Newark, N.J. – This evening, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) issued the following statement:
“These charges are clearly unfounded. Representative McIver was
exercising her legally protected authority as a member of Congress to
conduct oversight of a detention center that receives millions of
taxpayer dollars. Federal officials unnecessarily escalated what should
have been a run-of-the-mill inspection of the facility. In fact,
Representative McIver’s actions were so unremarkable that she was
invited back inside to finish her tour that day, after these events took
place.
“Pursuing this case against Representative McIver will divert
considerable resources away from serious matters of public safety. The
Department of Justice should drop these charges immediately.”
Last night on MSNBC, Rachel Maddow noted the superpower that a democracy has: The will of the people.
El
Salvador's National Civil Police have arrested Ruth Eleonora López, a
renowned human rights and anti-corruption attorney who has become one of
the nation's most prominent critics of President Nayib Bukele's
regime.
According to representatives from
Cristosal, the human rights group where López serves as Chief Legal
Officer for Anti-Corruption; members of López's family; and reports in
Salvadoran media, López was taken from her home late Sunday night. In
the time since her arrest, she has reportedly been refused access to her
attorneys, and has not been able to contact members of her family. The
arrest also came on the heels of a particularly tumultuous week for the
Bukele government, which is facing growing public backlash amid a spate
of repressive actions against civil society and Salvadorans alike.
On
Monday, Amnesty International and a coalition of U.S. and international
human rights groups condemned the arrest, and called on Salvadoran
authorities to immediately release Ruth López," and "guarantee her
physical safety and due process rights.
"We
also urge U.S. policymakers and the diplomatic community at large to
urge President Bukele to cease all attacks against human rights
defenders," the group wrote.
This is who Donald Chump dragged America into bed with because he relates to the country's despotic leader Nayib Bukele.
Human Rights Watch notes:
Since
taking office, the administration of President Nayib Bukele has
launched an assault on democratic institutions, including by summarily
replacing the attorney general and all the judges in the Supreme Court’s
constitutional chamber.
In March 2022, pro-Bukele lawmakers
adopted a state of emergency, suspending a range of constitutional
rights in response to a peak in gang violence. Security forces arrested
tens of thousands of people, including hundreds of children, and
committed widespread human rights violations, including arbitrary
arrests, enforced disappearances, and torture and other ill-treatment of
detainees.
Dozens have died in prison. At the same time,
authorities report a significant decrease in gang violence, including a
drop in homicides. Severe restrictions on access to abortion, harassment
and arbitrary criminal proceedings against journalists and civil
society organizations, and poor accountability for human rights
violations remain serious concerns.
That's
not someone America should be in bed with and we certainly shouldn't be
kidnapping people in the US and sending them -- as part of some slave
trade -- to El Salvador.
But that's what Chump's 'accomplished.' And we're all a little sadder and a little worse for it.
In
a Truth Social post [Mon]day, Trump shared screenshots of news articles
from media outlets highlighting coverage of his recent Middle East
trip. Each post prominently features the article titles, publishers Fox
News, Washington Examiner, CBS News, and NewsNation, and writers Anders
Hagstrom, Haisten Willis, Kaia Hubbard, Kellie Meyer, and Anna Kutz,
giving an appearance of transparency and broad media acknowledgment of
his diplomacy.
However, a closer
examination reveals a pattern of selective omission. Trump’s posts
systematically cut away significant portions of the articles that
contain criticisms and concerns about his trip, effectively sanitizing
the narrative presented to his audience.
This
propaganda technique makes it appear that the pieces from these outlets
are only glowing and positive. MeidasTouch uncovered several omissions
when comparing the original articles to Trump's screenshots.
Key
omissions include detailed reporting on human rights abuses in Saudi
Arabia, including references to the CIA’s conclusion that Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman ordered the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, an
issue that has long clouded U.S.-Saudi relations. Trump also leaves out
scrutiny of his family’s business dealings in Saudi Arabia, such as
plans for Trump-branded real estate developments in Jeddah and Riyadh.
And
that's the only way America will not be embarrassed by Chump when it comes
to human rights is if the entire topic is just edited out.
That's
what happens when you put an unethical criminal into the White House.
Human rights no longer matter. They make a mockery out of human rights,
they make a mockery of Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Wiccans,
et al. Anyone whose faith maintains respect for human rights is spat on
by con artists like Donald Chump. The Politics of Destruction are
never about lifting people up, it's about greed and hatred only.
Someone should have told Chump long ago: To get back is to go back.
That's where he lives: In the past, nursing his grudges and seeking
retribution. The pettiest of all takes no pride in our country and
doesn't believe in human rights or, for that matter, in humanity.
But
waive a $400 million plane his way and watch him leap to his feet and
slap on his whore's make up as he runs out the door. struggling to step
into his crotchless panties without ripping them.
For
years, Donald Trump has mused about grand plans of soldiers marching
and tanks rumbling down the streets of Washington, D.C., as aircraft
whizzed overhead.
When Army officials and local
politicians warned in 2018 of a $92 million price tag and the risk of
extensive damage to roads, Trump decided to scrap his previous attempt
for a grand parade of armed forces.
But earlier this month, details emerged about another enormous military spectacle in the works, which is set for the capital.
The
president had ordered an elaborately choreographed military parade to
celebrate the Army’s 250th anniversary on June 14th with the cost of the
day’s festivities estimated to be a more modest $45 million, according
to Reuters.
It also happens to be his 79th birthday.
Up
to 7,500 soldiers could be expected to march in a parade that runs from
Arlington, Virginia, across the Potomac River and into D.C.
He wants the military to honor him.
That's the same military he refused to honor his whole life.
Chump
became an adult as the US was at war with Vietnam. Some men protested
the war. Some men enlisted in the war. And some were too chickn to
protest and too chicken to serve. That would be the Donald Chumps. He
invented bone spurs as an excuse to avoid service.
He weighs what now, 340 pounds? And he can stand up to take a golf swing.
Guess
those bone spurs were some sort of allergic reaction to the Vietnam War
itself and, when US troops were brought back home, Donald's bone spurs
just dissolved.
He didn't honor the military as a young adult.
He didn't honor it when he made fun of disabled veterans.
And
he doesn't honor it now as he attacks those who made the choice to
serve -- they weren't drafted -- but he wants to kick them out.
Earlier
this month, the Supreme Court refused to rule on the issue of
transgender troops; however, as they wait to possibly rule at some point
in the future (or not), they're allowing Chump to purge transgender
members of the US military.
Alex Bollinger (LGBTQ NATION) explains, "Earlier this month, the Supreme Court ruled that the administration
could start forcing transgender people out of the military, while
several legal challenges to the trans military ban are being heard by
lower courts." Back on May 6th,
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America issued the following:
SCOTUS Failed Transgender Troops and America
Washington,
D.C. — Today, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) released
the following statement on the Supreme Court’s decision to allow the
Executive Order issued by the Trump Administration that bans transgender
military service to proceed.
“Today’s ruling
by the Supreme Court doesn’t just fail transgender Americans who’ve
volunteered to serve their country, but a nation that depends on
volunteers to serve in the ranks of its military and fight its wars,”
said IAVA CEO and Iraq War veteran, Allison Jaslow. “The just thing to
do would have been to allow the actions by the Trump Administration to
be litigated in the courts, while also allowing committed Americans to
still serve their country as they’ve been allowed to for nearly a
decade. Instead, the brave Americans who’ve been senselessly targeted by
their Commander-in-Chief for the sake of scoring political points got
dealt another blow by the Court, and U.S. military readiness will suffer
as a result.”
IAVA stands in support of our
nation’s transgender troops and veterans–and in support of equality
always. As the leading post-9/11 generation veterans advocacy
organization, IAVA is proud of its record of standing – often alone – on
the right side of equality issues. After getting input on the policy
change from our membership, IAVA supported the 2016 announcement by DoD
to allow transgender troops to serve openly without threat of discharge.
We also opposed the 2017 action by the previous Trump Administration to
ban transgender Americans from serving in the military, and supported a
reversal of the ban by the Biden Administration.
Iraq
and Afghanistan Veterans of America is the leading voice of the
Post-9/11 generation of American veterans. We represent over 425,000
members, and our best-in-class, non-partisan advocacy on behalf of the
post-9/11 generation of veterans has chalked up big wins for our
community – and America – for 20 years and counting.
###
There's nothing honorable about Donald Chump and there's nothing honorable about his treatment of those serving.
Grasp that. Republicans want to strip trans
vets of their security clearances. That's the same group of Republicans
who repeatedly look the other way as make up queen Pete Hegseth
publishes one top secret item after another on unsecured chats using
Signal.
Hegseth’s service could never compare to that of Shilling or Beck, even though Hegseth likes to pretend to be a Navy SEAL as
he sycophantically follows them around the country during special
events. Trump never served a day in his life. That is why it is odd to
me and to many others that they are so adamant about preventing
transgender troops — and likely, before his term ends, gay Americans —
from serving in the armed forces.
Trump’s disdain and disrespect for veterans will go down in history as reprehensible, as will Moore’s, who voted against
the bipartisan PACT Act, which expanded health care and benefits to
millions of veterans, and numerous other bipartisan veterans’
legislation.
Transgender
Americans have served with honor — from the decks of aircraft carriers
to combat zones around the globe. They fly missions, lead teams, and
complete the same rigorous training as everyone else in the military.
Now, Trump and Hegseth are reportedly planning to
direct military commanders to identify troops who are transgender or
have gender dysphoria, so they can undergo medical checks and then be
purged.
This
policy is an ethical failure and will be a logistical one, too.
Removing thousands of trained service members during a recruiting crisis
makes us weaker, not stronger. Forcing out skilled troops, pilots,
linguists, mechanics, medics, because they sought medically necessary
care or live authentically doesn’t protect national security. It
undermines it.
That
is not about readiness. That is about hate. If Trump cared about
military readiness, he would invest in veterans’ programs and bolster
rewards for service — not dismantle the Department of Veterans Affairs,
as Elon Musk and his so-called Department of Government Efficiency have done.
Hate will be the death of Chump and his stooges. Speaking of . . .
I had an e-mail about the ridiculous Jerry Jones. I don't
follow football, sorry. And the only thing I'd say about Jerry Jones is
that someday his investments will be looked at -- as will those of his
attorneys like BP. I can't imagine how it's going to look when their
efforts to 'help' young people are examined. A certain treatment center
for adolescents, for example. Where a young adult male was regularly
given 'weekend passes' not to be with his family but so that his pimp
could take him out to turn tricks and then said patient would be told he
couldn't discuss the weekend -- be told by his main counselor --
discuss the weekend activities with anyone. "Secrets keep us sick"?
Isn't that the motto for recovery? Or a female tech initials MW who
slept on the premises with a male patient and skated away when all the
details came out because KE was her supervisor . . . and her relative.
And they fooled the licensing agency by redoing the charts. They also
had this thing where they'd force patients to go to a Christian church
service by bringing donuts but only allowing those who went to the
Christian service to have donuts. I think that passes for Republican
compassion; however, I don't believe Jewish people, Muslims or many
others would see that as anything but attempting to force religious
conversion on kids in a treatment center -- many of whom were court
ordered. Do we want to talk about the staff member that slept with
everyone -- patient and staff -- and managed to hold onto the job by
claiming they were a sex addict when they were caught? How about the
attempted teen suicide that was hidden from the child's family? I could
go on and on and on. But, like I said, I don't know a thing about
football. Scandals? I usually know several scandals on anyone in the
news.
If Jerry Jones comes up
again in e-mails and I have to respond, we'll move closer to his inner
circle of disgust. And, by the way, I do a spot-on imitation -- vocally
-- of his closest attorney. I can actually fool his office staff over
the phone because I can do that impersonation so well. Can -- and on a
dare from another of Jerry's lawyers -- have done.
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Today, combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy
Duckworth (D-IL) slammed Congressional Republicans for continuing to
enable Donald Trump’s harmful cuts to VA services and its workforce,
undermining the VA’s ability to keep up with new demand for care and
benefits for our nation’s Veterans under the bipartisan PACT Act.
During her remarks at a forum today, Duckworth called out Republicans
for defending Trump slashing our VA while failing to exercise their own
oversight and accountability for the proven deterioration of PACT Act implementation since Donald Trump returned to office. Duckworth’s remarks can be found on the Senator’s YouTube.
“The PACT Act was a historic, overwhelmingly bipartisan
victory that changed millions of Veterans’ lives,” said Senator
Duckworth. “But just like other critical services for our Veterans,
Donald Trump has taken a sledgehammer to PACT Act
care and benefits as well as the dedicated workforce that provides
these services for our nation’s heroes. Meanwhile, instead of holding
Trump accountable for the damage done to Veterans as these cuts continue
to delay services and care, Republicans are wasting time pointing
fingers and placing blame on literally anyone else except Donald Trump.
If Republicans really cared about our Veterans, they’d grow a spine and
condemn these cuts immediately.”
Duckworth has been a fierce leader and advocate for Veterans and the
VA staff who serve them in the wake of the disastrous Trump-Musk
layoffs. Recently, Duckworth slammed
a senior official from the VA after he failed to publicly commit to
rehiring VCL workers who were wrongfully fired in Trump-Musk layoffs.
After the first VA purge laid off workers with the VCL—including several
Veterans—Duckworth successfully pushed the Trump Administration to
reinstate these devoted public servants that work to support our
Veterans in their darkest moments.
Additionally, Duckworth and U.S. Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) are leading the push for the Protect Veteran Jobs Act,
legislation that would reinstate the thousands of Veterans who were
fired in the Trump-Musk layoffs. Duckworth and Kim subsequently introduced their legislation as an amendment to Republicans’ slush fund continuing resolution. Republicans shamefully blocked it from passing.
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