Just before the President of the United States was scheduled to attend a 4 p.m. policy meeting this afternoon, he posted on his official Truth Social account something that, not long ago, all of us, Republicans and Democrats alike, would have agreed no American president should post, let alone think.
In it, he compared military deaths across America's wars, ending with, "Iran Military Conflict: 4 months, 18 DEAD." He presented it as evidence of his success, and a win for the American people because the number was lower than in previous wars. Hours later, at 9:28 p.m., he doubled down, posting a new graph comparing those same wars, again highlighting the lower death toll and declaring, "These are the real facts.” before demanding “REPORT THEM!"
Today the Secretary of Defense (War) Pete Hegseth, General Dan Caine (Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff) and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins went to Capital Hill asking Congress, the Appropriations Committee, for a $67 billion to $88 billion emergency supplemental funding injection to address “shortfalls” from the ongoing war in Iran, (that nobody wants) alongside a historic $1.5 trillion defense budget for the 2027 fiscal year.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins did not mention the service members who died in Iran during her testimony at today’s Senate Appropriations Committee hearing. Her participation was focused strictly on an entirely different aspect of the administration's multi-part budget package. Rollins focused her remarks and answers on agricultural relief and domestic farmer support.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine explicitly honored and named several of the U.S. service members who recently died in his opening remarks during the Senate Appropriations Committee hearing. Gen. Caine stated, "Today, we remember 1st Lt. Tyler Feehan, Sgt. Michael Swinton, and Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, and note that the names of our last fallen will be released when we can". He did not mention Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad by name and took it for “our last fallen”.
Secretary of Defense (War) Pete Hegseth did not mention any of the casualties or any names of the recently fallen service members in his opening remarks. Hegseth omitted them entirely from his initial presentation. Not one service members name. However, he did speak generally about the service members' sacrifices later in the hearing during a combative exchange with lawmakers.
Senator Gary Peters pressed Hegseth on the strategic direction of the conflict, noting that American service personnel are "still dying". In response Hegseth defended the administration's policy by asserting that calling the war a failure just "smears the sacrifice of our warfighters our warriors..to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.”
Senator Gary Peters did not say any military personnel were failures. The Senator said Hegseth was the failure to place the military members lives in danger due “his incompetence”.
The publication Stars and Stripes confirmed that Hegseth never mentioned the names of the individual service members killed over the weekend during the entire 3-hour and 45-minute session.
There is no doubt that this war is an absolute clusterf*€k.. There was never a plan. That both Hegseth and that Felon have not a clue as to what the Hell they are doing. They both fit “Prior proper planning prevents piss-poor performance” — is a saying that originated as a British Army slang adage in the mid-20th century and quickly spread to the United States military, aviation, and even in professional management circles. The Felon and Hegseth are both the “piss-poor performance”.
They clearly do not give a shit about any member of the military. When Hegseth keeps calling them all “warfighters” or “warriors in the profession of arms" it’s grotesque. It’s labeling all our people in the military as if they are a NPC (Non-Player Character) in a video game.
Have two grandchildren in the service and spoke recently to them both at the same time on FaceTime. This was before the escalation of the bombings starting up again. One is in the Navy, the other in the Air Force. They are both in their 20’s. Can see the worry lines creeping upon their faces, the fatigue and weariness in their voices. Like most grandchildren though, they talk about the good and great things that are happening in their lives that they want to share. One day they will be home along with all their fellow compadres.
My grandchildren like so many other families who have loved ones serving in the military are NOT a Non-Player Character in a video game….
Have said it before — Democracy is not a spectator event, never has been…. Voting has Consequences..
It is important to NOT be distracted by all the chaos and propaganda.
“WE the PEOPLE “ NEED to keep doing whatever we can to ensure we make it to elections and that the elections are safe and fair.
We have to have our Representatives fight against the RepubliKKKans and BemneDickt Fetterman’s Nazi, fascist agenda, Project 2025.
We are still seeing small wins through the courts to help secure this, but there are NO guarantees. Just as Heather mentioned about creating and declaring a state of emergency to control the government, we cannot allow this to happen. They CANNOT be “allowed” to control our government and elections.
Jan.6-2.0 is a high possibility with his armed ICE Gestapo/J6’ers.
They have ZERO intentions of leaving OUR White House.
Thinking of all our military families for a safe return from this illegal war…and TJ, your courageous family.❤️🩹
they have alot of nerve asking congress for more money when they refuse to call it a war. I am so sick of the cruelty and corruption of this fking regime.
It absolutely blows my mind that I wake up every fucking day to read/hear about what this administration has done now. I'm beyond despising Dump. He's not the only person culpable. Kegsbreath, SS Miller, the not so Supreme Court. What the actual fuck happened? How did we get here?? And more importantly, how do we get out? This isn't MY America. We must get rid of this plague - one way or another.
Just to help you avoid criticism …quickly double check your commentary on the bar graph. If I’m not mistaken … the red/blue bars represent deaths/length of war not Other Presidents/trump. Thank you for your hard work. 👏🏼
Yes but not as described I don’t think. Look at the labels. Indeed the two sides of the graphic compares trump to other presidents but the bars themselves are meant to compare deaths during and length of each war. Yes?
Heather, I saw on the news today that a Florida court has ordered the Trump Organisation to hand over their financial records to the BBC in connection to Trump's defamation 10 million law suit regarding the Panarama programme. I can't see why Trump is pursuing this law suit as Panarama isn't shown on US tv, unless it was streamed or on PBS. I didn't actually see the programme but I gather the BBC only edited a no doubt rambling speech to fit into a 50 minute programme. Trump can't deny that he said the offensive words. The question is, why is he pursuing the case in Florida when the programme was broadcast on the BBC? My guess is he will withdraw the suit as he doesn't have a cat in hell's chance of winning.
Although Trump claims 'harm' in this case. He's required to file it in the state of his official residence, Florida. His lawyer is trying to state the terms of harm in a different way to avoid the disclosures. He can try to claim harm from the fact that t the BBC has a presence on the Internet and programming in the United States. They're on the PBS network here in Maryland as well as others. Besides filing in court keeps his name in front of the media which he tries to do to make people think he's important. Part of his narcissistic personality.
BTW you could have read about this for Free on The Guardian News site. Should he lose in the suit, British laws require him to pay all the legal costs of the BBC to defend itself!
Thanks Carol, I didn't know that. I know what you mean about his desire to keep his ame in front of the media, just like his behaviour at the World Cup presentation!
DANG, Heather, you've outdone yourself. If I were wealthy I'd publish this in full page ads in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg News and wherever else I could think of (after asking your permission, of course). If everyone in America could only understand what is happening before our very eyes, in plain sight, in front of God and everybody, the way you do, all our political problems would disappear. Like you, I do seem to sense the beginnngs of a blue political groundswell. I just hope its enough.
Every day there is more corruption..more schemes..more lies..more destruction..more disgraceful behavior..more grift..more graft from all arenas in this disgusting administration helmed by the most dangerous President this country has ever known.
But every day honest citizens who see this for what it is continue to do whatever is in their power to do to fight him and them at every turn.
That’s what we will continue to do until we beat them in November with a groundswell no election has ever seen and then we start the process of sweeping them out the door.
We’re getting closer ..keep working….we HAVE to if we’re going to save our Republic.
Heather ..keep spreading the truth and we will do our part in passing it on and helping however we can..we’re going to get through this no matter what.
I have to admit that today's edition made me weep. I am not American but I am a human being and appalled at lack of Humanity from the President of the United States.
Every day there are more horrors coming to light.; more coercion and more corruption coming from him and his cronies. Obviously, he is staring into the abyss and like a rabid dog, is fighting for his life.
I cannot vote but I'm very happy to be able to subscribe. Thanks to you and to all the other amazing writers for your incredible efforts!
What has really interested me is that most if not all our news media keep reporting war deaths regularly. I wondered why, since there haven't been many. But I am gratified that this reporting continues, for it indicates that this illegal and unnecessary war has tragic costs. The President's inability to understand this is one more indicator of his inhumanity.
Only retirees that no longer have to educate children are leaving blue states for lower taxes & milder winters. Perhaps they are tired of the Federal government taking THEIR tax $$$ & using them to fund red states’ budgets. Without blue states & the unfairness of the Federal government giving a higher percentage to red states, the red states would be bankrupt
Thank you, Heather. Been loving your excellent, insightful writing and your unique take on stories. I always learn… This piece is particularly powerful. At the end, I came to the terrifying, dizzying recognition that right now, TODAY, under Trump and his MAGA thugs, our country parallels post-World War I / pre-World War II Nazi Germany, and I feel sick. It’s not that I’m suddenly waking up to Trump and his administration’s fascist tendencies and actions, but the potential for a complete MAGA authoritarian coup is now too real, horrifying to the core…
In the wake of WWI, the German people were demoralized. The economy was in tatters, unemployment was high, the government was unstable, and people were disillusioned and suffering terribly. A group of cynical Right-leaning Germans—who objected to the concessions Germany had made in the Treaty of Versailles, and to the constitution adopted by the new Republic—started a Workers party in 1919. They were White supremacists and segregationists. Hitler initially was ordered by his army superiors to infiltrate the party with the goal of disbanding it, but he quickly adopted the ideology and rose in popularity within the party as a rousing speaker; in 1921 he was elected party chairman—with a bit of conniving on his part to make it so. Requiring complete dictatorial power, Hitler shaped what became The Nazi Party.
Over the next dozen years, he set about exploiting the woes of his fellow Germans and rallying them to support him. As Tom Brokaw put it, Hitler gave voice to the German people’s base fears. Sound familiar?
Hitler detested the newly formed German Republic (later the Weimar Republic). In 1923 he attempted a coup in Bavaria with the plan to move on to Berlin, but the coup failed. He was convicted of high treason. During his year in jail he began dictating to others Vol. 1 of “Mein Kampf” in which he equated Jews with germs and proposed their extermination.
The Nazis promoted racial segregation in order to preserve and strengthen the “pure” Aryan “master race,” i.e., the golden-haired whitest of Whites (excusing Hitler’s own dark hair). State and race were one, Hitler said. He disenfranchised and persecuted undesirable groups—Blacks, Mediterraneans, Slavs, Semites, homosexuals, the disabled. He devised pretexts for the restriction of civil liberties and creation of a military state under the guise of protecting the German people.
The Nazi party grew in power and control. Hitler’s political campaigns rivaled Trump’s, full of propaganda, manipulation, conniving and deception. By the time Hitler was appointed chancellor in 1933, 17.3 million Germans supported the party with their votes. We all know how things went from there.
Scary thing is, Trump/MAGA and pre-WWII Hitler and the Nazis are very much alike.
Thank you Heather.
Today the Secretary of Defense (War) Pete Hegseth, General Dan Caine (Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff) and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins went to Capital Hill asking Congress, the Appropriations Committee, for a $67 billion to $88 billion emergency supplemental funding injection to address “shortfalls” from the ongoing war in Iran, (that nobody wants) alongside a historic $1.5 trillion defense budget for the 2027 fiscal year.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins did not mention the service members who died in Iran during her testimony at today’s Senate Appropriations Committee hearing. Her participation was focused strictly on an entirely different aspect of the administration's multi-part budget package. Rollins focused her remarks and answers on agricultural relief and domestic farmer support.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine explicitly honored and named several of the U.S. service members who recently died in his opening remarks during the Senate Appropriations Committee hearing. Gen. Caine stated, "Today, we remember 1st Lt. Tyler Feehan, Sgt. Michael Swinton, and Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, and note that the names of our last fallen will be released when we can". He did not mention Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad by name and took it for “our last fallen”.
Secretary of Defense (War) Pete Hegseth did not mention any of the casualties or any names of the recently fallen service members in his opening remarks. Hegseth omitted them entirely from his initial presentation. Not one service members name. However, he did speak generally about the service members' sacrifices later in the hearing during a combative exchange with lawmakers.
Senator Gary Peters pressed Hegseth on the strategic direction of the conflict, noting that American service personnel are "still dying". In response Hegseth defended the administration's policy by asserting that calling the war a failure just "smears the sacrifice of our warfighters our warriors..to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.”
Senator Gary Peters did not say any military personnel were failures. The Senator said Hegseth was the failure to place the military members lives in danger due “his incompetence”.
The publication Stars and Stripes confirmed that Hegseth never mentioned the names of the individual service members killed over the weekend during the entire 3-hour and 45-minute session.
https://www.stripes.com/theaters/us/2026-07-21/caine-hegseth-senate-hearing-iran-war-22330260.html
There is no doubt that this war is an absolute clusterf*€k.. There was never a plan. That both Hegseth and that Felon have not a clue as to what the Hell they are doing. They both fit “Prior proper planning prevents piss-poor performance” — is a saying that originated as a British Army slang adage in the mid-20th century and quickly spread to the United States military, aviation, and even in professional management circles. The Felon and Hegseth are both the “piss-poor performance”.
They clearly do not give a shit about any member of the military. When Hegseth keeps calling them all “warfighters” or “warriors in the profession of arms" it’s grotesque. It’s labeling all our people in the military as if they are a NPC (Non-Player Character) in a video game.
Have two grandchildren in the service and spoke recently to them both at the same time on FaceTime. This was before the escalation of the bombings starting up again. One is in the Navy, the other in the Air Force. They are both in their 20’s. Can see the worry lines creeping upon their faces, the fatigue and weariness in their voices. Like most grandchildren though, they talk about the good and great things that are happening in their lives that they want to share. One day they will be home along with all their fellow compadres.
My grandchildren like so many other families who have loved ones serving in the military are NOT a Non-Player Character in a video game….
Have said it before — Democracy is not a spectator event, never has been…. Voting has Consequences..
Thank you Heather and TJ.
It is important to NOT be distracted by all the chaos and propaganda.
“WE the PEOPLE “ NEED to keep doing whatever we can to ensure we make it to elections and that the elections are safe and fair.
We have to have our Representatives fight against the RepubliKKKans and BemneDickt Fetterman’s Nazi, fascist agenda, Project 2025.
We are still seeing small wins through the courts to help secure this, but there are NO guarantees. Just as Heather mentioned about creating and declaring a state of emergency to control the government, we cannot allow this to happen. They CANNOT be “allowed” to control our government and elections.
Jan.6-2.0 is a high possibility with his armed ICE Gestapo/J6’ers.
They have ZERO intentions of leaving OUR White House.
Thinking of all our military families for a safe return from this illegal war…and TJ, your courageous family.❤️🩹
they have alot of nerve asking congress for more money when they refuse to call it a war. I am so sick of the cruelty and corruption of this fking regime.
Especially since the Defense Department got $961 BILLION in the budget just last year! Let Kegsbreath hold a bake sale
Damn straight!
It absolutely blows my mind that I wake up every fucking day to read/hear about what this administration has done now. I'm beyond despising Dump. He's not the only person culpable. Kegsbreath, SS Miller, the not so Supreme Court. What the actual fuck happened? How did we get here?? And more importantly, how do we get out? This isn't MY America. We must get rid of this plague - one way or another.
Mitch McConnell was instrumental in getting us here
Just to help you avoid criticism …quickly double check your commentary on the bar graph. If I’m not mistaken … the red/blue bars represent deaths/length of war not Other Presidents/trump. Thank you for your hard work. 👏🏼
Oh I see she has edited to reflect this. Nvm. 🤭
Heather has it right. He wants to compare himself to other presidents.
Yes but not as described I don’t think. Look at the labels. Indeed the two sides of the graphic compares trump to other presidents but the bars themselves are meant to compare deaths during and length of each war. Yes?
Oh I see she’s edited to reflect this. 👏🏼
Heather, I saw on the news today that a Florida court has ordered the Trump Organisation to hand over their financial records to the BBC in connection to Trump's defamation 10 million law suit regarding the Panarama programme. I can't see why Trump is pursuing this law suit as Panarama isn't shown on US tv, unless it was streamed or on PBS. I didn't actually see the programme but I gather the BBC only edited a no doubt rambling speech to fit into a 50 minute programme. Trump can't deny that he said the offensive words. The question is, why is he pursuing the case in Florida when the programme was broadcast on the BBC? My guess is he will withdraw the suit as he doesn't have a cat in hell's chance of winning.
Although Trump claims 'harm' in this case. He's required to file it in the state of his official residence, Florida. His lawyer is trying to state the terms of harm in a different way to avoid the disclosures. He can try to claim harm from the fact that t the BBC has a presence on the Internet and programming in the United States. They're on the PBS network here in Maryland as well as others. Besides filing in court keeps his name in front of the media which he tries to do to make people think he's important. Part of his narcissistic personality.
BTW you could have read about this for Free on The Guardian News site. Should he lose in the suit, British laws require him to pay all the legal costs of the BBC to defend itself!
Thanks Carol, I didn't know that. I know what you mean about his desire to keep his ame in front of the media, just like his behaviour at the World Cup presentation!
So the idiot suffered so much financial & reputational harm that he was reelected after inciting an insurrection
DANG, Heather, you've outdone yourself. If I were wealthy I'd publish this in full page ads in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg News and wherever else I could think of (after asking your permission, of course). If everyone in America could only understand what is happening before our very eyes, in plain sight, in front of God and everybody, the way you do, all our political problems would disappear. Like you, I do seem to sense the beginnngs of a blue political groundswell. I just hope its enough.
Keep up the pressure, and God bless you.
Every day there is more corruption..more schemes..more lies..more destruction..more disgraceful behavior..more grift..more graft from all arenas in this disgusting administration helmed by the most dangerous President this country has ever known.
But every day honest citizens who see this for what it is continue to do whatever is in their power to do to fight him and them at every turn.
That’s what we will continue to do until we beat them in November with a groundswell no election has ever seen and then we start the process of sweeping them out the door.
We’re getting closer ..keep working….we HAVE to if we’re going to save our Republic.
Heather ..keep spreading the truth and we will do our part in passing it on and helping however we can..we’re going to get through this no matter what.
So Heather, do you send your posts to the Whitehouse email to remind the govt of how corrupt they are?
Dear Heather,
I have to admit that today's edition made me weep. I am not American but I am a human being and appalled at lack of Humanity from the President of the United States.
Every day there are more horrors coming to light.; more coercion and more corruption coming from him and his cronies. Obviously, he is staring into the abyss and like a rabid dog, is fighting for his life.
I cannot vote but I'm very happy to be able to subscribe. Thanks to you and to all the other amazing writers for your incredible efforts!
With love from the UK .🇬🇧
It’s not so much service members but all of us, literally. We are all suckers and losers to him.
For more on Olive Garden and bread sticks see https://jojofromjerz.substack.com/p/breadsticks-are-not-a-constitutional?r=3v1cs9&utm_medium=ios
What has really interested me is that most if not all our news media keep reporting war deaths regularly. I wondered why, since there haven't been many. But I am gratified that this reporting continues, for it indicates that this illegal and unnecessary war has tragic costs. The President's inability to understand this is one more indicator of his inhumanity.
If he compares himself to ALL other Presidents, he comes in dead last
Only retirees that no longer have to educate children are leaving blue states for lower taxes & milder winters. Perhaps they are tired of the Federal government taking THEIR tax $$$ & using them to fund red states’ budgets. Without blue states & the unfairness of the Federal government giving a higher percentage to red states, the red states would be bankrupt
For 10+ years, I've despised him for the selfish, idiotic and cruel things he does. He fails in every possible aspect of human behavior.
I blame his enablers in Congress, the White House & big business, as well as his base. Their cowardice, greed, corruption & racism is unforgiveable.
Thank you, Heather. Been loving your excellent, insightful writing and your unique take on stories. I always learn… This piece is particularly powerful. At the end, I came to the terrifying, dizzying recognition that right now, TODAY, under Trump and his MAGA thugs, our country parallels post-World War I / pre-World War II Nazi Germany, and I feel sick. It’s not that I’m suddenly waking up to Trump and his administration’s fascist tendencies and actions, but the potential for a complete MAGA authoritarian coup is now too real, horrifying to the core…
In the wake of WWI, the German people were demoralized. The economy was in tatters, unemployment was high, the government was unstable, and people were disillusioned and suffering terribly. A group of cynical Right-leaning Germans—who objected to the concessions Germany had made in the Treaty of Versailles, and to the constitution adopted by the new Republic—started a Workers party in 1919. They were White supremacists and segregationists. Hitler initially was ordered by his army superiors to infiltrate the party with the goal of disbanding it, but he quickly adopted the ideology and rose in popularity within the party as a rousing speaker; in 1921 he was elected party chairman—with a bit of conniving on his part to make it so. Requiring complete dictatorial power, Hitler shaped what became The Nazi Party.
Over the next dozen years, he set about exploiting the woes of his fellow Germans and rallying them to support him. As Tom Brokaw put it, Hitler gave voice to the German people’s base fears. Sound familiar?
Hitler detested the newly formed German Republic (later the Weimar Republic). In 1923 he attempted a coup in Bavaria with the plan to move on to Berlin, but the coup failed. He was convicted of high treason. During his year in jail he began dictating to others Vol. 1 of “Mein Kampf” in which he equated Jews with germs and proposed their extermination.
The Nazis promoted racial segregation in order to preserve and strengthen the “pure” Aryan “master race,” i.e., the golden-haired whitest of Whites (excusing Hitler’s own dark hair). State and race were one, Hitler said. He disenfranchised and persecuted undesirable groups—Blacks, Mediterraneans, Slavs, Semites, homosexuals, the disabled. He devised pretexts for the restriction of civil liberties and creation of a military state under the guise of protecting the German people.
The Nazi party grew in power and control. Hitler’s political campaigns rivaled Trump’s, full of propaganda, manipulation, conniving and deception. By the time Hitler was appointed chancellor in 1933, 17.3 million Germans supported the party with their votes. We all know how things went from there.
Scary thing is, Trump/MAGA and pre-WWII Hitler and the Nazis are very much alike.