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Reminder: I will host my regular weekly Saturday livestream at 9 am Pacific / Noon Eastern. Instructions for joining the livestream can be found here.
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A special note of condolence and solidarity to the people of Switzerland. The tragic fire in Crans‑Montana that killed 40 and injured a hundred more is a staggering loss for the Swiss people. May you find solace in unity during this time of mourning.
Trump’s warmongering is a betrayal of his base, the Constitution, and all Americans
Those seeking to reclaim democracy cannot rely on Trump and Republicans to defeat themselves. But Trump is on a path that seems hand-crafted to alienate every constituency that propelled him to his second term. He is actively seeking to conceal Epstein’s crimes. He is presiding over a thuggish scheme to deport law-abiding, productive Latino immigrants whose presence benefits all Americans. He is increasing financial hardship for his base by fueling inflation through illegal tariffs and ending federal healthcare subsidies. He has personified corruption and greed after claiming he would “drain the swamp.”
Finally, add to his betrayals his promise to “end America’s involvement in foreign wars” by putting “America first.” Instead of pursuing the isolationism he promised, Trump is staging military assets for land wars in Venezuela and Colombia. He bombed Iranian nuclear processing facilities. He bombed terrorists in Nigeria.
On Friday, he threatened to become involved in a popular uprising in Iran by “rescuing” protesters, saying the US is “locked and loaded and ready to go” if the Iranian government fires upon protesters. See Bloomberg, Trump Says US Ready to ‘Rescue’ Iran Protesters If Attacked.
Trump issued the threat at 3:00 am Friday, suggesting that he was suffering a manic episode during a sleepless night. But as Tom Nichols of The Atlantic notes, nations that are the subject of Trump’s unhinged threats do not have the luxury of dismissing them as the ravings of an insomniac. See The Atlantic, Trump’s ‘Operation Iranian Freedom’ | How many foreign wars does the “America First” president intend to start?
Tom Nichols writes,
Trump’s nocturnal ravings are dangerous. The world may be more or less accustomed to Trump’s bizarre threats, but it is still a big deal when the president of the United States menaces another nation.
Intelligence analysts, friend and enemy alike, do not have the luxury to presume that the American commander in chief is just having a bad night. They will ask, as they should, whether something is happening behind the scenes, and whether Trump has blurted out something that might be classified.
Trump’s comments brought a swift counter-threat from Iranian leaders, who threatened to target US troops in the region. Per the Bloomberg article above,
Ali Larijani, a veteran politician who heads Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, responded on X that the US “should be mindful of their soldiers’ safety.”
“Trump should know that US interference in this internal matter would mean destabilizing the entire region and destroying America’s interests,” Larijani said. “We distinguish between the stance of the protesting shopkeepers and the actions of disruptive actors.”
Trump’s comments landed with a thud among his MAGA base. See The Hill, Trump’s Iran intervention threat sparks ‘America First’ backlash.
Per The Hill,
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), an outspoken Trump loyalist-turned-critic, said Trump’s threats to send U.S. troops to Iran “is everything we voted against in ‘24.”
Steve Bannon, a former Trump adviser who remains influential in the MAGA movement, warned against the U.S. getting involved in “a bigger and longer mess” . . . You can’t intrude on this thing. The more you intrude, the more the Mullahs are going to dig in and say, ‘This is the great Satan that’s doing this,’ and you’re going to have a bigger and longer mess than you can have.”
Apart from the MAGA backlash, Trump’s undisciplined warmongering will eventually result in negative consequences for US soldiers, sailors, and pilots. Military operations involve risk, even in the absence of active warfare. Those risks escalate immensely when live ammunition and missiles are fired, and jets and helicopters fly combat missions.
Trump has no strategic vision for his foreign wars (except for increasing his personal wealth). Democrats must campaign on a platform of peace based on stable global alliances rather than the temper tantrums and greed of a cosplaying warlord.
UPDATE:
As of 11:00 pm Pacific on Friday evening, major media outlets are reporting that the capital city of Venezuela, Caracas, has experienced a series of explosions associated with low-flying aircraft. See CNN Explosions in Venezuela: CNN team witnesses multiple explosions in Venezuela’s capital Caracas.
Per CNN, parts of Caracas are without power.
There has been no announcement by the White House or Department of Defense about air strikes on Venezuela’s civilian airport. If the US has bombed a civilian airport in Venezuela, that is an act of aggression that constitutes war. (International treaties do not define the term war, but instead use the terms “aggression” and “use of force” to describe situations to which the treaties apply.)
I will address developments in my livestream on Saturday at 9 am Pacific / Noon Eastern.
Update on WSJ article re Trump’s health—and Trump’s reaction.
Yesterday, I cited a Wall Street Journal exclusive interview with Trump. The article highlighted the president’s struggle with “aging.” I thought I linked to a gift version of the article, but I linked to a paywalled version. Here is a version of the article that is accessible to all: As Signs of Aging Emerge, Trump Responds With Defiance.
Trump was not happy with the article, prompting him to post a rebuttal on Truth Social that caused observers to worry even more about Trump’s medical and mental status. See The Hill, Trump says he ‘aced’ third cognitive exam in defense of ‘perfect’ health.
After the WSJ article, Trump wrote,
The White House Doctors have just reported that I am in ‘PERFECT HEALTH,’ and that I ‘ACED’ (Meaning, was correct on 100% of the questions asked!), for the third straight time, my Cognitive Examination, something which no other President, or previous Vice President, was willing to take.
As many have noted, administering three “Cognitive Examinations” to a patient over a nine-month period is not a sign of the physicians’ confidence in the patient’s cognitive abilities. Worse, Trump continues to believe that the brief Alzheimer’s screening test is designed to test IQ.
As Queen Gertrude said in Hamlet, “The lady doth protest too much, methinks.”
Trump cannot unilaterally build a “triumphal arch” near the Lincoln Memorial.
Trump claims that work on a “triumphal arch” near the Lincoln Memorial will begin within two months. See Mediate, Trump Says ‘Triumphal Arch’ Work to Start in Next Two Months. (The linked article shows the proposed location of the arch, in the Potomac near the Lincoln Memorial.)
I do not understand the complacency of Congress—or at least Democrats in Congress—about Trump’s desecration of federal monuments in D.C. Congress has passed a law that restricts further development of the main area of the National Mall (the “Reserve”) and Area I of the Mall, which covers areas adjacent to the National Mall. See Congress.gov, Commemorative Works Act: Siting Memorials in the District of Columbia.
In short, if the triumphal arch is located in the Reserve area of the National Mall, it cannot be built unless Congress amends the Commemorative Works Act. If the arch is located in Area I—as it appears to be—it cannot be built unless Congress approves it. As explained in the legislative summary of the Commemorative Works Act,
to place a memorial within Area I, an act of Congress approving the . . . recommendation is required within 150 calendar days of receiving the recommendation notification.
The diagram below shows the “Reserve” (outline in red) and Area I (outlined in black).
The triumphal arch appears to be slotted for construction in Area I (outlined in black) at the terminus of the Arlington Memorial Bridge:
It does not matter if the arch is paid for with private funds. Funding is a different issue from permission to build in a particular location within Area I.
Trump’s frequent use of private funding to perform government functions—like the construction at the White House and the proposed triumphal arch—is likely a violation of the Antideficiency Act, which prohibits anyone from obligating the US government to spend funds in excess of congressional appropriations. Moreover, the Act prohibits the employment of anyone not authorized by federal law to perform work for the federal government.
Congress should restrain Trump from violating the Commemorative Works Act and the Antideficiency Act. Failing that, an advocacy group should challenge the construction in court.
We cannot allow Trump to run roughshod over any laws. Allowing him to do so gives him implied permission to ignore other laws that go to the heart of our democracy.
Concluding Thoughts
The New York Times editorial board published an editorial entitled, Trump Is the Jan. 6 President (Accessible to all.).
The editorial is worthy of your attention. It is a thoughtful and detailed analysis of how Trump turned a day of infamy and shame into the first day of his reelection campaign. The Editorial Board assesses blame for those who helped Trump pervert the truth about January 6: Mitch McConnell and congressional Republicans who refused to convict him after impeachment; the Supreme Court for immunizing him for his crimes, and Americans who turned against the law enforcement officers who defended democracy on January 6.
Sadly, absent from the Editorial Board’s otherwise honest assessment is the collapse and journalist malpractice of major media—like the Times—that treated Trump as just another candidate in the 2024 election. They engaged in false equivalency, giving equal weight to Joe Biden’s stutter and Trump’s malicious plan to destroy democracy. They defined the 2024 election as driven by inflation, relegating concerns about democracy to second- or third-tier issues.
Even more disappointing is the Editorial Board’s assessment of what must be done to redeem America from the wound of January 6. The Editorial Board assigns the hard work of restoring democracy to all Americans without mentioning the obligation of the media to begin honest reporting about Trump’s continuous violation of the Constitution and the rule of law.
And finally, even as the Editorial Board urges Americans to action, the editorial does not contain a single word acknowledging the heroic work of the grassroots movement to preserve democracy. It is as if we are invisible or inconsequential to the members of the Editorial Board.
Each of the editors should vow not to write another editorial until they have walked beside some of the tens of millions of Americans who are literally saving democracy every day.
To those volunteers and activists who are raising their voices in defense of democracy, your country and fellow citizens see you and thank you for doing the difficult, thankless job of standing on the bulwark of democracy.
Bless you all for everything you are doing to save our democracy.
Talk to you tomorrow!
Pro-democracy protest photos
Three members of the Boone County Democrats started the new year on January 1, 2026, by hanging our CRUSH ICE banner and waving flags on the I-70 overpass through Columbia, Missouri. The message on the backside of our banner is FIGHT FASCISM. The temperature was in the 30s, but our time out there flew by. The honks and waves from travelers encourage us not to give up. We the people will carry on in this fight for our democracy and human rights. Happy new year!
Leaders and members of Portland, Maine’s various faith communities have been coming together to support ICE detainees at the Cumberland County Jail (and ICE detention center) every Wednesday to pray fir the people inside the jail. There are about ten women who have been exchanging letters with people from the vigil; they say “it makes a difference to know that they are out there praying for us.”
This multi-faith prayer vigil has been going on for 9 weeks now – including the day before Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and New Year’s Eve (see pictures!), even when the RealFeel temps are 17 or lower!
Daily Dose of Perspective
The Double Cluster consists of two “open” clusters of stars approximately 7,500 light-years from Earth. The stars are relatively young—only 14 million years old. They are sparkling jewels that can be observed with the naked eye under dark skies. Enjoy!
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