Just before 9:00 p.m. last night, Donald J. Trump stood beside a member of his carefully curated cabinet and delivered a blow so shocking that the person standing beside him was pleading for more time, begging to keep their job. And in that moment, Trump knew that there was no turning back, that the momentum of his downfall was no longer something he could control or contain. And then, as if that awkward moment had never happened, he walked into the Cross Hall of the White House and addressed the nation. The man who appeared before us last night...
Wow, Heather! The enormous complexity you have addressed here is stunning. No one else, in no other medium, could take this on. And so admirably! Plenty of food for thought here, so we gratefully need you to keep it up.
Every day another articulate, well reasoned, complex, intelligent piece perfectly describing why this administration is by far the worst presidency of my lifetime (and I’ve seen a bunch of ‘em)! Your voice is needed like never before. As George McCully says, we gratefully need you to keep it up!
Ditto! I always look forward to reading your commentaries for that very reason - you put in words exactly what I feel but can’t verbally express and your pictures and comments are spot on with my feelings about nature, hope and wonder.
I wonder IF (or when) one of those sacked greedy sycophants will play Brutus role “tu quoqe mi fili” ? And stab this senile corrupt preznik in the back. Testify! This should come soon. As it is often the case in every good dictators’ play there must be a traitor lurking in the dark. Yessss! Thank you
Thank you once again Heather. Once I learned of Bondi’s dismissal I knew the noose is tightening around the corrupt cabal you have in government across the pond.
Hegseth needs reining in, certainly. I saw on our BBC News this morning he has requested the resignation of a senior general, another sign the pack of cards is collapsing. I would hope the general stood up to the deranged, evangelistic Hegseth and told him where to go.
Just why does Hegseth wear that silly ‘flag handkerchief’ in his breast pocket? Is it to give him what looks like some kind of military decoration to add credence to his total lack of military knowledge.
A government out of control and with the option of having JD Vance as president. The choice between plague and cholera. It is difficult to look into an abyss and still have hope.
Now there is nothing to stop Pam Bondi to give true answers on 14 April. And maybe a bit of spite? I hope she is careful crossing the street before then! 😏
As they say, keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Remember Michael Cohen? We learned a lot from him about trumps inner workings. And I think we will learn a great deal from Bondi as well. She has no reason to plead the 5th anymore - she’ll be disbarred in fla now that she’s out of government. She has quite a few perjury charges stacked up. I see her making a deal, in the end. Let me get my popcorn…
Thank you for brilliant synopsis and where this political watershed leaves the people of America and the world quite frankly.
A lot to unpack and with Tdump, as always, the unhinged, desperate, self serving persona draped in lies.
The disposable women mantra is, as you say, somewhat inevitable. How they respond to being thrown on the political compost heap will be interesting to say the least. Bondi’s subpoena is not going away. I wonder how the MAGA female faithful see this? Probably still blinded by the cult’s unwavering, trance-like zombi chants. Women more widely though, who make up over 50% of the population and are more likely to vote Democratic, whose right to vote is currently under threat, whose emotional outrage at the pedophile protection coverup is enraging, whose sons and husbands are put in imminent danger in the Middle East, whose intellectual and instinctive determination is one of the biggest threats to an Authoritarian regime. Well…these firings are lighting another fuse.
Heather, your daily posts should be required reading in classrooms across the country! I know I look forward to reading them each and every day, without delay. Keep using your journalistic integrity and freedom to push back on Donald Trump’s assault on our democracy. Thank you!
Respectfully, you give too much credit to trump when I believe Stephen Miller is the driving force with trump being the convenient puppet, especially given his clear mental decline. I know why we’re talking about the president, but it’s Miller that deserves scrutiny.
Making your personal lawyer the AG. Making ICE and, increasingly, the military your own personal army. Treating the US economy as your own personal bank account…
Another factor? The prior Jack Smith indictment of Trump for obstruction involving his theft of presidential records in violation of the Presidential Records Act 1978. Background: “The law established that presidential records belong to the U.S. government, not the president personally, and must be preserved. When a president leaves office, the Presidential Records Act requires material to be turned over to the National Archives, which maintains the documents.”
Trump refused to turn over documents, some top secret, and stored in various and notable insecure locations. This provided justification, over months of obstruction and attempts to recover the documents, for an executed search warrant of Mar a Lago.
Jack Smith’s case was strong. The first report of the case was damning enough, the second part was ordered “sealed “by Trump judge Aileen Cannon in February. Last month, a DOJ release of a 2023 memorandum exposed the following evidence: “that Donald Trump held top-secret documents and may have had a business motive” …”one document so sensitive, only six people in the U.S. government had access to them”, and “reports indicated Susie Wiles witnessed Trump showing off a classified map to passengers on his private plane.”
This week? "Justice Department says law requiring president to turn over records at end of administration is unconstitutional".
Oh to be a fly on the West Wing wall….they are all scrambling as his mental capabilities decline by the hour. They know they’re going to have to do something but who’s going to be the one to do it.. Susie Wiles ..the gatekeeper ..is weakened due to health..Miller is too reprehensible even for them to listen to..they’re spinning their wheels while the country is in turmoil ..this is what happens when the inmates run the asylum and the country is under the control of a confederacy of dunces. Is there at least ONE semi- intelligent voice to step up and be heard? We need a miracle.
I am so glad Heather addressed Tramp's hatred and toxic relationship with all women. It has been glaring but unaddressed for years:
"in his world, women are especially disposable, interchangeable pieces who are always the first to be blamed, the first to be sacrificed, and the easiest to replace."
I'm not going to spend my time trying to fully analyze why Tramp hates women so much, but he obviously does and has for years.
How the Hell could any woman vote for this man? Do you think you are the one female he might hold in high regard???????
Not that he has much respect for most men, either. But as HDR pointed out, he dumps the women first.
Incredible piece today, thanks Heather. This is the first time I've thought of Pence in a long time. He seems kind of quaint now, comparatively. Thank you for the picture of the beautiful bird.
Wow, Heather! The enormous complexity you have addressed here is stunning. No one else, in no other medium, could take this on. And so admirably! Plenty of food for thought here, so we gratefully need you to keep it up.
Every day another articulate, well reasoned, complex, intelligent piece perfectly describing why this administration is by far the worst presidency of my lifetime (and I’ve seen a bunch of ‘em)! Your voice is needed like never before. As George McCully says, we gratefully need you to keep it up!
Ditto! I always look forward to reading your commentaries for that very reason - you put in words exactly what I feel but can’t verbally express and your pictures and comments are spot on with my feelings about nature, hope and wonder.
Exactly! Bravo and thank you!
I wonder IF (or when) one of those sacked greedy sycophants will play Brutus role “tu quoqe mi fili” ? And stab this senile corrupt preznik in the back. Testify! This should come soon. As it is often the case in every good dictators’ play there must be a traitor lurking in the dark. Yessss! Thank you
Thank you once again Heather. Once I learned of Bondi’s dismissal I knew the noose is tightening around the corrupt cabal you have in government across the pond.
Hegseth needs reining in, certainly. I saw on our BBC News this morning he has requested the resignation of a senior general, another sign the pack of cards is collapsing. I would hope the general stood up to the deranged, evangelistic Hegseth and told him where to go.
Just why does Hegseth wear that silly ‘flag handkerchief’ in his breast pocket? Is it to give him what looks like some kind of military decoration to add credence to his total lack of military knowledge.
Please America, sort this mess out soon.
Oh Cath, I’ve been saying that about the little flag medal hanky as well!
A government out of control and with the option of having JD Vance as president. The choice between plague and cholera. It is difficult to look into an abyss and still have hope.
Nevertheless, we do.
Now there is nothing to stop Pam Bondi to give true answers on 14 April. And maybe a bit of spite? I hope she is careful crossing the street before then! 😏
She mostly likely won't, still hoping and depend on a pardon from tRump. 😢
I'd happy if I'm wrong. 🤞
Hard to tell what she’ll do. Either way - whether she lies or tells the truth - there are consequences.
As they say, keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Remember Michael Cohen? We learned a lot from him about trumps inner workings. And I think we will learn a great deal from Bondi as well. She has no reason to plead the 5th anymore - she’ll be disbarred in fla now that she’s out of government. She has quite a few perjury charges stacked up. I see her making a deal, in the end. Let me get my popcorn…
Thank you 💕💕🌼🌸🦋
It is hopeful even during this chaos.
Admin is doing away with the U.S. Forest SERVICE. Breaks my heart, and hope it can be reversed ASAP.
Not sure people even know. Worst part is destroying the forests. Admin turned them over to people who want the "resources."
Want it all to STOP.
Thank you for the work you are doing and the picture.💕🗽🇺🇲🇺🇦
Destruction of the Forest Service is the worst. With a stroke of his pen. We grieve and mourn for the national tragedy.
Hi Heather,
Thank you for brilliant synopsis and where this political watershed leaves the people of America and the world quite frankly.
A lot to unpack and with Tdump, as always, the unhinged, desperate, self serving persona draped in lies.
The disposable women mantra is, as you say, somewhat inevitable. How they respond to being thrown on the political compost heap will be interesting to say the least. Bondi’s subpoena is not going away. I wonder how the MAGA female faithful see this? Probably still blinded by the cult’s unwavering, trance-like zombi chants. Women more widely though, who make up over 50% of the population and are more likely to vote Democratic, whose right to vote is currently under threat, whose emotional outrage at the pedophile protection coverup is enraging, whose sons and husbands are put in imminent danger in the Middle East, whose intellectual and instinctive determination is one of the biggest threats to an Authoritarian regime. Well…these firings are lighting another fuse.
Heather, your daily posts should be required reading in classrooms across the country! I know I look forward to reading them each and every day, without delay. Keep using your journalistic integrity and freedom to push back on Donald Trump’s assault on our democracy. Thank you!
Respectfully, you give too much credit to trump when I believe Stephen Miller is the driving force with trump being the convenient puppet, especially given his clear mental decline. I know why we’re talking about the president, but it’s Miller that deserves scrutiny.
Making your personal lawyer the AG. Making ICE and, increasingly, the military your own personal army. Treating the US economy as your own personal bank account…
Another factor? The prior Jack Smith indictment of Trump for obstruction involving his theft of presidential records in violation of the Presidential Records Act 1978. Background: “The law established that presidential records belong to the U.S. government, not the president personally, and must be preserved. When a president leaves office, the Presidential Records Act requires material to be turned over to the National Archives, which maintains the documents.”
Trump refused to turn over documents, some top secret, and stored in various and notable insecure locations. This provided justification, over months of obstruction and attempts to recover the documents, for an executed search warrant of Mar a Lago.
Jack Smith’s case was strong. The first report of the case was damning enough, the second part was ordered “sealed “by Trump judge Aileen Cannon in February. Last month, a DOJ release of a 2023 memorandum exposed the following evidence: “that Donald Trump held top-secret documents and may have had a business motive” …”one document so sensitive, only six people in the U.S. government had access to them”, and “reports indicated Susie Wiles witnessed Trump showing off a classified map to passengers on his private plane.”
This week? "Justice Department says law requiring president to turn over records at end of administration is unconstitutional".
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/justice-department-presidential-records-act-unconstitutional/
What is in that second report that needs to be covered up by the “most transparent administration in history”?
Oh to be a fly on the West Wing wall….they are all scrambling as his mental capabilities decline by the hour. They know they’re going to have to do something but who’s going to be the one to do it.. Susie Wiles ..the gatekeeper ..is weakened due to health..Miller is too reprehensible even for them to listen to..they’re spinning their wheels while the country is in turmoil ..this is what happens when the inmates run the asylum and the country is under the control of a confederacy of dunces. Is there at least ONE semi- intelligent voice to step up and be heard? We need a miracle.
I am so glad Heather addressed Tramp's hatred and toxic relationship with all women. It has been glaring but unaddressed for years:
"in his world, women are especially disposable, interchangeable pieces who are always the first to be blamed, the first to be sacrificed, and the easiest to replace."
I'm not going to spend my time trying to fully analyze why Tramp hates women so much, but he obviously does and has for years.
How the Hell could any woman vote for this man? Do you think you are the one female he might hold in high regard???????
Not that he has much respect for most men, either. But as HDR pointed out, he dumps the women first.
J.D. Vance will be shown the door, along with the rest of this disgusting “cabinet” when trump is removed next year.
We will still, presumably, have a multi party system but it's going to be tough for a “Republican” to be elected to the US Congress for a while.
I wonder what moderate “conservative” folks will call their new party? Certainly the Grand Old Party needs a bit of work.
Incredible piece today, thanks Heather. This is the first time I've thought of Pence in a long time. He seems kind of quaint now, comparatively. Thank you for the picture of the beautiful bird.