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How else to describe this past week? We’ve known for a while now that Donald Trump is most likely a pedophile. Can I prove it? No. But as the old saying goes, “where there’s smoke, there’s fire,” and there’s a lot of smoke out there. This week saw the release of more Epstein material that was…enlightening. I’ll let you decide what you think of the email (above) between Jeffrey Epstein and his brother, Mark. Ugh.
And then there was Megyn Kelly. She’s now slipped to the level of judging whether raping a 15-year-old girl is as bad as raping an 8-year-old girl. Good Lord. Once these folks decided to support Trump 10 years ago, it’s been one endless game of lowering standards, repudiating principles, and eschewing basic human decency to accommodate him.
Liar, cheat, felon, traitor, adjudicated rapist...and (maybe) pedophile? Would THAT matter to them? It’s profoundly sad that I’m not sure.
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!
REP. ADELITA GRIJALVA. After 50 days of stalling by Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, the Arizona representative was finally sworn in. She’s already making waves. In her biting swearing-in speech, she admonished the Trump Administration for its numerous abuses. But she also called out lawmakers for their failure to “hold Trump accountable as a co-equal branch of government.” Then she provided the final signature needed on the petition to force a vote to release the Epstein Files. Right on, Congresswoman.
U.S. VETERANS. As we celebrated Veterans Day this past week, a special shoutout to the vets fighting fascism. They are tirelessly advocating and educating against the rise of fascism and collecting information to hold fascists accountable. In these times more than ever, we’re lucky to have our vets.
U.S. DISTRICT JUDGE JEFFREY CUMMINGS. On Wednesday, Judge Cummings ordered the release of hundreds of people in Illinois who have been arrested during ICE’s invasion of Chicago. That includes people who should have been released on bail, were arrested without warrants, or weren’t eligible for detention in the first place. That’s real justice in action.
REP. JAMIE RASKIN & THE HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE. Democrats on the Committee released emails in which Jeffrey Epstein states that Trump “knew about the girls” and even “spent hours” with one of his victims. Meanwhile, Rep. Raskin has called out the Trump Administration over its preferential treatment of Ghislaine Maxwell, who was recently moved to a minimum-security prison, which her crimes should disqualify her from. He also reported whistleblower information that Maxwell was preparing to apply for a commutation. He called it all “a corrupt misuse of law-enforcement resources.” And he’s damn right.
BRANDON ROYVAL. This UFC fighter rejected the idea of participating in a match at the White House…and he did not mince words (be warned). Here’s what he said: “I don’t give a shit about fighting at the fucking White House. I don’t give a fuck about any of our political figures right now, and it’s like to fight in front of them seems like some fucking ‘Hunger Games’ type of fucking shit. I don’t give a fuck to fight in front of some fucking billionaires and rich people that could give a shit less about me. Probably throwing parlays. Fuck you guys. Also, I’m too Mexican-looking. ICE is suspiciously arresting motherfuckers, and I don’t know. Who knows, bro? Next thing you know, I’m in Mexico, and I don’t speak Spanish.” Harsh, but not wrong.
HONORABLE MENTION. It’s not everyday that I’m happy about this Supreme Court’s decisions, but this past week, I was. They rightly rejected a request to consider overturning the 2015 decision that ensured same-sex marriage in every state. What’s more, not one justice dissented—even those who opposed the original decision. America is a free and equal country. They did their job and upheld that.
Did we miss anyone? Send your heroes our way!
Good Reads for This Week
This Shutdown Deal Sucks —Endless Urgency
Republicans Made This Mess—Democrats Just Cleaned It Up for Them
—Adam Kinzinger
Trump Even Lost Laura Ingraham —The Status Kuo
Excusing Abuse as Political Strategy —The View from Rural Missouri
If Morality Had Bankruptcy Lawyers: Michael Wolff, Mike Solana, and the Age of Ethical Insolvency —Notes from the Circus
White House ‘Emergency’ Epstein Meetings Held in Secret Facility
—Defiance News
More Than 100 Republicans Set to Rebuke Trump and Vote to Release Files —The Parnas Perspective
Robert Reich: Ultra-Rich Media Owners Are Tightening Their Grip on Democracy. It’s Time to Wrest Our Power Back —The Guardian
The Authoritarian Stack —Francesca Bria
Lesson: People Don’t Want Crazy on their School Boards —Pepperspectives
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