What explains the global double standard on suffering? A timeless lesson in how pity is weaponized – or withheld. Read Full Article at RT.com

The US president has called FireAid a scam and claimed that victims never received the promised money Read Full Article at RT.com

His assault on anti-corruption agencies has opened the door to political revolt – and made his position look weaker than ever Read Full Article at RT.com

Turkish FM Hakan Fidan has praised the third round of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul Read Full Article at RT.com

Democrats have their lowest approval in 35 years, with the GOP preferred even on issues where Trump polls poorly, a WSJ poll has shown Read Full Article at RT.com

Accusations of treason are not just distractions from Epstein

Suspicions are raised after Justice Department's six-hour meeting with the convicted sex trafficker

As farm aid and food programs vanish, Kennedy champions cold foam and beef tallow as public health wins

The president’s “working trip” sparked large-scale protests, local controversy, and a few brutal front pages

NY Times' pet conservative offers a lengthy apologia for America — and gets pretty much everything wrong

A daily roundup of the best stories and cartoons by Daily Kos staff and contributors to keep you in the know. You'll never believe why Trump claims 'Obama owes me big' News flash: Presidential immunity is beneficial only to presidents who are corrupt. Filing taxes is about to get even harder for non-English speakers It’s just another transparent attack on immigrants. Trump won't rule out pardoning notorious sex offender he partied with His silence speaks volumes. Cartoon: Late night with MAGA The disgust will keep you awake. Sorry, Trump, but Fed Chair Jerome Powell isn't going anywhere No matter how much the president whines and moans. 'Bribery is still illegal': Paramount merger reeks of Trump payoff The message to corporations is clear: Bend the knee or get bent. How an iPhone app became a vital tool in fighting Trump’s ICE goons Let’s hope Apple does the right thing when the app is inevitably targeted. Trump teams wants to rewrite history by axing books on slavery His minions think telling the truth about slavery is “corrosive ideology.” Media keeps caving to Trump, but FCC goon demands even more The Federal Communications Commission chair is pushing for a “course correction.” Click here to see more cartoons.

This confessional was posted to Reddit’s r/centrist community. In it, a Tennessee Democrat explains why he voted for Donald Trump in 2024, despite voting Democratic downballot. I’m sharing it with commentary because it offers a window into Trump’s enduring—and maddening—appeal. ​​I voted for Trump in 2024, it took a lot in me to do it but I did it. I live in Nashville so I voted Trump up top and actually I voted blue all the way down, I am not a huge fan of Tennessee republicans. I find them too extreme, I would consider myself similar to a northeastern republican, or a 90s democrat. I voted the day of, I could’ve early voted but I chose not to because I just couldn’t decide what to do. I didn’t plan to vote for Harris for a variety of reasons that I’ll explain, but it was either Trump or 3rd party. The day of, I chose Trump. First of all, “90s Democrat” is basically code for “not woke.” I’ve written recently about how progressive buzzwords have been an electoral disaster for the left. I watched the debate between Trump and Harris, and just like most people thought, Trump absolutely got his ass beat by Harris. She came off strong, prepared, looked great up there but I just didn’t hear anything new that she was looking to bring to the table that were fresh ideas and she had been the VP for Joe and I wasn’t very happy with Joe Biden’s presidency in all honesty. Didn’t think it was awful, but it wasn’t great either. So Kamala Harris had to bring “something new,” but Trump could recycle his failed first-term talking points? Trump’s always benefited from the bigotry of low expectations—and here it is on full display. Also, Biden wasn’t awful … so bring back the guy whose last presidency was?a When I watched the DNC, I didn’t really see much other than the party turning away from everyday citizens who are looking for a bright future and instead it seemed like DNC was open to big business and corporate donors. I’m all against political parties being bought and paid for so it turned me off to the democrats. This sounds like someone getting their political news from Fox News or Facebook memes. The idea that the DNC is in bed with corporate donors—but the Republican convention wasn’t—is fantasy. For the record, the conventions’ fundraising weren’t that far off, with $95 million for Democrats and $85 million for Republicans. And, yes, Republicans took corporate money. Of course they did. Nutirition is a huge thing for me, I felt RFK joining forces with Trump and talking about getting rid of nitrates, phosphates, corn syrups, seed oils…etc, and trying to reduce the cancer rates and going after corporations who are poisoning our foods everyday. Imagine thinking Trump is going to “go after” corporations—unless they’re run by a liberal or said something mean about him. And Robert F. Kennedy Jr.? He’s a dangerous crank, plain and simple. I felt Trump would calm down the Ukraine/Russia conflict and Trump would use his relationship to Putin to basically say “stop this shit” and create a calmer world for us. Also would work to fix the debt this country is facing, lower inflation, transparency on Epstein files and bring plenty of jobs back to the US. Trump’s greatest power is that his followers believe his lies, dismiss his truths, and when there’s neither, they just make things up. He’s a tabula rasa for projection. This is exhibit A. Here’s where things went south: Epstein files, guy thinks we’re stupid. He campaigns on the Epstein files, realizes he’s on there and now is telling us to stop worrying about it and questioning why we’re still talking about it? Now they’re trying to deflect by talking about Obama. This is embarassing. This guy isn’t MAGA, and to his credit, he says he’s going back to voting Democratic. But he’s right: the Epstein stuff is a genuine vulnerability for Trump. The more he tries to bury it, the more it feeds the narrative that he’s hiding something. Getting rid of the Dept of Education, I know he brought this up during his campaign but I thought he’d be sensible enough to work across the aisle with democrats on this matter but this is insane. He wanted to shut down the Dept of Education with no back up plan other than let the states figure it out. I don’t know if I necessarily trust republicans when it comes to education these days. Trump has never been sensible. He’s never worked with Democrats. Why would anyone think he’d start now? This guy knew what Trump was promising. He doesn’t even trust Republicans on education. And yet  he voted for Trump anyway. I can’t even. “The Big, Beautiful, Bill”, an abhorrently terrible bill that only helps people in the top tax brackets to save money on federal taxes that they don’t need. I make between 51k-100k and I would only save $800 on taxes but the highest tax brackets will save thousands. Why? I could use $5,000 back more than someone who owns a home or two. And the bottom bracket will pay more in taxes. This was by far the worst bill and it benefits the rich and not the working class, young people like myself who voted for Trump. Yes, the GOP passed a tax bill for rich people. This is not a twist ending. This is the brand. Tarrifs: wtf is this guy thinking other countries will pay more, we’re the ones having to foot the cost. This is making things more expensive for us and people up top brag the US has brought in higher amounts of revenue but it’s from our own people, not even other countries. Trump ran on this. He campaigned on it. Again, this guy wasn’t uninformed. So why the shock? Immigration: I’m a traveler, I’ve been to many countries and when you overstay your welcome, immigration will come to your door and ask you to leave so I get that. If you’re in this country and you’ve overstayed your visa, or are not documented, you have to head back and come back the right way. My dad is an immigrant, did all the right things and he’s here and can vote. It should be the same for everyone. BUT, when immigration is coming and going after citizens and not doing their due diligence and checking backgrounds and citizenship and they’re just assuming their illegal than that’s a massive red flag. Trump is basically telling these guys they have free will to do whatever and it’s messed up. Alligator Alcatraz and the living conditions there is ridiculous. Even this guy, who’s mostly supportive of immigration enforcement, recognizes how reckless Trump’s approach is. But he misses the core issue: The economy is heavily dependent on immigrant labor like construction, agriculture, and hospitality. Mass deportations are another inflationary time bomb. Polling shows growing support for immigrants, but much of that is just opposition to Trump’s policies, not a deeper ideological shift. The issue will continue to be a liability for Democrats.  I will absolutely be voting all blue come the midterms and will be voting for a sensible democrat next election. This guy has ruined it for me. We’re a 49-48 Democratic country. We don’t need to win over MAGA. But if we can peel off just 5 points—voters like this guy—we’re suddenly a 54-43 country. That flips more House and Senate seats, gives us cushion for midterms, and opens up red-leaning states to real competition. People like this guy—Democrats who flirted with Trump—are the lowest-hanging fruit. If there’s a silver lining to Trump’s disastrous presidency, it’s that some of them are now ready to come home.

A cartoon by Clay Bennett. Related | Guess who's reportedly named in the Epstein files

Caribbean Matters is a weekly series from Daily Kos. Hope you’ll join us here every Saturday. If you are unfamiliar with the region, check out Caribbean Matters: Getting to know the countries of the Caribbean. Puerto Rico has made it into mainland news headlines recently, and this time it’s not because of Bad Bunny or a hurricane, but for a human-made disaster.  The U.S. territory has launched an attack on trans youth, according to this AP story titled “Puerto Rico bans hormone therapy and gender surgery for trans people under 21”: Puerto Rico’s governor has signed a bill that prohibits hormone therapy or gender-affirming surgeries for transgender youth, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from activists in the largely conservative U.S. territory. The law approved late Wednesday applies to those younger than 21 and calls for 15 years in prison for any violators, as well as a $50,000 penalty and the revocation of all licenses and permits of medical staff. “Minors, having not yet reached the necessary emotional, cognitive, and physical maturity, are particularly vulnerable to making decisions that can have irreversible consequences,” the law reads. “Therefore, it is the State’s duty to ensure their comprehensive well-being.” It also states that public funds cannot be used for such purposes. Puerto Rico’s LGBTQ+ Federation criticized the law in a statement Thursday. “Let there be no doubt: We will go to court to challenge the constitutionality of the governor’s cruel and inhumane signing of a law that criminalizes health professionals for caring for trans minors,” said Justin Jesús Santiago, the federation’s director. Puerto Rico associations that represent physicians, surgeons, psychologists, social workers, lawyers and other professionals had urged the governor to veto the bill. Roughly two dozen U.S. states have similar laws. xPuerto Rico has just banned gender affirming care for trans people up to age 21. It is now the ban with the highest age limit in the United States. www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-...[image or embed]— Alejandra Caraballo (@esqueer.net) July 17, 2025 at 12:40 PM CBS reported that the new “Puerto Rico law criminalizes hormone therapy and gender-affirming surgery for transgender people under 21”: Puerto Rico's governor has signed a bill that prohibits hormone therapy or gender-affirming surgeries for transgender youth, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from activists in the largely conservative United States territory. Puerto Rican Gov. Jennifer Gonzalez approved the law late Wednesday, following a wave of similar legislation passed across the U.S. The law applies to people younger than 21 and calls for 15 years in prison for any violators, as well as a $50,000 penalty and the revocation of all licenses and permits of medical staff. [...] GLAAD, a nonprofit organization focused on LGBTQ rights advocacy and media monitoring, were among the critics that had urged Gonzalez to veto the bill after it passed through Puerto Rico's legislatures. In a statement released jointly with the LGBTQ+ Federation earlier this month, the organization said such restrictions «would create unbearable burdens for the most marginalized in Puerto Rico.» GLAAD’s statement makes an important point: GLAAD is supporting on-the-ground advocates in raising the alarm about the serious risk the bill poses to transgender people on the island, literally cutting them off from lifesaving care that is supported by every major medical association in the world. Unlike in much of the contiguous U.S., Puerto Ricans are unable to  just drive over to a friendly state to find alternative providers. Transgender people in the territory who lose access would be stranded if they do not have significant money and resources to explore other options for care. Nothing has changed about the care including its safety and efficacy – the bill’s movement is the direct result of an extreme environment of disinformation that’s now infecting U.S. territories where marginalized people are already under greater threat. x3. President of the Puerto Rico LGBTQ+ Federation, Pedro Julio Serrano, told Erin in the Morning that because the law was intentionally “vague,” it opens up the very real possibility that not only doctors, but also affirming parents of trans people, could be prosecuted under this law.[image or embed]— Erin Reed (@erininthemorning.com) July 20, 2025 at 3:35 AM Journalist S. Baum weighed in via the Erin in the Morning Substack: Puerto Rican Governor Jenniffer González Colón, a Trump-aligned Republican, signed the most severe ban on gender-affirming care anywhere within the United States or its territories. Act 63-2025, the title of which translates to an “Act for the Protection of the Health and Well-being of Minors in Puerto Rico," criminalizes the provision of gender-affirming hormone treatment or surgery for anyone under the age of 21, even with consenting parents. This can include 15 years in prison, a $50,000 fine, and the loss of any medical certifications. President of the Puerto Rico LGBTQ+ Federation, Pedro Julio Serrano, told Erin in the Morning that because the law was intentionally “vague,” it opens up the very real possibility that not only doctors, but also affirming parents of trans people, could be prosecuted under this law—if they facilitate the provision of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or affirming medical procedures like “top” surgery. It also directs the Department of Education and Department of Health to wage an “educational” campaign focusing on the “risks” associated with trans-affirming health care, geared towards parents, medical providers, and the “general community.” The law was pushed through the legislative process through a series of non-public hearings, Serrano said. At the recommendation of Puerto Rico’s Health Secretary, Víctor Ramos Otereo—who was appointed by the Governor herself—it was sent back to the legislature; Serrano said Otereo suggested adding amendments that would allow for puberty blockers as well as the continuation of care for trans Puerto Ricans already on HRT. “[Ramos] vehemently told [Governor Colón] to include that language in the bill or not sign the bill,” Serrano said. “Then she signed the bill. So she ignored her own Health Secretary.” This means adolescents and young adults currently on puberty blockers or HRT to treat gender dysphoria are legally required to medically detransition, the results of which could be dangerous and devastating for many young adults and their families. xI'm co-parenting a trans child from Puerto Rico. This news is the stuff of nightmares. We have got to fight back, and hard. www.yahoo.com/news/breakin...[image or embed]— Sasha Costanza-Chock (@schock.cc) July 18, 2025 at 10:23 AM For those of you who are unfamiliar with Puerto Rican politics, the island colony has had a terrible string of Republican governors. It’s hard to name who was the worst of the bunch, but let’s just say they’ve all been pretty awful. I wrote about former Gov. Pedro Pierlusisi here, his predecessor Wanda Vázquez Garced here, and her predecessor Ricardo “Ricky” Rosselló here. Susanne Ramirez de Arellano wrote about González-Colón’s decision to run for governor for Latino Rebels in “Jenniffer González Is More of the Same—and Probably Worse”: The current inhabitant of the Governor’s seat in PR,  Jenniffer González-Colón was elected Governor on November 5, 2024.  She is both a member of the island’s “New Progressive Party” (Partido Nuevo Progresista (PNP) which is in no way progressive, and a Republican, and a former chair of Latinos for Trump” .” González-Colón was an ardent Trump supporter, even after he called Puerto Ricans “dirty and poor” and blocked aid after Hurricane María. She was even one of the chairs of Latinos for Trump during the 2020 presidential campaign. She endorsed Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in his 2022 reelection bid in Florida, backed disgraced Rep. George Santos in New York last year, and questioned the Puerto Rican identity of Democratic Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, a Boricua born in New York.   She is also a staunch advocate of the Jones Act, which is profoundly detrimental to Puerto Rico. She has been fighting to turn the island into one colossal “Opportunity Zone,” which would only spur gentrification and the exodus of even more Boricuas from their homeland. On the other side of all of this negativity are organizations on the island and mainland that support trans folk and are fighting for their rights. Meet some of them here: Arianna’s Center At Arianna’s Center we are the only service and advocacy organization with the mission of supporting and empowering transgender women of color in Florida, Puerto Rico, or wherever there is a need for such service. We provide outpatient HIV/AIDS testing services, support with social workers, legal name changing services, referral for legal help, access to personal medical services and emotional health. We offer specific programs for Transmen and shelter for trans women who have been detained by ICE or have been incarcerated. We provide GED scholarship programs to pursue their high-school degree, personalized support for technical career pursuing and guidance to our clients on how to enter the world of work. We train our Trans and LGBTIQ+ community in advocacy, making them more active at a political level, supporting elected government leaders in establishing policies and policies that ensure the well-being of our communities in new laws for a better quality of life and laws in the field of HIV AIDS. x YouTube Video Gilead Sciences is proud to support Arianna’s Center, an advocacy organization deeply rooted in the Latinx transgender community that is committed to providing more equitable access to necessary HIV resources and supporting the unique needs of the trans people in South Florida and Puerto Rico. Arianna's Center is a recipient of grant funding from Gilead Sciences. Waves Ahead Puerto Rico We offer support to the marginalized and vulnerable sectors of society by giving them the necessary help to strengthen their community and family environment. Waves Ahead Puerto Rico and its Community Center provides advocacy and services for the LGBT+ older adults. We offer supportive, free and accessible services for all with particular emphasis on LGBT+ people over 50. We have service centers located in the north, south, west and east of the island. Our community center is the center for everyone. x YouTube Video The TransLatin@ Coalition in Puerto Rico Defending TGI Rights in Puerto Rico The TransLatin@ Coalition is committed to ensuring that the voices and rights of Transgender, Gender Expansive, and Intersex (TGI) people in Puerto Rico are not only recognized but prioritized. As part of our national agenda, we extend our policy and advocacy programs to the island to address the unique challenges faced by TGI communities in U.S. territories. La Federación LGBTQ+ de Puerto Rico (Translated from Spanish} A group of LGBTQ+ and allied organizations, which formed the United Front for Equity during the last election cycle, announced the creation of the LGBTQ+ Federation of Puerto Rico to maintain the collective work space in order to defend the dignity of LGBTQ+ people in the country. Puerto Rico Para Tod@s Executive Director Pedro Julio Serrano weighed in on the bill in a tweet saying, “The Lgbtq+ Federation of Puerto Rico denounced “the governor's cruel and inhumane signing of a law that criminalizes health professionals for caring for transgender minors and makes them even more precarious.” xLa Federación Lgbtq+ de Puerto Rico denunció «la firma cruel e inhumana por parte de la gobernadora de una ley que criminaliza a los profesionales de la salud por cuidar a los menores trans y les precariza aún más. youtu.be/PjbkOaljTXY?...[image or embed]— Pedro Julio Serrano (@pedrojulio.com) July 17, 2025 at 11:34 AM House of Grace Among the rocks of their Caribbean archipelago, a group of trans artists and creatives in Puerto Rico have found their safe port. It is a harbor offering them safety and affirmation amid choppy waters. Both a natural resource and cultural construct, it has an appropriately reverential name: House of Grace. House of Grace was founded by María José, a transdisciplinary artist and activist, in the months after Puerto Rico was ravaged by Hurricane Maria in 2017. In the midst of natural disasters and a global pandemic, when rains have flooded and the earth has been shaken, the dancers, performers and writers who make up the House have laid down collective roots, built trust and chosen one another. Despite its name, the House is not a physical domicile but instead a group who work to take care of themselves, and to uplift each other’s power, beauty, and artistic talents amid a worsening culture of discrimination against queer and trans people. Over time, House of Grace has evolved into a tight-knit yet welcoming community—and a family. Brut America produced a video titled “House of Grace: Meet the Trans Youth of Puerto Rico”: x YouTube Video There were quite a few news stories on Puerto Rican television about the bill as well. I won’t post them here, because there are no subtitles, but will post them in the comments section below. Please join me there for the weekly Caribbean news roundup.

People feel disconnected from politics and government. And that disconnection leads them to vote based on nonissues like trans athletes. The best way to reconnect them? Make it blazingly obvious how the government helps them.  For example, don’t just hide benefits in obscure tax credits or long-horizon infrastructure projects. Send them freakin’ checks. President Donald Trump is the dumbest motherfucker to ever occupy the Oval Office—but, damn, he knows how to rally the masses. When COVID-19 stimulus checks went out under his watch, he made sure that his name was on them. In contrast, President Joe Biden reverted to letting the Treasury secretary sign them, a mistake he recently admitted was “stupid.” Now Trump is toying with the idea of sending Americans checks funded by tariff revenue.  A COVID-19 stimulus check with President Donald Trump’s name on it. “We’re thinking about that actually. We have so much money coming in, we’re thinking about a little rebate,” Trump told reporters before heading off to Scotland on Friday. He said that the rebate might go to “people of a certain income level, adding that “the big thing we want to do is pay down debt. But we’re thinking about a rebate.” It’s worth noting that paying down debt was the original justification Trump gave for his economy-destroying tariffs—and, yes, higher prices are coming. But voters don’t actually care about debt. They say they do, but it’s not how they vote.  The deficit and debt are abstract, disconnected from people’s daily struggles—just like climate change often is. What voters do respond to is someone promising to lower prices or offer free stuff—like lower prices on Day 1 and free buses. Direct checks are politically potent. If Democrats had converted the Child Tax Credit into monthly payments signed by Biden, they could have campaigned in 2024 with a simple message: “Republicans will cancel your checks. Vote accordingly.” Now imagine Trump distributing tariff rebates to voters. Republicans in 2026 or 2028 could easily say, “Democrats will repeal those tariffs and cancel your checks.” Even if the counterargument is that the tariffs cost more than the check is worth, that’s a hard message to land. So far, Trump’s tariffs have brought in $113 billion over the past 9 months. Assuming that none of those tariff revenues offset the massive $3.4 trillion in new debt created by the GOP’s “One Big, Beautiful Bill,” that works out to a one-time payment of $437 per person—or about $48 a month. Not nothing, but not life-changing either. President Donald Trump announces his tariffs on “Liberation Day.” Looking forward, the Tax Foundation estimates that Trump’s tariffs will generate $2.5 trillion over the next decade. That’s about $245.5 billion per year. Divide that by 336 million Americans, and it comes to roughly $731 a year, or $61 a month. That’s better than current levels, given that many of Trump’s proposed tariffs are still in limbo, but again, it won’t move the economic needle for most people. Trump did say that the checks would go to people “of a certain income level,” which means they could be targeted toward his working class base and end up larger than the estimated $61 monthly payment. But that same Tax Foundation model also projects that Trump’s tariffs will shrink GDP by nearly a percentage point and eliminate almost 800,000 jobs.  The economic damage would be real—and it would disproportionately hurt the very same low-income workers that these checks are supposedly meant to help. Still, it’s good politics. And it’s the kind of thing that Democrats should have been doing all along—just without the economic destruction.  And our version should make the richest 1% pay for it.

Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr was asked about Stephen Colbert, whose show was canceled in what many view as a craven concession to appease President Donald Trump, during an appearance on CNBC Friday. “They have such a storied history, and it's sort of sad to see what's happening to Colbert. They obviously can't get it done. They're not making money over there. But I think they need a course correction. And frankly, I think, you know, the media industry across this country needs a course correction,” he said. x x YouTube Video Carr was on the show to discuss approving a multibillion-dollar merger between Paramount and Skydance, which came just weeks after the media giant paid Trump $16 million to settle his frivolous lawsuit—a lawsuit that was mocked by “South Park,” a Paramount-distributed show.  Anna Gomez, the sole Democratic-appointed FCC commissioner, castigated Paramount’s “months of cowardly capitulation to this Administration.”  When asked about her statement condemning the obvious bribe and violation of the First Amendment, Carr responded, “I think it's time for a change.” x x YouTube Video While CBS claimed that Colbert’s late night show was canceled for financial reasons, it’s been widely criticized as disingenuous. And as Carr defends President Donald Trump ’s war on the First Amendment as an effort to combat “bias” against the right, his actions prove otherwise.

A cartoon by Jack Ohman. Related | CBS cancels Trump critic Colbert's 'Late Show'—and faces sharp blowback

Lee Zeldin might be dismantling the Environmental Protection Agency bit by bit, but at least he’s making gas cans great again. The EPA administrator announced Friday that he had made an official plea to gas-can manufacturers, begging them to change their spout designs.  “Gas cans used to POUR gas. Now they just DRIBBLE like a child's sippy cup. The Trump EPA’s message to gas can makers: VENT THE DARN CAN and let it FLOW BABY FLOW!” he wrote on X. In a memo sent to can manufacturers, Zeldin’s EPA encouraged the designers to stop making cans in compliance with a 2009 EPA standard that was meant to cut down on the release of harmful greenhouse gases.  On one hand, the frustration among consumers using gas cans seems to be more than just among a sparse few. However, as Zeldin wages public battles with plastic cans, he has also been wreaking havoc on his environmental colleagues. Last week, Zeldin announced his plans to shut down the scientific research arm of the EPA.  «Under President Trump's leadership, EPA has taken a close look at our operations to ensure the agency is better equipped than ever to deliver on our core mission of protecting human health and the environment while powering the great American comeback,» Zeldin said in a statement. «This reduction in force will ensure we can better fulfill that mission while being responsible stewards of your hard-earned tax dollars.» A sign protesting emissions from oil and gas stands across from Lybrook Elementary School, in Counselor, New Mexico, Navajo Nation, on March 11. Zeldin’s plan is to shutter the Office of Research and Development, which oversees studies into the harms of toxic chemicals, wildfires, climate change, drinking-water pollutants, and more. And less oversight and public awareness is just what the chemical industry wants. All of this fits into Zeldin’s other work since taking on his role at the EPA.  Since January, he has cut the workforce, including scientists and researchers, and pulled critical research grants across the country. And as he seeks to hamper the EPA’s ability to do its job, he has also made it easier for companies to bypass regulations as well. From no longer collecting most greenhouse-gas data to allowing companies to opt out of regulations by emailing in their requests, Zeldin has been hard at work.  After all, it was his initial plan to “driv[e] a dagger” through the heart of “climate-change religion.” And now the world gets to suffer from that wound.

Even in an era where every new presidential executive order is a body blow, President Donald Trump’s “Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets” is particularly awful. Ostensibly about “making America safe again and ending homelessness,” per the ever-mendacious White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, it’s nothing but criminalizing homelessness, substance use disorders, and mental health issues.  And, like so many things in the Trump era, the right-wing justices on the Supreme Court cleared the way for this cruelty.  The first part of the order purports to be about “restoring civil commitment,” which is nothing but a call for mass institutionalization of people experiencing substance use issues or a mental health crisis. Civil commitment has never gone away, so there’s nothing to be restored as such.  Every state has laws providing for involuntary commitment, but those generally have far higher barriers to entry than those preferred by conservatives. What this boils down to is that right-wingers haven’t yet managed to figure out a way to arrest and imprison people simply based on their diagnoses, so they need a different approach. The approach here is just to demand that states lock people up anyway, albeit under the guise of “civil” commitment.  But what to do with people who aren’t suffering an acute mental health crisis but are unhoused? How can Trump impose some sort of cruel incarceration on them as well? Well, by trying to force states and cities to criminalize urban camping, “loitering,” and “squatting.” The latter two are inflammatory terms meant to make it sound nefarious that the unhoused get to be out in public, standing around. xTrump on homelessness: «Tents -- I'm getting rid of them right now. You can't do that, especially in Washington DC. I talk to the mayor about it all the time. I said, 'you gotta get rid of the tents.' When leaders come to see me to make a trade deal & there's tents outside the WH, you can't have it»[image or embed]— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) July 25, 2025 at 10:08 AM And here’s where the Supreme Court comes in. In 2024, the court decided Grants Pass v. Johnson. There, the conservative majority ruled that cities could impose criminal penalties on people sleeping or camping in public places, even if there were not enough available shelter beds. As repugnant as that decision was, it obviously couldn’t force states or municipalities to adopt those criminal penalties, and executive orders aren’t law, as much as Trump wants them to be. Additionally, those orders really, really, really can’t bind states thanks to that whole federalism/Tenth Amendment thing on which our democracy is theoretically still based.  Never fear, though. The order has a solution. For grants from the Departments of Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, or Transportation, priority will be given to states and municipalities that adopt policies making it easier to arrest the unhoused.  That approach is unforgivable on its face, but it’s also bad policy. Any pretense that the administration cares about anything except cruelty is belied by the fact that it has already slashed billions from programs that help people.  Conservatives loathe “Housing First” policies, which prioritize getting people into secure and sustainable housing where things like treatment options are available, but not mandated. Instead, they want people forced into a cycle of forced treatment and incarceration, their vision of the appropriate “punishment” for poverty. Housing First efforts result in better results for the whole community by providing housing stability.  Conservatives also hate harm reduction efforts, which focus on lessening the harmful effects of substance use with efforts like providing fentanyl test strips or clean needles. Exposing people with substance use disorders to as much danger as possible should not be a viable policy position, but it is one held by a majority of conservatives. The executive order is a permission slip to stigmatize and incarcerate people rather than helping.  But hey, wait, conservatives love the troops, right? Surely they want to make sure that struggling vets get housing? Not so much. They’ve slashed programs that help vets pay for housing. And while Trump made a big splash demanding that the Department of Veterans Affairs  house 6,000 unhoused veterans in West Los Angeles by the end of his term, there are no real details or money attached to making that happen. Also, good luck with that, given that overall cuts to the VA will help grind that agency’s effectiveness to a halt.  Always money for cruelty, never for compassion. It’s the hallmark of the Trump era.

Disgraced former GOP Rep. George Santos of New York reported to federal prison Friday to begin his sentence of more than seven years. He pleaded guilty in April to a series of fraud schemes ranging from wire fraud to aggravated identity theft. But if you thought he would go quietly, think again. In true Santos fashion, he’s spent the past few weeks making the rounds on podcasts—including Tucker Carlson’s—posting lengthy farewells on social media, and sending cameo videos to fans for more than $300 each. On Wednesday, he posted a clip on X of Frank Sinatra’s “My Way,” complete with the line, “And now the end is near / and so I face the final curtain.”  Then on Thursday, Santos wrote a rhinestone-studded goodbye on X. Santos arrives at federal court for his sentencing on April 25. “Well, darlings… The curtain falls, the spotlight dims, and the rhinestones are packed. From the halls of Congress to the chaos of cable news what a ride it’s been! Was it messy? Always. Glamorous? Occasionally. Honest? I tried… most days,” he wrote. “To my supporters: You made this wild political cabaret worth it. To my critics: Thanks for the free press. I may be leaving the stage (for now), but trust me legends never truly exit.” Later that evening, he hosted a final 90-minute X Spaces call, which at one point had more than 800 listeners, according to ABC News. When asked about the possibility of a presidential pardon, Santos replied, “The only person that could answer that question is, you know, whoever the President of the United States is—in this case, President Donald Trump.” He also got emotional during the stream, thanking his supporters, getting choked up, and insisting that he wouldn’t repeat his mistakes.  “Make better choices, be smarter than me, that’s for sure. I’ve made a string of shit choices in my life and for that, I’m sorry,” he said. “We built common ground through trust and transparency, and I wouldn't have done it any other way.” Ginger Gaetz, wife of disgraced former GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, was among those who called in to wish Santos well. And he got in a few final jabs, calling his sentence excessive. “There's something to be said about the prison industrial complex, by the way. They’re selling fucking Twinkies for $5,” he said. “I mean, they have to be making banging profits. I mean, I’m thinking maybe when I get out of prison, I open a prison.”  Santos while still a representative He also joked about bad advice he’s received—like fighting the biggest guy on the inside—and said he planned to bring only a notepad, a Bible from his grandmother, and a pocket copy of the U.S. Constitution. He added that he hopes to teach civics while behind bars. Santos rose to fame in 2022 after flipping a House seat on Long Island. But by 2023, the lies had caught up with him. Reporters uncovered discrepancies in his résumé and campaign filings, while prosecutors alleged he had defrauded donors, misused funds, and stolen identities to rack up fraudulent charges. He was ultimately expelled from the House in December 2023, becoming the sixth member in history to face such a punishment. He pleaded guilty before trial to 23 counts—including fraud, money laundering, and false statements—and he was sentenced to 87 months in prison and ordered to pay nearly $600,000 in restitution and forfeitures.  Santos closed his X Spaces stream by urging people to come together across political divides. “I hope you all keep doing exactly what you’ve been doing, which is keeping each other honest and engaging in very much needed discourse,” he said. “We are in a time in our [lives] where we need to come closer as humans and not further.” Even in his final moments of freedom, Santos didn’t shy away from settling scores—or playing the tragic star of his own political cabaret.

The US Department of Justice accuses New York City and its mayor of obstructing federal law enforcement and sheltering illegal migrants Read Full Article at RT.com

The country’s leader has announced a tentative $10–30 billion deal with Washington, while also calling for more Western funding Read Full Article at RT.com

The French decision met with disapproval from both Israel and the US Read Full Article at RT.com

A cartoon by Jack Ohman. Related | Trump thinks Obama slander will dull furor over Epstein files

A union representative for the employees is objecting to a survey in which the workers must now disclose if they signed the declaration at work using EPA computers, calling the survey an improper “investigatory tool.” By Lisa Sorg for Inside Climate News The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has extended the administrative leave of 160 employees as part of its investigation into workers who used their official titles and positions last month in signing a petition objecting to the agency’s policies, Inside Climate News has confirmed. The employees were scheduled to return to work July 18, but the new date is Aug. 4, a worker on administrative leave said. The worker asked not to be named because they are concerned about further retaliation. In an email dated July 16, the EPA required the affected employees to complete an online survey by 5 p.m. the next day. The survey asks whether they signed the petition, “a declaration of dissent,” on EPA time and whether they did so using government-issued equipment, according to screenshots of agency emails shared with Inside Climate News. “Failure to comply with this instruction and participate in this investigation and/or any lack of candor in your responses may result in discipline up to and including removal from federal service,” one email says. Related | EPA workers write open letter warning of Trump's devastating impact The EPA also announced July 16 that it plans to close its scientific arm, the Office of Research and Development. There are several ORD facilities throughout the U.S., including Research Triangle Park in North Carolina, where scientists study a range of environmental issues: the public health effects of chemical exposure, the atmospheric conditions that transport chemicals through the air and national security responses to environmental emergencies and their cleanup. Such a move had already been proposed, and it was among the concerns listed in the petition that EPA employees signed. Transferring ORD scientists to regulatory program offices “will make EPA science more vulnerable to political interference,” the petition reads, and “the gutting of staff and science” underway at the agency “will threaten the health of all Americans.” The EPA employee who talked to Inside Climate News said they signed the declaration of dissent at home and on their personal device. “I was sitting on my couch at night, and I read the letter,” the employee said. “I thought, ‘This is really well-written. I agree with all the points.’” The employee said they take ethics training every year, “so I feel like I know what I’m allowed to do and not allowed to do. I signed it because I thought it was really important.” Holly Wilson, president of American Federation of Government Employees Local 3347, based in Durham, N.C., said the union opposes the survey because it bypasses the employees’ rights to have legal union representation present during an investigation. “They’re being put on administrative leave for investigatory purposes,” Wilson said. “The survey was an investigatory tool.” The EPA also sent an email to affected employees instructing them to turn on their laptops if they had them at home. The email did not provide a reason for the directive. However, turning on the laptops could allow the agency to access them remotely, the EPA employee said. More than 200 EPA workers, including some retirees, and environmental advocates signed the petition, addressed to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin and members of Congress. The document criticized the administration’s policies for “undermining the public trust” by issuing misleading statements in press releases, such as referring to EPA grants as “green slush funds” and praising “clean coal as beautiful.” The petition also accuses the administration of “ignoring scientific consensus to benefit polluters,” most notably regarding mercury and greenhouse gases. The EPA is among several federal agencies, including the National Institutes of Health in early June and more recently NASA, whose employees have filed letters of dissent to their respective administrators. The EPA originally reported that it had placed 139 employees on leave. In some cases, employees signed the petition using only their initials. Related | Trump’s EPA plans to stop collecting greenhouse gas emissions data from most polluters However, Wilson said the agency placed additional workers on leave as recently as last week. Yet in some instances, the EPA has placed people on leave who did not sign the petition, Wilson said, because they had initials or partial names that were similar or matched someone who did. “It’s purposely disruptive,” Wilson said. An agency spokesperson did not explain the increase or answer direct questions about the extension. Instead, the spokesperson issued a statement: “The EPA has a zero-tolerance policy for career bureaucrats using their agency position and title to unlawfully undermine, sabotage, and undercut the will of the American public that was clearly expressed at the ballot box last November.”