Stop the Republican plot to abolish the Education Department!

Appeals court throws out massive civil fraud penalty against Trump

VIDEO OF THE DAY: Trump loses it in late-night tantrum over Newsom
Anyone wondering if Gavin Newsom is living rent-free inside Lord Goldemort's head, look no further than the president's social media feed, where thumb-smashed, late-night tirades give the game away.

Take Action: Fight back against Trump’s agenda, every day in every way!

Kash Patel’s FBI launches early morning raid on former Trump national security adviser-turned critic John Bolton's house
Shortly before 7:00 am Friday morning, the FBI and Montgomery County police were seen at the Bethesda home of John Bolton, the neoconservative war hawk who served as national security adviser for part of Donald Trump’s first term before very publicly turning on the MAGA cult leader and publishing a particularly unflattering account of his tenure serving the wannabe dictator. Trump's sycophantic FBI director announced the dawn raid on nüTwitter, writing: "NO ONE is above the law." To be clear: John Bolton is absolutely a criminal who was deeply involved in the Iran-Contra scandal and has the blood of a million Iraqis on his hands...but we have a feeling that this isn't why Trump's FBI has him in its crosshairs.

Take Action: Support The Michael J. Fox Foundation's mission to find a cure for Parkinson's!

Iowa mechanic fights to put a spine back in the Senate
Nathan Sage: The GOP Senate’s utter refusal to do ANYTHING to stop Trump from trampling our rights and the rule of law makes it clear we need to put a spine back in Washington. That’s why mechanic, Marine veteran, and local Iowa sports host Nathan Sage is launching a bid to unseat Trump-enabler Joni Ernst, fight for the needs of working-class Americans, and be the xxxxxx against the tides of fascism unleashed by Trump and his cronies. Will you chip in to help jump-start his campaign? A new poll has him leading by two points, 47-45!

New report reveals the US military is preparing attacks on Mexican cartels
Looks like Mr. No More Wars is about to start yet another military conflict, this time in the territory of a close ally and neighbor. Military officials leaked to journalist Ken Klippenstein that the US military is preparing illegal "lethal" strikes against Mexican drug cartels, with the plans to be finalized by September. It is unclear if the Mexican government would ever agree to allow the US to violate their sovereignty and conduct military strikes in their borders, but it's also unclear if Trump gives a fuck. "Trump, military sources also tell me, is focused on results, willing to ignore law, rules, and even policy recommendations in his zeal to have 'progress' towards his goals with regard to national security," writes Klippenstein. No way this could possibly backfire and affect us here at home, right? At least it's on the other side of the world with huge oceans in between us and — oh.

Take Action: Stop Trump's attacks on Media Matters for America!

Israeli army database suggests at least 83% of Gaza dead were civilians
Data from an internal Israeli intelligence database indicates that at least 83 percent of Palestinians killed in Israel’s onslaught on Gaza were civilians, an investigation by +972 Magazine, Local Call, and The Guardian can reveal. The Israeli army confirmed the existence of the database, which is managed by the Military Intelligence Directorate (known by the Hebrew acronym "AMAN"). The database includes a list of 47,653 names of Palestinians in Gaza whom AMAN considers to be active in the military wings of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). According to the data, which was obtained in May of this year, the Israeli army believed it had killed around 8,900 operatives since October 7 — the deaths of 7,330 of whom were considered certain and 1,570 recorded as "probably dead." Assuming that all of the certain and probable militant deaths were counted in the death toll, that would mean over 83 percent of Gaza’s dead were civilians. If the probable deaths are discounted and only the certain deaths included, the proportion of civilian deaths rises to more than 86 percent. Maj. Gen. (Res.) Itzhak Brik, who served for many years as a commander in the Israeli army, said, "They lie non-stop — both the military echelon and the political echelon. In every raid, the IDF spokesperson’s announcements said: 'Hundreds of terrorists were killed.' It’s true that hundreds were killed, but they weren't terrorists. There is absolutely no connection between the numbers they announce and what is actually happening."

Take Action: End the Gaza famine and stop US military aid to Israel now!

Ex-pastor and podcaster at Pete Hegseth's church calls for public executions, says Bible backs ICE raids
Piss'd ol' Pete sure keeps curious company. Doug Wilson, the founding pastor of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC) movement, of which Hegseth is an active member, has openly called for "Christian domination" under Trump, including stripping women of the right to vote — a position Pete himself had no problem openly endorsing earlier this month. But wait, there's always more! Fellow church member Joshua Haymes, a former pastor and current host of the Reformation Red Pill podcast — which Hegseth has repeatedly endorsed AND appeared on numerous times — has called for capital punishment for adultery and abortion, wants to bring back public executions, and appeared to call for the drowning of LGBTQ+ Pride marchers. He also claims the Bible is pro-ICE raids, regularly clatters on about the incredibly racist "great replacement" theory, and says wealthy white Christians are under no biblical obligation to help non-white foreign nationals who apparently want to come to America and "destroy our culture." Again, for those in the back, this is who Pete Hegseth endorses online, hangs out with at church, and shoots the shit with for hours on end on podcasts. The call is coming from inside the house, folks.

Trump administration is reviewing all 55 million foreigners with US visas for any violations
No biggie. Just a super casual glance at the personal records of 55 MILLION US visa holders to see how many more people the Trump regime can unceremoniously kick out of the country. Should only take several years and several hundred million dollars. Also, spoiler alert: they're gonna start with brown folks first.

You need to read The Feed, indeed!
The Feed: If you like The Daily Dose of Democracy, you’ll love The Feed, our smart, scrollable companion newsletter packed with big political news, hot creator takes, and real ways to make a difference. That's right, we've got a Substack now! We built The Feed because too much of today’s news cycle feels like noise. Too many sensational headlines without substance, too much commentary without credibility, and too much outrage without options. The Feed flips that script to deliver a wholly different kind of news. It’s where independent journalism meets creator culture. Every week, The Feed breaks down the biggest stories shaping our democracy — delivered by voices you trust and framed with action in mind. Whether you want to go deeper on a particular headline or just need a smart way to talk about it at dinner, The Feed is for you. Don’t worry, if you’re subscribed to Daily Dose, you’re already logged into The Feed! Click here to check it out! We're still going to be sending you the same DDD you know and love every day, but now there's even more to explore!

Trump DOJ hires lawyer who compared Jan. 6 prosecutions to the Holocaust AND insurrectionist who called on fellow rioters to "kill" the police
Jonathan Gross (seriously) has advocated for financial compensation for former Jan. 6 defendants, compared prosecutors to a notorious Nazi war criminal, amplified conspiracy theories that the attack was instigated by federal agents, and reposted on social media a statement that "it's time for the police and government to pay for their crimes against the American people." Gross now has an official post in the Department of Justice, having just joined the "Weaponization Working Group," where he will work alongside other batshit crazy, far-right extremists who have no business being anywhere near government positions of power. The leader of the Weaponization Working Group, Associate Deputy Attorney General Ed Martin, also previously defended Jan. 6 defendants in court, and has suggested that rioters may have been justified in assaulting police. And another member of the group, Jared Wise (again, seriously), is a former riot defendant himself, who literally urged rioters to "KILL" police during the attack and called the officers "the Gestapo." We'd call this level of gaslighting Orwellian, but that honestly feels too polite at this point.

Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor party vacates Omar Fateh's endorsement for mayor
Headlines were made around the country when the Minnesota DFL declined to endorse incumbent Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and endorsed progressive Omar Fateh, a Muslim-American state lawmaker who ran on a Bernie Sanders-style platform of free college, living wages, affordable housing, and clean energy. Now the Minnesota DFL has decided to reverse that endorsement, claiming that there were "substantial failures in the Minneapolis Convention’s voting process," and then immediately ruled out any chance of holding another convention, which absolutely gives away that this is a straight-up rat-fucking of a popular progressive by those representing the interests of the wealthy and possibly racist, especially since all the OTHER endorsements at that convention were still upheld. Need any more proof? Here's a video of longtime Minnesota politician Lisa Goodman on a call for Jacob Frey's All of MPLS PAC saying, "I'm holding checks from a lot of people who contributed to this multi-candidate expenditure...Those checks will be withheld unless Fateh's DFL endorsement for mayor is overturned...the largest contributors at the $5k level didn't feel comfortable giving the money to the DFL. If the decision is overturned I have permission to cash a bunch of those checks." Once again, Democrats are choosing money over principle and are screwing over their best and brightest candidates.

Pulse Memorial's rainbow crosswalk removed overnight in Orlando, Florida
A rainbow crosswalk in Orlando, Florida, that was part of the city’s Pulse Memorial was painted over by the state late Wednesday night. The memorial honored the 49 people fatally shot by a gunman at the Pulse LGBTQ nightclub in 2016, in what was the largest mass shooting in the country at the time. Gov. Ron DeSantis explained the state's reasoning for desecrating the memorial, writing: "We will not allow our state roads to be commandeered for political purposes." Riiiiight. As of publication, the crosswalk has already been repainted by the community in a show of defiance to Ron DeSantis and his bigotry.

Judge orders closure of Trump’s Florida "Alligator Alcatraz" immigration detention center
Donald Trump's massive immigration concentration camp located deep within Florida Everglades faces an uncertain future after a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction to halt its expansion and begin its closure. US District Judge Kathleen Williams formalized a temporary halt she had imposed two weeks prior, amidst ongoing testimony in a multi-day hearing. Environmental advocates had argued the facility violated crucial environmental laws. The state of Florida swiftly responded to the ruling, of course, filing a notice of appeal on Thursday night. Judge Williams said she expected the population of the facility to decline within 60 days through the transferring of the detainees to other facilities, and once that happened, fencing, lighting, and generators should be removed. She wrote the state and federal defendants can't bring anyone other than those who are already being detained at the facility onto the property. Fat chance anyone in the Trump or DeSantis administrations will abide by the ruling, but it is mildly encouraging to see our judicial branch attempting to do its job and rein in these lawless, runaway autocrats.