Trump takes the stand, then storms out of NYC courtroom in a hissy
Donald Trump's Horrible, No Good, Very Bad, Terrible Day started with the serially indicted ex-president taking the stand himself to testify in his own defense. He was found to be "not a credible witness" (LOL), was hit with a $10,000 fine for violating Judge Engoron's gag order (again), and then got so pissed off he stormed out of the courtroom yelling, "We won this trial!" with his Secret Service detachment scrambling at his heels. Trump later had to slink back into court while his attorneys argued with the judge for another 45 minutes. Trump made sure to attack Engoron (again) on the way out, complaining, “That should be the end of the case...If we had a jury, this case would’ve never started, practically," failing to mention that his own team failed to ask for a jury trial. Things are going great!

Take Action: Demand Trump’s passport be taken during his criminal trial!

VIDEO OF THE DAY: New Republican House speaker's horrific statements suddenly surge into spotlight
The appalling beliefs, statements, and radical positions of new House Speaker Mike Johnson tell you everything you need to know about a Republican Party that voted UNANIMOUSLY to elevate the most extreme right-wing leader since the Civil War to the top of their pitiful heap.

Take Action: Ban Congress from owning or trading stocks!

Winning an open Arizona seat will take back the House
Yassamin Ansari for Congress: Winning in Arizona means we get our majority back — and losing means that some of the most unhinged election-denying, democracy-hating Trumpers in the country will be headed to Washington. Yassamin Ansari is a fantastic candidate running for Congress in a crucial Arizona seat to make sure we deliver President Biden a new majority for his second term! Can you chip in to help keep Trump's most radical minions out of office?

Justice Clarence Thomas' $267,000 RV loan from influence peddler conveniently forgiven, Senate Democrats say
It's just normal, everyday American Justice Clarence Thomas, who borrowed a quarter of a million dollars from a healthcare executive (just normal dude stuff) to buy a super fancy RV, made one loan payment of $20,000, then had the rest of the balance forgiven! So chill. Just guys being bros! Definitely no kind of outrageous influence peddling and barely disguised bribery going on here!

Take Action: Tell the FCC to restore the net neutrality protections that Trump ended!

At least 16 dead in Maine mass shooting, police hunt for the suspect as residents take shelter
A man armed with an AR-15-style assault rifle shot and killed at least 16 people and injured more than 50 others at a restaurant and a bowling alley in Lewiston, Maine, and then fled into the night, sparking a massive search by hundreds of officers while frightened residents in multiple communities stayed locked in their homes under a shelter-in-place advisory. Police have indentified 40-year-old Robert Card, an Army Reservist and firearms instructor with a troubling mental health history, as a primary "person of interest." This is the 565th mass shooting this year in the United States, where Republicans insist on doing exactly nothing to enact gun safety laws and everything in their power to reinforce and maintain the deadly status quo.

Take Action: Tell President Biden to act NOW to protect our democracy!

Ford, UAW negotiators reach labor deal, pending union leadership approval
The longest auto worker strike in 25 years appears to be coming to a close for workers at Ford plants as the UAW and the auto colossus agreed in principle to the terms of a tentative agreement that would end a nearly six-week strike. Of course, any deal still has to be approved by the union members themselves, but it's a great step in the right direction. Remember, America — striking works!

Family of Al Jazeera Gaza bureau chief killed in Israeli air raid
Al Jazeera's bureau chief in Gaza, Wael Dahdouh, faced unimaginable horror on Wednesday at the morgue of Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in Deir al-Balah, all captured on live TV: his wife, son, daughter, and grandson were all killed in a bombing raid on Nuseirat refugee camp, where his family fled after Israeli evacuation orders forced hundreds of thousands of Palestinian civilians out of northern Gaza. "This is the 'safe' area that the occupation army spoke of," mourned Dahdouh. More than 7,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since the Hamas terrorist attacks on October 7. At least 24 journalists have been killed covering the unspeakable carnage.

House Republicans hatch EMERGENCY plan to end Speaker drama
No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen: Here we go...

North Carolina GOP successfully installs one-party state thanks to outrageous racial gerrymander
A state Supreme Court flip to conservative control in the 2022 midterms paved the way for the GOP to pass some of the most egregious racial gerrymanders this nation has ever seen. A formerly 7-7 split congressional delegation now crams all Democratic voters into just three seats, leaving one competitive district while netting another four safe red seats for the House GOP. The new maps also entrench GOP supermajorities in the state House to the point where Democrats couldn't flip the chamber even if they win more than 50% of the vote. But wait, there's more. Trump's judges on the US Supreme Court said this was all perfectly legal!

A Black Mississippi mother searched for her missing son for months. Turns out the cops killed him and never bothered to tell her
37-year-old Dexter Wade was struck and killed in early March by an off-duty Jackson police officer while walking along an interstate highway. Wade's body sat unclaimed at the county morgue for months and was eventually buried on a penal farm in a grave marked with just the number "627." Dexter's mother, Bettersen Wade, was never told what happened to him, despite calling the police herself to report him missing. Cops knew both Wades' identities, but failed to lift a finger to notify the mother. Jackson police also killed Bettersen's 62-year-old brother by slamming him to the ground in 2019, resulting in a manslaughter conviction which the state attorney general is of course currently fighting to overturn. Black lives don't matter in Mississippi, folks.

Sec. of State Blinken says he asked Qatari PM to rein in Al Jazeera war coverage, per sources
Antony Blinken reportedly asked Qatar to "tone down" and "rein in" Al Jazeera's coverage of the Israeli-Hamas war due to concerns that it could "escalate tensions." It's appalling to see American soft power being used in order to try and muffle one of the most reliable non-Western journalism outlets in the region and our ostensible support for a free press being pushed aside in favor of geopolitical interests.

North Carolina's Republican lt. governor quoted Hitler in newly unearthed social media posts
It turns out gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson, who previously was under fire for minimizing the Holocaust and telling people to read Hitler's books, has apparently been a big Adolf fan for quite a while, if past social media posts are anything to judge by. Funny how this keeps happening to the political candidates of a party that openly endorses white supremacy.

For the union makes us strong!

News from abroad

Hope...

Share Tweet