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Why subscribe? One of my paid subscribers, George, says it best: “You write well. You write often. You appear to respect people and critical thought from all sources. You made a courageous choice to leave the party of MAGA.” Thank you, George! Glad you’re on board.
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Even in this era of AI slop, a genuine picture can still tell a thousand words, and this shot from Andrew Caballero-Reynolds is a beaut. There he is, Donald Trump, President of the United States, standing there limp and dejected, as a man with a health issue collapses on the floor to his left. And it’s not just a misleading moment captured in time. Watch the video. He just didn’t care.
It captures this man perfectly. The same man who is using a government shutdown to deprive people of food. The same man who asked the U.S. Supreme Court to block a lower court ruling ordering his administration to provide full SNAP benefits. The same man whose Department of Agriculture is telling states that are providing full benefits to stop doing so. The same man who flew off to Florida to party at Mar-a-Lago while flights are being cut nationwide.
He just doesn’t care. About you. About me. About his supporters (the ones who aren’t uber-rich, that is). No one. Except himself.
Joe
This Past Week
My Substack Lives are open to all subscribers, unless noted. Click below if you missed any of my conversations last week!
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Amid all the bad, awful, dumb, stupid, absurd, insane, sickening, despicable, cruel, sad, pathetic, embarrassing, irresponsible, demoralizing, deplorable, shady, infuriating, outrageous, terrible, horrible, Constitution-defying, fascist news of the past week, we have to acknowledge the TOP FIVE HEROES among us. The list is growing, as more and more of us are standing up to the tyrant. Courage is infectious. Be brave!
AMERICAN VOTERS. Voters across the country kicked Donald Trump’s ass on Tuesday—at the ballot box. From California to New York to Georgia to Pennsylvania to Virginia to New Jersey and everywhere in between, there were blue victories as far as the eye could see, giving the resistance some much-needed momentum ahead of the midterms.
THE JUDICIARY (MINUS THE SUPREME COURT). The lower courts are doing their damnedest to keep Trump in check. More than 100 federal judges have rejected the Trump Administration’s policy to lock up nearly everyone facing deportation—including 12 judges appointed by Trump himself. You’ll find some more examples of heroic judges from the past two weeks here, here, here, here, here, and here.
DEMOCRATS. They are showing fire and fighting back. Kudos to Sen. Jacky Rosen for letting everyone know who owns this government shutdown; Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro for delivering on SNAP benefits in his state and putting super-phony JD Vance in his place; and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore for pushing to redraw his state’s congressional maps and creating a commission to propose new lines ahead of the 2026 midterms.
THE SANDWICH GUY JURY. To the 12 jurors who decided that the Justice Department’s case against Sean Dunn—the D.C. resident who chucked a Subway sandwich at the chest of a federal officer in August—was about as convincing as a ham sandwich: chef’s kiss.
MANNY. As LetsGetIntoIt2025 explains: “This is 16-year-old Manny.
He showed up to the Hillsboro, Oregon, city council meeting to plead for protection for his community, his family, his friends, and himself. Where has the humanity in our country gone? My heart breaks over the fear and trauma being experienced—no, inflicted upon—hard-working people across our country. And the children. My God. I don’t want to hear the word ‘pro-life’ ever again from the Republican Party. No one deserves this in America.” Well said.
Did we miss anyone? Send your heroes our way!
Good Reads for This Week
What the Fuck Is Wrong with This Guy? —Everyone Is Entitled to My Own Opinion
The Rebrand of Indifference —A Room with a View
Chicago Joins the Ranks of Thermopylae, Waterloo, Lepanto, and the Normandy Beaches —It’s the Democracy, Stupid
1984 is Almost Here —The Home Front
Fear, Loathing, and Support for Political Violence in the United States —ScienceDirect
A Year Ahead of the Midterms, Americans’ Dim Views of Both Parties —Pew Research Center
America Is Sick of Donald Trump —With All Due Respect
Mamdani, Spanberger, Sherrill Won Big. Let’s Make Sure They Can Deliver —The Existentialist Republic
After No Kings, Democrats Urgently Need a Proactive Message. Here It Is —Salty Politics
Cutting SNAP and Guarding the Epstein Files Is Anything But Divine —The Hill
The Danger of Blurring the Line Between Church and State —U.S. Catholic
A Hypocrite Racing to Be a MAGAMan —Adam Kinzinger
I Talked to a Trump Voter for Two Hours. Here’s What Happened —The Smart Politics Way
Michael’s Story of Leaving MAGA —Leaving MAGA
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