Happy #CollegeSigningDay season 🎉 To every student out there planning to go to community college, enlisting in the military, learning a trade, or attending a four-year university, we are so excited for you!
Among high-income nations, the U.S. has the highest maternal mortality in the world. That is why I introduced the NIH IMPROVE Act last month to help address this crisis and support research to reduce preventable maternal death rates. pic.twitter.com/x5QiLtq9he
— Senator Laphonza Butler (@Senlaphonza) May 20, 2024
‘Back off!’: Maddow shames Republicans attacking justice system to protect Trump
Rachel Maddow looks at the lengths to which Republicans are going to abuse their power in order to interfere in the criminal prosecutions of Donald Trump, and encourages principled Americans to impose the shame and disgrace Trump sycophants are earning with their attacks on the U.S. justice system.
Maddow: "These are human beings. They are not magic. They are not bulletproof. They are not super-human. And right now they have no one defending them as they are being asked to bear super-human pressure and threats." pic.twitter.com/yRDEuj5V3l
Once again, like every day, I come to this site for comfort, reassurance that everyone is not like the Republican party ‘Maggots’. A HUGE shout out to President Obama and his wonderful wife Michelle for their continuous work for our country. A HUGE shout out to NW keeping this site up and running, a place to go for facts, opinions, that I can believe and trust. I hear folks complaining about Joe and Kamala, they don’t even think about what could have been, thank you President Biden and VP Kamala for keeping the ship sailing.
Republican efforts to sabotage Georgia prosecution of Trump hit brick wall in Fani Willis
Fulton County, Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis talks with Rachel Maddow about how her role as prosecutor has subjected her to threats and efforts at intimidation, including abuse of political power by Republicans trying to sabotage the criminal case to hold Donald Trump accountable for trying to subvert the 2020 election.
….pls protect, circle the wagons around Ms. Fani Willis. She continues to do her job while gop manufactures ways to distract, block and attack her personally.
Remarks by President Biden at a Campaign Reception | Boston, MA
Seaport Hotel Boston,
Boston, Massachusetts
….Now he’s running again. He not only is obsessed with losing in 2020, he’s clearly become unhinged. Just listen to him. He says he wants to be a dictator on “day one.” He says he wants to “terminate” the Constitution. When asked if he thought violence would occur if he lost again, his comment was, “It depends.” “It depends.”
It depends? No American president ever said that until Trump came along. So, I’ll say what he can’t. There is no place for violence in American politics — none, ever — period. (Applause.)
President Biden and the First Lady greet President William Ruto and First Lady Rachel Ruto of Kenya.
Happening Now: President Biden and the First Lady greet President William Ruto and First Lady Rachel Ruto of Kenya for the Official Arrival Ceremony. https://t.co/23DNcxBB9m
Mike Brown should be celebrating his 28th birthday today.
Mike was just 18 years old when he was killed by a police officer. Black people continue to be targeted by police who view us as a threat. We need justice & accountability so Black boys can grow into Black men in peace.
— Rep. Jamaal Bowman Ed.D. (@JamaalBowmanNY) May 20, 2024
Why has a primary race in one of the country’s safest congressional districts garnered national attention? Ayman Mohyeldin breaks down why AIPAC is wading into Democratic primaries across the country, and speaks to one of its top targets, Rep. Jamaal Bowman of New York.
In a large part of American political discourse, overt cynicism is the currency of sophistication. It is a sign of political savviness, even worldliness, to know that politicians are creatures of pure self-interest, with no solid beliefs, concerns or preoccupations.
Alito’s Beach House Flew Second Flag Linked to Jan. 6, Christian Nationalism
“What is it going to take for Congress to rein in this out-of-control Supreme Court?” asked one critic. “Sen. Durbin should begin an immediate investigation into Justice Alito’s behavior.”
—–The Appeal to Heaven flag, “like the inverted U.S. flag, was carried by rioters at the Capitol,” the Times explained Wednesday. “Also known as the Pine Tree flag, it dates back to the Revolutionary War, but largely fell into obscurity until recent years and is now a symbol of support for former President Donald J. Trump, for a religious strand of the ‘Stop the Steal’ campaign, and for a push to remake American government in Christian terms.”
NEW: Last summer, the Alito beach home in New Jersey flew the “Appeal to Heaven” flag, which like the upside down US flag, is linked to Jan. 6. We have photos from July, August and September as well as eyewitnesses. https://t.co/uOjZcaUvk9pic.twitter.com/yUCqbvdT2A
Alito Ethics Defense Blown Up by Second Insurrectionist Flag. The previous defense was narrowly tailored to facts that are now moot.
The most entertaining aspect of a Republican Supreme Court ethics scandal is when the justices construct an elaborate defense tailored to fit the known facts of their ally’s misconduct, only for new facts to quickly arise that render their defense moot. It happened repeatedly in the Clarence Thomas financial scandals, and now it’s happening to Samuel Alito.
……Note how the old Alito defenses are totally useless in the face of this new case.
It can’t be chalked up to a dispute with a neighbor, unless the same neighbor happens to own property near Alito in two different states. The wife excuse is also threadbare. (Indeed, Alito, who blamed his wife in a response to the first Times story, has no comment in response to the second one.) And the excuse that it was “a heated time in January 2021” obviously does not explain why the Alito home continued to display insurrectionist flags two and a half years later.
Nathan Wade Describes Parade of MAGA Threats He’s Faced
The former special prosecutor on Donald Trump’s election interference case in Georgia said he’s been getting used to having around-the-clock bodyguards.
Attorney General Merrick Garland holds a news conference with other officials at the Justice Department to announce new antitrust actions against Live Nation, the parent company of Ticketmaster, charging it hurt concertgoers and stifled competition.
I sat down with @VP Harris at the @SEIU Convention in Philadelphia today. We’re here because we believe in unions. It's because of our 25+ cross-border unions that we keep raising the bar for workers in Canada and the U.S. pic.twitter.com/jwkSeSLVl1
Majority Leader Schumer Floor Remarks On The Senate Beginning The Process To Consider The Right To Contraception Act
Washington, D.C. – Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke on the Senate floor on the Senate taking the first step to consider the Right to Contraception Act, vital legislation protecting reproductive freedom for women all across the country.
“Yesterday, we began the process for the Senate to consider the Right to Contraception Act, led by Senators Markey and Hirono in June.
Now more than ever, contraception is a critical piece of protecting women’s reproductive freedoms, standing as nothing short of a vital lifeline for millions of American women across the country.
Senate Democrats are committed to restoring women’s freedoms and will fight to protect access to contraception and other reproductive freedoms that are essential safeguards for millions of women to control their own lives, their futures, and their bodies”.
.@iamalsorg founder @bsw5020 on how his young daughters are handling his diagnosis: “We have told them all about ALS, and how we’re trying to turn it from fatal to chronic. So, I think that they know how hard we are fighting, and they have been amazing”
“Things that remind voters out there about Trump’s extremism, about the chaos that he brings about, it just puts the choice [for president] in stark relief.” —@ASDem
HHS Funds $50M to Spot, Patch Hospital Vulnerabilities
Research Agency Soliciting ‘UPGRADE’ Project Ideas to Help Boost Healthcare Cyber
The highly targeted U.S. hospital sector could get a boost in avoiding cyberattacks with a $50 million investment by a federal research agency aimed at enhancing automation, vulnerability detection and remediation across a variety of devices in healthcare environments.
Why Trump said he’d testify in his criminal trial — but didn’t
Donald Trump probably realizes that he’ll face mockery about “chickening out.” He also knows that testifying in his criminal case would’ve been much worse.
As his criminal trial was poised to begin, Donald Trump told reporters they should expect to see him on the stand. “Yeah, I would testify, absolutely,” the defendant declared. “I’m testifying. I tell the truth, I mean, all I can do is tell the truth.”
The language, which the former president repeated more than once, sounded categorical — which made it all the more notable when Trump and his defense team started hedging last week.
The Republican’s critics, hoping to see him deliver testimony that would almost certainly make his problems worse, did their best to try to coax him into testifying. Third Way even invested in a 30-second ad that concluded, “Take the stand, Donald, or admit you’re a coward.”
ABC: This Trump ad calling for a ‘unified Reich’ is not the first time Trump has used language similar to Adolf Hitler. Just months ago he said immigrants are ‘poisoning the blood’ of America and called his opponents ‘vermin’ he wants to ‘root out’ pic.twitter.com/eZzmGVNZr1
“Doubting our election systems has become the litmus test for anyone who wants a place in Trump's party.”@jrpsaki on Republican VP hopefuls refusing to commit to accepting the results of the 2024 presidential election. pic.twitter.com/QO8WK6tL1t
— Inside with Jen Psaki (@InsideWithPsaki) May 21, 2024
AOC on the real story behind that Marjorie Taylor Greene exchange
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez explains what actually fueled the chaotic moment with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene in the House Oversight Committee hearing last week.
Sen. @ChrisMurphyCT: We produced the toughest, bipartisan border bill in a generation, but Donald Trump and his MAGA movement lit the bill on fire. Trump told his Republican allies 'we do not want the border fixed. We do not think we can win this election if the border is under… pic.twitter.com/M0lxaJrwPx
Chris Hayes reporting that though May is typically an increase in border crossing,
numbers have dropped by a lot. And for some time the truth about border crossings are the opposite of Fox’s persistent gross lies.
“There Was No Protocol For This” – America’s Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff
Biden Administration staffers had to scramble to figure out how to handle protocol after Douglas Emhoff became the first male spouse of the Vice President in this country’s history.
Live: Tune in as leaders host an employee town hall to discuss how we're using and developing artificial intelligence tools to advance missions and research https://t.co/ZLS90jGeEU
Today’s State Visit celebrates 60 years of partnership between Kenya and the United States and sets the course for our shared future. Together, our two nations are working to deliver on the challenges that matter most to our peoples’ lives – climate change, trade and investment,… pic.twitter.com/GYHeR27yAt
President Carter was the first president to host leaders from Kenya for an official State Visit. And in his own dinner toast, he called the United States and Kenya “neighbors.”
Peace and security remain a challenge in the Horn of Africa and Great Lakes Region. There is, therefore, an urgent need for Kenya and the United States of America to accelerate their security and defence partnership in pursuit for sustainable stability in the continent.
Barack Obama Visits His Father’s Childhood Village In Kenya
Former President Barack Obama made his first return visit to Kenya since leaving office. During the visit he opened a sport training center which is part of his half-sister’s foundation. (2018)
‘My brother has carried our name’
Brooke Baldwin travels to Kenya for a sit down interview with Barack Obama’s family including a conversation with his sister Auma. (2015)
We’re sure @jonlovett is busy doing some deep canvassing while on #Survivor. No doubt every other contestant is from a swing state. He’s just out there trying to get every vote.
The jury in Trump’s Manhattan criminal trial will likely start deliberations next week, but does that mean we could hear a verdict soon?@AWeissmann_ explains.
Are you feeling defeated about the 2024 election?@danpfeiffer breaks down polls, and makes the case for optimism, on our subscriber-exclusive show Pollercoaster. Join Friends of the Pod to listen https://t.co/YZqkFcZwlXpic.twitter.com/8iM5qECeA5
President Barack Obama Joins Community Placing Flags on Soldier Graves in Alexandria National Cemetery
“It’s the sober recognition of the sacrifices that so many Americans and their families have made to preserve our freedom” — Barack Obama, May 25, 2024
“It was surreal. There was absolutely no fanfare,” said Diane Devendorf, who was on site with her two daughters. “They pulled up in two cars, two doors opened, and people were whisked out. We assumed they were Goldstar families.”
President Barack Obama at the microphone on Saturday, May 25, 2024 addressing the crowd at Alexandria National Cemetery before he helped place flags and flowers on soldiers graves. (Photo: Lori Crandall)
“He personally planted over 200 flags,” said local historian and tour guide David Heiby, who commented that the president also placed flowers at each of the graves. The flowers were donated by the National Memorial Day Flowers Foundation, a nonprofit organization that began handing out 10,000 flowers to visitors at Arlington National Cemetery in 2011. In 2023, over 300,000 flowers were placed at ANC, with an additional 200,000 flowers sent to various cemeteries throughout the country, , including Alexandria.
Barack Obama with flowers he personally placed on 200 of the more than 4,200 soldiers’ graves at Alexandria National Cemetery on May 25, 2024. (Photo: David Heiby)
Secretary Austin to Blue Star families: “We know that you live with loss every day and not just Memorial Day…the pride that never fades and the worry that never leaves”.
President Biden:
“Freedom has never been guaranteed. Every generation has to fight for it.”
On Memorial Day, the Biden-Harris Administration honors the brave women and men who made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation’s freedom. pic.twitter.com/YmRSwTtwYK
This #MemorialDay weekend, I'm saluting the City of @Rockville411 Memorial Day Ceremony and Parade and Local Heroes Mayor Monique Ashton and Grand Marshal Stephen Johnson. This #MD08 event remembers and honors Americans who made the ultimate sacrifice.https://t.co/PEwKaHiS14
On this year's Memorial Day, remember the past life and death sacrifices made by millions of Americans and their families and friends to save and protect our beloved country and the world from the scourge of fascism and dictatorship. pic.twitter.com/FDb4yfKYQz
One of the greatest honors of my life was the privilege of serving as commander-in-chief, and with pride also came sometimes heartbreak and loss. And the sober recognition of the sacrifices that so many Americans and their families have made to preserve our freedom.
Today’s much-earlier-than-usual edition of quick hits.
* In Gaza: “Dozens of people were killed in Rafah late Sunday after an Israeli airstrike hit an area where displaced civilians were sheltering in tents and sparked a fire that tore across the camp, local officials said.”
* In Ukraine: “President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned Sunday that Russia is preparing to intensify its offensive along Ukraine’s northern border, as the death toll rose to 14 in an aerial bomb attack on a large construction supplies store in the city of Kharkiv. The bombing of Kharkiv on Saturday afternoon also left 43 injured and 16 missing, Kharkiv Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said initially after the attack.”
* Brutal, deadly storms: “At least 19 deaths have been reported after a series of severe storms and tornadoes battered the South and the Great Plains over Memorial Day weekend, leaving hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses without power.”
* Russia’s Western targets: “U.S. and allied intelligence officials are tracking an increase in low-level sabotage operations in Europe that they say are part of a Russian campaign to undermine support for Ukraine’s war effort.”
I think it’s safe to say Sotomayor isn’t the only one who’s been left in tears: “Justice Sonia Sotomayor reflected Friday on her time on the Supreme Court, admitting that some of the high court’s decisions have driven her to tears. ‘There are days that I’ve come to my office after an announcement of a case and closed my door and cried,’ Sotomayor said Friday at an event honoring her at Harvard University.”
This is surprisingly great publicity for the film’s producers: “Attorneys for Donald Trump have sent a cease and desist letter to the filmmakers behind ‘The Apprentice’ in an effort to block its U.S. sale and release. It warns the team behind the film not to pursue a distribution deal, according to two people who have read the letter. ‘The Apprentice,’ which looks at Trump’s early years as a real estate developer and his relationship with Roy Cohn, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival this week.”
It’s interesting when statements in support of core American principles are seen as indirect Trump rebukes: “President Biden reminded the graduating class of the U.S. Military Academy on Saturday that their oath is to the Constitution, not any political party or president, delivering an implicit rebuke of former president Donald Trump.”
Campaigns do NOT work with media to pay off sources to suppress stories. It is not normal. It does not happen. Am certain democrats and republican from many campaigns will confirm that.
The Obama Diary 
Michelle Obama
Kamala Harris
postpartum care.
SEN LAPHONZA BUTLER
—NIH IMPROVE Act.
‘Back off!’: Maddow shames Republicans attacking justice system to protect Trump
Rachel Maddow looks at the lengths to which Republicans are going to abuse their power in order to interfere in the criminal prosecutions of Donald Trump, and encourages principled Americans to impose the shame and disgrace Trump sycophants are earning with their attacks on the U.S. justice system.
Rachel Maddow
When holding the politically powerful accountable, who will defend you against their attacks, schemes and intimidation?
Once again, like every day, I come to this site for comfort, reassurance that everyone is not like the Republican party ‘Maggots’. A HUGE shout out to President Obama and his wonderful wife Michelle for their continuous work for our country. A HUGE shout out to NW keeping this site up and running, a place to go for facts, opinions, that I can believe and trust. I hear folks complaining about Joe and Kamala, they don’t even think about what could have been, thank you President Biden and VP Kamala for keeping the ship sailing.
Hi Anna, agree!
❄️❄️- snowed last night.
Republican efforts to sabotage Georgia prosecution of Trump hit brick wall in Fani Willis
Fulton County, Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis talks with Rachel Maddow about how her role as prosecutor has subjected her to threats and efforts at intimidation, including abuse of political power by Republicans trying to sabotage the criminal case to hold Donald Trump accountable for trying to subvert the 2020 election.
Maddow Blog
Fani Willis
….pls protect, circle the wagons around Ms. Fani Willis. She continues to do her job while gop manufactures ways to distract, block and attack her personally.
Remarks by President Biden at a Campaign Reception | Boston, MA
Seaport Hotel Boston,
Boston, Massachusetts
….Now he’s running again. He not only is obsessed with losing in 2020, he’s clearly become unhinged. Just listen to him. He says he wants to be a dictator on “day one.” He says he wants to “terminate” the Constitution. When asked if he thought violence would occur if he lost again, his comment was, “It depends.” “It depends.”
It depends? No American president ever said that until Trump came along. So, I’ll say what he can’t. There is no place for violence in American politics — none, ever — period. (Applause.)
(https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2024/05/21/remarks-by-president-biden-at-a-campaign-reception-boston-ma-2/)
The White House
President Biden and the First Lady greet President William Ruto and First Lady Rachel Ruto of Kenya.
—-Kenya state dinner is tonight.
United States-Kenya Joint Leaders’ Statement
(https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/05/23/united-states-kenya-joint-leaders-statement/)
The White House
—Congrats !!
Remarks by President Biden on the PACT Act | Nashua, NH
Westwood Park YMCA
Nashua, New Hampshire
(https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2024/05/21/remarks-by-president-biden-on-the-pact-act-nashua-nh/)
NANCY PELOSI
Statement on behalf of the Pelosi family.
love to the Pelosi family and wishing full recovery to Mr. Pelosi after this terrible ordeal. 💚
Congressman Jamaal Bowman
—MIKE BROWN
Rep. Jamaal Bowman on being AIPAC’s top target
Why has a primary race in one of the country’s safest congressional districts garnered national attention? Ayman Mohyeldin breaks down why AIPAC is wading into Democratic primaries across the country, and speaks to one of its top targets, Rep. Jamaal Bowman of New York.
The Most Endangered Democrat in America Jamaal Bowman might lose his job over Israel.
Ross Barkan: (https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/jamaal-bowman-george-latimer-primary-israel.html)
Jamaal Bowman: “We fight for all lives.”
Justice Alito Is a True Believer
In a large part of American political discourse, overt cynicism is the currency of sophistication. It is a sign of political savviness, even worldliness, to know that politicians are creatures of pure self-interest, with no solid beliefs, concerns or preoccupations.
Jamelle Bouie: (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/21/opinion/alito-flag-stop-the-steal.html#)
Alito’s Beach House Flew Second Flag Linked to Jan. 6, Christian Nationalism
“What is it going to take for Congress to rein in this out-of-control Supreme Court?” asked one critic. “Sen. Durbin should begin an immediate investigation into Justice Alito’s behavior.”
—–The Appeal to Heaven flag, “like the inverted U.S. flag, was carried by rioters at the Capitol,” the Times explained Wednesday. “Also known as the Pine Tree flag, it dates back to the Revolutionary War, but largely fell into obscurity until recent years and is now a symbol of support for former President Donald J. Trump, for a religious strand of the ‘Stop the Steal’ campaign, and for a push to remake American government in Christian terms.”
(https://www.commondreams.org/news/appeal-to-heaven-flag)
Jodi Kantor
Supreme Court Architect Flew Same ‘Appeal to Heaven’ Flag as Alito
The flag is tied to far-right Christian nationalists who wanted to overturn the 2020 election — and now with the nation’s highest court
Ryan Bort, Tessa Stuart, Andrew Perez
(https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/appeal-to-heaven-flag-flew-leonard-leo-house-1235026491/)
–Clearly Alito is unfit. What now?
imo after flying the coup flag, Alito’s judgements and pronouncements are neither use nor ornament.
The Scheme:
How the Right Wing Used Dark Money to Capture the Supreme Court
Book by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Jennifer Mueller
Alito Ethics Defense Blown Up by Second Insurrectionist Flag. The previous defense was narrowly tailored to facts that are now moot.
The most entertaining aspect of a Republican Supreme Court ethics scandal is when the justices construct an elaborate defense tailored to fit the known facts of their ally’s misconduct, only for new facts to quickly arise that render their defense moot. It happened repeatedly in the Clarence Thomas financial scandals, and now it’s happening to Samuel Alito.
……Note how the old Alito defenses are totally useless in the face of this new case.
It can’t be chalked up to a dispute with a neighbor, unless the same neighbor happens to own property near Alito in two different states. The wife excuse is also threadbare. (Indeed, Alito, who blamed his wife in a response to the first Times story, has no comment in response to the second one.) And the excuse that it was “a heated time in January 2021” obviously does not explain why the Alito home continued to display insurrectionist flags two and a half years later.
Jonathan Chait: (https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/alito-ethics-defense-blown-up-by-second-insurrectionist-flag.html
Nathan Wade Describes Parade of MAGA Threats He’s Faced
The former special prosecutor on Donald Trump’s election interference case in Georgia said he’s been getting used to having around-the-clock bodyguards.
William Vaillancourt: (https://www.thedailybeast.com/nathan-wade-describes-parade-of-maga-threats-hes-faced)
Attorney General Merrick Garland News Conference
Attorney General Merrick Garland holds a news conference with other officials at the Justice Department to announce new antitrust actions against Live Nation, the parent company of Ticketmaster, charging it hurt concertgoers and stifled competition.
(https://www.c-span.org/video/?535891-1/attorney-general-merrick-garland-news-conference)
—-“It’s time to break up Live Nation, Ticketmaster.”
🎈thx for this response AG Garland.
President Trudeau
…w/V.P. Harris
Majority Leader Schumer Floor Remarks On The Senate Beginning The Process To Consider The Right To Contraception Act
Washington, D.C. – Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke on the Senate floor on the Senate taking the first step to consider the Right to Contraception Act, vital legislation protecting reproductive freedom for women all across the country.
“Yesterday, we began the process for the Senate to consider the Right to Contraception Act, led by Senators Markey and Hirono in June.
Now more than ever, contraception is a critical piece of protecting women’s reproductive freedoms, standing as nothing short of a vital lifeline for millions of American women across the country.
Senate Democrats are committed to restoring women’s freedoms and will fight to protect access to contraception and other reproductive freedoms that are essential safeguards for millions of women to control their own lives, their futures, and their bodies”.
Includes link to remarks: (https://www.democrats.senate.gov/news/press-releases/majority-leader-schumer-floor-remarks-on-the-senate-beginning-the-process-to-consider-the-right-to-contraception-act)
Senate Democrats Speak with the Press, Tuesday
MICHELLE GOODWIN
Author: Policing the Womb: Invisible Women and the Criminalization of Motherhood
Pod Save America
Crooked Media.
Why Stefanik’s new ethics complaint against Judge Merchan matters
House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik is apparently trying to corner the market in filing ethics complaints. Judge Juan Merchan is her new target.
Steve Benen: (https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/stefaniks-new-ethics-complaint-judge-merchan-matters-rcna153444)
How to Become Famous: Lost Einsteins, Forgotten Superstars, and How the Beatles Came to Be
by Cass R. Sunstein
HHS Funds $50M to Spot, Patch Hospital Vulnerabilities
Research Agency Soliciting ‘UPGRADE’ Project Ideas to Help Boost Healthcare Cyber
The highly targeted U.S. hospital sector could get a boost in avoiding cyberattacks with a $50 million investment by a federal research agency aimed at enhancing automation, vulnerability detection and remediation across a variety of devices in healthcare environments.
Marianne Kolbasuk McGee : (https://www.govinfosecurity.com/hhs-funds-50m-to-spot-patch-hospital-vulnerabilities-a-25278#)
A 1938 Mob Case Has Mind-Boggling Parallels to Trump’s N.Y. Prosecution
Dennis Aftergut and Philip Allen Lacovara;
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2024/05/trump-trial-people-v-luciano-mob-case-hush-money-prosecutors.html)
Why Trump said he’d testify in his criminal trial — but didn’t
Donald Trump probably realizes that he’ll face mockery about “chickening out.” He also knows that testifying in his criminal case would’ve been much worse.
As his criminal trial was poised to begin, Donald Trump told reporters they should expect to see him on the stand. “Yeah, I would testify, absolutely,” the defendant declared. “I’m testifying. I tell the truth, I mean, all I can do is tell the truth.”
The language, which the former president repeated more than once, sounded categorical — which made it all the more notable when Trump and his defense team started hedging last week.
The Republican’s critics, hoping to see him deliver testimony that would almost certainly make his problems worse, did their best to try to coax him into testifying. Third Way even invested in a 30-second ad that concluded, “Take the stand, Donald, or admit you’re a coward.”
Steve Benen: (https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/trump-said-d-testify-criminal-trial-didnt-rcna153439)
Biden Harris HQ
Jen Psaki
…Doubting election systems = litmus test for gop.
AOC on the real story behind that Marjorie Taylor Greene exchange
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez explains what actually fueled the chaotic moment with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene in the House Oversight Committee hearing last week.
‘He’s broke’: AOC roasts Trump for hosting a campaign rally in the Bronx
(https://youtu.be/EGiP0S3gO4Y)
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Trump holding a rally in the Bronx: “He’s broke. He needs to pay these legal funds.”
Biden-Harris HQ
Sen. Chris Murphy
–Border
But the big news:
Chris Hayes reporting that though May is typically an increase in border crossing,
numbers have dropped by a lot. And for some time the truth about border crossings are the opposite of Fox’s persistent gross lies.
—-Chris can we get this segment on video?
“There Was No Protocol For This” – America’s Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff
Biden Administration staffers had to scramble to figure out how to handle protocol after Douglas Emhoff became the first male spouse of the Vice President in this country’s history.
–imo some lovely people up theer in the Biden WH !
NASA
Artificial Intelligence Town Hall
Barack Obama: The 2007 60 Minutes interview
…falling for the Obamas…
The White House
Remarks by President Biden and President William Ruto of the Republic of Kenya at State Dinner
South Lawn
(https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2024/05/23/remarks-by-president-biden-and-president-william-ruto-of-the-republic-of-kenya-at-state-dinner/)
https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/14068/production/_133342028_gettyimages-2153726261_976.jpg.webp
https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/A810/production/_133342034_ruetesr976.jpg.webp
President Biden
Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrive at the State Dinner.
William Samuel Ruto
PBO meeting President Ruto yesterday.
Photos: Obama arrives in Kenya, meets Kenyatta and Odinga
(July 2018)
Barack Obama Visits His Father’s Childhood Village In Kenya
Former President Barack Obama made his first return visit to Kenya since leaving office. During the visit he opened a sport training center which is part of his half-sister’s foundation. (2018)
‘My brother has carried our name’
Brooke Baldwin travels to Kenya for a sit down interview with Barack Obama’s family including a conversation with his sister Auma. (2015)
PBO and Sec. Blinken at the State Dinner last night.
Happy dems-have-a-stunning-team Friday !! 💚🌺
FACT SHEET: Kenya State Visit to the United States
(https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/05/23/fact-sheet-kenya-state-visit-to-the-united-states/)
President Biden Delivers the 2024 Commencement Address at the U.S. Military Academy
Pod Save America
https://x.com/PodSaveAmerica/status/1793790867364352304
https://x.com/PodSaveAmerica/status/1793960886937227763
https://x.com/PodSaveAmerica/status/1794045880590614560
https://x.com/PodSaveAmerica/status/1794107001565323531
Crooked Media.
Pod Save America
Crooked Media.
President Barack Obama Joins Community Placing Flags on Soldier Graves in Alexandria National Cemetery
“It’s the sober recognition of the sacrifices that so many Americans and their families have made to preserve our freedom” — Barack Obama, May 25, 2024
“It was surreal. There was absolutely no fanfare,” said Diane Devendorf, who was on site with her two daughters. “They pulled up in two cars, two doors opened, and people were whisked out. We assumed they were Goldstar families.”
President Barack Obama at the microphone on Saturday, May 25, 2024 addressing the crowd at Alexandria National Cemetery before he helped place flags and flowers on soldiers graves. (Photo: Lori Crandall)
“He personally planted over 200 flags,” said local historian and tour guide David Heiby, who commented that the president also placed flowers at each of the graves. The flowers were donated by the National Memorial Day Flowers Foundation, a nonprofit organization that began handing out 10,000 flowers to visitors at Arlington National Cemetery in 2011. In 2023, over 300,000 flowers were placed at ANC, with an additional 200,000 flowers sent to various cemeteries throughout the country, , including Alexandria.
Barack Obama with flowers he personally placed on 200 of the more than 4,200 soldiers’ graves at Alexandria National Cemetery on May 25, 2024. (Photo: David Heiby)
(zebra.org)
The White House
Secretary Austin to Blue Star families: “We know that you live with loss every day and not just Memorial Day…the pride that never fades and the worry that never leaves”.
President Biden:
“Freedom has never been guaranteed. Every generation has to fight for it.”
The White House
Joe Biden
Kamala Harris
Barack Obama
Obama Foundation:
Hakeem Jeffries
Rep Raskin
Nancy Pelosi
Why we celebrate Memorial Day
Veterans Affairs:
(https://dailymontanan.com/2024/05/27/why-we-celebrate-memorial-day/)
Michael Beschloss
Secretary Antony Blinken
On Memorial Day, we honor those who served and sacrificed for our country, our freedom, and our future.
I admire him so much 💖
John Martyn -Small Hours
“Keep on loving ’til your love is gone, Keep on loving while your love is strong,
All the way.”
To whom it concerns,
the connection made by Her resolve,
can only be broken by Her. I will see you again.
MOLLY COOK FOR TEXAS
Molly Cook running for Texas Senate, District 15.
Primary Runoff Election: May 28, 2024
—TODAY !!
Trump’s Post-Verdict Playbook: Anger and Retribution, Regardless of the Outcome
Jonathan Swan and Maggie Haberman
——Closing arguments in Trump Criminal Trial today.
Monday’s. Mini report Steve Benen
Today’s much-earlier-than-usual edition of quick hits.
* In Gaza: “Dozens of people were killed in Rafah late Sunday after an Israeli airstrike hit an area where displaced civilians were sheltering in tents and sparked a fire that tore across the camp, local officials said.”
* In Ukraine: “President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned Sunday that Russia is preparing to intensify its offensive along Ukraine’s northern border, as the death toll rose to 14 in an aerial bomb attack on a large construction supplies store in the city of Kharkiv. The bombing of Kharkiv on Saturday afternoon also left 43 injured and 16 missing, Kharkiv Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said initially after the attack.”
* Brutal, deadly storms: “At least 19 deaths have been reported after a series of severe storms and tornadoes battered the South and the Great Plains over Memorial Day weekend, leaving hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses without power.”
* Russia’s Western targets: “U.S. and allied intelligence officials are tracking an increase in low-level sabotage operations in Europe that they say are part of a Russian campaign to undermine support for Ukraine’s war effort.”
I think it’s safe to say Sotomayor isn’t the only one who’s been left in tears: “Justice Sonia Sotomayor reflected Friday on her time on the Supreme Court, admitting that some of the high court’s decisions have driven her to tears. ‘There are days that I’ve come to my office after an announcement of a case and closed my door and cried,’ Sotomayor said Friday at an event honoring her at Harvard University.”
This is surprisingly great publicity for the film’s producers: “Attorneys for Donald Trump have sent a cease and desist letter to the filmmakers behind ‘The Apprentice’ in an effort to block its U.S. sale and release. It warns the team behind the film not to pursue a distribution deal, according to two people who have read the letter. ‘The Apprentice,’ which looks at Trump’s early years as a real estate developer and his relationship with Roy Cohn, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival this week.”
It’s interesting when statements in support of core American principles are seen as indirect Trump rebukes: “President Biden reminded the graduating class of the U.S. Military Academy on Saturday that their oath is to the Constitution, not any political party or president, delivering an implicit rebuke of former president Donald Trump.”
Hillary Clinton Has Some Tough Words for Democrats, and for Women
In an interview for a forthcoming book, Mrs. Clinton also suggested that if Donald Trump won in November “we may never have another actual election.”
Lisa Lerer and Elizabeth Dias: (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/25/us/politics/hillary-clinton-abortion.html#)J:
40+ Palestinians were just killed yesterday in Rafah in deadliest strike: IDF claim 2 high ranking Hamas were also killed.
imho, what IDF/Netanyahu spokesman meant to say yesterday was:
“We will fight to the last drop of your blood.”
Nikki Haley’s MAGA comeback tour
Plus, Biden’s new student loan forgiveness push, Trump’s “human printer”…
Jen Psaki: https://www.msnbc.com/inside-with-jen-psaki/jen-psaki-nikki-haley-trump-comeback-tour-rcna153999
Jen Psaki
New post.