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy. I honestly pine for this “…promise just a little too far away to be kept.”

13.08.2026 | Source: Huffpost

Trump Abandons Air Force Crew, Secret Service, Press And His Own Staff As Expendable Bait

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-catering-truck-af1_n_6a7b6f40e4b0b34a98234102?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=user%2Fhuffingtonpost

Yesterday we looked at how the Republican Congress “Smells of Helplessness.” I think they will go down in history as the “Cowardly Congress” (if not something worse along the lines of “Traitorous…”).

Yet, the ranking coward is the man they follow, the Predator in Chief, Donald J. Trump.

Many of you know—or have seen the memes of Trump abandoning his illegal “Gift Plane” from Qatar, by hiding in a catering truck and being taken to a different jet.

Why? Because his new Qatar Play Thing isn’t secured properly. 

In this article by S.V. Date, the journalist identifies a number of alternatives available to Trump so that his staff and the press corp (probably up to 100 plus people with crew and Secret Service) wouldn’t have been like they were flying in a clay pigeon.

Instead of choosing any of these options, Don, the cowardly lion (liar), had the press pull down their window shades (so they didn’t see him creeping away) while he snuck into a military aircraft and jetted away. When both planes arrived safely at Mildenhall Air Base in England for refueling, Trump was secreted back aboard the original plane so it would look like he never left.

Presidents have changed modes of transportation in the past due to security risks, but no president has been so cowardly, so reckless with the lives of others, and so inept in trying to fool others that he was actually “braving it out” on the original flight.

This is the cowardly leader, adored by a cowardly Congress. If this Congress “smells of helplessness,” this president reeks of it.

12.08.2026 | Source: Alternet

Total 'impotence': How Trump broke wounded Republicans

https://www.alternet.org/gop-impotence/?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=AlterNetMedia%2Fmagazine%2FTOP+STORIES

Republicans had a chance to stop Trump from appointing his mafiasque consigliere, Todd Blanche, to head the Department of Justice (now the DOR: Department of Retribution), but, in typical Republican fashion, they caved.

This article by Matthew Rozsa looks at how even the lame-duck Republicans that Trump undermined caved in to their master.

A couple of terms that captured my attention were Rozsa’s use of “Lawfare.” For the intentional way this regime has used the courts to bury people with lawsuits. That is only going to increase under Blanche.

He also cites Nick Cattagio, from The Dispatch, speaking about Sen. Bill Cassidy about the Senators’ approval of Blanche, saying: “That vote was morally indefensible but legible as a matter of expedience…”

Cassidy also said that he voted for Blanche because Trump’s next pick “could be worse.”

Rozsa goes on to say that the way Senate Republicans are voting, “smells of helplessness…”

That typifies this Republican Congress to me; they “smell of helplessness.”

Let’s make sure we do not accept this odor or take it on ourselves. Let us encourage each other to not “smell of helplessness” and reject any person for public office that does. 

Youth Advocacy

Youth Advocacy

Communities of Trust | Dr. Jerry Goebel

29.07.2026-04.08.2026

📝 Part 1: Review and Announcements

This week’s review focuses on the urgent structural changes U.S. voters are demanding from future elected officials to permanently safeguard our democracy against authoritarian takeovers. We also break down the scapegoating, systemic racism, and failed policies of the current white, Christian, nationalistic regime—moving the analysis beyond just Donald Trump to confront the broader movement. Read the full analysis and join the discussion over on my Substack Profile or join our daily conversation on Facebook and BlueSky.

🎨 Part 2: Visual Stories

Our visual story this week features the premiere of “The Party of Projection,” a concept developed alongside my son to expose the psychological warfare of modern politics. As he perfectly captured it: “Every accusation is an admission.” We see this dynamic play out vividly in the Senate’s revenge hearings targeting Dr. Anthony Fauci—sessions run by partisan hacks and medical quacks at the direct insistence of their "Hater-in-Chief," Donald Trump.

• Watch: Experience the full visual story right now on my YouTube Channel.

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👤 Dr. Jerry Goebel (He/Him/His)

Youth Advocate, Author, & Engagement Consultant

Communities of Trust

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🏳️‍🌈 Love is an awful thing to hate.

Articles and Commentary

04.08.2026 | Source: The Atlantic

This May Be Trump’s Biggest Error in the Iran War

https://www.theatlantic.com/national-security/2026/07/iran-war-trump-misunderstandings/688117/?utm_medium=offsite&utm_source=flipboard&utm_campaign=all

The writers of this article, Nancy Youssef and Jonathon Lemire, point to an adage about war by Sun Tzu: “Know your enemy.”

Like Vietnam, Afghanistan, and even Ukraine, this war-of-choice will not be over until the occupied country says it is. And the morally-vacant instigators of this Middle Eastern war—Trump and Netanyahu—are incapable of “knowing their enemy,” because they are incapable of reflection. Both are insanely capable of deflection, blaming their current situation on others, but the internal mechanisms for what another is thinking are absent in these two. Both can only think about themselves.

Perhaps the most telling phrase in this article is a quote taken from Vali Nasr, a professor of international affairs and Middle East studies at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies: “America’s calculation is that escalation would lead to surrender. Iran’s calculation is that escalation would lead to deterrence.”

Trump’s response to the war currently was, “Couldn’t care less…”

It’s not his children that are going to war in Iran; it won’t be any of his children dying. Chances are Trump stands to graft even more of a fortune from rebuilding the U.S.’s depleted military. How will it leave the nation in his wake? Again, let’s quote Donald: “I couldn’t care less…”

03.08.2026 | Source: USA Today

Trump's approval is circling the toilet. I'm delighted. | Opinion

https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/trumps-approval-circling-toilet-im-080418861.html?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=user%2FYahooNews

Rex Huppke of USA Today suggests that Trump should have been a plumber, not a politician, since his polling numbers are circling the porcelain lately. He goes on to examine these numbers and look at why they are historically low after pointing out that the President’s current numbers match the low they hit after Trump’s January 6 riots. Here’s how Huppke spells it out: “Do you know how bad things have to be for you to hit an ‘as bad as that time I fomented an insurrection’ level of disapproval? Trump didn't even need to coax his followers into ransacking the U.S. Capitol this time around. He just earned this striking level of disapproval organically. Part of me feels like we should congratulate him. It shows real growth when a tin-pot dictator learns to be loathed all on his own.”

And, guess who is circling the porcelain with the president? Yes, his congressional lackeys. While the Senate Republicans (The Party of Projection) are busy attacking Dr. Anthony Fauci in their kangaroo court, measles has hit a 35-year high and the country is awash (perhaps a bad choice of words) with an explosive diarrhea epidemic caused when Trump, RFK, Jr., and Musk’s DOGE dismantled the agency responsible for preventing such national malaises. Here’s how Huppke interprets the numbers for a GOP on the verge of a potentially disastrous midterm: “MAGA enthusiasts and Trump bootlickers can spin these numbers as numerical tyranny or denounce math as a form of socialist extremism all they want. But denial shouldn't be of much help to a Republican Party waltzing into November's midterm elections with a president who's about as popular as tainted lettuce.”

What astonishes me is that there is still a percentage of citizens that support this “Marie Antoinette” cretin and his policies. That percentage—like the Republicans in Congress or on the Supreme Court— won’t change. They need to be outed. They need to experience the consequences of how unpopular (even loathed) they are. Our one shot is Tuesday, November 3. If we don’t overwhelm them at the polls this time, a second time will not come around.

31.07.2026 | Source: PBS News

The campaign against Fauci and what brought him back before Congress

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/the-campaign-against-fauci-and-what-brought-him-back-before-congress?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=PBSNewsHour/magazine/Nation

If we could see the inside of a courtroom where the Catholic Church attacked Galileo, it would look very much like the Republican (and Rand Paul’s) attack on Dr. Anthony Fauci yesterday. This was obviously a kangaroo court carried out for an audience of one: Donald J. Trump. Trump was embarrassed by Fauci for two reasons: 1) Fauci’s commitment to honesty and scientific fact, and 2) Trump’s continual bumbling that cost the lives of millions in the U.S.

Their respective responses to a globally dangerous disease couldn’t be more juxtaposed. Trump suggesting rectal bleach suppositories and horse medication for a quick (and cheap) fix, Fauci pressing for a scientific, long-term response that involved closing schools, social isolation, and mask-wearing, plus governmentally-funded vaccines.

Fauci chose to respond to Republicans’ queries yesterday by choosing the Fifth Amendment, including when Josh Hawley (the senator who ran in shame during the Trump-sponsored attacks on the Capitol on January 6, 2021) asked him about the color of his tie. This is not an indication of Fauci’s prevarication; it is an indictment of Trump’s desire to take down anyone (or anything) that reminds us of how bad his presidency has been. A “revenge-tour” propagated by his many minions, including Rand Paul, Josh Hawley, Rick Scott, and Ron Johnson, on this faux court. It’s important to remember that Fauci is no longer covered by the pardon he received from Joe Biden, and the Republicans were clearly looking for any information they could use to arrest and prosecute this outstanding public servant who faithfully advised (with honor) seven presidents over forty years.

Perhaps Fauci’s greatest sin against Trump was when the incompetent-in-chief wanted to fire the doctor; Fauci’s ratings were higher than Trump’s, and Trump had to retreat.

Once again, Republicans find themselves on the wrong side of truth, science, and morality. Their narrative wants someone to blame for the Corona Virus, but science doesn’t support that conspiracy, and Fauci isn’t giving them their bogeyman. They would love to blame anyone but Trump for all the deaths on his (their) watch. Once again, they show themselves as merely lackeys of the Orange One, bunkered down in the White House. Their hearing was another circus show, but not a show of justice. Instead, it was a show of unchecked power and vengefulness. A cultic attempt to create a mythology around an inconvenient truth. My son said it best when he said, “This is a party of projection, every accusation they make is an admission.” 

In this trial of a modern Galileo, this Party of Projection portrays their own ignorance, spinelessness and adherence to their pedophile king.

30.07.2026 | Source: Daily Kos

‘Chaos, corruption, and poverty’: The racist wrath of Stephen Miller

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/7/28/800076374/whitehouse/racist-wrath-of-stephen-miller/?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=other

Lisa Needham, staff writer at the Daily Kos, peels back the ugly layers of a rotting onion; namely… Stephen Miller. Here are her words: “In an administration stuffed full of the very worst, most morally vacant, reprehensible people on Earth, senior White House adviser and top hate-filled hobgoblin Stephen Miller still manages to stand out.”

No white, nationalist, racist has had more sway in this administration than this Joseph Goebbels of the Trump administration. When you want to know who is behind ICE, the killing of U.S. citizens on our own soil, behind concentration camps (in the U.S. and abroad), look no further than this man.

Miller has had unlimited access to Trump, ever since his first term, but even more powerful in the second term.

Needham pays heed to the dichotomy of this man’s evil ideology by saying: “Of course, Miller is only here to spew this garbage because his grandfather fled anti-Jewish violence in Belarus and settled as an impoverished immigrant in the United States, where his family then joined him. But Miller doesn’t believe that anyone else’s family deserves that sort of chance.

It is interesting that this administration is knee-deep in immigrants; Trump’s wife, Vance’s wife, Miller’s parents, Rubio’s parents. And yet, all of them hate immigrants. Melania is a former call-girl for Jeffrey Epstein, who visited a child-detention facility wearing a coat that said, “I really don’t care, do you?” Vance’s wife is of Indian descent, Miller’s parents were Jewish from eastern Europe, and Rubio’s parents fled Cuba. What is the root of their passionate hatred?

Needham points to the recent murders of Pérez Paz and González de la Cruz, reminding us of the atrocities done to them under Stephen Miller’s policies: “The couple was recently found shot to death in a sugarcane field in Guatemala—bound and showing signs of torture, with their 14-month-old daughter crying beside her mother’s body.”

The primary point of Needham’s article is to call attention to one of Miller’s most recent spittle-infused diatribes in which he said, “If you give these people power, everything you know and love in this world falls apart. You have chaos, corruption, and poverty!”

But, points out Needham… “Buddy, we have chaos, corruption, and poverty right now—under your boss—at unprecedented levels.”

Trump’s approval ratings are at an all-time low (The Economist/YouGov: 34% approval, 62% disapproval, July 25–27, 2026) and yet the Republican Congress by and large still seems to live in fear of his mafia-like tactics (and enough Democrats to continue to wage an illegal war in Iran).

It is not enough to elect a new Congress and impeach Trump. Article II, Section 4 of the Constitution allows us to impeach his entire cabinet, but only one at a time. Will we elect a Congress that understands that this is their mandate? We can’t allow J.D. Vance to take over the presidency. We can’t allow cabinet members like Pete Hegseth and Marco Rubio or Stephen Miller to retain their power. Let’s not go into this next election wishy-washy about the results we are demanding. Let’s pull this whole administration out down to its rotting roots.

29.07.2026 | Source: Pew Research Center

Most Americans favor big changes to the political system that likely would require amending the Constitution.

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/07/28/most-americans-favor-big-changes-to-the-political-system-that-likely-would-require-amending-the-constitution/?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=PewResearch/magazine/Pew+Research+Center

Drew DeSilver and John Gramlich of the Pew Research Center keep us apprised of changes that most U.S. citizens (Democrats and Republicans) want to see to the United States Constitution. They also examine how difficult these changes would be but affirm that it has happened before.

Simply put (the article goes into much more detail), citizens are strongly in favor of four changes: Term Limits, Maximum age restrictions for public office (all branches of government), limits on how much individuals and organizations can spend on campaigns, and presidential elections that are decided by a nationwide popular vote.

The first two of these changes are supported by over 70% of the voting public, and the third is supported by over 60%. Keeping the current system is as unsupported as Trump’s latest poll numbers (in the low-thirties).

Changing the constitution requires 2/3’s of Congress. But when 2.3’s of voters want that change, it seems that Congress (and the courts) would respond. However, we know that it isn’t unusual for our representatives to neglect whom they’re representing when their own self-interest is at heart—and many of these changes would challenge their self-interest. Here is another reason the midterms (now only months away) are so critical. These representatives need to see how reprehensible their behavior is to a majority of their voters. They need a clear message that cannot be misinterpreted. Turnout needs to be historic.

Youth Advocacy

Youth Advocacy

Communities of Trust | Dr. Jerry Goebel

29.07.2026-04.08.2026

Review and Announcements

This week’s review focuses on the urgent structural changes U.S. voters are demanding from future elected officials to permanently safeguard our democracy against authoritarian takeovers. We also break down the scapegoating, systemic racism, and failed policies of the current white, Christian, nationalistic regime—moving the analysis beyond just Donald Trump to confront the broader movement. Read the full analysis and join the discussion over on my Substack Profile or join our daily conversation on Facebook and BlueSky.

Visual Stories

Our visual story this week features the premiere of “The Party of Projection,” a concept developed alongside my son to expose the psychological warfare of modern politics. As he perfectly captured it: “Every accusation is an admission.” We see this dynamic play out vividly in the Senate’s revenge hearings targeting Dr. Anthony Fauci—sessions run by partisan hacks and medical quacks at the direct insistence of their "Hater-in-Chief," Donald Trump.

• Watch: Experience the full visual story right now on my YouTube Channel.

• Support: Purchase the track directly from the Communities of Trust Store to help keep this advocacy self-supporting.

• Connect: Access all of our resource hubs, youth advocacy initiatives, and music platforms in one place via our Linktree Page.

04.08.2026 | Source: The Atlantic

This May Be Trump’s Biggest Error in the Iran War

https://www.theatlantic.com/national-security/2026/07/iran-war-trump-misunderstandings/688117/?utm_medium=offsite&utm_source=flipboard&utm_campaign=all

The writers of this article, Nancy Youssef and Jonathon Lemire, point to an adage about war by Sun Tzu: “Know your enemy.”

Like Vietnam, Afghanistan, and even Ukraine, this war-of-choice will not be over until the occupied country says it is. And the morally-vacant instigators of this Middle Eastern war—Trump and Netanyahu—are incapable of “knowing their enemy,” because they are incapable of reflection. Both are insanely capable of deflection, blaming their current situation on others, but the internal mechanisms for what another is thinking are absent in these two. Both can only think about themselves.

Perhaps the most telling phrase in this article is a quote taken from Vali Nasr, a professor of international affairs and Middle East studies at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies: “America’s calculation is that escalation would lead to surrender. Iran’s calculation is that escalation would lead to deterrence.”

Trump’s response to the war currently was, “Couldn’t care less…”

It’s not his children that are going to war in Iran; it won’t be any of his children dying. Chances are Trump stands to graft even more of a fortune from rebuilding the U.S.’s depleted military. How will it leave the nation in his wake? Again, let’s quote Donald: “I couldn’t care less…”

03.08.2026 | Source: USA Today

Trump's approval is circling the toilet. I'm delighted. | Opinion

https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/trumps-approval-circling-toilet-im-080418861.html?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=user%2FYahooNews

Rex Huppke of USA Today suggests that Trump should have been a plumber, not a politician, since his polling numbers are circling the porcelain lately. He goes on to examine these numbers and look at why they are historically low after pointing out that the President’s current numbers match the low they hit after Trump’s January 6 riots. Here’s how Huppke spells it out: “Do you know how bad things have to be for you to hit an ‘as bad as that time I fomented an insurrection’ level of disapproval? Trump didn't even need to coax his followers into ransacking the U.S. Capitol this time around. He just earned this striking level of disapproval organically. Part of me feels like we should congratulate him. It shows real growth when a tin-pot dictator learns to be loathed all on his own.”

And, guess who is circling the porcelain with the president? Yes, his congressional lackeys. While the Senate Republicans (The Party of Projection) are busy attacking Dr. Anthony Fauci in their kangaroo court, measles has hit a 35-year high and the country is awash (perhaps a bad choice of words) with an explosive diarrhea epidemic caused when Trump, RFK, Jr., and Musk’s DOGE dismantled the agency responsible for preventing such national malaises. Here’s how Huppke interprets the numbers for a GOP on the verge of a potentially disastrous midterm: “MAGA enthusiasts and Trump bootlickers can spin these numbers as numerical tyranny or denounce math as a form of socialist extremism all they want. But denial shouldn't be of much help to a Republican Party waltzing into November's midterm elections with a president who's about as popular as tainted lettuce.”

What astonishes me is that there is still a percentage of citizens that support this “Marie Antoinette” cretin and his policies. That percentage—like the Republicans in Congress or on the Supreme Court— won’t change. They need to be outed. They need to experience the consequences of how unpopular (even loathed) they are. Our one shot is Tuesday, November 3. If we don’t overwhelm them at the polls this time, a second time will not come around.

31.07.2026 | Source: PBS News

The campaign against Fauci and what brought him back before Congress

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/the-campaign-against-fauci-and-what-brought-him-back-before-congress?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=PBSNewsHour/magazine/Nation

If we could see the inside of a courtroom where the Catholic Church attacked Galileo, it would look very much like the Republican (and Rand Paul’s) attack on Dr. Anthony Fauci yesterday. This was obviously a kangaroo court carried out for an audience of one: Donald J. Trump. Trump was embarrassed by Fauci for two reasons: 1) Fauci’s commitment to honesty and scientific fact, and 2) Trump’s continual bumbling that cost the lives of millions in the U.S.

Their respective responses to a globally dangerous disease couldn’t be more juxtaposed. Trump suggesting rectal bleach suppositories and horse medication for a quick (and cheap) fix, Fauci pressing for a scientific, long-term response that involved closing schools, social isolation, and mask-wearing, plus governmentally-funded vaccines.

Fauci chose to respond to Republicans’ queries yesterday by choosing the Fifth Amendment, including when Josh Hawley (the senator who ran in shame during the Trump-sponsored attacks on the Capitol on January 6, 2021) asked him about the color of his tie. This is not an indication of Fauci’s prevarication; it is an indictment of Trump’s desire to take down anyone (or anything) that reminds us of how bad his presidency has been. A “revenge-tour” propagated by his many minions, including Rand Paul, Josh Hawley, Rick Scott, and Ron Johnson, on this faux court. It’s important to remember that Fauci is no longer covered by the pardon he received from Joe Biden, and the Republicans were clearly looking for any information they could use to arrest and prosecute this outstanding public servant who faithfully advised (with honor) seven presidents over forty years.

Perhaps Fauci’s greatest sin against Trump was when the incompetent-in-chief wanted to fire the doctor; Fauci’s ratings were higher than Trump’s, and Trump had to retreat.

Once again, Republicans find themselves on the wrong side of truth, science, and morality. Their narrative wants someone to blame for the Corona Virus, but science doesn’t support that conspiracy, and Fauci isn’t giving them their bogeyman. They would love to blame anyone but Trump for all the deaths on his (their) watch. Once again, they show themselves as merely lackeys of the Orange One, bunkered down in the White House. Their hearing was another circus show, but not a show of justice. Instead, it was a show of unchecked power and vengefulness. A cultic attempt to create a mythology around an inconvenient truth. My son said it best when he said, “This is a party of projection, every accusation they make is an admission.” 

In this trial of a modern Galileo, this Party of Projection portrays their own ignorance, spinelessness and adherence to their pedophile king.

30.07.2026 | Source: Daily Kos

‘Chaos, corruption, and poverty’: The racist wrath of Stephen Miller

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/7/28/800076374/whitehouse/racist-wrath-of-stephen-miller/?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=other

Lisa Needham, staff writer at the Daily Kos, peels back the ugly layers of a rotting onion; namely… Stephen Miller. Here are her words: “In an administration stuffed full of the very worst, most morally vacant, reprehensible people on Earth, senior White House adviser and top hate-filled hobgoblin Stephen Miller still manages to stand out.”

No white, nationalist, racist has had more sway in this administration than this Joseph Goebbels of the Trump administration. When you want to know who is behind ICE, the killing of U.S. citizens on our own soil, behind concentration camps (in the U.S. and abroad), look no further than this man.

Miller has had unlimited access to Trump, ever since his first term, but even more powerful in the second term.

Needham pays heed to the dichotomy of this man’s evil ideology by saying: “Of course, Miller is only here to spew this garbage because his grandfather fled anti-Jewish violence in Belarus and settled as an impoverished immigrant in the United States, where his family then joined him. But Miller doesn’t believe that anyone else’s family deserves that sort of chance.

It is interesting that this administration is knee-deep in immigrants; Trump’s wife, Vance’s wife, Miller’s parents, Rubio’s parents. And yet, all of them hate immigrants. Melania is a former call-girl for Jeffrey Epstein, who visited a child-detention facility wearing a coat that said, “I really don’t care, do you?” Vance’s wife is of Indian descent, Miller’s parents were Jewish from eastern Europe, and Rubio’s parents fled Cuba. What is the root of their passionate hatred?

Needham points to the recent murders of Pérez Paz and González de la Cruz, reminding us of the atrocities done to them under Stephen Miller’s policies: “The couple was recently found shot to death in a sugarcane field in Guatemala—bound and showing signs of torture, with their 14-month-old daughter crying beside her mother’s body.”

The primary point of Needham’s article is to call attention to one of Miller’s most recent spittle-infused diatribes in which he said, “If you give these people power, everything you know and love in this world falls apart. You have chaos, corruption, and poverty!”

But, points out Needham… “Buddy, we have chaos, corruption, and poverty right now—under your boss—at unprecedented levels.”

Trump’s approval ratings are at an all-time low (The Economist/YouGov: 34% approval, 62% disapproval, July 25–27, 2026) and yet the Republican Congress by and large still seems to live in fear of his mafia-like tactics (and enough Democrats to continue to wage an illegal war in Iran).

It is not enough to elect a new Congress and impeach Trump. Article II, Section 4 of the Constitution allows us to impeach his entire cabinet, but only one at a time. Will we elect a Congress that understands that this is their mandate? We can’t allow J.D. Vance to take over the presidency. We can’t allow cabinet members like Pete Hegseth and Marco Rubio or Stephen Miller to retain their power. Let’s not go into this next election wishy-washy about the results we are demanding. Let’s pull this whole administration out down to its rotting roots.

29.07.2026 | Source: Pew Research Center

Most Americans favor big changes to the political system that likely would require amending the Constitution.

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/07/28/most-americans-favor-big-changes-to-the-political-system-that-likely-would-require-amending-the-constitution/?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=PewResearch/magazine/Pew+Research+Center

Drew DeSilver and John Gramlich of the Pew Research Center keep us apprised of changes that most U.S. citizens (Democrats and Republicans) want to see to the United States Constitution. They also examine how difficult these changes would be but affirm that it has happened before.

Simply put (the article goes into much more detail), citizens are strongly in favor of four changes: Term Limits, Maximum age restrictions for public office (all branches of government), limits on how much individuals and organizations can spend on campaigns, and presidential elections that are decided by a nationwide popular vote.

The first two of these changes are supported by over 70% of the voting public, and the third is supported by over 60%. Keeping the current system is as unsupported as Trump’s latest poll numbers (in the low-thirties).

Changing the constitution requires 2/3’s of Congress. But when 2.3’s of voters want that change, it seems that Congress (and the courts) would respond. However, we know that it isn’t unusual for our representatives to neglect whom they’re representing when their own self-interest is at heart—and many of these changes would challenge their self-interest. Here is another reason the midterms (now only months away) are so critical. These representatives need to see how reprehensible their behavior is to a majority of their voters. They need a clear message that cannot be misinterpreted. Turnout needs to be historic.

Youth Advocacy

📝 Part 1:

Review and Announcements

The Long War Against the Machine

In this week’s brief, we dissect the absolute depth of this regime’s institutional graft and expose the loyal sycophants sustaining it.

We must discard the dangerous illusion that Donald Trump is an isolated aberration. He is merely the figurehead of a deeply entrenched, calculated apparatus. This machine thrives on a terrifying coalition: compromised congressional leaders, a captured Supreme Court majority, and Christian Nationalist extremists who cloak raw political greed in divine mandate.

Dismantling this architecture will not happen at a single ballot box. It is the work of decades. As we confront the dual threats of authoritarian governance and automated, corporate AI oversight, our charge is clear: we must engineer durable, human-centered systems capable of shielding our youth and defending democracy against the rise of the new plutocracy.

• Stay connected to the frontlines. Subscribe to the deep-dives on Substack and join the daily resistance on Bluesky and Facebook.*

🎨 Part 2: Visual Stories

Exposing "The Banality of Evil"

Our featured multimedia piece this week takes aim at the psychological floor of modern authoritarianism.

Inspired by Hannah Arendt's profound concepts, “The Banality of Evil” examines the terrifying cognitive laziness of those who actively enable this regime. It uncovers a grim truth: there is virtually no level of cruelty, graft, or systemic degradation these followers will not tolerate—so long as their own biases are coddled and their grievances are weaponized. Tyranny does not always arrive with a roar; often, it creeps in through quiet compliance.

• Watch the Visual Story: Experience the stark, urgent music video directly on YouTube.

• Support Independent Protest Art: Own the track by purchasing it directly from the Communities of Trust Digital Store. Your purchases directly fund independent youth advocacy and anti-authoritarian research.

👤

Dr. Jerry Goebel (He/Him/His)

Youth Advocate, Author, & Engagement Consultant

Communities of Trust

• Central Hub: linktr.ee/docjerr

• Web: communitiesoftrust-jerrygoebel.com

• Video: YouTube Channel

• Connect: goebeljerry@me.com | (52) 999 645 8105

🏳️‍🌈 Love is an awful thing to hate.

Articles and Commentary

28.07.2026 | Source: Reason

How Trump's Tariffs Undermine US Trustworthiness and Credibility—and What Can Be Done to Stop it

https://reason.com/volokh/2026/07/26/how-trumps-tariffs-undermine-us-trustworthiness-and-credibility-and-what-can-be-done-to-stop-it/?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=Reasoncom%2Fmagazine%2FReason

Ilya Somin, a Professor of Law at George Mason University, quotes from an article by economist David Hebert examining the long-lasting damage of this President’s tariffs on the United States and the global economy. There is no doubt these tariffs are as illegal as the first ones that Trump arbitrarily implemented, but there is an additional insult accompanying this batch of policies. Here’s how Hebert puts it in his article: “So in the span of a week, the White House effectively told Canada, our closest trading partner and ally, that America's word means nothing and then told them that they are complicit in forced labor.”

It is not just our closest allies that have experienced Trump’s malignant ignorance, but also Mexico, the United Kingdom, and the European Union. The Supreme Court could do something about this, Somin points out, as could Congress, but their solutions are long-term, months away, and do not address the immediate damage done to international relations from a rogue regime that these partners find deceitful. There are also internal consequences from businesses unable to plan strategies with a president that changes policies on a capricious whim.

There’s no doubt this administration is in panic mode. Midterms are coming and the economy is in terrible shape. The President’s war-of-choice in Iran continues to appear unresolvable—and indeed—seems to be escalating. Even the GOP is doubting this President’s credibility—and thus, their electability.

Project 2025 may not have seen what a failure their policies (and their pet orange troll) would be. And yet, clearly, their goal was not to improve the U.S. economy, but to 1) create a plutocracy that would favor the wealthy and 2) an autocracy that would lock out opponents.

We must remember, Trump is not in this alone. He is surrounded and protected by his MAGA faithful, his administration, by a Republican Congress, and at the voting booths. Pointing the finger at one man is easy, but deceptive. The sickness is much deeper; therefore, the surgery to rid ourselves of this cancer must be more significant. Democracy has been threatened to the core, and therefore, core changes must be made. Just like the fix to restore trust after these tariffs may be decades in coming—so will the fix to restore our democracy. It must involve concretizing protections for democracy’s future, for freedom of the press, for the protection of Americans when a hostile administration creates its own police force, and for the public’s ability to demand change when a president goes rogue and takes a Congress and Supreme Court with him (or, hopefully, in the future, her). Make no doubt about it, this is regime change. The depth of this evil is deep, its depravity widespread. The roots lie in millions of banal minions who prefer authority to democracy. The solution lies in laying bare the cost of giving up freedom for the comfort of an authoritarian to take over decision-making.

27.07.2026 | Source: Huffington Post

‘Vertical Morality’ Might Describe Why MAGA Christians Seem So Unchristian

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/vertical-morality-might-describe-why-maga-christians-seem-so-unchristian-gg_l_6a60dc64e4b0c2f78d012ae3?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=user%2Fhuffingtonpost

I have a very hard time understanding why anyone would vote for Donald Trump and an even harder time understanding why so many “Christians” support him—to the point that some have said that he was “sent by God” to lead the United States. This article by Caroline Bologna is very helpful in that understanding. She describes what author Tia Levings calls “Vertical Morality.” A deep-seated belief that being a good Christian comes from the top-down (authority figure to earthly recipient) as opposed to “Horizontal Morality” where goodness comes from the way we treat each other.

Vertical Morality not only describes how these people view their religion, but also their politics. In essence, it is better to be compliant than it is to be moral and morality is based upon doing what the authority says instead of how we treat the people and the world around us. It goes farther than that; even defining those who seek social justice as immoral because they distract from compliance with authority. Thus, “those people” are woke, they are communists, they are evil.

This helps me understand a little more (not accept, but understand) how some people around me can profess a faith in Christ, who said in Matthew 25:35-40:

"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me."

"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'"

"The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”

They can justify the inhumane treatment of human beings in ICE prisons, the bombing of children in Iran, and the shooting of people in the U.S., because the authority figure (Donald—Appointed-by-God—Trump) commanded it.

While this theory aids in my understanding of such lunacy, it doesn’t lead me to be more lenient. Their beliefs have allowed an authoritarian to break the law, to steal from the globe, rob the nation, and even to rape children. Forgiveness of beliefs does not extend to excusing behavioral consequences.

Our hope right now lies in enough Republicans listening to Donald Trump and staying home from the election (because “why vote?”) and enough Democrats showing up to resoundingly defeat Republicans across the nation.

24.07.2026 | Source: Heather Cox Richardson, Letters from an American

Once again, Heather Cox Richardson gives us an important historical viewpoint; this time into funding wars. She begins by reflecting on a speech given by Dwight Eisenhower, shortly after he took office in 1953. Eisenhower reminded people of the real costs of war to the citizens of the country: “Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed.”

This is a preamble for Cox Richardson, who goes on to discuss the request this week by Pete Hegseth to approve an additional $67 billion to fund the President’s war in Iran. There still is no congressional support for this war. This is primarily on Trump, but now also supported by a Republican-led Senate that refuses to vote to stop it.

It is quite obvious this administration is lying both about the casualties and the costs of the war. As the historian points out: “While Hegseth told Congress the war has cost $37.5 billion so far, Gordon Lubold, Mosheh Gains, and Courtney Kube of NBC News reported on July 14 that the internal Pentagon estimate of the cost is about $100 billion.”

But Cox Richardson also looks at the wider cost of this administration’s budgeting to the people of the USA, quoting Steve Rattner of MSNOW who said, “[u]nder Trump, the debt held by the federal government has surpassed 100% of GDP. By 2030, it’ll shoot past its all-time record from WWII.”

Are we nearing an end to this incursion (or whatever it is called)? According to the author, we can’t be sure. We surely can’t rely on the president to clarify what is occurring in this war of choice. Some inside sources say he is preparing to commit troops to a ground war (where costs and body counts will escalate exponentially). The blogger quotes Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, who said, “Iranian policy is ‘an eye for an eye’ and added: ‘The president’s policy is a head for an eye. I mean, honestly, that’s what it’s going to be. I mean, they will pay a very heavy price for the things they do.’” (This administration likes to riff on Bible quotes with their own take thrown in—as if that somehow justifies their current criminal policy of attacking civilian targets.) 

Cox Richardson closes by quoting Representative Jason Crow (D-CO), a former paratrooper and Army Ranger who serves on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Armed Services Committee: “The impulse to resort to war as the only answer to threats led to ‘twenty-plus years’ of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, trillions of dollars, and thousands of American lives lost for wars that ended poorly. Americans are done with an endless cycle of conflict in the Middle East. When I was in Afghanistan, our adversaries, the enemies that we fought, would often say, ‘Americans have all the clocks, but we have all the time.’ They simply want to wait us out, knowing that we’ll just spend more money, have more combat deployments, and will just continue to do it, year after year, until we wear out.’”

Senate Republicans still refuse to pass a joint resolution to oppose this undeclared war by a margin of 47 - 49. That’s right, two votes! One of which was turncoat John Fetterman, who seems comfortably ensconced in Trump’s back pocket.

Are you tired of watching our debt skyrocket under this administration while gas and grocery prices become unsustainable? Then, vote them out! Come November, tell this Republican, Trump-led party goodbye. Show up and vote; it could well be our last opportunity to freely decide if we will have a democracy in 2027 and beyond.

23.07.2026 | Source: NPR

'New York Times' alleges White House abuses legal system to intimidate reporters

https://www.npr.org/2026/07/23/nx-s1-5903854/trump-new-air-force-one-nyt-subpoenas?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=npr/magazine/Business

This article by NPR reporter, David Fokenflik, highlights this administration’s attempt to harass journalists who write reports that Trump and his cronies find unfavorable (essentially any article reporting the truth). It has been the tendency since the beginning of Trump’s second term to subpoena (or sue) any journalist (or media outlet) that writes an article that might highlight this regime in a negative light. But now, this regime has gone a step further, and the FBI (personally overseen by minion-in-chief, Kash Patel) is sending agents to the homes of reporters and serving subpoenas not just to journalists, but to their family members as well.

Fokenflik points to a filing by David A. O'Neil of Debevoise & Plimpton, in which they stated: “The Government's actions violate the most basic First Amendment protections for newsgathering activity. They represent the latest salvo in an escalating series of attacks on journalists to intimidate them from engaging in reporting that the Trump Administration openly detests."

The cases will be heard by U.S. District Court Judge Arun Subramanian, and the attorneys representing journalists hope to “quash the subpoenas at the hearing, which will be in his Manhattan federal courthouse.”

Freedom of the press is a key to democracy, and one of the first things authoritarian regimes seek is to silence the press. 

It is not unusual for the press to have an adversarial relationship with politicians; one might even say it is necessary. But silencing the press is different than disagreeing with the press. We need a press that is relentless in seeking the truth; even when that upsets or inconveniences an administration. 

There has been no doubt that the press’s freedom has been a target of the Trump regime since Project 2025 began creating its plans to undermine democracy in the United States. We can stop these endeavors by voting overwhelmingly to end this regime in November. 

22.07.2026 | Source: The Guardian

Opinion | Three speeches on a single day signaled a dying American democracy

https://apple.news/A28oPGnMgQsKnrPCwFlwpMg

This article by Robert B. Shpiner looks at the prognosis for a cancer currently eating the United States. He is uniquely qualified to diagnose it as he is a clinical professor of medicine in pulmonary and critical care at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Geffen’s major point is that we’re being distracted. The major news outlets focused on the degrading, rambling speech of the president on July 16th, 2026. But that wasn’t the real warning about the death of constitutional democracy. While Trump used that speech to discuss anything but his war in Iran or the economy. The real nails in democracy’s coffin were the speeches of underlings: Marco Rubio and Stephen Miller.

Shpiner’s family left Russia in 1917 (and other relatives left Germany) when they heard similar rhetoric spouted by their governments at the time, giving him additional gravitas in his diagnosis.

Shpiner’s diagnosis is dramatic: “I have watched teams run to the dramatic patient while the quiet one, the one not crying out, exsanguinates behind a curtain. The most dangerous words spoken in Washington on Thursday were not spoken in primetime. They were spoken before lunch, to more than 60 countries. The official transcript records the applause.”

Both Rubio and Miller seek to distract from the November election; they seek to “Pre-Distract.” They seek to undermine confidence in the election results before the election occurs. There’s only one reason why they would do that: they know they are going to be trounced. Eventually, both of these men may face criminal charges: Rubio for war crimes and Miller for his role in the death of U.S. citizens while acting as the driving force in Trump’s white, Christian, nationalistic cleansing of U.S. soil. Both of them have a lot to lose by letting democracy take its course. Here is how Dr. Shpiner puts it: “The move is old and reliable: discredit the second opinion in advance.”

Will you let this bait-and-switch stop you from showing up at the polls? It is apparent that this administration will pull out every stop to prevent you from 1) voting, and 2) trusting the vote once they’ve lost. Do not let them continue to undermine democracy; Vote Them Out!

21.07.2026 | Source: Common Dreams

In New Corruption Report, Senate Democrats Shine Light on ‘Eye-Popping’ Trump Profiteering

https://www.commondreams.org/news/trump-corruption-senate-report?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=other

In this article, Common Dreams journalist Brad Reed examines a new report released by Democratic senators examining the corruption in the Trump administration. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) sums up the report with this statement: “Trump is without question the most corrupt president in American history. Trump has betrayed the American people by using our highest office not for the good of the country, but to pad his own bank account, at the expense of working families.”

Reed points out that “The report is part of a broader initiative by Senate Democrats to hold the Trump White House accountable, which will include an anti-corruption working group composed of Schumer along with Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), and Andy Kim (D-NJ).”

These are the fundamental findings necessary to lay the groundwork for legal proceedings against Trump and his family. It is my hope that he lives long enough to be subjected to these hearings and to see everything—everything—that he has created be dismantled. That he is able to see his supporters jailed and that he spends time in jail himself. This report is a necessary foundation required for those legal proceedings. 

In a previous administration, President Gerald Ford was deeply wrong in pardoning Richard Nixon; consequences are a necessary part of healing. To allow this administration to experience no ramifications for their illegal and immoral behavior would be to support and encourage it in the future. When Ford pardoned Nixon (September 8, 1974), he said it was to “heal the nation.” Every child should learn that part of seeking forgiveness is accepting the consequences of your behavior. I doubt that we will ever see regret from anyone in this administration and will continue their behavior if there are no punishments for their crimes. But they are no doubt too steeped in their ideology to see the damage they have done. Our national healing can begin at the upcoming November elections when we tell congressional supporters of this administration they are no longer trusted. Let’s replace them with public servants, not Trump vassals. Let’s demand Congress begin the prosecutions that these findings inevitably lead to.

Youth Advocacy

Blogs 14.07.2026-21.07.2026

📣 Review and Announcements

Welcome to this week's briefing. As we march closer to the high-stakes mid-term elections, the cracks in the current administration are turning into craters. From frantic threats against independent journalists to desperate attempts to intimidate election officials, a terrified executive branch is pulling out every authoritarian trick in the book to suppress your voice.

But we are not backing down. This week, we launch a unified front against this systemic intimidation. Our theme is loud, clear, and unyielding: "Hands Off Our Votes!"

• Now Live on YouTube: The official video presentation for my new protest anthem, "Hands Off Our Vote," is officially live. It is a raw, gritty, front-porch rock rally against the rise of authoritarianism. Watch the video, absorb the lyrics, and share it with your local activist networks: 📺 Watch "Hands Off Our Vote" on YouTube

• Take the Anthem With You: Want to blast this track at your local rallies or upcoming march? You can download the high-quality single directly from my store right now: 🎵 Get the Track on My Website

• Join the Resistance Hub: Access all our latest organizing tools, articles, and quick-action links in one single place: 🔗 Visit the Linktree Hub

• Substack Deep-Dive: For a breakdown of how this administration is trying to use DHS oversight to scare voters of color, read my latest newsletter analysis: ✍️ Subscribe to Substack

• Daily Mobilization Updates: Follow my daily commentary on the fight for fair elections and the oversight of weaponized AI tech: 🦋 Follow on Bluesky | 👥 Connect on Facebook

🎬 Visual Stories: The Countdown to the Midterms

Here is your essential reading and viewing map for the week, tracking the systemic threats to our democracy and economy—and how we fight back.

⚖️ Story 1: The Cornered Narcissist and the Threat to Free Press

• The Focus: An unprecedented, authoritarian push by the administration to strip broadcasting licenses from independent news organizations that refuse to air the President's propaganda. Harvard political scientist Ryan Enos warns that a panicked administration is trying to manipulate the election course by weaponizing federal agencies [1.1].

• The Reality: The President is running scared because losing the House and Senate means certain impeachment. Scared narcissists resort to bullying and fear [1.1].

• The Action: Don't let them isolate independent journalism. Share this analysis directly from The New Republic.

📉 Story 2: The "Broligarchy" Crushing the US Economy

• The Focus: Journalist Idrees Kahloon exposes how the administration's anti-immigration, anti-science, and anti-education stances are causing a massive decline in American economic growth [1.2].

• The Reality: The economy is being treated like a personal piggy bank—handing tax breaks, contracts, and pardons to sycophants who fund executive pet projects [1.2].

• The Action: Read the full economic breakdown at The Atlantic and demand a rollback of these disastrous Executive Orders.

🗳️ Story 3: Desperation Speeches and Voter Intimidation Tactics

• The Focus: The Department of Homeland Security is actively threatening election officials with fines and prison time if they do not participate in voter suppression tactics [1.4].

• The Reality: Analysts Jonathan Capehart and David Brooks note that the administration is terrified of impending midterm losses [1.3]. They are attempting to sow social media chaos by claiming the country is under a "communist attack" to panic their base [1.5].

• The Action: Turn this rhetoric against them. Let their conspiracy theories convince their own followers to stay home, while we overwhelm the ballot boxes in a historic landslide victory [1.3]. Review the source reports at The Hill, WhoWhatWhy, and PBS Newshour.

🕯️ Story 4: A War Without Reason

• The Focus: American lives are being lost globally and domestically in a chaotic, unprovoked "war-of-choice" with Iran [1.2]. Former Naval War College professor Tom Nichols highlights that the President has refused to give a single address to Congress explaining why young Americans are being put in harm's way [1.2].

• The Reality: There is no strategy. The administration is guided entirely by age-incapacitated impulses and sycophants terrified of losing their status [1.2].

• The Action: Stand up for our youth and our troops. Read the scathing commentary at The Atlantic.

21.07.2026 | Source: TNR (The New Republic)

Transcript: Trump’s Rage at Journos Boils Over—and Even Fox Is Rattled

https://newrepublic.com/article/213226/transcript-trump-rage-journos-boils-over-and-even-fox-rattled?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=thenewrepublic%2Fmagazine%2FThe+New+Republic

This commentary is from an interview of Harvard Political Scientist, Ryan Enos, by TNR host, Greg Sargent. Together they look at the unprecedented statements of President Trump and DHS Director Markwayne Mullin about taking away the licenses of news organizations that don’t cover the president’s speeches. Here’s how Enos puts it: “And it’s important to emphasize just how unprecedented this is, right? I mean, this is a clearly authoritarian move, and there’s never been a president in American history that’s done this—has said, if you don’t broadcast what I want, I’m going to essentially put you out of business. And that’s the reason we have things like an independent licensing commission, which at least we did until Trump came along and the Supreme Court sided with his unilateral authority to take away its independence.”

What Sargent and Enos warn us about is that Trump is willing to use the full power of the U.S. government to both alter the course of the upcoming election and to sow doubt in the results of that election before they occur. 

This president does not want to lose this election; he knows what it would cost him. Losing the House would mean the blockage of many of his pet projects; losing the House and the Senate would mean certain impeachment. The president is running scared, and scared narcissists don’t respond well to fear. They fight. Trump is fighting. Not just to alter the election, but to undermine the election system. This has been his desire ever since he lost the 2020 election to Joseph Biden. His life is a reflection of failures, failed businesses, and failed marriages; his only wins have come from his mafioso-type behavior: bullying and fear tactics. Now he wants to move from bullying the Republicans to bullying the U.S. electorate. Enos extrapolates on that fear by pointing out: “And so here you have an agency where it’s threatening news organizations, threatening the independence of elections—if you listen to more of what was said in that news conference about how they’re going to examine the voter rolls and things like that. And people have this real fear, which is probably still low probability, but there’s a real fear that you’re going to have things like ICE agents and these other sorts of shock troops of Donald Trump showing up at polling places trying to intimidate people from casting their ballots.”

This administration is counting on one thing: the ignorance of voters. He’s counting on the same ignorance and blind faithfulness that won him the election in 2024. Once again, Enos speaks to this point: “Trump thinks that the American people are a lot dumber than they actually are, which is sort of one of the tragedies of his whole administration: is how stupid he actually thinks the American people are. But the American people aren’t buying this. You can see this in the polls. Like, even only about half of Republicans actually say they believe this, right? And I’m not sure even that half actually believes what they’re saying they believe.”

This administration from top to bottom wants to steal this election and undermine the next, and the Republicans are on board. It is time that we all stand firmly and tell them “Hands off our elections!”

20.07.2026 | Source: The Atlantic

Trump’s Anti-Growth Agenda

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/07/trumps-growth-hegemony-decline-britain/687904/?utm_medium=offsite&utm_source=flipboard&utm_campaign=all

According to Idrees Kahloon—and many other economists—Trump’s policies are bringing about the demise of the U.S. economy. He compares this unraveling to the fall of Britain’s empire post-Industrial Age. The primary difference was that Britain was aware of its demise and worked to prevent it, while this administration remains stubbornly continuing the very policies that are undermining it. 

When you read Kahloon’s article, you will see that our major roadblock to economic growth is this administration’s anti-immigration stance, preventing the very innovations that made the U.S. grow in the past. Of course, that’s not all; there is also the Trump attack on education, science, free trade, on our allies, and the internal graft as this administration tries to make the economy into his personal “broligarchy” (giving tax breaks and contracts, even pardons, to those who pay him or put money in his pet projects).

The very thin hope the author leaves us is that most of Trump’s idiotic policies are based

on Executive Orders and can be quickly undone, also that the lower courts are blocking a lot of his more dangerous policies. But the long-term damage caused by the Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill will be much harder to undo.

We need to make sure the mid-terms tell this administration that the MAGA era is done and those who supported it are going to face harsh consequences.

17.07.2026 | Source: The Hill

Five takeaways from Trump’s big elections speech

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5973514-save-america-act-push/?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=user%2FTheHill

Despite the decision of many networks not to carry the meandering, self-serving, all-about-me speech of Donald J. Trump last night, we can only hope it has an impact. Anyone who thought they might tune in and hear the president address concerns about the broken economy, the Iran war, or the Epstein files, heard instead the president repeat his endless, baseless lies about losing the 2020 election. Blaming China for tampering with votes and undermining voter confidence, Trump went on to… undermine voter confidence. Hopefully, a lot of Trump’s followers listened to his speech and did what they did in Georgia in 2020, not show up to vote.

For those who remember, the Republicans were set to win the elections in Georgia until Trump began whining about the same issues as he whined about last night, and Georgia Republicans decided it was hopeless to show up because their vote wouldn’t be counted anyway. Trump told us last night that the same is going to happen at midterms.

Is this his way of reading current polls and pre-explaining the losses he is about to experience in midterms?

What can we do? Give him that trouncing. Encourage Republicans to stay home because of Trump’s “rigged system” but turn out to vote yourself. Make sure a landslide occurs so we can clean out this murderous, scandal-ridden, economy-destroying administration. Take back the House and take the Senate.

16.07.2026 | Source: WhoWhatWhy

Trump Admin Threatens Election Officials With Prison for Not Suppressing Votes

https://whowhatwhy.org/politics/elections/trump-admin-threatens-election-officials-with-prison-for-not-suppressing-votes/?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=other

Journalist Klaus Marre unveils the truth behind Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin threats to fine or imprison election officials who refuse to help the Trump administration suppress votes. First, he reveals that if the administration had any evidence of such instances they should have already issued subpoenas. Secondly, he points out that this is obviously another scare tactic by this administration to frighten any voters who are not white from voting in the upcoming election.

Through efforts such as these and gerrymandering, Republicans are revealing that “if you are not white, we don’t want you to vote…”

I want to applaud those election officials (and states) that have bravely refused to comply with the racist agenda of the Republicans and this regime. Let’s all turn out and boldly tell this regime; “Hands Off Our Votes!”

15.07.2026 | Source: The Atlantic

Trump Owes Americans a Better Explanation About Iran

https://www.theatlantic.com/national-security/2026/07/trump-war-iran-casualties/687996/?utm_medium=offsite&utm_source=flipboard&utm_campaign=all

American citizens are dying around the world. Iran, Jordan, and throughout the Middle East, yes; but also Texas, Maine, and Minneapolis. This article by former Naval War College professor, Tom Nichols, states that we deserve a reason for these deaths. But for the deaths related to the Trump war-of-choice, Nichols points out that we have none. As Nichols says: “But the president has not seen fit, in all this time, to give one address to the American people or to Congress about why he plunged the United States into war, the global economy into chaos, and young Americans into danger.”

What we have is a buffet of reasons that changes as rapidly as Trump’s mood. But for the deaths on U.S. soil, we are similarly left without a viable reason. That’s what I would call the modus operandi of this regime; it is “without reason.” None of us know. The terrifying truth is that if we did a deep dive into the cavernous darkness that should be Trump’s soul, we would still not know. Because… well, he doesn’t know. And his aides don’t know. And the Republicans who continue to faithfully (blindly) support him do not know. Nope, no one knows. We can’t know because Trump doesn’t know. He is a man without reason. He has no guiding value except to enrich himself and his ability to reason is incapacitated by age and guided by sycophants who are afraid of losing their positions if they tell him he is wrong.

How many more people will senselessly die under this unreasonable man? Under this unable-to-reason man?

14.07.2026 | Source: PBS

Brooks and Capehart on what Trump is trying to accomplish with his election claims

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/brooks-and-capehart-on-what-trump-is-trying-to-accomplish-with-his-election-claims?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=PBSNewsHour%2Fmagazine%2FHeadlines

“He’s very scared…” that’s Jonathon Capehart’s overview of Trump’s meandering speech to the nation (or the small group of MAGA faithful who actually listened to his meandering lies). As Capehart state: “He's very scared about what could happen if Democrats retake the House and retake the Senate. He has said as much on the record. If they take over, I will be investigated.”

David Brooks (and others) say this was a desperation speech by a president quickly running out of options. In her Substack, “Letters from an American,” Heather Cox Richardson tells us that last night, Trump gathered with his top sycophants (Rubio and Miller) to plan a course to sow chaos and doubt by spreading social media falsehoods that say the United States is under attack by communists. Hopefully, the results of his tirades will be (as we looked at yesterday) to send the MAGA hopeful home to the smartphone screens and Fox News, where they can grumble about how the election is already too fixed to vote anyway. Meanwhile, the rest of us need to turn out in droves. We need to overwhelm our voting booths; it could be the last opportunity we have to participate in actual elections (this is not hyperbole, with gerrymandering, the Republicans have shown they do not want fair elections in the future—or even in the upcoming cycle). Tell the Republicans soundly: “Keep your hands off our votes!”

Youth Advocacy

Youth Advocacy

08.07.2026-14.07.2026

The Week in Review:

Unmasking the Rulers Who Refuse to Lead

By Dr. Jerry Goebel

Good day, truth-seekers and advocates. This week, our deep dive into the political landscape exposes a recurring theme: an autocratic, corporate, and right-wing apparatus using fear, historical revisionism, and legal manipulation to hold our democracy hostage. From the weaponization of the judicial system to the scapegoating of progressive economic models, the "barbarians are inside the gates"—and they are driving the rise of authoritarianism in both government and corporate AI oversight.

Here is what we analyzed this week on the frontline of youth advocacy and systemic reform:

• The Red Scare Redux (13.07.2026): We dissected how Trump, Mike Johnson, and their allies are reviving McCarthy-era tactics, painting Democratic Socialists as "godless communists." As Eduardo Cuevas clarified in USA Today, Democratic Socialism is simply about a public-benefit economy, fair taxation, and basic human rights—not authoritarianism.

• The War on Individual Rights (11.07.2026): Drawing insight from Heather Cox Richardson, we looked at the structural threat to the 14th Amendment posed by a right-wing SCOTUS supermajority. Originalism is being wielded as a tool to strip away equal protection under the law, echoing the dangerous dark ages of Robert Bork’s vision for America.

• A Failure of Leadership (11.07.2026): Analyzing Tom Nichols’ insights in The Atlantic, we exposed Trump’s war of choice with Iran. Trapped in a cycle of wartime grief and transactional ego, this administration is depleting resources while leaving Congress to pick up the pieces of an incoherent foreign policy.

• Theology vs. Transaction (10.07.2026): We contrasted the transactional, white nationalist "religion" of Donald Trump with the genuine gospel scholarship of Pope Leo XIV, who starkly reminded the nation that a flourishing society must protect the marginalized and reject the "globalization of indifference."

• The True Villains of Society (09.07.2026):Data for Progress polling via Common Dreams revealed that voters rank billionaires, corporate landlords, and unchecked AI companies as the true bad actors destroying our economic fabric. We must demand that candidates present actual strategies to dismantle this corporate-monarchy alliance.

• The History of Christian Nationalism (08.07.2026): David Mislin’s piece in Salon reminded us that evangelical drives to claim the state always peak during times of public fear and confusion. Today's Republican platform relies on this exact playbook: gerrymandering, name-calling, and manufactured terror.

✊ The Call to Action: Rulers, Not Leaders

When leaders run out of ideas, they turn to fear-mongering and authoritarian control. This is the exact cultural landscape that inspired my song, "Rulers, Not Leaders." It serves as an auditory anthem against the very autocracy we are fighting today. Listen to the track, absorb the message, and let it fuel your determination as we march toward the midterms.

• Watch the Presentation on YouTube: "Rulers, Not Leaders" Video Essay

• Support the Movement & Purchase the Track: Communities of Trust Music Store

• Join the Daily Fight: Connect on Bluesky at @docjerr.bsky.social, Substack at @drjerrygoebel, and Facebook at Doc Jerr Profile. Find all access points on my Linktree.

For inquiries regarding youth advocacy workshops, juvenile justice consultations, or keynote speaking arrangements, reach out directly at goebeljerry@me.com.

Weekly Blogs

13.07.2026 | USA Today

GOP calls them 'communists.' Here's what democratic socialists believe

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2026/07/11/democratic-socialist-versus-communists-trump/90839578007/?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=USAToday/magazine/Top+Stories 

Eduardo Cuevas assists in clearing the air for those who do not understand what defines Democratic Socialism. Here’s his brief description: “Democratic socialists and academic experts say the ideology isn't communism, but rather a belief that the economy should be run for the public’s benefit through democratic decision-making. The government should have an active role in expanding public services to address certain basic needs such as housing or health care, they say.”

Trump, Mike Johnson and their Republican friends are trying to paint Democratic Socialists as communists. With Trump saying, ““These are hardcore, godless communists. This is the most serious threat to our country since its existence.” And Johnson expounding, “Now the barbarians are inside the gate. So this election is for all the marbles."

Yes, the barbarians are inside the gate, the traitors are within, but they don’t look like AOC, Bernie Sanders, or Zohran Mamdani. They look like Donald Trump, John Roberts, and Mike Johnson. As typical for this administration, they are accusing others of the very tactics of which they are guilty. If this smells suspiciously of McCarthyism, that’s because it is. As Joseph Welch, chief legal counsel for the U.S. Army, said to McCarthy in 1954, “Have you no shame?” But isn’t that the point, haven’t these people already proved that “no,” they have no shame…”

Like McCarthy, these political hacks have to use fear to retain their power and there will be those who take the bait. There will be those who walk into the voting booth with enough doubt, to vote again for the people now holding our government hostage. And that is what makes Cuevas’ article all the more imperative. We need to get the word out. We need to help people understand the truth behind the lies that Trump and his minions are attempting to spread. Democratic Socialism is about giving tax payers the economy that they are paying for. Making the wealthiest of the wealthy pay their fair share. Providing health care to Americans, lowering the price of housing and groceries. Taking back the reins of government so demented megalomaniacs can’t wage war on anyone that happens to irk them at any particular moment or use U.S. funding and troops to attack (and kill) our own citizens.

11.07.2026 | Letters from An American, Heather Cox Richardson

July 9, 2026

https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/july-9-2026?r=14ehv&triedRedirect=true&utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=user%2FSubstack

Let me begin with what Ms. Cox Richardson ends her Substack with this morning: “And yet in 2026, here we are.”

If ever you are looking for articles that reveal the inner back story of some of the United States’ most important decisions, Heather Cox Richardson is the person you want to follow. In this segment, she looks at the back story of the 14th Amendment, contrasting it with the Dred Scott decision.

It is this very decision that Supreme Court jurists barely upheld recently, with Justices Alito and Thomas arguing against it. This is the amendment that the Trump administration is so keen to undermine. Originalists (Ms. Cox Richardson explains that term in her column) want to restrict the application of the 14th Amendment, and six of the current SCOTUS are originalists. Project 2025, Stephen Miller, and Donald Trump just want the 14th Amendment to be removed from the Constitution. 

This brings us to the final phrase of this morning’s Substack review. When Reagan appointed Originalist Robert Bork to the court in 1987, Cox Richardson points out that then Senator Ted Kennedy made the following pronouncement: “Robert Bork’s America is a land in which women would be forced into back-alley abortions, Blacks would sit at segregated lunch counters, rogue police could break down citizens’ doors in midnight raids, schoolchildren could not be taught about evolution, writers and artists could be censored at the whim of the Government, and the doors of the Federal courts would be shut on the fingers of millions of citizens for whom the judiciary is—and is often the only—protector of the individual rights that are the heart of our democracy….”

So, as Ms. Cox Richardson says, “And yet, here we are…”

What can you do? Make sure to turn out for the vote at midterms and make sure that those you elect have a platform for realigning the racist Supreme Court of John Roberts and the other Originalists.

11.07.2026 | Source: The Atlantic

Tom Nichols is a staff writer at The Atlantic, but he was also an instructor at the Naval War College. He has unique and time-tested insights into international military matters, which is why it is so important when he shares his reflections on Trump, Netanyahu, and Hegseth’s war with Iran. Nichols tells us that it is Iran, not Trump, who is dictating the terms of this war. To quote Nichols, “The Iranians have made clear that they don’t care about the MOU or, for that matter, what Trump thinks or wants. They are willing to inflict more damage on the Gulf states, and they’re willing to accept damage in return. These are signs of a state directing a war rather than reacting to one.”

This is Trump’s war of choice, but it is being fought with U.S. funds, U.S. lives, and global resources (as in access to fuel and fertilizer). This president has no clue how to end it. He has no power to end it. It is time for Congress to end it, because Trump won’t. 

This president is perfectly content depleting all of the military’s weaponry, then giving out personal contracts to have them rebuilt. 

Currently, this president is battling dementia and is gobsmacked by the situation in Iran; his comments become more incoherent daily. Here is how Nichols closes his commentary:

“Trump is now going through something like the stages of wartime grief: Denial that America failed; anger, which has led to renewed attacks; and then bargaining, as if the Iranians could somehow be bought off like a gang of recalcitrant construction workers in New York. None of it has worked.

Depression and acceptance await.”

10.07.2026 | Source: The Atlantic

Pope Leo’s July 4 Message to America Was Unmistakable

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/07/pope-leo-lampedusa-july-4/687810/?utm_medium=offsite&utm_source=flipboard&utm_campaign=all

Francis S. Rocca is a contributing writer at The Atlantic and the Vatican editor at EWTN News. Rocca juxtaposes two distinct theologies from two “sons of the U.S.” President Donald J. Trump and Pope Leo XIV. They couldn’t be more dissimilar. Trump is a convicted felon and rapist who has used his position to graft the United States out of more money than any president in history. His theology is one of transactional convenience; he wears his religion like the game show host that he is, it’s a veneer, a show, used only to capture votes and—even then—it is steeped in white racist nationalism. Pope Leo is a gospel scholar steeped in the Augustinian tradition, an order that crafted the Just War Doctrine that this administration so often quotes and then ignores. Leo builds on the insights of his predecessor, Pope Francis, who accused the world of the “globalization of indifference” regarding immigration. Leo goes a step further, saying, “…dead migrants were victims of economic inequality, political corruption, an ‘indifference to the common good,’ and the failure by countries in the region to coordinate their immigration policies.”

Pope Leo also tells people, “In order for a nation to flourish, it must be truly united; united not by goals bound to momentary endeavors, but by ideals that do not fade with the passing of time.”

I don’t think that anyone could find the “ideals that do not fade with the passing of time” in the murky communiques of this administration. If there is a goal, it is rarely beyond the enrichment of one man, Donald J. Trump. He operates on a whim, whatever feeds his narcissistic ego at the moment. He is a moral vacuum. If we want to know how Trump will act (based upon his belief), we need simply ask the question, “What’s in it for Donald?”

09.07.2026 | Source: Common Dreams

Voters Rank Billionaires, Then Corporate Landlords as Top Villains to US Society and Economy

https://www.commondreams.org/news/billionaires-in-the-us?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=other

This article by Jessica Corbett of Common Dreams looks at data from “Data for Progress” that specifically examines the primary dislikes of voters in the United States. This polling company says that those identified in this poll are named by voters as the “Bad Actors,” who are “most responsible for the country’s concerning conditions.” Here is a summary of the list laid out in Corbett’s article: “The top villains, according to respondents, are the nation’s nearly 1,000 billionaires, then corporate landlords. Rounding out the top 10 were sports gambling marketplaces, artificial intelligence companies, cryptocurrency firms, payday lenders, the Republican Party, social media giants, the Democratic Party, and for-profit universities.”

Common Dreams uses their research to also inform us as to whom voters are applauding as we enter the last few months before the midterms occur. The executive director of Common Dreams, Ryan O’Donnell, identifies AI Companies and Tech Billionaires as the next big villains on the U.S. voting landscape, and Corbett warns us with recent important events, saying: ‘Earlier this week, as the US Supreme Court’s right-wing supermajority “gave their blessing for billionaires to buy even more influence over the politicians who represent us,” the watchdog Public Citizen released a report about soaring corporate political spending since the 2010 Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission ruling, including $517 million in this cycle so far.”

What is important for us is the voting trends that this information is likely to produce and how we can garner it in preventing an autocracy from further destroying our democracy. It is important to see that the Democratic Party doesn’t get a pass in this polling. We need to demand that those asking for our votes not only tell us what they are against, but also their strategies for addressing the growing powers of the “Bad Actors” named in the US Supreme Court’s right-wing supermajority’s infatuation with a monarchy.

08.07.2026 | Source: Salon

This isn’t the first time Christians have tried to claim the United States as their own

https://www.salon.com/2026/06/29/this-isnt-the-first-time-christians-have-tried-to-claim-the-united-states-as-their-own-partner/?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=Salon%2Fmagazine%2FNews+%26+Politics

This article by David Mislin reminds us of the many times that Evangelical Christians have stepped forward to undermine the “Establishment Clause” of the First Amendment. Mislin takes us on a historic journey of when this has occurred in the country’s past. He seems able to link this drive to when citizens feel weakest and most afraid. Here are a couple of Mislin’s examples:

“As the U.S. plunged into Civil War in 1861, both the Union and Confederacy sought to link their side to God. The preamble of the Confederate constitution noted a desire for “the favor and guidance of Almighty God” for their new government.

“In the North, the Pennsylvania clergyman M.R. Watkinson successfully lobbied for a reference to God to be added to coins. Watkinson believed the nation was guilty of “disowning God” and urged the treasury secretary to make declarations of religiosity. This would “place us openly under the divine protection,” he noted.”

It is interesting to note that fear and confusion are the ideal state of citizens for today’s Republicans, such as Mike Johnson. All of whom ply deeply in social media, along with Donald Trump, to purposefully try to concretize distrust and instill fear in the public in order to garner support and votes. It should come as no surprise that this is coming to the fore just prior to what could be a catastrophic mid-term for the Republican party. Rather than standing on a platform (which has largely been, “Do whatever Donald Trump tells us…”) they are demonizing those who don’t believe the same way they do. We looked, in yesterday’s blog, at how Trump is trying to call Democratic Socialism candidates, like Zohran Mamdani, “Commies.” As we move closer to this November’s mid-terms, we can expect more name-calling and fear-mongering. Sadly, many will fall for it, as they did in both of Trump’s previous elections and during Biden’s mid-terms. When you run out of feasible ideas for true political leadership, what do you turn to? Gerrymandering and fear-mongering. That is the true platform of the Republican party right now. Be aware of it and don’t fall for it. Expect it and talk about it.

Youth Advocacy

Youth Advocacy

Year 5, Week 15

Briefing Period: 01.07.2026—07.07.2026

By Dr. Jerry Goebel

Website: communitiesoftrust-jerrygoebel.com

Facebook: facebook.com

Bluesky: @docjerr.bsky.social

Substack: @drjerrygoebel

Linktree: linktr.ee/docjerr

REVIEW AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

Weekly Review: Standing at the Brink

Whether it is an executive office steeped in malignant narcissism, a rogue legislative agenda stripping healthcare from the dying, or a nation tolerating modern-day concentration camps on its soil—this week's news brings us straight to the brink.

As advocates for youth, we cannot afford the luxury of exhaustion or the safety of moderation. Authoritarianism does not ask for permission; it builds its architecture quietly while the public is distracted. If we are to protect the next generation, we must confront the systems trying to commodify their attention, demonize their communities, and erode their democracy. Silence is the fuel of tyranny. It is time to speak, stand, and push back.

VISUAL STORIES

The Power of Creative Resistance

Music bypasses traditional cognitive walls. It punches through apathy and speaks direct truth straight to institutional power. In this section, I translate our weekly macro-political, economic, and systemic critiques into original visual stories and lyrical compositions developed via Canva and Suno. Art is not merely decoration for the movement—it is a weapon for our collective survival.

Featured Single: "Take Our Country Back"

While we bear witness to the trauma of our current systems, we must also feed the spirit that allows us to fight back. This week, we are highlighting my featured single, "Take Our Country Back."

This track serves as a fierce musical rallying cry against the rise of authoritarianism and the erosion of our fundamental liberties. It is a reminder that the soul of this nation belongs to the people, not the autocrats or the bigoted systems they construct.

• Watch the Visual Presentation on YouTube: youtu.be

• Support Independent Artistry at my Squarespace Store: communitiesoftrust-jerrygoebel.com

• All Media Platforms: linktr.ee/docjerr

Archive Spotlight: "The Trauma and the Terror"

If you missed last week's briefing, you can still catch our deep-dive single, "The Trauma and the Terror." This track serves as a chilling, visceral reflection on the everyday human costs of systemic state cruelty—from modern concentration camps to the calculated stripping of healthcare from our most vulnerable citizens.

• Watch on YouTube: youtube.com

• Explore the Archive Playlists: youtube.com

TOP LINKS OF THE WEEK

07.07.2026 | Source: The Atlantic

The Nicest Man in Economics

Article Link: theatlantic.com

Annie Lowrey takes us on a deep dive with Stanford Professor Erik Brynjolfsson, co-author of “Rage Against the Machine” (2012) and “The Second Machine Age” (2014). Brynjolfsson warns: “In time, AI will do to white-collar work what machines did to blue-collar work: make people more productive, and push millions of them into new roles.” Technological advances are combinatorial, digital, and exponential—meaning progress moves slowly until it suddenly explodes.

While Brynjolfsson leans toward moderation, he heavily warns against AI becoming an exclusive tool of the top 0.0001 percent. This is the critical point: we won’t notice the true creep of AI until it is pervasive and too late to reverse. No technocrat or autocrat will openly announce their intent to use AI to control us; they will simply weave a silken web until we are entirely caught within it.

We saw this playbook with Project 2025, which laid out blueprints for a White Christian Nationalist autocracy before the election, yet was widely ignored by voters seeking authoritarian leadership. Moderates will not define the direction of AI—the passionate will. My voice is not moderate. I may be moderate about the technology itself, but I am fiercely radical about who controls it. We must raise our voices and democratize this technology immediately, or watch it be weaponized to dismantle our democracy.

06.07.2026 | Source: The Hill

The Automation Safety Belt

John Mac Ghlionn presents a powerful metaphor drawn from an interview with Nvidia Chief Jensen Huang, who notes that AI demands rapidly updated social norms to prevent millions from being left behind. Huang points to the automobile: early cars were lethal, speeding into cities built for horses where children played in streets. The technology arrived instantly, but the rules for surviving it took decades to catch up. Eventually, society built sidewalks, traffic lights, and driving tests. Play moved off the asphalt because the cost of leaving it there was measured in body bags.

Preparing the next generation to survive and navigate AI is one of our primary obligations as youth advocates. We cannot allow technocrats—who are currently investing millions to buy the politicians shaping AI policies—to dictate our children's future.

To confront this, Communities of Trust is actively booking and offering workshops on “Navigating AI in Youth Advocacy & Education.” This presentation features our three-question values probe on AI to help educators and advocates take back control of the narrative. You can find more information or book an event by visiting our website at communitiesoftrust-jerrygoebel.com or reaching out via email at goebeljerry@me.com. Will we accept our role in building this infrastructure, or cede it to corporations?

04.07.2026 | Source: The New Republic (TNR)

The Supreme Court Backs Gutter Racism

Article Link: newrepublic.com

It feels hollow to write this briefing on the Independence Day Semiquincentennial—a celebration of a country allegedly founded on “liberty and justice for all”—while an administration and a capture-court systematically undermine those values. Author Matt Ford reveals the depths of Justice Samuel Alito’s Trump-supporting, bigoted opinions. In a horrific betrayal, the conservative majority shrugged off overtly white nationalist rhetoric directed at Haitian immigrants.

In her opposing opinion, Justice Kagan laid bare the raw vitriol, quoting the administration's claims that Haitians are "poisoning the blood" of our country and immigration is "like a death wish." The majority casually replied that these remarks were not “overtly racial.” It is a transparent farce: Haitians are Black; the countries the administration prefers (Norway, Sweden) are white. Alito and the Roberts Court will continue their legal quest for a white, conservative Christian nation until they are outnumbered by non-racist Justices. Under this judicial autocracy, the law is being reshaped into a weapon of exclusion.

02.07.2026 | Source: Axios

Trump's America Gets Global Side-Eye

Article Link: axios.com

This Administration has made no bones about pursuing isolationist policies. It demands complete control over the Western Hemisphere from Greenland to Chile, treats European democracies as encumbrances, and aligns more with Russia than NATO. It views the entire Southern Hemisphere as a permanent threat to its white, Christian hegemony.

Josephine Walker of Axios translates this loss of global standing into hard data via the Pew Research Center. Confidence in the reliability of the United States has completely plummeted. Our allies do not trust us, and following the catastrophic Iran War, our adversaries neither fear nor respect us. The next administration will inherit a devastating plate, including a losing, domestic "Algae War-of-Choice" in our own backyard.

Trusting America means trusting the electorate that voted this incurious, narcissistic autocrat into office twice. Restoring global faith requires demolishing this administration and dismantling the system that birthed it. We must look deep into our 250-year-old constitutional heart. Does democracy still beat there? Can we build a progressive, human-rights coalition strong enough to replicate the historic resistance we saw earlier this year in Hungary?

01.07.2026 | Source: Letters from an American (Substack)

The Architecture of Engorgement

The release of a massive 927-page Personal Financial Disclosure (PFD) proves that no president in U.S. history has ever used the Oval Office to enrich themselves more aggressively than Donald J. Trump. This isn't due to cleverness; it is due to a profound lack of morality driven by malignant narcissism.

Professor Heather Cox Richardson examines the jaw-dropping details, starting with a Boeing 747 "gifted" to Trump by Qatar. While the Foreign Emoluments Clause (Article I, Section 9) strictly prohibits federal officials from accepting foreign gifts without congressional consent, this administration bypassed constitutional law by routing the jet through the Pentagon—with the explicitly corrupt caveat that it transfers to the Trump Presidential Library post-presidency.

From unapproved, no-bid contracts doled out to loyalists for massive capital projects to a family-run cryptocurrency that netted an estimated $600 million in his first few months (now valued at $1.4 billion), the corruption is systemic. As Senator Chris Murphy warned on the Senate floor: “He’s betting that the corruption will be so constant that we stop hearing it... once corruption becomes normal, it becomes permanent.” Backed by a Supreme Court that just broke a 90-year precedent to grant the executive unchecked power to fire government employees without cause, this oligarchy is attempting to entrench itself permanently while everyday Americans struggle to pay their bills. We cannot allow it.

01.07.2026 | Source: The New Republic (TNR)

Vandalism at the Reflecting Pool? Yes—It Was Committed by Donald Trump

Article Link: newrepublic.com

Michael Tomasky, editor of The New Republic, exposes the psychological rot at the center of this administration. You would think a leader who just lost a war would have structural crises on his mind. Instead, Trump’s focus remains locked onto the Reflecting Pool and the Kennedy Center—monuments to a porcelain-fragile ego. While a citizen faces a July 9th hearing for merely lifting a floating section of the pool's lining, the real vandal in Washington is Donald Trump.

Like an animal marking territory, this president is desperate to spray-paint his name onto the capital, transforming it into "Trumpland." This egocentric circus is a calculated distraction to keep the public from focusing on his catastrophic military loss in Iran and the impending release of the dreaded Epstein files.

While the ultimate litmus test for future progressive candidates is breaking the stranglehold of billionaires over our politics, how they respond to this literal and figurative vandalism of our public spaces is a vital test of character. The next administration must completely sanitize our capital from the institutional stench of this man and his lackeys.

Youth Advocacy

Youth Advocacy

Year 5, Week 14

Briefing Period: 24.06.2026—30.06.2026

By Dr. Jerry Goebel

📣 REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS

Weekly Review: Standing at the Brink

Whether it is a quiet weaponization of the DOJ targeting the civil rights of disabled children, an administrative power grab illegally choking off foreign humanitarian aid, or a nation bowing to the spiteful whims of unaccountable billionaires—this week's news brings us straight to the brink.

My blogs don’t focus on the immediacy of each day (which are often intentionally designed by this administration to be a distraction), but on longer-term trends that examine the direction of the U.S., the globe, and particularly our role as responsible adults in protecting our children’s future.

The erosion of institutional guardrails we are witnessing right now isn't just a political crisis; it is a direct theft of the stable democracy, safety net, and global reputation that belong to our youth. As responsible adults, we cannot look away from these trends. We must build Communities of Trust to insulate our children from this top-down cruelty.

🖼️ Visual Stories

The Power of Creative Resistance

Music bypasses traditional cognitive walls and speaks direct truth to institutional power. In this section, I translate our weekly macro-political and economic critiques into original visual stories and lyrical compositions developed via Canva and Suno.

✊ Featured Single: "Resistance, Resilience"

While we bear witness to the trauma of our current systems—from the threats of mass re-institutionalization to the systemic defunding of global health—we must also feed the spirit that allows us to fight back.

This week, we are highlighting "Resistance, Resilience." It serves as a powerful musical reminder that our survival depends on community, collective strength, and an absolute refusal to break under institutional pressure. It is available to watch, stream, and share right now on our main page. Please consider purchasing the track in our store to directly fund our ongoing youth advocacy work.

• Listen & Support: Communities of Trust Music Store

📺 Archive Spotlight: "The Trauma and the Terror"

If you missed last week's briefing, you can still catch our deep-dive single, "The Trauma and the Terror."This track serves as a chilling, visceral reflection on the everyday human costs of systemic state cruelty—from the calculated stripping of healthcare from our most vulnerable citizens to the psychological warfare played out on the global stage.

• Watch on YouTube: "The Trauma and the Terror" Music Video

Join my Official YouTube Channel to explore my fully categorized playlists, splitting my catalog into Social Justice & Reform and Relationships & Personal Growth.

Top Links of the Week

30.06.2026

• Source: ProPublica

“A Huge Grab of Power”: Trump Is Defying Congress on Foreign Aid

https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-defying-congress-foreign-aid-usaid-vought-rubio-constitutional-crisis?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=ProPublica/magazine/All+Stories

In yet further proof that this administration, with direction from Project 2025, is determined to create a mudsill economy where people exist to serve a class of billionaires and trillionaires, or die of malnutrition or disease. It has cut, as Anna Maria Barry-Jester informs us, under Jeremy Lewin, a 29-year-old lawyer who came into government via Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) with no prior humanitarian experience and who is in charge of foreign aid, “…upended the world’s largest foreign aid provider last year, terminating thousands of programs and firing nearly all of its staff. Its plan for the agency was clear: Eliminate it entirely.” But because USAID is a program under the purview of Congress, it had to seek congressional approval to cut the program. According to Barry-Jester, Congress refused their request and, “…detailed precisely how much the State Department should spend on foreign aid and for what, including $9.4 billion on global health to treat and prevent maladies like HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria, and more than $5 billion on emergency humanitarian aid. They also insisted on regular, detailed reports about how the administration was spending the money.”

This administration has not even attempted to follow these directives in a manner similar to a petulant child refusing to share toys with others. It remains sequestered in the White House, screaming, “Mine, mine, mine!” According to David Super, a professor of law and economics at Georgetown University and a leading scholar on administrative and constitutional law, “this is a huge power grab by the Presidential Branch of the Government and expressly illegal.” To date, the Office of Management and Budget, run by Russell Vought, has refused to allocate money to be spent on foreign aid despite bipartisan support from seemingly every member of Congress, save for Trump boot-licker, Lindsay Graham. The damage being done to the U.S.’s reputation and respect globally is immeasurable, but that is nothing compared to the legacy of deaths that will occur from disease and malnutrition. Trillionaire Musk apparently can’t stomach that anyone else would receive money from U.S. taxpayers, and this administration is “all in.” In its effort to keep every dime for the extremely wealthy, people are dying, and the cycle of disease will remain in effect for generations.

29.06.2026

• Source: Salon

America abdicates as global superpower — and it’s about time

https://www.salon.com/2026/06/21/america-abdicates-as-global-superpower-and-its-about-time/?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=user%2FSalon

The Executive Editor of Salon, Andrew O’Hiher, helps us reflect on some positive points to this administration’s multiple failed adventures abroad. These points are somewhat hard-to-find and only visible in a much larger context and with a much longer view. They certainly won’t be promoted by the MAGA/GOP cult surrounding this president, but let’s dive into some of O’Hiher’s important notes. Here’s how he opens: “Trump returned to the White House last year determined to wreak revenge on a long list of real or imagined enemies and to leave his mark on the world. He has undeniably done both, and has caused almost unimaginable damage in many directions. It seemed implausible (and still does) that such a small-minded, ignorant, and incurious person could become a world-historical figure, but at least in that respect, we have misjudged him. He has changed the world, but done so in exactly the opposite direction from his expressed intentions.”

This description of the president is one of the best I’ve seen; the word, “Incurious” certainly describes the approach an egotistical narcissist takes to the world around him. I think it is safe to say we have had incurious presidents before, but likely none as mentally stagnant as the current occupant of the UFC Circus/Algae Infested/White House.

O’Hiher points out the failure in Iran may have finally resulted in a long-term rupture of the U.S.’s relationship with Benjamin Netanyahu. It certainly has resulted in the U.S. being seen as weak by multiple nations around the globe, including European allies, Russia, and especially China. O’Hiher quotes China analyst Ryan Hass’ essay for Brookings: ‘The United States and Israel fought Iran, and China won.’ In his analysis, the U.S. once again squandered its resources and its global credibility in a counterproductive and pointless struggle for military hegemony, while the Chinese remained focused on this century’s ‘defining geopolitical contest: the battle for technological leadership.’”

China is painting the U.S. as a reckless aggressor in the world with itself as a “reliable steward of the international order.” Who would have thought that would be plausible before this president undermined this United States’ credibility worldwide?

In the long run, O’Hiher suggests we see this administration as helping the world become less reliant on fossil fuels and fossil fuel energy, less reliant on standard industrial military tactics, and certainly less reliant on the U.S. The most honorable thing this President could do at this time is resign. But the likelihood of T.R.U.M.P. doing something honorable is close to nil. Perhaps, given his growing dementia and physical decline, the fact that being the Bully of the World is not working, and being booed at nearly every venue where he shows his face, will begin to wear on him. Perhaps, if mid-terms reveal the depth of the GOP crises in the U.S., his avid supporters will begin to count the cost of supporting an incurious, malignant narcissist nearing his demise. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps… but we have to do more than hope and wish. We have to raise our voices, show up to vote, and keep calling out evil when it reveals itself.

26.06.2026

• Source: NPR

DOJ memo stokes fear among disability advocates of a return to institutionalization

https://www.npr.org/2026/06/20/nx-s1-5865100/doj-memo-trump-disability-civil-rights-institutionalization?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=npr/magazine/U.S.+News

Thank you to both NPR and Cory Turner (editor for NPR’s Ed Team) for bringing attention to this easily overlooked, but critically important issue of the civil rights of those disabled in the United States. According to Turner, a new memo released this week by the Justice Department and prepared by Lanora Pettit, principal deputy assistant attorney general in the Office of Legal Counsel, “quietly calls into question decades of civil rights protections for Americans with disabilities and stirred fear and anger among advocates and families.”

One might question why, until we examine the devious direction of Project 2025 and this administration to ensure they are “unburdened” by those who are not contributing to the tax system funding the wealthy in this country. As Turner reports, Trump’s own campaign promises make this clear: In a 2023 campaign video, President Trump himself pledged: “For those who are severely mentally ill and deeply disturbed, we will bring them back to mental institutions, where they belong.”

If you voted for this president, you own this. If you stayed home, your silence allowed this to happen, and you better hope that no one you know—or you, yourself—ever has need of support (or even community) if you should become disabled. The question we should also ask at this time is, does this law apply to the President himself? He is quite obviously a danger to society and quite obviously mentally ill. Does this law allow us to step in and institutionalize him? We could only hope so.

25.06.2026

• Source: Current Affairs

A Trillion Dollars Isn’t Worth It If You Have to Be Elon Musk

https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/a-trillion-dollars-isnt-worth-it-if-you-have-to-be-elon-musk?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=curaffairs/magazine/Current+Affairs

Alex Scopic and Nathan J. Robinson open this cautionary tale about Elon Musk with a quote from one they call “some homeless Palestinian.” “What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? And, indeed, this is a cautionary tale about a man who has everything (at least more financial wealth than anyone else in the world) and yet, seems to feel like he has nothing. They divide the article into five important sections: You can’t buy human connection. You can’t buy cool. You can’t buy peace of mind. The money is kind of fake anyway. You’d feel sorry for him, if not for the body count. The authors compare Musk’s urges with another oligarch, Jeffrey Epstein,  saying, “…like Musk, Epstein reportedly hoped to ‘seed the human race with his DNA by impregnating women’ on a large scale, and had a compound of his own at Zorro Ranch in New Mexico for that purpose. Like Musk, much of his harassment took place on a private plane, where the women in question were a captive audience.” And, “The common denominator between the two men is treating women as things to acquire and collect, rather than people. It’s a form of perversity that’s really only available to the super-rich.”

Towards the end of the article, the authors identify why, despite being such a pitiable character, one can’t feel sorry for Musk. In their words, “…Musk isn’t just stingy with his own fortune. When he took a role in the federal government he deliberately used his position to take food and medicine from the world’s poorest people, gleefully destroying the agency that provided U.S. medical aid to needy countries, resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths. Musk is a supporter of brutal imperialism (‘we will coup whoever we want’), and even flirts with outright neo-Nazism. He is a booster of some of the most hateful and dangerous politicians around the world, and even said that the serial sexual abuser Andrew Tate would make a good U.K. prime minister. Musk bears a significant responsibility for the second Trump presidency. He vowedthat even though “I can’t be President… I can help Trump defeat Biden and I will.” And he did, by spending hundreds of millions of dollars on the election. Every horror we are now experiencing, from killings by ICE agents and the building of huge immigrant concentration camps to the brazen attempts to loot the public treasury, are squarely the responsibility of Elon Musk. So there are about 8 billion people on Earth we should feel sorry for before we feel even an ounce of sympathy for Musk, as pathetic a figure as he may be.

Scopic and Robinson close with this insightful summary, “And yet his entire existence is a cautionary tale, a living moral fable. Yes, our primary focus should be on how capitalism affects the lives of the global poor and the working class, because they are the vast majority of humanity. But Musk shows us that capitalism isn’t good for the rich, either. Like a black hole or a neutron star, the gravitational pull of all that money warps their lives into shapes they would never otherwise have taken. It turns them grotesque, sucks away their joy and humanity, and kills their ability to relate normally to others. Removing Musk’s outlandish wealth and power is not just necessary for the preservation of democracy. It’s a favor to him, and offers the only hope for his redemption.”

Are those we will support in the next election up to the challenge ahead of all of us? Biden, who was an obvious enemy of Musk, was undermined largely by Musk’s money and social media machine. No one should underestimate the reach of his wealth accompanied by the internal void that makes him both dangerous and spiteful. The current president was made in Musk’s image and through Musk’s dollars. Establishing guardrails on billionaires—and trillionaires—must be a major priority of the 2027 congress. Will Musk, Bezos, and others have enough money to prevent this? They have in the past and no doubt will continue to make the U.S. into their personal oligarchy. This is a crucial time for our children and generations to come. Your vote and resistance was never more important.

24.06.2026

• Source: The Atlantic

The Price of Defeat in Iran

https://www.theatlantic.com/international/2026/06/iran-defeat-marshall-plan-price/687600/?utm_medium=offsite&utm_source=flipboard&utm_campaign=all

There is no other way to describe the proposed conclusion to Trump’s war-of-choice with Iran as anything less than a surrender. Indeed, this president is high-tailing it back to battles he’s losing in the American hemisphere with his tail between his legs and egg upon his face; except the U.S. elected him, so it is egg upon the face of the United States. In this article, Thomas Wright of The Atlantic compares the settlement reached by this Administration to a Marshall Plan for the Middle East, only costing twice as much in real dollars as the original with no foreseeable benefits for the world. As most of you know, the Marshall Plan was vital for the political stabilization and psychological renewal of Western Europe. This “Memorandum of Understanding” or really, “document of surrender” will have the opposite effect in the Middle East than the Marshall Plan in Europe. Most likely, it will create a power vacuum that future U.S. administrations will fear filling. Israel will play heavily in determining the future of the Middle East, and its war with Iran will continue unabated. Israel will also be at odds with Turkey, and the Middle East leadership gap will be filled by China and Russia. Here’s how Wright summarizes the deal: “The deal is a bad one. But Washington has no good choices at this point. Judged by the administration’s own objectives, the outcome is difficult to describe as anything other than a defeat.” The United States entered the conflict seeking to eliminate Iran’s leverage, constrain its regional influence, and force it to accept strict limits on its nuclear program. Instead, Iran emerged with sanctions relief, a pathway to generous reconstruction financing, continuing ambiguity over key nuclear issues, and new leverage over the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran was contained by Obama’s Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Trump’s plan rewards Iran for engaging in a war with the U.S., closing the Strait of Hormuz, and firing on its neighbors. Whether we will ever know the economic costs of this war is difficult to tell, but we do know the cost in human lives, in infrastructure, and we are watching the cost at our gas pumps around the world. The actions that Iran made post-Israel and the U.S.’s initial strikes were predicted, but this war was the “brainchild” of Bibi Netanyahu and Donald J. Trump, which is a scary thought by itself, given the dangerous brains that were involved.

Youth Advocacy

Youth Advocacy

Year 5, Week 13

Briefing Period: 17.06.2026—23.06.2026

By Dr. Jerry Goebel

📣 REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS

Weekly Review: Standing at the Brink of Oligarchy

Whether it is a presidency teetering on malignant narcissism, a rogue legislative agenda stripping healthcare from the dying, or a nation tolerating modern-day concentration camps on its soil—this week's news brings us straight to the brink.

We are no longer just fighting a political party; we are fighting a fused system of unchecked wealth and state authority designed to protect the billionaire class at the expense of our youth. The T.R.U.M.P. administration's policies are not accidental missteps. They are a systemic transfer of public resources away from the vulnerable and into the hands of global oligarchs. To protect the future of our children, we must look past the daily media distractions, recognize these macro-trends, and actively build the infrastructure of resistance.

🖼️ Visual Stories

The Power of Creative Resistance

Music bypasses traditional cognitive walls and speaks direct truth to institutional power. In this section, I translate our weekly macro-political and economic critiques into original visual stories and lyrical compositions developed via Canva and Suno.

• ✊ Featured Single: "Resistance, Resilience"
  While we bear witness to the trauma of our current systems, we must also feed the spirit that allows us to fight back. This week, we are highlighting "Resistance, Resilience." It serves as a powerful musical reminder that our survival depends on community, collective strength, and refusing to break under institutional pressure. It is available to watch, stream, and share right now on the Communities of Trust Main Page.

• 📺 Archive Spotlight: "The Trauma and the Terror"
  If you missed last week's briefing, you can still catch our deep-dive single, "The Trauma and the Terror."This track serves as a chilling, visceral reflection on the everyday human costs of systemic state cruelty—from the modern concentration camps in Florida to the calculated stripping of healthcare from our most vulnerable citizens.

• 🎥 Watch the Movement: Watch "The Trauma and the Terror" Music Video on YouTube. Join my Official YouTube Channel to explore fully categorized playlists splitting my catalog into Social Justice & Reform and Relationships & Personal Growth.

📰 Top Links of the Week

🗓️ 23.06.2026 | Source: The Atlantic

• Article: The Democratic Base Is Angry

• The Trend: Elaine Godfrey has been listening to grassroots groups supporting Democrats in the upcoming mid-term elections. The pulse she is experiencing is impatience and anger. As Yasmin Radjy, executive director of Swing Left, notes: “Impatience is growing among volunteers and donors ‘about the cultural sclerosis’ inside Democratic organizations... ‘What are Democrats doing differently than in 2024 to make sure we win?’”

• The Blueprint: Victory is expected mainly because the alternative is worse, but that is not enough. This needs to be a generational win focusing on a long-term ground game. In a recent Radio Atlanticpodcast, Speaker Emeritus Nancy Pelosi stated that the first action of a Democratic House under Hakeem Jeffries would be to "build consensus." That is a commitment to form a plan—not an actual plan. The base demands a concrete legislative platform that prevents another groundswell authoritarian response in eight years.

🗓️ 22.06.2026 | Source: ProPublica

• Article: More Than 770,000 Children Are No Longer Receiving SNAP Benefits After Trump Changes Federal Food Program

• The Trend: They lied. Republicans claimed their "One Big Beautiful Bill" (OBBB) would "restore integrity" to the food stamp program. Instead, a ProPublica analysis reveals that the number of children receiving food assistance has plummeted by at least 776,000 across data-tracking states (representing 46% of total dropouts).

• The Systemic Cost: This is a direct attack on children and the vulnerable to fund the military, enrich the wealthy, and finance the President's revenge agenda and egomaniacal building projects—all while the Epstein files remain hidden. The Republican government has accepted its "thirty pieces of silver" to sell out our country's future. We must trounce them at the midterms and destroy the backbone of this movement.

🗓️ 19.06.2026 | Source: Washington Monthly

• Article: How to Contain the Oligarchs

• The Trend: David Lingelbach and Valentina Rodríguez Guerra present an in-depth, historical look at how to confront the takeover of the U.S. government by oligarchs. They define an oligarch as “a person in whom substantial wealth and substantial power are fused, such that wealth helps make power possible and power helps protect, extend, or reorganize the position of wealth.”

• The Resistance: Drawing lessons from Ancient Greece, the Colonial U.S., post-WWII Japan, and modern Hungary, the authors map out a localized defense. States can enforce their own antitrust laws, tax great fortunes aggressively, rewrite procurement rules to stop subsidizing oligarch-owned firms, and stop public pension funds from feeding the asset base of companies converting wealth into political power. Universities must also set harder rules for donations...

🗓️ 18.06.2026 | Source: Current Affairs

• Article: You Can’t Have Both Democracy and Billionaires

• The Trend: Nathan J. Robinson and Rob Larson dissect law professor John O. McGinnis’s book, “Why Democracy Needs the Rich.” The book reads like propaganda commissioned by the 0.1%, defending tax breaks and obscene fortune accumulation while the working class struggles to survive. McGinnis claims the rich are inherently independent and open-minded, completely ignoring the fact that about 300 billionaires made 19% of all federal political contributions in 2024—with a staggering 5/6th of those millions flowing directly to Republican candidates.

• The Systemic Cost: As the reviewers brilliantly state: “The ruling class helps democracy like smoking helps your lungs.” A fair tax structure is just the first step. We must dismantle corporate giving and dark money that weaponize politics for the ultra-wealthy. Allowing a single trillionaire to exist while millions of children starve is a failure of democracy. "We the People" must vociferously dictate the next congressional agenda.

🗓️ 17.06.2026 | Source: Raw Story

• Article: US 'in for a frightening two years' as expert flags what's making Trump 'more dangerous'

• The Trend: While attending a recent Democrats Abroad rally here in Yucatan, I overheard a fellow advocate express a desire for the president's immediate demise. While I empathize with the underlying panic, history tells us his father Fred lived to 93 despite years of Alzheimer's and dementia. Following an egomaniacal 80th birthday display that desecrated the dignity of the White House and the Lincoln Memorial, our focus must not be on his mortality, but on stripping away his power as Commander-in-Chief.

• The Systemic Cost: Alexander Willis highlights the acute danger of a president in obvious mental and physical decline. Political expert Larry Jacobs warns: “The recklessness of decisions, the failure to think in a logical evidence-based way... losing track of reality versus talking points – all these things are being accelerated by Trump’s age.” We must completely trounce this administration and its GOP enablers in the midterms. The incoming Congress must take swift action to undo the damage of this MAGA cult.

Youth Advocacy

Youth Advocacy: Year 5, Week 11

Briefing Period: 10.06.2026 - 16.06.2026

By Dr. Jerry Goebel

📣 REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS

Weekly Review: Standing at the Brink

Whether it is a presidency teetering on malignant narcissism, a rogue legislative agenda stripping healthcare from the dying, or a nation tolerating modern-day concentration camps on its soil—this week's news brings us straight to the brink...

🖼️ Visual Stories

The Power of Creative Resistance

Music bypasses traditional cognitive walls and speaks direct truth to institutional power. In this section, I translate our weekly macro-political and economic critiques into original visual stories and lyrical compositions developed via Canva and Suno.

✊ Featured Category: Music for the Movement

While we bear witness to the trauma of our current systems, we must also feed the spirit that allows us to fight back. This weekend, I launched a brand-new song category on our storefront specifically dedicated to fueling this resistance.

We are highlighting our featured single, "Resistance, Resilience," sitting right at the top of the new section. It serves as a powerful musical reminder that our survival depends on community, collective strength, and refusing to break under institutional pressure. You can explore the full collection, watch, stream, and share right now on our main page.

📺 Archive Spotlight: "The Trauma and the Terror"

If you missed last week's briefing, you can still catch our deep-dive single, "The Trauma and the Terror." This track serves as a chilling, visceral reflection on the everyday human costs of systemic state cruelty—from the modern concentration camps in Florida to the calculated stripping of healthcare from our most vulnerable citizens.

📺 Watch on YouTube: "The Trauma and the Terror" Music Video

Join my Official YouTube Channel to explore my fully categorized playlists, splitting my catalog into Social Justice & Reform and Relationships & Personal Growth.

Top Links of the Week

16.06.2026

• Source: The Atlantic
  The Kennedy Center Is a Metaphor for De-Trumpification
  [Insert Link]
  It feels like a win, but David Graham of The Atlantic reminds us that there will be few easy fixes after this administration is finally gone. Of course, he is talking about the removal of Trump’s name from all things related to the Kennedy Center. As Graham succinctly points out, “You can remove Trump’s name, but not the damage he’s done.” Here’s a broader view that Graham reminds us about: “Even a hypothetical future president who has respect for the rule of law and the separation of powers will have a difficult time fixing what is broken... More important, that president will need to fix what happens inside the White House... That damage is less visible and less easily reversed.” The journalist goes on to talk about the long-term damage done to the military by cosplay imposter, Pete Hegseth. It feels satisfying to watch Trump’s name removed, but it is a short and shallow satisfaction. There is long and tedious work ahead, and the United States will remain in a precarious position while we sort out the extent of the damage. Removing this president will be far easier than repairing the damage his administration and his supporters have done. In many ways, it has only revealed a dark and terrible hole in the soul of the United States. A fearful and widespread racism that never healed after the Civil War.

15.06.2026

• Source: Defender Network
  Slavery 2.0 could be the next U.S. status quo
  [Insert Link]
  This is a very intriguing examination of civil rights by Pastor and Adjunct Professor, Aswad Walker. He looks beyond the facade of the human warehouses being built by this administration around the globe and invites us to ask if this is the introduction to Slavery 2.0 by a multi-billionaire class in conjunction with the government they own. Of prime importance to his query is this statement: “When chattel slavery was abolished by the 13th Amendment, it deliberately left a loophole wide open: ‘except as a punishment for crime.’ The South immediately capitalized on this via the Black Codes and convict leasing, effectively re-enslaving Black people overnight by criminalizing everyday existence.” Given what we’ve seen of this administration and the billionaire class that has been at the heart of such travesties as revealed by the Epstein files, we know that this small group of extremely wealthy people see the rest of the world as their chattel... Are we ready for Slavery 2.0 or are we ready to start dismantling this rising system by taxing the rich and wealthy? The Musks, Zuckerberg, and Bezos of the world do not have our interests at heart... Walker is just asking us to peel the layers back on this evil and see where it inevitably leads. At the end of Pastor Walker’s column, he presents us with four action steps we could take to immediately fight back against this new ICE State. They are well worth examination and action.

11.06.2026

• Source: The Guardian
  US inflation jumped to 4.2% in May, the third consecutive increase since start of Iran war
  [Insert Link]
  If you had the sense that Donald T.R.U.M.P. doesn’t know what he is doing, you would be right. If you had a sense Donald doesn’t care what he was doing, you would also be right. According to this president, U.S. fuel prices “aren’t very high.” This is from a man who has probably not filled his tank with gas in decades... No one really knows what is going on with the war in Iran, certainly not the President, his staff, or the Republicans who seem all too willing to rubber-stamp anything this “Clueless Clown from Mar-a-Lago” says... If you, unlike these fat cats, actually fill your own tank and buy your own groceries, then you do care. You care where this economy is going. You care that people are being tortured in U.S.-funded concentration camps, you care that people are dying overseas in a war that has “no purpose,” under an administration that “doesn’t care.” You care…

10.06.2026

• Source: Yahoo Health
  You May Be Experiencing This 1 Type Of Trauma Because Of Trump
  [Insert Link]
  In this article by Jillian Wilson on Yahoo Health, we are invited to examine a type of trauma rapidly growing and being seen across the United States. Psychologists are calling it, “Betrayal Trauma.” In her article, Wilson quotes Sandra Maurer, a licensed professional clinical counselor in Minnesota, who says, "Betrayal trauma is a term that psychologists came up with for a particular kind of trauma when you have a reasonable expectation that you can trust someone, so a partner or a doctor or a person in a position of authority." Some also refer to this as “Institutional Betrayal” which results in a sense of feeling both betrayed and unsafe because of “chaos and unaccountability.” The reporter describes how this growing wave of trauma not only affects those who did not vote for this administration, but also a growing number of people who did vote for T.R.U.M.P. and now feel betrayed as he reveals the unimpeded depth of his malignant narcissism. Fortunately, Wilson goes on to discuss potential paths to healing for the many who are feeling betrayed. The development of a supportive community is always a top option for supporting mental health. And, of course, seeking counsel is always an intelligent choice... One of the fundamental pieces of advice that Psychologist Maurer suggests is, "I would say it is important to not gaslight yourself, so connecting with other people, and also reminding yourself, validating for yourself that it makes sense to feel this distressed." For those unfamiliar with the term, gaslighting is a form of psychological abuse where a person manipulates someone into questioning their own sanity, memory, or perception of reality. In reference to this article, gaslighting yourself would imply doubting that you are experiencing verifiable trauma because of the betrayal of this administration. Betrayal is real and this administration is betraying their oath of office and commitment to democracy.

Youth Advocacy

Youth Advocacy

Welcome to Year 5, Week 10

09.06.2026 - 03.06.2026

📣 REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS

Weekly Review: Standing at the Brink

Dr. Jerry Goebel

Whether it is a presidency teetering on malignant narcissism, a rogue legislative agenda stripping healthcare from the dying, or a nation tolerating modern-day concentration camps on its soil—this week's news brings us straight to the brink. Drawing from 40 years on the frontlines of youth development and systemic justice reform, this briefing serves as an uncompromised audit of our current socio-political crisis. Inside, we confront Project 2025’s quiet war on Medicaid, the astronomical financial and moral graft of Florida's immigration camps, and the authoritarian effort to dismantle presidential accountability. We cannot afford the luxury of disengagement or neutrality. Read the reports, listen to the music of creative resistance below, and let’s dig deep to demand a just, accountable future. communitiesoftrust-jerrygoebel.com

🖼️ Visual Stories

The Power of Creative Resistance: Music bypasses traditional cognitive walls and speaks direct truth to institutional power. In this section, I translate our weekly macro-political and economic critiques into original visual stories and lyrical compositions developed via Canva and Suno.

✊ Featured Single: "The Trauma and the Terror"

This track serves as a chilling, visceral reflection on the everyday human costs of systemic state cruelty—from the modern concentration camps in Florida to the calculated stripping of healthcare from our most vulnerable citizens. It is a sonic witness to the emotional and physical warfare being waged on our democracy. Listen, reflect, and share it with someone who refuses to remain silent. https://youtu.be/H9wR4GoT2QA?si=tIzRBc5OQAvpe2Ws

📺 Subscribe on YouTube

Join my Official YouTube Channel to explore my fully categorized playlists, splitting my catalog into Social Justice & Reform and Relationships & Personal Growth.

🔗 Top Links of the Week

📅 09.06.2026 | The Alligator Alcatraz Boondoggle

• Source: The Atlantic

If one wanted to examine the extent of the cruelty of the current white Christian nationalist administration and its lackeys, this report by Eric Schlosser of The Atlantic would be a good starting point. Schlosser examines the inhumane treatment taking place in one of this regime’s prison camps. OK, let’s just be honest and call it a Concentration Camp for people who are not white. The cruelties are too large to list, but covered deftly in this article. The cost is astronomical.

Here is one comparison by the journalist: “It would have been less expensive to buy each of the men detained at Alligator Alcatraz his own one-bedroom condo in Orlando and pay for a personal, full-time guard to keep an eye on him.” The accountability is completely absent from a human rights, financial, and environmental viewpoint. In short, Alligator Alley is a prime example of the way anything Donald Trump touches turns into a model of graft and bankruptcy. Apparently, a substantial percentage of U.S. citizens want concentration camps because they voted for these monsters—or stayed home and allowed these racists free rein over their government.

But we can still say, “NO!” We can still demand that the U.S. examine its moral and political groundings. Although deep damage has already been done to our international reputation—and certainly to the human beings whose rights this administration has trampled—that doesn’t mean we continue to shut our eyes and bury our heads while this inhuman travesty continues. As said by Bishop Desmond Tutu, “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor."

📅 08.06.2026 | People with cancer or HIV could lose Medicaid

• Source: NPR News

While the president pouts about losing congressional funding for his ballroom, builds a UFC arena in front of the White House, and continues funding a war in Iran and blockading Cuba. While Congress cuts taxes for the indecently wealthy and lines their own pockets on stock trades announced by this administration, the middle-income and poorer people of the United States are informed that they must continue working following a cancer diagnosis (or in the early stages of HIV) or risk losing their Medicaid coverage.

Changes made by the One Big Beautiful Bill designed by Project 2025 and passed by a Republican Congress will deepen the mudsill intentions of this bought-and-paid-for white, Christian, conservative Congress. They seem intent on getting away with as much as they possibly can and then entrenching themselves with gerrymandering so they will not experience the consequences of turning against their own constituents. Vote them out! Tax the rich and wealthy. Create a just system that protects the vulnerable instead of the elite.

📅 05.06.2026 | Donald Trump’s Superficiality Is Bone-Deep

• Source: The Atlantic

In examining this presidency, Jonathon Chait of The Atlantic tells us the primary word we should keep in mind is “Superficiality.” He describes his cabinet members, not based upon their character or ability, but upon their appeal to “Central Casting,” or how they would look on stage. Chait uses Pete Hegseth and RFK, Jr. as cases in point. Both often appear in their own taxpayer-funded semi-clad workout videos showing off their pectorals while their departments visibly deteriorate.

Chait also points to this president’s constant need for optics that resonate with his questionable taste. It appears much more important to him that he have a ballroom than the war in Iran ends. Superficiality is not uncommon among the malignant narcissist—and the White House has frequently been home to self-centered megalomaniacs. But, as Chait identifies, superficiality is a defining thread of this president’s raison d’être. His “reason for being.” Indeed, this reporter tells us, “Future historians looking for a set piece to embody the Trump era might linger on the forthcoming UFC cage fight at the White House.” This president is still living out his “glory days,” from “The Apprentice,” but the whole world is his audience. When we ask, “What will Donny do next?” The answer will inevitably be, “What looks good on the surface?”

📅 04.06.2026 | Another Chance for Trump to Cash Out

• Source: The Atlantic

The Atlantic’s David Frum identifies an urgent issue that may lie beneath the radar of all but the most astute government observers. This administration is making every effort to disregard the Presidential Records Act, which was so fundamental in the resignation of Richard Nixon. As Frum illustrates, “A new Congress will ask questions about President Trump’s actions. The Trump administration will refuse to answer. The administration will argue that the Constitution grants Congress little power to order the executive to do much of anything. The executive, this administration insists, can do whatever isn’t explicitly forbidden; Congress can do only what is explicitly permitted.”

This administration is no doubt emboldened by a Supreme Court that seems intent on deferring to the president’s whims and wishes. That is, if it is a white, conservative, racist president that will hold authoritarian power without checks and balances. This should be alarming to every democratic voter, and Frum has done an outstanding job focusing our attention on this dilemma. This president (and his cultic supporters) know they have disregarded the law, undermined the Constitution, and stolen from the people of the United States. Now, it is doing all it can to make sure they cannot be held accountable for their high crimes and misdemeanors. They want to be impeachment-proof, they want to be trial-proof, they want to be consequence-proof.

📅 03.06.2026 | How Megalomaniac Leaders Establish Their Grip on a Group — and How They Lose It

• Source: The Conversation

This article by Jean Poitras of “The Conversation” is as timely as it is informative. We are watching the real-time implosion of Donald Trump as the Republican faithful slowly begin to realize the cost they are about to pay for their cultic worship of this megalomaniac monster. He won’t be awarded his lawsuit against himself, his $1.776 billion revenge fund, his billion-dollar ballroom funding, his name and likeness must be taken down from the Kennedy Center, entertainers are not flocking to his birthday party, and the Iran War is not going as he planned.

This article describes both how megalomaniacs come to power as well as how they lose power. Donald is faltering, but he is not done. It is no time to lighten the pressure against him. As recent Republican primaries show, there are still many brainwashed worshippers willing to hide from the truth and do his bidding. As also evident from the ruling by the Roberts Court, there are still plenty of White Conservative Racists left in the halls of power, and with gerrymandering, apt to be more.

We have no opportunity to rest yet; if anything, we must intensify our pressure for complete change. This administration—and its supporters—must be left with no doubt that this is not the United States that we will accept. That this has been a shameful anomaly in history and that we won’t forget and repeat it.

Youth Advocacy

Youth Advocacy

Welcome to Year 5, Week 09. This weekly report is built on a simple premise: we cannot afford the luxury of disengagement while our democracy teetered on the brink. To ensure our community of resistance stays connected across all digital spaces, you can now join my daily advocacy conversations and political updates on social media.

🦋 Connect on Bluesky: Follow my micro-essays, breaking news threads, and real-time commentary Direct Link on Word or Phrase

📘 Connect on Facebook: Join our community page for deep-dive discussions, essays, and updates Direct Link on Word or Phrase

27.05.2026-02.06.2026

REVIEW and ANNOUNCEMENTS

Weekly Review: Standing at the Brink

Dr. Jerry Goebel

Whether it is a presidency teetering on insanity, an economy facing bankruptcy, or a nation dealing with systemic democratic erosion—this week's news brings us straight to the brink. Drawing from 40 years on the frontlines of youth development and alternative justice systems, this week's briefing serves as an uncompromised audit of our modern socio-political landscape. Inside, we confront the deliberate degradation of the Free Press, the corporate billionaire push for a predatory "mudsill economy," and the structural corruption of our military infrastructure. We cannot afford the luxury of disengagement. Read the reports, listen to the music of resistance below, and let’s dig deep to organize for a accountable future.

Visual Stories!

YouTube, Jerry Goebel

The Power of Creative Resistance: Music bypasses traditional cognitive walls and speaks direct truth to institutional power. In this section, I translate our weekly macro-political and economic critiques into original visual stories and lyrical compositions developed via Canva and Suno.

✊ Featured Single: "Tax the Rich and The Wealthy"

This track is a direct, uncompromising musical anthem demanding a structural rebalance of power against the corporate elite building a "mudsill economy." Listen, reflect, and share it with someone who refuses to look away. https://youtu.be/mV-Pnu7hfL0?si=3fb9JEMkVN7C8UCD

📺 Subscribe on YouTube: Join my channel to explore my fully categorized playlists, splitting my catalog into Social Justice & Reform and Relationships & Personal Growth Direct Link on Word or Phrase

Top Links of the Week

02.06.2026

Use It or Lose It

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/07/free-press-first-amendment-rights/687317/?utm_medium=offsite&utm_source=flipboard&utm_campaign=all

Adrienne LaFrance, of The Atlantic, gives us an important cautionary warning about our diminishing rights under this administration. Specifically, the right of Free Speech. Those kind few who have read my meanderings over time, might recall that I believe in two sides to any right; there is the right itself, but the flip side is the responsibility. LaFrance points to this when she says, “One requirement of self-governance is the relentless pursuit of truth, which necessarily involves questioning people in positions of power in order to prevent tyranny.” She points out this administration’s tendencies to evict or degrade those reporters that ask the “hard questions.” Turning press pools into herds of sycophants. LaFrance calls out responses from this president to those who have challenged him, she illustrates, “When one woman asked him when the Iran war would end, he called her a ‘disgrace.’ When another woman asked him why he’s focused on beautifying the Reflecting Pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial during wartime, especially as gas prices soar, he snapped that it was a ‘stupid question.’ When a woman asked the president about his administration’s handling of Afghan refugees, he interrupted her, saying, ‘Are you stupid? Are you a stupid person?’ To yet another woman, who’d asked him about Jeffrey Epstein, the president responded, ‘Quiet! Quiet, piggy.’ He has told other Americans that they are ‘horrible,’ ‘obnoxious,’ ‘terrible,’ ‘stupid and nasty,’ simply for asking him serious questions on behalf of the public.” In essence, LaFrance reminds us, “No truth, no freedom.” She also reminds us how important it is for citizens to bear the “responsibilities” of “rights.” Will we pursue truth? Will we listen to it? Will we stand up and even face intimidation for it? These are question each of us must ask to pass on the right of free speech to a new generation.

01.06.2026

How Elon Musk Killed Hundreds of Thousands of People

https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/how-elon-musk-killed-hundreds-of-thousands-of-people?utm_source=flipboard&utm_content=user%2Fcuraffairs

It was difficult this morning to decide which article was more disgusting; reviewing the work of Elon Musk while he officially worked for Donald T.R.U.M.P. in the White House, or the treatment of prisoners being held in I.C.E. Facilities sponsored by the United States. I’m going with Elon Musk, but they both point to the type of economy the Republicans want to create using the tax dollars of middle and low-income U.S. taxpayers. They want a “mudsill economy,” one in which the “authorized poor” support the billionaire class. If you are not part of the economy that supports them, the rich and wealthy don’t want to support you; they want you to die—and have no problem if you die a torturous death from treatable disease, starvation, or tortured and beaten in a detention center. Apparently, this is the type of United States that a significant portion of the United States wanted because they voted for it… TWICE! The cruelty was evident in the release of Project 2025’s workbook; “Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise.” Those who didn’t read the mandate or read it and voted for this Conservative Party anyway deserve the blame for these deaths and this treatment. This is your U.S.! This is your responsibility! The only way to change this is to shake off any sense of disengagement you might be selfishly feeling and to call attention to this cruelty so as to promote an overwhelming response at the mid-term elections. There is much you can do before that: keep aware of the news (though I know how depressing and disabling—even traumatic—it can be to continue reading about these acts of inhumanity). Share what you learn with others. Write about it, sing about it, talk about it. Support local endeavors to call attention to it. Be resilient, be resistant! The dark vision of the future the people have for your children and you is worse than even the most dystopian writers could have imagined—and this isn’t fiction. This is happening right now, this is happening right away, this is happening all around the world and all across the United States. Raise your voice. Speak your mind. Tell this story!

29.05.2026

Has Trump Corrupted the Military? (Part II)

https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/2026/05/has-trump-corrupted-the-military/687329/

I didn’t have the room yesterday in my blog to cover the interview section of David Frum’s podcast, so I thought I would add that today. Frum interviews Jason Crow, who represents the Sixth District of Colorado in the United States House of Representatives. As Frum points out, “Crow was first elected in 2018. He serves on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Armed Services Committee. Also, “Crow is a veteran of both Iraq and Afghanistan. He fought with the 82nd Airborne Division and the 75th Ranger Regiment. He completed three tours of duty and rose to the rank of captain. He was awarded the Bronze Star.” Crow is often seen these days sparring with Pete Hegseth, the madman/sycophant that T.R.U.M.P. appointed to oversee the Department of Defense. This interview analyzes how deeply political and morally corrupt military leadership has become under Hegseth. Indeed, Crow says Hegseth is “M.I.A.” But one might think that it would actually be better if Hegseth were “missing.” Less damage would be done in his absence than in his presence. Like the presidency, this cabinet appointment no longer cares about defending the United States; it only cares about defending Donald J. T.R.U.M.P..

28.05.2026

Has Trump Corrupted the Military?

https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/2026/05/has-trump-corrupted-the-military/687329/

David Frum does it again. His commentaries are always a wealth of insight, leaving me often nodding my head in agreement and sometimes stopping his podcast midstream to consider what he articulated. But he always gives me plenty to talk about with those in my circle. This week, Frum looks at this administration’s murmurings of a peace plan in the Iranian War-of-Choice. He points out this is entirely Trump’s war. He decided he wanted to go it alone because he didn’t want to explain it, he didn’t want to be questioned about it, and he certainly didn’t want anyone to block it. Now, he owns it—entirely, and he’s losing it—miserably. But, as Frum leads us to analyze, he is responsible for the job. Not just the mess he started in Iran, but the mess he’s made of the United States (indeed, the world). T.R.U.M.P. was never presidential material. He never sought to serve the hopes of the citizens, only the support of his radical cultic followers. Now, in his second term, he cares even less about being a “President for the Country,” and even—apparently—a President of his party. Frum points out how the President—in responding to a recent CNN report—remarked (when questioned about his failing poll numbers) that he has, “100% support of the Republicans. Whoever told him that news (probably in one of his “Cabinet Adoration Gatherings”), was lying to him and the President—not amenable to checking his own sources once he has formed an opinion—latched on to it. No one in this President’s inner circle will tell him the truth, or perhaps they are all duped too. This administration is under attack on the left and the right. His grift and war have left him isolated, a laughing stock internationally and an embarrassment nationally. Thank you, David Frum, for your insights again and for “telling truth to power.”

27.05.2026

36 Republicans vote against law banning child marriages. Some cited the Bible as justification.https://apple.news/ACcvvlga8SROHq4thDAHsHQ

Oklahoma is a bellwether state for radical white conservative ideology. From her loins sprang the mandate forcing schools to post the Ten Commandments in all classrooms. Now, its legislature is legalizing child marriage on Biblical and Constitutional grounds. According to journalist Daniel Villarreal of LGBTQ Nation, one of the rhetorical questions asked, in a recent legislative session where child marriage was sanctioned, was by Rep. Jim Olsen (R), “How old was Mary when she married Joseph?” Also, reported by Villarreal, was this doozy of a quote, by state Rep. Justin Humphrey (R) who asked, ‘This bill has nothing to do with pedophilia. Do you know what socialism looks like? It’s when the government comes in and tells you what you’re going to do.’” Clearly, underage sex is rape—even if President T.R.U.M.P. wants us to believe it is not. What Oklahoma legislators want us to embrace is aligned with the beliefs of the world’s greatest pedophiles, like Epstein, Maxwell, and the current president. If these Republicans have their way, the U.S. will become another country where sexual slavery is not only legal, but legally ratified.