This isn't what the Republican Party used to be or stand for. What we have now is a political party that has been hijacked. It's now either the truplican party or the party of MAGA. If there are any traditional Republicans left, they're in hiding.
No. All the tax cuts for the rich need to be enacted before the end of the year, or most of them will expire. If they're included in the bill, they will be permanent. The Medicaid and SNAP bill won't begin until after the 2026 election, because Republicans knew they would definitely lose the election if they are enacted sooner.
Then, Repbulicans will oppose for restoring any cuts based on inflating national debts. They are clever but merely users of their voters to get elected. They are the worst kind of politicians.
There appears to be enough trauma to change voters' minds. The tariffs and acceleration of the debt plus higher interest rates are apt to have a large impact.
There has to be some way of a law not being permanent -- even if there's no precedent since that doesn't seem to be a stumbling block for other issues -- precedents don't have as much weight as they once had.
I'm not an attorney, maybe someone who is, can speak to this. But, I have checked multiple times about the tax cuts, and it's a ten-year plan they will implement. And, even if we win in 2026, I haven't read we can prevent the Medicaid and SNAP cuts. But, I would hope you are right!
The rethugs in Congress are perfectly willing to torch the Economy and the Nation all in fealty to dear leader and the Oligarchs. I hope the turnout on Saturday gave them pause to think.
Budget and Spending: Some hard-line Republicans have expressed dissent regarding Trump's "big beautiful bill," arguing it doesn't go far enough in cutting spending, particularly in areas like Medicaid. For example, Rep. Andy Harris chairs the House Freedom Caucus and supports deeper cuts to Medicaid spending. There's also disagreement over elements like the Salt deduction cap.
Deportation Push: Some GOP lawmakers are warning against the aggressive push for deportations, particularly concerning workers and long-term residents. According to Axios, Republicans are concerned about deportations that go too far.
Tariffs and Trade: Republican dissent has also been voiced against Trump's use of tariffs, with concerns about their potential negative economic impacts. Newsweek lists several Republicans who have expressed concern about Trump's tariffs.
Trump's Actions and Approach:
"Crackdown on Dissent": Some have criticized what they perceive as a crackdown on dissent by the Trump administration. The Atlantic reports on actions like charging Rep. LaMonica McIver, suggesting they test the boundaries of acceptable responses to dissent.
Use of Executive Authority: There are concerns regarding Trump's potential abuse of executive authority, including in areas like surveillance and freedom of the press. The ACLU warns about the potential for Trump to use expanded surveillance powers against political opponents.
Challenges to Democratic Norms: Some Republicans have voiced concerns about Trump's disregard for democratic norms and his attempts to pressure lawmakers.
Examples of Dissenting Voices:
Rep. Thomas Massie: A long-time critic of Trump on issues like spending and surveillance, Massie has survived primary challenges despite his dissent. NBC News details Massie's history of opposing Trump on key votes.
Rep. Mike Lawler: Expressed opposition to the "big beautiful bill" in its current form.
Rep. Chip Roy: A key holdout on the budget, questioning whether promises regarding the Senate plan would materialize.
Rep. Mark Amodei: Opposes the administration's plans to claw back funding for public media.
Sen. Rand Paul: A vocal critic of Trump's spending policies, including the military parade, and has opposed the tax and domestic policy bill due to debt concerns. Newsweek highlights Paul's concerns about Trump's tariffs.
26 Republican senators and more House members voted to fund Ukraine. The Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025 (S. 1241/H.R. 2548) is a proposed piece of legislation in the US Senate and House of Representatives aimed at increasing sanctions against Russia in response to its ongoing invasion of Ukraine. The Senate version, introduced by Senators Graham and Blumenthal, has gained significant bipartisan support. The bill proposes a comprehensive sanctions and tariff regime targeting Russia and those who support its energy sector. 80 cosponsors.
(Part 1) The MAGA coalition should be treated by Democrats as the failure they are. Democrats must act as if Saturday was a complete game changer because it was. We the People have spoken, and demonstrated that we not only hate this budget, but we despise Trump and Republicans who are trying to push it through. 50501 has written that there were 11 million people who protested on NO KINGS day. Alt National Parks wrote there were there were 12.1 million, and they still were counting. In comparison, despite the inflated numbers, the parade might only have had 25,000+ people.
And, not only are the American people against the budget, but so is Elon Musk, who called it a "disgusting abomination." (I hate Musk, but Republicans care what he thinks.) Although later, Musk walked back some of his criticism, because Vance and Speaker Johnson spent days trying to mollify him, because they are so frightened he will stop buying elections for them.
For those of us who are concerned about Republicans moving full steam ahead on the budget, we need to stop worrying and call our politicians. The way we win against Trump and Congressional Republicans is to continue fighting, and use Govenor Newsom's strategy, which I cover in Part 2.
(Part 2). And, whether you like him or not, we should use Governor Newsom's strategy. Nothing else has worked. What do we have to lose?
"As Trump has sought to use the military to quash protests against federal immigration raids in LA, Newsom positioned himself as the central figure of the party’s resistance to Trump’s autocratic aspirations. He has been modeling the kind of leadership Democrats have mostly lacked throughout Trump’s second term: bold, clear and anchored in democratic values. It’s the kind of approach that needs to spread in his party in this moment of democratic crisis.
“We’re at an inflection point in the country’s history,” said South Carolina state Rep. JA Moore, a lawmaker who has been deeply involved in his state’s early presidential primary politics. “I see in this moment that the governor is fighting like hell, not just for the people of LA or the people of California or even the country. He’s fighting for democracy itself.”
And, that's what I want my politicians to do in the budget hearings. Stop being polite to Congressional Republicans. Call them out. It's a budget that benefits the rich on the backs of the rest of us. We have the momentum, it's time to use it.
Lynn, the link shows Trump had wanted to do for the Fourth of July after he went to France. He ended up doing the parade in this presidency. But given the miserable failure of his birthday parade, perhaps he's learned his lesson. Sorry, that was stupid for me to suggest, because he never learns anything.
SBwrites.... nasty nasty person that I am...my shadenfreude . reached epic heights on June 14th...first for the absolutel dejection on Trump's face as he cast his eyes on hundreds of empty seats around his " imperial golden throne" for a day. The paucity of " personages" that day must have shattered his fragile ego! Reality ( foreign to hi!m) is a rough sour pill to swallow!.
As TV cameras the nation wide took in the uber success of the People's Protest Day...my old eyes teared...and my heart / soul.sang out with.joyous pride!. A nonogenarian of WWII vintage....June 14th was one of the happiest days in.my adult life!.
Am still taking pleasure in the next sunrise I am granted...and will.fight for my country's freedom, our Constitutional lawful democracy.as long as I have a breath in my body.
Thank you...and all the courageous Protesters who revere this beloved homeland. NEVER GIVE UP !
Great comment Lynn. It made me smile at the same time I was touched. It’s just odd that my name is at the beginning of the first sentence, so people may think I wrote it. But, I am giving you full credit!
Sure we do. But, we need to spend as much energy calling and writing to our politicians as it took to attend the protests. We can't let them ignore how many of us protested.
Trump already has said he will send ICE Tactical teams to Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Seattle, and Northern Virginia, all blue areas. I live in Los Angeles, and we need to try and prevent that from happening. And, I just read he wants to send the National Guard to other places. It's because he's such a loser that he's resorting to what he's always done by fomenting violence. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/what-u-s-law-says-about-trumps-deployment-of-active-duty-troops-to-los-angeles
The mostly peaceful protests started here because of how horrible the ICE Gestapo was to undocumented immigrants. They allegedly were looking for violent people, but it's impossible to know who's violent, unless they are seeking out specific people. The people they've captured mostly have lived here for years, raised families, have children who were born here, work, pay their taxes, and contribute to social security. It's gotten worse because 4700 troops feels like an invasion, particularly when there are are only two streets downtown, where they have been problems.
And, now outside agitators have come purely to participate in violence. I wouldn't be surprised if they are some of the people he pardoned who participated in the Insurrection.
It won't change unless Democrats drive it home, and change their behavior. They need to keep mentioning how many people were at the protests, and how many signs were about the budget, because the numbers reported are not accurate. 50501 wrote that's it's 11 million. Alt Park Service wrote it's 12.1M. MSM reports millions, without specifying a number.
The White House spokesperson said it was nothing, but if I understand it correctly, before you are hired, you are tested on how proficiently you lie. Democrats need to keep stating how few people were at the parade, compared to at the protests. Most of the Congressional Republicans weren't at the parade. Obviously, they know about the disastrous numbers, but, as far as I know, the parade numbers haven't been released. I was listening to a podcaster with my son, and the person suggested there were only 25,000 people, but I can't remember his name, and haven't seen that figure elsewhere.
And, Democrats need to behave like NO KINGS was the enormous win that it was. But, I just spent 30 minutes, trying to find a map of the protests, and other info about what really happened, and I can't. It may be because I'm rushed and am supposed to be doing chores, that I've ignored for weeks. But, the truth is that it seems like everything has disappeared.
It may never all be recorded. There were apparently pop up protests in unexpected places. Still, we need to get on the stick and lean on our Dem Reps and Senators to be much more aggressive. I still like the idea of a well-thought-out Shadow Cabinet with adequate staffing and funding.
Stephen, there is a guy named Eliott Morris, and his Substack is Strength in Numbers, and he provided data on different protests on Saturday, but they were lower than the numbers I was reading. However, they were organized by city and state. I'm not a paid member, so I can't check on his totals.
I don't know what they do with their info, but it's fun to look at all of the people who sent in numbers.
Perhaps a few months ago, you were the one mentioned a Shadow Cabinet. I don't think I supported the idea then, but now I believe that any idea is better than what we're doing.
"Congressional Democrats have seized on the issue, with moderates and progressives alike speaking in defense of the program. The party’s House campaign arm is prioritizing Medicaid in swing-district messaging. And TV ads mentioning Medicaid have already run in more Republican-held districts this year than they did all of last cycle."
Actually, many Democrats have been speaking out against the bill, but corporate news won't cover it honestly. So ever more Americans are abandoning all TV news as the complicit corporate dreck it is for few decent media outlets and for The Contrarian, Reddit and the Substacks of the various real journalists who've left the corporate media because their editors won't let them report the truth. At least, that's my guess. But I'm sure images of the No Kings and other protests will appear in plenty of ads in the next election.
Admit to not being able to stomach any image of the evil malignant narcissist !
Avoid most cable news....but still watch Lawrence O'Donnell ...only.
My shadenfreude took joyous wing at the reports of a very tiny birthday parade turnout for The Convicted Felon...and the millions who proudly showed up to PROTEST!! That's the AMERICAN SPIRIT !🇺🇸
His father's day must have been shattered with feelings of ignominious failure...well & truly deserved!. Must have pickled his onions to feel the utter hatred of his wanna be " subjects" ...Americans who will never give in to a Midas lookalike....no matter how many ingots the " loser in chief " steals from this country.
I agree completely. Democrats cant win in Congress but they have to let the public know what is happening, particularly in red states.. Spend some money now dont hoard it until the elections
Hello? Are you not on that same Kamala Harris please-give-us-money-right-now mailing list I hear from every two days? Do you really believe somebody’s hoarding money for a rainy day?
The DNC sucks. The new president Ken Martin hasn't accomplished anything. He couldn't even solve his internal problems with David Hogg, so they kicked him out, and now two Union members have quit. In my opinion, everyone should be fired, they should hire Ben Winkler, or someone else, and let him or her pick the entire staff. I apologize that this link from Yahoo news is from Fox News, I couldn't find a better source for this specific story. https://www.yahoo.com/news/randi-weingarten-lee-saunders-quit-150848742.html
The bill has been covered many times in the many news sources. Does everything need to be reduced to a sixty second ad in order to get the attention of the American public?
Yes it does. Do many people (esp. MAGA) won't take the time to search out or pay attention to real news. They want to be easily entertained. I think the only way to reach them is to get on their level.
We need all Democrats to go to Republican Town Halls over the weekends. Bernie Sanders will be going to the South next, and will be speaking to the people in Louisiana, Speaker Johnson's state, among others. Louisiana has the second highest percentage of people on Medicaid in the country. And, they already have food security issues. This is the info on Sander's tour! https://www.ksla.com/2025/06/12/bernie-sanders-fighting-oligarchy-tour-reportedly-will-stop-shreveport-louisiana/
If this brutal budget bill passes, their rural hospitals will close, and there is no backup. And, people will lose their hospital jobs, and their economy is flat! I live in CA and just checked a few of their local newspapers, and only one covered the protests. https://lailluminator.com/2025/06/14/new-orleans-no-kings/
Billboards should be put up in every Red state with photos of their reps in Congress with the caption "Lose your insurance? Prices going up? Thank these folks!"
"When voters go to the polls in 2026 and beyond, they are not likely to forget who betrayed them."
It seems plausible that this regime is banking on voters either not going to the polls in 2026 or on influencing the vote to their benefit by manipulating the process. It would be unwise of people to bank on that election in their reaction to the regime now. Breaking the current path may get harder with time. Best to plan for now.
Any suggestions on how Canadians can help?
I have been writing my Member of Parliament and the Prime Minister and Department Ministers asking that Canada end the Canada - U.S. Safe Third Country Agreement on the grounds that the U.S. is not a Safe Third Country for asylum seekers, making the Agreement untrue.
There is a lot of empathy up here for what you are going through.
How can we be a better neighbour to you at this time?
You Canadians ARE being good neighbors! I am (and have been) closely following the news in your country for months. It's heartening, more than you can possibly know, to hear how Canadians are joining together and moving forward.
Canadians can help my state (Washington) by coming back! We miss you (and your loonies and toonies.) Stop vacationing in MAGA states like Florida, but don't hesitate to visit sympathetic blue states, especially along your border. Some of our communities and businesses are really hurting.
Janet, thank you so much! Canada has been great! It's our damn politicians who are the program right now. They need to stop focusing on their job security, and start allowing the most skilled members who are fighters to move into leadership positions now! And they need to travel throughout the country like Senator Bernie Sanders is doing.
All those red state folks that voted for the culture wars are going to be really sad when they can't find a hospital to help with their diabetes or a pregnancy gone wrong. Who's going to pay for a nursing home to put their elderly in? But, you know, it's the immigrants and the trans kids who are the real problem.
Yeah, I hope that beating up on LGBTQ kids and restricting women's right to control their own bodies is worth it to them, because they're going to pay a price to get those things. Of course, they're too stupid to realize that they're gonna pay for it, and Don the Con will find a way to blame Democrats, and the MAGAts will swallow it- hook, line, and stinker.
We can't give up on the red states. Democrats need to flood them, and provide them with factual information about the brutal budget bill. Bernie Sanders is heading to the South with his Fight Oligrarchy tour. Every Democratic member of the House and Senate should go there. He'll be in Shreveport, Louisiana on June 21, Speaker Johnson's state, where he is still lying about not touching Medicaid and SNAP. https://berniesanders.com/oligarchy/
Folks like Bernie and AOC can go to deep red states all they want, but I fear it's going to take real trauma for many of the MAGA-adjacent Trump voters (the diehards will never come around) to realize that the culture war issues won't feed their kids.
Eric, they have had a lot of Republicans show up, but I agree it will never happen with MAGAs. I still can’t forget when they were hospitalized because they believed what Trump said about COVID vaccines, although he had been vaccinated. And, to their dying day, they still were Trump supporters. It was their family members, in some cases, who changed their minds.
Oh, but the MAGA voters will indeed forget who screwed them and will regurgitate the line that the Republicans will be feeding them at the time of voting in 2026...... MAGA voters are not very discriminant in reading or understanding the truth
This is the most blatant example yet of the greed, power hunger, and ignorance of the Republican Party. I guarantee NO ONE who voted for this bill read it all and saw the hidden tricks and traps included, like ending the ban on silencers. What cruel asshole in the House thought that was an important add-on? The fools don't think about the future—whatsoever. Otherwise, they'd see the repercussions this bill will have on our healthcare system, which is already the most corrupt and least effective in the civilized world; the planet, which is burning at a rate we're soon not going to be able to roll back (if we're not there already); and of course the economy, which is going to come crashing down. As long as a few robber barons add to their stacks of billions, nothing else matters. What in this bill helps the common man? Who would know, because no one has read it, and no GOP representative has the guts to face his/her constituents in a town hall. It sickens me. If the Democrats can ever wrest power back, it'll take years to fix this mess, which could have been avoided if someone had bothered to study Trump's history of business failure. He's ruining America just like he did gambling in Atlantic City, water, an airline, mattresses, steaks, hotels, construction, etc. etc. Didn't he prove he was a lousy and corrupt president the first time around?
Maga-man, by its very nature, punishes itself. This is different from humans, who strive to survive. Democrats better get the messaging right - it is imperative that they paint Republicans as cruel and beholden to the wealthy donors. Not sure if anything will convince MAGA-man, but the "economy" voters may be convinced.
Democrats haven't had a filibuster-proof majority in the senate since Jimmy Carter was president. It would be great if voters elected enough Democrats to actually control congress, currently fully controlled by Republicans.
"When voters go to the polls in 2026 and beyond, they are not likely to forget who betrayed them.”
You are much more optimistic than I. Trump was re-elected after a disastrous first term. As an old Russian adage says, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” There are far too many shameful fools in this country.
When bad things happen to most average Americans, they only occasionally do any focused investigation of facts to figure out what is behind the turn of events. A much larger proportion will just hear from their usual common, often unreliable or intentionally misleading information sources and accept what they hear repeated over and over again. Hence, lots of these negatively affected individuals will not figure it out and will go on supporting those who are hurting them. New voters are needed to overcome this built in obstacle.
The Republicans are doubling down. They seem determined to flaunt their contempt for US democracy and for the people of this country.
As grotesque courtiers like Steven Cheung assure Dear Leader that his birthday parade was an epic success and that the American people revere him, he continues to deploy Homan's ICE and Hegseth's Warriors against immigrants (legal and "illegal" alike are caught up in these sweeps, but the sweeps are designed to create the maximum in terror and chaos, so legality is no concern). Other blue cities and blue states are now in the Republican target zone.
Meanwhile, Donald's Republicans in the US Senate--including Mike Lee of Utah, most recently detected on Twitter giddily mocking the assassinations in Minnesota, because decency died in today's Republican Party when John McCain drew his last breath--are poised to pass through the worst version they can conjure of the worst piece of legislation in living memory.
The Republican Party's Big Beautiful Bill will complete the staggering, nation-destroying wealth transfer launched in 1981 under Reagan under cover of "trickle down:" transferring public wealth---taxpayers' dollars---to the multi millionaires and billionaires (reckless, arrogant, utterly lacking in human decency or civic consciousness) who make up the only real constituency remaining in the GOP.
Scott Galloway has called this the largest wealth transfer in history from the young to the old, the poor to the rich, the future to the past. He's not wrong. The Republicans aren't only robbing Boomers of their fragile security by chipping away at Medicare and Social Security; they aren't only robbing millions of their only medical lifeline by chipping away at Medicaid and the ACA.
They're also creating a world in which the young will never even have the hope of a stable old age---unless, of course, they're born to wealth, like a Murdoch or a Koch or a Trump or a Musk or a Dimon; in which case, they'll be fine. Richer than God's great-uncle.
PS Trump has also issued an order allowing the VA to deny care to veterans depending on their political affiliation or marital status.
Hope someone will talk about censorship of local DC tv on Saturday. Afternoon brought coverage from “Live Now from Fox”, going from (maybe) their headquarters to Philly to join Rev Barber — as the announcer said, “uncensored”. I had to keep up with No Kings by all the WONDERFUL Substacks — thanks so much to All!
YES, they're really afraid of Trump and his crazy acolytes. They have good reason to be, as we saw tragically illustrated in Minnesota last weekend. That was just one example.
Someone has to break through the wall of far right media to show rural folks how this will affect them, their families, and their communities. Obviously, it would be better to have this realization hit them before the bill is passed. They need to swamp their representatives' offices in person and with email and phone calls to protest this atrocity.
Right now people in West Virginia and Texas, states among the reddest, are suffering and dying from flooding while FEMA has been crippled by DOGE. If that isn’t an effective reality check, then forget any educational effort.
I do believe America is facing a Fascist Crisis that may well prevent “going to the polls in 2026”. That among the numerous crises that have fallen by the wayside with no American outrage. Yes, the No Kings March was good and No, not enough of US showed up or seemed even concerned. Trump is successfully following the Fascist Playbook while the entire Congress reeks of cowardice. Freedom is not something acquired—it’s something we fight for collectively. The collective force of Evil keeps moving while the collective force for Good doesn’t appear to gain the force it could and should. As a society and a Republic, we will realize what we have lost when it is gone and too late to retrieve it. The economy is already tanking and the poor are already poorer and the rich richer and those of US in the middle are paycheck to paycheck caught in a political dilemma that equals the demise of any class but the wealthy. My own red Southern MAGA rural county with a low population had one breadline a year ago—now there are three. Take away SNAP and Medicaid and the Good ‘Ol Boys who have harvested weaponry I never ever heard of—will go to War. Trump feeds their angst.
When will we ever learn that our own apathy has placed US here? That we are responsible and accountable for this Terrorist in Office? Whatever compelled US to worship at the feet of the ungodly idolatry of the likes of Donald Trump? What causes US to think that immigrants steal and kill and even eat dogs? Where is our shame that when long ago we let government take over agriculture and even have an agricultural leader of that department that didn’t know that green beans weren’t grown on trees? Or Cabinet members who don’t know what diseases are contagious? Where were we when Citizens United passed putting dirty dollars in politics? Were we relaxing in our loungers watching movies eating popcorn? All of our non participation has brought US to this place. And this place is going to be more uncomfortable and desperate.
Cruel and greedy - the two perfect adjectives for the Republican Party.
Gratuitous cruelty, thy name is Republican.......................
It's not gratuitous. It will enrich them, "bigly."
This isn't what the Republican Party used to be or stand for. What we have now is a political party that has been hijacked. It's now either the truplican party or the party of MAGA. If there are any traditional Republicans left, they're in hiding.
Like the sign at one of the sign at one of the protests that read: "The reason eggs are so expenisve is that all the chickens are in Congress."
Nicely done!
Trad repubs at least since Reagan have wanted tax cuts for the rich and cutting social programs. They are just unfiltered now.
You hit the nail on the head.
Now we need a higher level of resistance to increasing the debt and deficit.
Trump conferred with Putin on Trump/Russia day. Both nutsy koo koo.
The Republican Party is co-dependant.
If DEMs can win the Congress in 2026, they can kill BBB. Am I correct?
No. All the tax cuts for the rich need to be enacted before the end of the year, or most of them will expire. If they're included in the bill, they will be permanent. The Medicaid and SNAP bill won't begin until after the 2026 election, because Republicans knew they would definitely lose the election if they are enacted sooner.
Then, Repbulicans will oppose for restoring any cuts based on inflating national debts. They are clever but merely users of their voters to get elected. They are the worst kind of politicians.
There appears to be enough trauma to change voters' minds. The tariffs and acceleration of the debt plus higher interest rates are apt to have a large impact.
There has to be some way of a law not being permanent -- even if there's no precedent since that doesn't seem to be a stumbling block for other issues -- precedents don't have as much weight as they once had.
I'm not an attorney, maybe someone who is, can speak to this. But, I have checked multiple times about the tax cuts, and it's a ten-year plan they will implement. And, even if we win in 2026, I haven't read we can prevent the Medicaid and SNAP cuts. But, I would hope you are right!
The rethugs in Congress are perfectly willing to torch the Economy and the Nation all in fealty to dear leader and the Oligarchs. I hope the turnout on Saturday gave them pause to think.
We have to call them out. Get them on the record.
Pressure Congressional Republicans.
AI
Areas of Dissent and Opposition:
Trump's Agenda and Policies:
Budget and Spending: Some hard-line Republicans have expressed dissent regarding Trump's "big beautiful bill," arguing it doesn't go far enough in cutting spending, particularly in areas like Medicaid. For example, Rep. Andy Harris chairs the House Freedom Caucus and supports deeper cuts to Medicaid spending. There's also disagreement over elements like the Salt deduction cap.
Deportation Push: Some GOP lawmakers are warning against the aggressive push for deportations, particularly concerning workers and long-term residents. According to Axios, Republicans are concerned about deportations that go too far.
Tariffs and Trade: Republican dissent has also been voiced against Trump's use of tariffs, with concerns about their potential negative economic impacts. Newsweek lists several Republicans who have expressed concern about Trump's tariffs.
Trump's Actions and Approach:
"Crackdown on Dissent": Some have criticized what they perceive as a crackdown on dissent by the Trump administration. The Atlantic reports on actions like charging Rep. LaMonica McIver, suggesting they test the boundaries of acceptable responses to dissent.
Use of Executive Authority: There are concerns regarding Trump's potential abuse of executive authority, including in areas like surveillance and freedom of the press. The ACLU warns about the potential for Trump to use expanded surveillance powers against political opponents.
Challenges to Democratic Norms: Some Republicans have voiced concerns about Trump's disregard for democratic norms and his attempts to pressure lawmakers.
Examples of Dissenting Voices:
Rep. Thomas Massie: A long-time critic of Trump on issues like spending and surveillance, Massie has survived primary challenges despite his dissent. NBC News details Massie's history of opposing Trump on key votes.
Rep. Mike Lawler: Expressed opposition to the "big beautiful bill" in its current form.
Rep. Chip Roy: A key holdout on the budget, questioning whether promises regarding the Senate plan would materialize.
Rep. Mark Amodei: Opposes the administration's plans to claw back funding for public media.
Sen. Rand Paul: A vocal critic of Trump's spending policies, including the military parade, and has opposed the tax and domestic policy bill due to debt concerns. Newsweek highlights Paul's concerns about Trump's tariffs.
....
Hoping that Reps Don Bacon, Mike Turner and others would come forward re Ukraine. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/08/us/politics/breaking-with-trump-bacon-says-he-wont-follow-his-party-off-the-cliff.html
26 Republican senators and more House members voted to fund Ukraine. The Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025 (S. 1241/H.R. 2548) is a proposed piece of legislation in the US Senate and House of Representatives aimed at increasing sanctions against Russia in response to its ongoing invasion of Ukraine. The Senate version, introduced by Senators Graham and Blumenthal, has gained significant bipartisan support. The bill proposes a comprehensive sanctions and tariff regime targeting Russia and those who support its energy sector. 80 cosponsors.
I suspect that the MAGA coalition is a little more fragile after Saturday. tRump was made to appear feckless and weak. Long may that continue!
(Part 1) The MAGA coalition should be treated by Democrats as the failure they are. Democrats must act as if Saturday was a complete game changer because it was. We the People have spoken, and demonstrated that we not only hate this budget, but we despise Trump and Republicans who are trying to push it through. 50501 has written that there were 11 million people who protested on NO KINGS day. Alt National Parks wrote there were there were 12.1 million, and they still were counting. In comparison, despite the inflated numbers, the parade might only have had 25,000+ people.
And, not only are the American people against the budget, but so is Elon Musk, who called it a "disgusting abomination." (I hate Musk, but Republicans care what he thinks.) Although later, Musk walked back some of his criticism, because Vance and Speaker Johnson spent days trying to mollify him, because they are so frightened he will stop buying elections for them.
For those of us who are concerned about Republicans moving full steam ahead on the budget, we need to stop worrying and call our politicians. The way we win against Trump and Congressional Republicans is to continue fighting, and use Govenor Newsom's strategy, which I cover in Part 2.
(Part 2). And, whether you like him or not, we should use Governor Newsom's strategy. Nothing else has worked. What do we have to lose?
"As Trump has sought to use the military to quash protests against federal immigration raids in LA, Newsom positioned himself as the central figure of the party’s resistance to Trump’s autocratic aspirations. He has been modeling the kind of leadership Democrats have mostly lacked throughout Trump’s second term: bold, clear and anchored in democratic values. It’s the kind of approach that needs to spread in his party in this moment of democratic crisis.
https://www.gov.ca.gov/2025/06/10/governor-newsoms-address-to-california-democracy-at-a-crossroads/ It received over 3 million hits on YouTube alone.
“We’re at an inflection point in the country’s history,” said South Carolina state Rep. JA Moore, a lawmaker who has been deeply involved in his state’s early presidential primary politics. “I see in this moment that the governor is fighting like hell, not just for the people of LA or the people of California or even the country. He’s fighting for democracy itself.”
And, that's what I want my politicians to do in the budget hearings. Stop being polite to Congressional Republicans. Call them out. It's a budget that benefits the rich on the backs of the rest of us. We have the momentum, it's time to use it.
Strike while the iron is hot!
Pour it on.
Now we have to do it again! We need to create more protests and demonstrations, because, you know, slow learning curve. Or maybe flat one.
...a tangential question, if I may...
Following the overwhelming success of June 14th...are there any plans in the works for America's Birthday ....July 4th..? It's coming up fast.
Follow up to Stephen Body's " Strike while the iron is hot" comment !
Lynn, the link shows Trump had wanted to do for the Fourth of July after he went to France. He ended up doing the parade in this presidency. But given the miserable failure of his birthday parade, perhaps he's learned his lesson. Sorry, that was stupid for me to suggest, because he never learns anything.
https://www.eenews.net/articles/inside-the-scramble-to-give-trump-his-epic-july-4th-party/
SBwrites.... nasty nasty person that I am...my shadenfreude . reached epic heights on June 14th...first for the absolutel dejection on Trump's face as he cast his eyes on hundreds of empty seats around his " imperial golden throne" for a day. The paucity of " personages" that day must have shattered his fragile ego! Reality ( foreign to hi!m) is a rough sour pill to swallow!.
As TV cameras the nation wide took in the uber success of the People's Protest Day...my old eyes teared...and my heart / soul.sang out with.joyous pride!. A nonogenarian of WWII vintage....June 14th was one of the happiest days in.my adult life!.
Am still taking pleasure in the next sunrise I am granted...and will.fight for my country's freedom, our Constitutional lawful democracy.as long as I have a breath in my body.
Thank you...and all the courageous Protesters who revere this beloved homeland. NEVER GIVE UP !
ONWARD TO JULY 4TH!🇺🇸
Great comment Lynn. It made me smile at the same time I was touched. It’s just odd that my name is at the beginning of the first sentence, so people may think I wrote it. But, I am giving you full credit!
We' share any blame...???
Sure we do. But, we need to spend as much energy calling and writing to our politicians as it took to attend the protests. We can't let them ignore how many of us protested.
Trump already has said he will send ICE Tactical teams to Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Seattle, and Northern Virginia, all blue areas. I live in Los Angeles, and we need to try and prevent that from happening. And, I just read he wants to send the National Guard to other places. It's because he's such a loser that he's resorting to what he's always done by fomenting violence. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/what-u-s-law-says-about-trumps-deployment-of-active-duty-troops-to-los-angeles
The mostly peaceful protests started here because of how horrible the ICE Gestapo was to undocumented immigrants. They allegedly were looking for violent people, but it's impossible to know who's violent, unless they are seeking out specific people. The people they've captured mostly have lived here for years, raised families, have children who were born here, work, pay their taxes, and contribute to social security. It's gotten worse because 4700 troops feels like an invasion, particularly when there are are only two streets downtown, where they have been problems.
And, now outside agitators have come purely to participate in violence. I wouldn't be surprised if they are some of the people he pardoned who participated in the Insurrection.
It seems unlikely that it has -- they are arching full steam ahead with this outrageous, big beautiful bill
It won't change unless Democrats drive it home, and change their behavior. They need to keep mentioning how many people were at the protests, and how many signs were about the budget, because the numbers reported are not accurate. 50501 wrote that's it's 11 million. Alt Park Service wrote it's 12.1M. MSM reports millions, without specifying a number.
The White House spokesperson said it was nothing, but if I understand it correctly, before you are hired, you are tested on how proficiently you lie. Democrats need to keep stating how few people were at the parade, compared to at the protests. Most of the Congressional Republicans weren't at the parade. Obviously, they know about the disastrous numbers, but, as far as I know, the parade numbers haven't been released. I was listening to a podcaster with my son, and the person suggested there were only 25,000 people, but I can't remember his name, and haven't seen that figure elsewhere.
And, Democrats need to behave like NO KINGS was the enormous win that it was. But, I just spent 30 minutes, trying to find a map of the protests, and other info about what really happened, and I can't. It may be because I'm rushed and am supposed to be doing chores, that I've ignored for weeks. But, the truth is that it seems like everything has disappeared.
It may never all be recorded. There were apparently pop up protests in unexpected places. Still, we need to get on the stick and lean on our Dem Reps and Senators to be much more aggressive. I still like the idea of a well-thought-out Shadow Cabinet with adequate staffing and funding.
Stephen, there is a guy named Eliott Morris, and his Substack is Strength in Numbers, and he provided data on different protests on Saturday, but they were lower than the numbers I was reading. However, they were organized by city and state. I'm not a paid member, so I can't check on his totals.
This is from ALT Park Service: https://bsky.app/profile/altnps.bsky.social/post/3lrni2qvoyc2z
I don't know what they do with their info, but it's fun to look at all of the people who sent in numbers.
Perhaps a few months ago, you were the one mentioned a Shadow Cabinet. I don't think I supported the idea then, but now I believe that any idea is better than what we're doing.
We have to attract the attention of some of the Democratic thought leaders.
Same
I wonder why we're not seeing ads about this on television news or elsewhere. Why aren’t the Democrats spreading the news about this awful bill?
"Congressional Democrats have seized on the issue, with moderates and progressives alike speaking in defense of the program. The party’s House campaign arm is prioritizing Medicaid in swing-district messaging. And TV ads mentioning Medicaid have already run in more Republican-held districts this year than they did all of last cycle."
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/06/09/medicaid-realignment-politics-gop-megabill-00393331
Apologize.
Actually, many Democrats have been speaking out against the bill, but corporate news won't cover it honestly. So ever more Americans are abandoning all TV news as the complicit corporate dreck it is for few decent media outlets and for The Contrarian, Reddit and the Substacks of the various real journalists who've left the corporate media because their editors won't let them report the truth. At least, that's my guess. But I'm sure images of the No Kings and other protests will appear in plenty of ads in the next election.
Rachel Maddow & other MSNBC journalists shout the facts !! 👏
Admit to not being able to stomach any image of the evil malignant narcissist !
Avoid most cable news....but still watch Lawrence O'Donnell ...only.
My shadenfreude took joyous wing at the reports of a very tiny birthday parade turnout for The Convicted Felon...and the millions who proudly showed up to PROTEST!! That's the AMERICAN SPIRIT !🇺🇸
His father's day must have been shattered with feelings of ignominious failure...well & truly deserved!. Must have pickled his onions to feel the utter hatred of his wanna be " subjects" ...Americans who will never give in to a Midas lookalike....no matter how many ingots the " loser in chief " steals from this country.
NO KINGS !
Yes, Rachel Maddow is great, but an exception.
I agree completely. Democrats cant win in Congress but they have to let the public know what is happening, particularly in red states.. Spend some money now dont hoard it until the elections
Hello? Are you not on that same Kamala Harris please-give-us-money-right-now mailing list I hear from every two days? Do you really believe somebody’s hoarding money for a rainy day?
Had to tell them....show me what you've positively accomplish in this fight....then ask for money !
The DNC sucks. The new president Ken Martin hasn't accomplished anything. He couldn't even solve his internal problems with David Hogg, so they kicked him out, and now two Union members have quit. In my opinion, everyone should be fired, they should hire Ben Winkler, or someone else, and let him or her pick the entire staff. I apologize that this link from Yahoo news is from Fox News, I couldn't find a better source for this specific story. https://www.yahoo.com/news/randi-weingarten-lee-saunders-quit-150848742.html
The bill has been covered many times in the many news sources. Does everything need to be reduced to a sixty second ad in order to get the attention of the American public?
Yes it does. Do many people (esp. MAGA) won't take the time to search out or pay attention to real news. They want to be easily entertained. I think the only way to reach them is to get on their level.
We need all Democrats to go to Republican Town Halls over the weekends. Bernie Sanders will be going to the South next, and will be speaking to the people in Louisiana, Speaker Johnson's state, among others. Louisiana has the second highest percentage of people on Medicaid in the country. And, they already have food security issues. This is the info on Sander's tour! https://www.ksla.com/2025/06/12/bernie-sanders-fighting-oligarchy-tour-reportedly-will-stop-shreveport-louisiana/
If this brutal budget bill passes, their rural hospitals will close, and there is no backup. And, people will lose their hospital jobs, and their economy is flat! I live in CA and just checked a few of their local newspapers, and only one covered the protests. https://lailluminator.com/2025/06/14/new-orleans-no-kings/
Billboards should be put up in every Red state with photos of their reps in Congress with the caption "Lose your insurance? Prices going up? Thank these folks!"
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/06/09/medicaid-realignment-politics-gop-megabill-00393331
Yes!
You end by saying:
"When voters go to the polls in 2026 and beyond, they are not likely to forget who betrayed them."
It seems plausible that this regime is banking on voters either not going to the polls in 2026 or on influencing the vote to their benefit by manipulating the process. It would be unwise of people to bank on that election in their reaction to the regime now. Breaking the current path may get harder with time. Best to plan for now.
Any suggestions on how Canadians can help?
I have been writing my Member of Parliament and the Prime Minister and Department Ministers asking that Canada end the Canada - U.S. Safe Third Country Agreement on the grounds that the U.S. is not a Safe Third Country for asylum seekers, making the Agreement untrue.
There is a lot of empathy up here for what you are going through.
How can we be a better neighbour to you at this time?
Janet
You Canadians ARE being good neighbors! I am (and have been) closely following the news in your country for months. It's heartening, more than you can possibly know, to hear how Canadians are joining together and moving forward.
Thank you.
Canadians can help my state (Washington) by coming back! We miss you (and your loonies and toonies.) Stop vacationing in MAGA states like Florida, but don't hesitate to visit sympathetic blue states, especially along your border. Some of our communities and businesses are really hurting.
Please adopt me and my boyfriend! We’ll even homestead in Saskatchewan! 🇨🇦
Just kidding. We thank you for your love and support!…
Janet, thank you so much! Canada has been great! It's our damn politicians who are the program right now. They need to stop focusing on their job security, and start allowing the most skilled members who are fighters to move into leadership positions now! And they need to travel throughout the country like Senator Bernie Sanders is doing.
All those red state folks that voted for the culture wars are going to be really sad when they can't find a hospital to help with their diabetes or a pregnancy gone wrong. Who's going to pay for a nursing home to put their elderly in? But, you know, it's the immigrants and the trans kids who are the real problem.
Yeah, I hope that beating up on LGBTQ kids and restricting women's right to control their own bodies is worth it to them, because they're going to pay a price to get those things. Of course, they're too stupid to realize that they're gonna pay for it, and Don the Con will find a way to blame Democrats, and the MAGAts will swallow it- hook, line, and stinker.
We can't give up on the red states. Democrats need to flood them, and provide them with factual information about the brutal budget bill. Bernie Sanders is heading to the South with his Fight Oligrarchy tour. Every Democratic member of the House and Senate should go there. He'll be in Shreveport, Louisiana on June 21, Speaker Johnson's state, where he is still lying about not touching Medicaid and SNAP. https://berniesanders.com/oligarchy/
Folks like Bernie and AOC can go to deep red states all they want, but I fear it's going to take real trauma for many of the MAGA-adjacent Trump voters (the diehards will never come around) to realize that the culture war issues won't feed their kids.
Eric, they have had a lot of Republicans show up, but I agree it will never happen with MAGAs. I still can’t forget when they were hospitalized because they believed what Trump said about COVID vaccines, although he had been vaccinated. And, to their dying day, they still were Trump supporters. It was their family members, in some cases, who changed their minds.
Oh, but the MAGA voters will indeed forget who screwed them and will regurgitate the line that the Republicans will be feeding them at the time of voting in 2026...... MAGA voters are not very discriminant in reading or understanding the truth
This is the most blatant example yet of the greed, power hunger, and ignorance of the Republican Party. I guarantee NO ONE who voted for this bill read it all and saw the hidden tricks and traps included, like ending the ban on silencers. What cruel asshole in the House thought that was an important add-on? The fools don't think about the future—whatsoever. Otherwise, they'd see the repercussions this bill will have on our healthcare system, which is already the most corrupt and least effective in the civilized world; the planet, which is burning at a rate we're soon not going to be able to roll back (if we're not there already); and of course the economy, which is going to come crashing down. As long as a few robber barons add to their stacks of billions, nothing else matters. What in this bill helps the common man? Who would know, because no one has read it, and no GOP representative has the guts to face his/her constituents in a town hall. It sickens me. If the Democrats can ever wrest power back, it'll take years to fix this mess, which could have been avoided if someone had bothered to study Trump's history of business failure. He's ruining America just like he did gambling in Atlantic City, water, an airline, mattresses, steaks, hotels, construction, etc. etc. Didn't he prove he was a lousy and corrupt president the first time around?
Maga-man, by its very nature, punishes itself. This is different from humans, who strive to survive. Democrats better get the messaging right - it is imperative that they paint Republicans as cruel and beholden to the wealthy donors. Not sure if anything will convince MAGA-man, but the "economy" voters may be convinced.
It would be GREAT if we saw the Dems doing something constructive - anything! Why are they such whinnies?
Psy ops works. MAGA is the enemy, not Dems.
Dems are a minority, and have to do jujitsu.
Democrats haven't had a filibuster-proof majority in the senate since Jimmy Carter was president. It would be great if voters elected enough Democrats to actually control congress, currently fully controlled by Republicans.
"When voters go to the polls in 2026 and beyond, they are not likely to forget who betrayed them.”
You are much more optimistic than I. Trump was re-elected after a disastrous first term. As an old Russian adage says, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” There are far too many shameful fools in this country.
When bad things happen to most average Americans, they only occasionally do any focused investigation of facts to figure out what is behind the turn of events. A much larger proportion will just hear from their usual common, often unreliable or intentionally misleading information sources and accept what they hear repeated over and over again. Hence, lots of these negatively affected individuals will not figure it out and will go on supporting those who are hurting them. New voters are needed to overcome this built in obstacle.
The Republicans are doubling down. They seem determined to flaunt their contempt for US democracy and for the people of this country.
As grotesque courtiers like Steven Cheung assure Dear Leader that his birthday parade was an epic success and that the American people revere him, he continues to deploy Homan's ICE and Hegseth's Warriors against immigrants (legal and "illegal" alike are caught up in these sweeps, but the sweeps are designed to create the maximum in terror and chaos, so legality is no concern). Other blue cities and blue states are now in the Republican target zone.
Meanwhile, Donald's Republicans in the US Senate--including Mike Lee of Utah, most recently detected on Twitter giddily mocking the assassinations in Minnesota, because decency died in today's Republican Party when John McCain drew his last breath--are poised to pass through the worst version they can conjure of the worst piece of legislation in living memory.
The Republican Party's Big Beautiful Bill will complete the staggering, nation-destroying wealth transfer launched in 1981 under Reagan under cover of "trickle down:" transferring public wealth---taxpayers' dollars---to the multi millionaires and billionaires (reckless, arrogant, utterly lacking in human decency or civic consciousness) who make up the only real constituency remaining in the GOP.
Scott Galloway has called this the largest wealth transfer in history from the young to the old, the poor to the rich, the future to the past. He's not wrong. The Republicans aren't only robbing Boomers of their fragile security by chipping away at Medicare and Social Security; they aren't only robbing millions of their only medical lifeline by chipping away at Medicaid and the ACA.
They're also creating a world in which the young will never even have the hope of a stable old age---unless, of course, they're born to wealth, like a Murdoch or a Koch or a Trump or a Musk or a Dimon; in which case, they'll be fine. Richer than God's great-uncle.
PS Trump has also issued an order allowing the VA to deny care to veterans depending on their political affiliation or marital status.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/16/va-doctors-refuse-treat-patients
Thank you for highlighting this, Willoughby. This is deeply disturbing. I worked at the VA for several years and was proud of the work we did.
Hope someone will talk about censorship of local DC tv on Saturday. Afternoon brought coverage from “Live Now from Fox”, going from (maybe) their headquarters to Philly to join Rev Barber — as the announcer said, “uncensored”. I had to keep up with No Kings by all the WONDERFUL Substacks — thanks so much to All!
Amen, Ms. Rubin. It's astonishing that anyone in the House or Senate would vote for this awful bill. Are they afraid of Trump, or what?
YES, they're really afraid of Trump and his crazy acolytes. They have good reason to be, as we saw tragically illustrated in Minnesota last weekend. That was just one example.
Someone has to break through the wall of far right media to show rural folks how this will affect them, their families, and their communities. Obviously, it would be better to have this realization hit them before the bill is passed. They need to swamp their representatives' offices in person and with email and phone calls to protest this atrocity.
Right now people in West Virginia and Texas, states among the reddest, are suffering and dying from flooding while FEMA has been crippled by DOGE. If that isn’t an effective reality check, then forget any educational effort.
I do believe America is facing a Fascist Crisis that may well prevent “going to the polls in 2026”. That among the numerous crises that have fallen by the wayside with no American outrage. Yes, the No Kings March was good and No, not enough of US showed up or seemed even concerned. Trump is successfully following the Fascist Playbook while the entire Congress reeks of cowardice. Freedom is not something acquired—it’s something we fight for collectively. The collective force of Evil keeps moving while the collective force for Good doesn’t appear to gain the force it could and should. As a society and a Republic, we will realize what we have lost when it is gone and too late to retrieve it. The economy is already tanking and the poor are already poorer and the rich richer and those of US in the middle are paycheck to paycheck caught in a political dilemma that equals the demise of any class but the wealthy. My own red Southern MAGA rural county with a low population had one breadline a year ago—now there are three. Take away SNAP and Medicaid and the Good ‘Ol Boys who have harvested weaponry I never ever heard of—will go to War. Trump feeds their angst.
When will we ever learn that our own apathy has placed US here? That we are responsible and accountable for this Terrorist in Office? Whatever compelled US to worship at the feet of the ungodly idolatry of the likes of Donald Trump? What causes US to think that immigrants steal and kill and even eat dogs? Where is our shame that when long ago we let government take over agriculture and even have an agricultural leader of that department that didn’t know that green beans weren’t grown on trees? Or Cabinet members who don’t know what diseases are contagious? Where were we when Citizens United passed putting dirty dollars in politics? Were we relaxing in our loungers watching movies eating popcorn? All of our non participation has brought US to this place. And this place is going to be more uncomfortable and desperate.
Karen, this is an impassioned and right on comment, thank you. May we all wake up and stay awake.