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Mary Nelson"Longtime Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin will not seek re-election in 2026""The second-ranking Senate Democrat will retire after his decades-long career representing Illinois in Congress."<a href="https://mstdn.social/tags/USpol" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#USpol</a> <a href="https://mstdn.social/tags/USpolitics" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#USpolitics</a> <a href="https://mstdn.social/tags/Senate" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Senate</a> <a href="https://mstdn.social/tags/DickDurbin" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DickDurbin</a> <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/longtime-democratic-sen-dick-durbin-will-not-seek-re-election-2026-rcna201138" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/longtime-democratic-sen-dick-durbin-will-not-seek-re-election-2026-rcna201138</a>

CarolTheCroneDick Durbin will not run for reelection in 2026.He is a good man, and was a good senator, but 80 years old, and no longer up to take on the load of today's politics. Time to pass the torch.Now, how about @adamkinzinger.bsky.social or @casten.house.gov for <a href="https://mastodon.sdf.org/tags/IL" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#IL</a> senator? <a href="https://mastodon.sdf.org/tags/Congress" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Congress</a> <a href="https://mastodon.sdf.org/tags/USPolitics" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#USPolitics</a> <a href="https://mastodon.sdf.org/tags/DickDurbin" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DickDurbin</a> <a href="https://mastodon.sdf.org/tags/SenateDemocrats" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#SenateDemocrats</a> <a href="https://mastodon.sdf.org/tags/Democrats" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Democrats</a>

william.maggos<a href="https://liberal.city/tags/DickDurbin" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DickDurbin</a> is done. He was ok but as a senior Democrat in <a href="https://liberal.city/tags/Illinois" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Illinois</a>, he needed to do more to try to force reform. To stand up against the corruption.

Nonilex…Sen <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/DickDurbin" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DickDurbin</a>, who is in his fifth <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/Senate" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Senate</a> term, said it was not an easy choice to step away from his prime perch doing battle with <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/Trump" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Trump</a>, whom he considers a dire <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/threat" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#threat</a> to <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/democracy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#democracy</a>. He described moments in recent days “where I thought, ‘Man, I don’t want to miss this fight.’”“But you know,” he continued, “I have to be honest about this. There are good people in the wings, good people on the bench ready to serve, & they can fight this fight just as effectively as I can.…”<a href="https://masto.ai/tags/law" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#law</a> <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/USpol" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#USpol</a>

Nonilex<a href="https://masto.ai/tags/Illinois" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Illinois</a> <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/Democrat" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Democrat</a> Senator <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/DickDurbin" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DickDurbin</a>, No.2 <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/Senate" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Senate</a> Dem & a leading <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/liberal" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#liberal</a> voice, to retire after 44 years in <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/Congress" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Congress</a><a href="https://masto.ai/tags/Durbin" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Durbin</a> retiring will fundamentally reshape how <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/immigration" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#immigration</a> is debated in the Senate. For decades, he's played a leading role in shaping immigration policy (he was behind the first push for the Dream Act over 20 years ago).<a href="https://masto.ai/tags/law" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#law</a> <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/legislation" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#legislation</a> <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/LegislativeBranch" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#LegislativeBranch</a> <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/USpol" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#USpol</a> <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/23/us/dick-durbin-retires-senate.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&sgrp=p&pvid=6F0C39E6-2591-4197-B6F2-1F78E333F509" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/23/us/dick-durbin-retires-senate.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&sgrp=p&pvid=6F0C39E6-2591-4197-B6F2-1F78E333F509</a>

NonilexIllinois Senator <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/DickDurbin" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DickDurbin</a>, the No. 2 <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/Democrat" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Democrat</a> in the <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/Senate" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Senate</a>, warned that the negative impacts of <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/tariffs" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#tariffs</a> would persist far beyond a 90-day period."The chaos, uncertainty, & real damage of the <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/Trump" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Trump</a> Tariff Tax will not disappear in 90 days. Bottom line: the President has created a global mess at the expense of American families & businesses,” Durbin said in a statement.<a href="https://masto.ai/tags/US" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#US</a> <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/economy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#economy</a> <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/inflation" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#inflation</a> <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/recession" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#recession</a> <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/chaos" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#chaos</a> <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/MarketManipulation" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#MarketManipulation</a> <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/geopolitics" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#geopolitics</a> <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/idiocracy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#idiocracy</a>

Bytes EuropeTrump’s 10% baseline tariff makes economy uncertain, Republicans say <a href="https://www.byteseu.com/888794/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://www.byteseu.com/888794/</a> <a href="https://pubeurope.com/tags/ChrisCoons" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#ChrisCoons</a> <a href="https://pubeurope.com/tags/DickDurbin" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DickDurbin</a> <a href="https://pubeurope.com/tags/distro" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#distro</a> <a href="https://pubeurope.com/tags/DonaldTrump" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DonaldTrump</a> <a href="https://pubeurope.com/tags/economy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#economy</a> <a href="https://pubeurope.com/tags/imds" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#imds</a> <a href="https://pubeurope.com/tags/JohnKennedy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#JohnKennedy</a> <a href="https://pubeurope.com/tags/MikeJohnson" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#MikeJohnson</a> <a href="https://pubeurope.com/tags/NewsUpdate" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#NewsUpdate</a> <a href="https://pubeurope.com/tags/newsbreak" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#newsbreak</a> <a href="https://pubeurope.com/tags/oovvuu" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#oovvuu</a> <a href="https://pubeurope.com/tags/Politics" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Politics</a> <a href="https://pubeurope.com/tags/smartnews" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#smartnews</a> <a href="https://pubeurope.com/tags/StraightFromDc" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#StraightFromDc</a> <a href="https://pubeurope.com/tags/tariffs" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#tariffs</a> <a href="https://pubeurope.com/tags/TimKaine" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#TimKaine</a> <a href="https://pubeurope.com/tags/TommyTuberville" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#TommyTuberville</a> <a href="https://pubeurope.com/tags/TopStories" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#TopStories</a> <a href="https://pubeurope.com/tags/U" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#U</a>.S.Economy <a href="https://pubeurope.com/tags/ve" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#ve</a>

KenThis is where <a href="https://mstdn.social/tags/ChuckSchumer" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#ChuckSchumer</a> <a href="https://mstdn.social/tags/KirstenGillibrand" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#KirstenGillibrand</a> and <a href="https://mstdn.social/tags/DickDurbin" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DickDurbin</a> live, in the middle. ENOUGH! We need fighters leading us, it's time to take back the <a href="https://mstdn.social/tags/DemocraticParty" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DemocraticParty</a> h/t <a href="https://masto.ai/@rbreich" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@rbreich</a>

Mark Wyner Won’t Comply :vm:So…who out there is still thinking the Democrats are gonna save America? Guess what? They won’t.Many of us know this already. But those of you holding your breath, consider this: Dick Durbin is teaming up with the fascists to make it easy to be sued for censoring disinformation.So, yeah, maybe check yourself. No one will save us. We need to save ourselves.<a href="https://archive.is/MbdlH" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://archive.is/MbdlH</a><a href="https://mas.to/tags/Fascism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Fascism</a> <a href="https://mas.to/tags/DickDurbin" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DickDurbin</a> <a href="https://mas.to/tags/Section230" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Section230</a> <a href="https://mas.to/tags/Democrats" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Democrats</a>

NonilexSen <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/DickDurbin" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DickDurbin</a>, a <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/Democrat" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Democrat</a>, & Sen <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/LindseyGraham" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#LindseyGraham</a>, a <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/Republican" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Republican</a>, plan to introduce a bill that would set an expiration date of Jan 1, 2027, for <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/Section230" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Section230</a>, acc/to a congressional aide familiar…. The senators have wide support from their respective parties: <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/Republicans" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Republicans</a> <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/JoshHawley" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#JoshHawley</a> & <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/MarshaBlackburn" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#MarshaBlackburn</a> & <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/Democrats" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Democrats</a> <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/SheldonWhitehouse" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#SheldonWhitehouse</a> & <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/AmyKlobuchar" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#AmyKlobuchar</a> have agreed to co-sponsor the bill. 2 more Dems, <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/RichardBlumenthal" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#RichardBlumenthal</a> & <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/PeterWelch" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#PeterWelch</a>, have discussed cosponsoring.<a href="https://masto.ai/tags/law" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#law</a> <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/internet" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#internet</a> <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/regulation" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#regulation</a>

em 🌊yucky yucky yucky :baduk: <a href="https://mstdn.social/tags/dickdurbin" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#dickdurbin</a> get with the program u nasty for this<a href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/2025/03/14/illinois-democrats-shutdown-federal-budget-vote-reaction-durbin-duckworth-casten" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/2025/03/14/illinois-democrats-shutdown-federal-budget-vote-reaction-durbin-duckworth-casten</a><a href="https://mstdn.social/tags/governmentshutdown" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#governmentshutdown</a> <a href="https://mstdn.social/tags/spendingbill" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#spendingbill</a> <a href="https://mstdn.social/tags/federalbudget" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#federalbudget</a> <a href="https://mstdn.social/tags/budget" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#budget</a>

em 🌊over 1000 <a href="https://mstdn.social/tags/chicago" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#chicago</a> demonstrators gathered in support of <a href="https://mstdn.social/tags/ukraine" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#ukraine</a> today 🇺🇦 <a href="https://youtu.be/LXxMd5IiuAM" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/LXxMd5IiuAM</a><a href="https://mstdn.social/tags/dickdurbin" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#dickdurbin</a> <a href="https://mstdn.social/tags/uspol" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#uspol</a> <a href="https://mstdn.social/tags/zelenskyy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#zelenskyy</a> <a href="https://mstdn.social/tags/illinois" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#illinois</a> <a href="https://mstdn.social/tags/rally" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#rally</a> <a href="https://mstdn.social/tags/cbschicago" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#cbschicago</a>

Nonilex“'There’s a great fear among many people — academics & people in the <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/legal" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#legal</a> profession – as to whether or not this president would defy a court order, which basically would put him above the <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/law" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#law</a>, at least in his own eyes,' said the panel’s top Democrat, Illinois Sen. <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/DickDurbin" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DickDurbin</a>.“<a href="https://masto.ai/tags/Sauer" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Sauer</a> rejoined, 'I’ve represented President <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/Trump" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Trump</a> for the better part of 2 years, & I just think that that’s not a plausible scenario.'”🤔 say what now?<a href="https://masto.ai/tags/law" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#law</a> <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/judiciary" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#judiciary</a> <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/TrumpCoup" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#TrumpCoup</a> <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/coup" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#coup</a> <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/autocracy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#autocracy</a> <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/tyranny" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#tyranny</a> <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/USpol" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#USpol</a>

Nonilex“This alleged misconduct is beyond the pale & must be investigated immediately,” <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/DickDurbin" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DickDurbin</a> wrote to the independent <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/IG" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#IG</a>….The accusation comes as the cmte prepares to vote Thurs on whether to send <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/KashPatel" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#KashPatel</a>’s nom to the <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/Senate" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Senate</a> floor. Durbin said that if the allegations were true, then the acting No.2 at the <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/Justice" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Justice</a> Dept, <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/EmilBove" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#EmilBove</a>, fired career civil servants “solely at the behest of a private citizen,” & that Patel “may have perjured himself” at his confirmation hearing.<a href="https://masto.ai/tags/law" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#law</a> <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/Trump" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Trump</a>

Nonilex🚨The top Democrat on the <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/Senate" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Senate</a> <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/Judiciary" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Judiciary</a> Cmte on Tues accused <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/KashPatel" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#KashPatel</a>, <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/Trump" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Trump</a>’s nominee for <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/FBI" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#FBI</a> director, of improperly directing a wave of firings at the bureau before being confirmed.In a letter to the <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/DOJ" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DOJ</a>’s <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/IG" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#IG</a>, Senator <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/DickDurbin" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DickDurbin</a> of IL cited “highly credible information from multiple sources” that suggested Patel had been personally involved in covertly orchestrating a <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/purge" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#purge</a> of career officials at the FBI.🚨<a href="https://masto.ai/tags/law" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#law</a> <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/TrumpCoup" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#TrumpCoup</a> <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/EmilBove" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#EmilBove</a> <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/NationalSecurity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#NationalSecurity</a> <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/authoritarianism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#authoritarianism</a> <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/autocracy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#autocracy</a>

Nonilex<a href="https://masto.ai/tags/DickDurbin" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DickDurbin</a>, the top Dem on the <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/Senate" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Senate</a> <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/Judiciary" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Judiciary</a> Cmte, pressed <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/KashPatel" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#KashPatel</a> on appearances he made on a podcast hosted by <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/StewPeters" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#StewPeters</a>. Peters has often expressed <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/antisemitic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#antisemitic</a> & <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/WhiteNationalist" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#WhiteNationalist</a> views. Pressed by Durbin about why he has associated w/so many <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/extremists" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#extremists</a> & <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/ConspiracyTheorists" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#ConspiracyTheorists</a>, Patel claimed he went on podcasts to take on people putting out <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/ConspiracyTheories" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#ConspiracyTheories</a> in order to disabuse them of their false impressions & to talk to them about the truth. A flat-out <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/lie" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#lie</a>. <a href="https://masto.ai/tags/NationalSecurity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#NationalSecurity</a>

Six Grandfathers Mountain<a href="https://techhub.social/@wbpeckham" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@wbpeckham</a> Yes, Lawrence O'Donnell is good<a href="https://newsie.social/@JuanWild" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@JuanWild</a> RE Stop worshiping <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/billionaires" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#billionaires</a> <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/dickdurbin" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#dickdurbin</a> (D-IL) on <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/morningjoe" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#morningjoe</a> The Dec 19 2024 said at the ⭕2min point...<a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Obama" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Obama</a> saved <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Musk" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Musk</a> with a government loae of 600 million USD bc <a href="https://mastodon.social/tags/Tesla" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Tesla</a> was almost bankrupt ‼️And this week, Musk says, "we must be rugged individualists" (actually Dick Durbin said that)VIDEO (see the 2min point)

StanceOfMindI am disappointed by Senator Durbin's vote for the <a href="https://tech.lgbt/tags/NDAA" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#NDAA</a> that throws trans youth under the buss of Republican hate mongering and facist tactics. I hope that he will right this wrong in the future.<a href="https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-statememt-on-s" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank">https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-statememt-on-s</a> <a href="https://tech.lgbt/tags/USPol" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#USPol</a> <a href="https://tech.lgbt/tags/Politics" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Politics</a> <a href="https://tech.lgbt/tags/DickDurbin" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DickDurbin</a> <a href="https://tech.lgbt/tags/Democrats" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Democrats</a> <a href="https://tech.lgbt/tags/TransRights" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#TransRights</a> <a href="https://tech.lgbt/tags/TransFamilies" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#TransFamilies</a>

My Head’s Exploding 🤯 💥<a href="https://universeodon.com/@LaNaehForaday" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@LaNaehForaday</a> Helloooo…Dick Durbin….calling <a href="https://mastodon.world/tags/DickDurbin" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DickDurbin</a>

Sky DancingGood Morning!! “The eyes of the world are upon you,” Eisenhower speaking to troops before Normandy invasion. Today is the 80th anniversary of D-Day, and President Biden is in France to mark the occasion. Some reports:CBS News: <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/biden-80th-anniversary-d-day-normandy/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Biden lauds WWII veterans on D-Day 80th anniversary, vows NATO solidarity in face of new threat to democracy</a>.<blockquote>President Biden and key U.S. allies were in Normandy Thursday to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the U.S.-led allied forces’ <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/d-day-what-does-d-stand-for-timeline-battle-of-normandy-what-happened/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">D-Day invasion</a> of Nazi-occupied France. The brazen air and sea invasion would mark the beginning of the end of World War II, leading to the defeat of Adolf Hitler’s Nazi German forces in Europe less than a year later. Mr. Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau were together to mark the most significant victory of the Western allies in the war, as well as the largest seaborne invasion in history. Mr. Biden is in France through the weekend for D-Day anniversary commemorations and plans to meet with leaders of key allies during his visit.“Seventy-three-thousand brave Americans landed at Utah and Omaha beaches in Normandy on June 6, 1944 and the president will greet American veterans and their family members while in France to honor their sacrifice,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in announcing the president’s trip. Mr. Biden and first lady Jill Biden met WWII veterans one by one ahead of a memorial ceremony at the Normandy American Cemetery on Thursday, presenting each one with coins made to commemorate the D-Day anniversary. He chatted and joked with some of the men, asking about their hometowns, thanking them for their service and calling them the greatest generation ever.The president delivered remarks later Thursday at a commemoration ceremony that was also attended by members of Congress from both parties, including House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and speaker emerita Nancy Pelosi.</blockquote>The Independent: <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/d-day-landings-anniversary-king-charles-biden-normandy-latest-b2557792.html" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">D-Day – latest: Biden warns world ‘will not surrender to bullies’ as he commemorates 80th anniversary.</a><blockquote>President Joe Biden has vowed to not “surrender to the bullies” as he praised D-Day veterans for their bravery at a commemorative event.The US President addressed the crowd in <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/prime-minister-rishi-sunak-hampshire-prince-of-wales-philip-b2557218.html" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ver-sur-Mer, France, on the 80th anniversary</a> of the landings as he promised the 50 countries standing with Ukraine “will not walk away”.“Make no mistake the autocrats of the world are watching closely to see what happens in Ukraine. To see if we let this illegal aggression go unchecked,” he said.“To surrender to bullies, to bow down to dictators is simply unthinkable.”He added: “History tells us freedom is not free. You want to know the price of freedom come here to Normandy to look.”</blockquote> President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden greet a World War II veteran during ceremonies to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy. AP Yahoo News: <a href="https://uk.news.yahoo.com/live/d-day-latest-news-anniversary-news-normandy-063242190.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9uZXdzLmdvb2dsZS5jb20v&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAG0Wy3__D7UxCe-b2mtyBKXxgs_QurcHXxrgPfEeIvJzW-zhn_rkgw9tZcUpmLtHddQc_0lYJ3yxhwKuTe1X8z4p3-U321Auu5xN7kw3JGdlcaS8CyPADCmI0f8eOwLgTjIJYdotOo1bNN3ry0DoOM7eqgcbjZ9WUjnZtVdljQYB" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">D-Day latest: Biden brands Putin ‘tyrant and bully’ in Normandy speech</a>.<blockquote>US President Joe Biden referred to Vladimir Putin as a ‘tyrant’ and a ‘bully’ in his D-Day commemoration speech, after hailing the ‘resolute’ Second World War troops who fought in Normandy 80 years ago today.President Biden was among the speakers at an international gathering in northern France to commemorate the June 1944 conflict. Biden recognised the bravery of troops who stormed the beaches in Normandy, before going on to speak about the Ukraine war and how ‘the struggle between dictatorship and freedom is unending’.Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron had given France’s highest award, the Legion d’Honneur, to a number of US veterans, while the Danish prime minister said it is our generation’s “responsibility” to stand up to Vladimir Putin.</blockquote>The New York Times’ Roger Cohen has a special report on D-Day with photos by Laetitia Vancon: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/06/world/europe/dday-80th-anniversary-veterans-remember.html" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">D-Day at 80: Veterans of the pivotal battle of World War II are disappearing. Europe, facing new conflict, recalls what their comrades died for.</a><blockquote>They were ordinary. The young men from afar who clambered ashore on June 6, 1944, into a hail of Nazi gunfire from the Normandy bluffs did not think of themselves as heroes.No, said Gen. Darryl A. Williams, the commanding general of United States Army Europe and Africa, the allied soldiers “in this great battle were ordinary,” youths who “rose to this challenge with courage and a tremendous will to win, for freedom.”In front of the general, during a ceremony this week at Deauville on the Normandy coast, were 48 American survivors of that day, the youngest of them 98, most of them 100 years old or more. The veterans sat in wheelchairs. They saluted, briskly enough. Eight decades have gone by, many of them passed in silence because memories of the war were too terrible to relate.When the 90th anniversary of D-Day comes around in 2034, there may be no more vets. Living memory of the beaches of their sacrifice will be no more.“Dark clouds of war in Europe are forming,” General Williams said, as he alluded to allied determination to defend Ukraine against Russian attack. This 80th anniversary of the landings is a celebration, but a somber one. Europe is troubled and apprehensive, extremism eating at its liberal democracies.For more than 27 months now, there has been a war on the continent that has taken hundreds of thousands of young Ukrainian and Russian lives. Russia was not invited to the commemoration even though the role of the Soviet Red Army in the defeat of Hitler was critical. A decade ago, President Vladimir V. Putin attended. Now he speaks of nuclear war. It is a time of fissuring and uncertainty.</blockquote>Remembering the fight against Hitler in WWII is so important today, when a criminal and conman has apparently hypnotizes a large portion of the U.S. population. We can’t allow him to end our democracy and turn Europe over to Putin.Back in the USA, Senate Republicans showed their true colors yesterday in a vote to protect the right to contraception.CNN: <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/05/politics/senate-vote-contraception-access/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Senate GOP blocks bill to guarantee access to contraception.</a><blockquote>Senate Republicans voted Wednesday to block a bill put forward by Democrats that would guarantee access to contraception nationwide, as Democrats seek to highlight the issue in the run up to November’s elections.The bill – the Right to Contraception Act – would enshrine into federal law a right for individuals to buy and use contraceptives, as well as for health care providers to provide them. It would apply to birth control pills, the plan B pill, condoms and other forms of contraception.The legislation failed to advance in a procedural vote by a tally of 51 to 39. Most Republicans dismissed the effort as a political messaging vote that is unnecessary and overly broad.GOP Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins crossed over to vote with Democrats in favor of advancing the bill. Schumer switched his vote to a no at the last minute in a procedural move that will allow Democrats to bring the bill back up in the future if they want.“This is a show vote. It’s not serious,” GOP Sen. John Cornyn of Texas said. “Plus, it’s a huge overreach. It doesn’t make any exceptions for conscience. … It’s a phony vote because contraception, to my knowledge, is not illegal. It’s not unavailable.”The vote is part of a larger push by Senate Democrats to draw attention to how the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade has affected all aspects of reproductive health – not just abortion – as the election draws closer. Democrats are highlighting the issue this month, which marks the two-year anniversary of the high court’s ruling.“In the coming weeks, Senate Democrats will put reproductive freedoms front and center before this chamber, so that the American people can see for themselves who will stand up to defend their fundamental liberties,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said ahead of the vote.Democratic senators have also introduced a legislative package to establish a nationwide right to in-vitro fertilization, which is expected to come up for a vote as soon as next week.</blockquote>The Daily Beast: <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/biden-campaign-names-and-shames-republicans-who-voted-to-block-contraception-bill" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Biden Campaign Names and Shames Republicans Who Voted to Block Contraception Bill</a>.<blockquote>The Biden campaign posted a video on Wednesday night showing the faces of the 39 senators who voted against the legislation. (Seven Republican senators were not present for the vote.)“These are the Trump-aligned Republicans who just blocked a bill to protect a woman’s right to contraception,” the campaign tweeted on X….Ahead of the vote, Schumer said that Senate Democrats would “put reproductive freedoms front and center before this chamber, so that the American people can see for themselves who will stand up to defend their fundamental liberties,” according to the <a class="" href="https://apnews.com/article/contraception-senate-abortion-biden-trump-reproductive-rights-3f9e8546624a3acf8e64d1138fcb84b1" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Associated Press</a>.Polling has consistently shown that there is broad bipartisan support among American voters for contraception, with 92 percent of respondents telling <a class="" href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/393515/americans-say-birth-control-divorce-morally-acceptable.aspx" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Gallup</a> in 2022 that birth control was “morally acceptable.”Republicans argued that legislation to enshrine the right to contraception is unnecessary, as it remains freely accessible and available across the country….But Schumer said in <a class="" href="https://www.democrats.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/transcript-majority-leader-chuck-schumer-delivers-remarks-at-press-conference-with-senate-democrats-after-senate-republicans-blocked-the-right-to-contraception-act" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a post-vote speech</a> that “we are kidding ourselves if we think the hard-right is satisfied with overturning Roe,” warning that birth control could be next as reproductive rights continue to be threatened.“So, make one thing clear: today was not a ‘show vote’ – this was a show-us-who-you-are vote,” he said. “And Senate Republicans showed the American people exactly who they are.”</blockquote>Recall that after the Dobbs decision, Clarence Thomas stated his desire to <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/06/24/thomas-constitutional-rights-00042256" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">overturn the decisions</a> that made contraception, same sex marriage, and sex between same sex partners basic rights–all based on the right to privacy.Speaking of the right wing SCOTUS justices, last night a former clerk of Samuel Alito appeared on Lawrence O’Donnell’s MSNBC show.HuffPost: <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/alito-law-clerk-recusal-jan-6_n_66614c83e4b0c7a620dab97e" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Former Alito Law Clerk ‘Aghast’ After Seeing Jan. 6 Flag Outside His Home, Calls For Recusal.</a> <blockquote>A former law clerk for Supreme Court Justice <a class="" href="https://www.huffpost.com/topic/samuel-alito" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Samuel Alito</a> said Wednesday she was shocked after learning two flags affiliated with rioters during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection were flown outside his homes, saying she believed he should recuse himself from several cases before the court.Susan Sullivan, who worked as a clerk while Alito was a judge on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, <a class="" href="https://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word/watch/-i-was-aghast-alito-must-recuse-from-trump-cases-justice-s-former-clerk-says-212381253985" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">spoke to MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell</a> amid the controversy surrounding the flags. “I was aghast when I saw those photographs because I’ve never known Justice Alito to be anything other than an honorable man, to be a man of integrity,” Sullivan, now a professor at Temple University, told O’Donnell. “It is irrelevant if Mrs. Alito flew it or not. The fact is that flag was there.” “This is not an insignificant symbol,” she went on. “Irrespective of why it is there, who put it there, it shouldn’t have been there. The problem is that flag is incendiary and it cannot do anything other than raise a reasonable inference of bias.” </blockquote> Alito has rejected the calls for him to recuse from January 6 related cases. <blockquote>“I am confident that a reasonable person who is not motivated by political or ideological considerations or a desire to affect the outcome of Supreme Court cases would conclude that the events … do not meet the applicable standard for recusal,” he wrote in a letter to lawmakers last month. “I am therefore required to reject your request.”Sullivan <a class="" href="https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/commentary/justice-alito-upside-down-flag-trump-immunity-recusal-20240602.html" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">rejected that claim</a> in the Wednesday interview and an earlier opinion piece in The Philadelphia Inquirer, saying recusal was warranted especially because of the decision before the court.“[It is] the symbol of these people who attacked the capitol. They support Trump unconditionally,” she said. “So if you have cases before the court that directly relates not just to the former president but to criminal cases that involve that election process…”“The stakes have never been higher and recusal is, to me, it just defies logic that one would not recuse themselves from a case like this,” Sullivan added. “The stakes are too high.”</blockquote>Why isn’t Senator Durbin, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee doing anything to rein in Alito? Noah Berlansky at Public Notice: <a href="https://www.publicnotice.co/p/dick-durbin-scotus-senate-judiciary-hearings" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Dick Durbin needs to step up and do his damn job.</a><blockquote>The Republican-controlled House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday held a lengthy oversight hearing to badger Attorney General Merrick Garland and push the GOP’s false narrative about President Biden weaponizing the DOJ against Donald Trump.Even though the hearing was conducted in obvious bad faith, it was in some ways successful, at least in the limited sense that Republicans grabbed a lot of headlines and forced Garland to spend a day on the defensive. Virtually every major news outlet it extensive coverage, ranging from the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/04/us/politics/garland-republicans-justice-department.html" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">New York Times</a> to <a href="https://www.msnbc.com/ana-cabrera-reports/watch/-truly-absurd-house-gop-grills-ag-garland-on-judge-in-trump-s-hush-money-case-212223045784" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">MSNBC</a> to <a href="https://www.newsmax.com/newsmax-tv/merrick-garland-testimony-hearing/2024/06/04/id/1167498/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Newsmax</a>….Congressional oversight hearings give Congress a chance to focus the national conversation on what members want to talk about. It gives them a chance to pressure executive branch officials to adopt congressional priorities, or to explain and potentially embarrass themselves.In contrast, Democrats in the Senate have been bizarrely reluctant to use hearings to advance their agenda. Dick Durbin, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has refused to hold hearings to investigate egregious evidence of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas receiving gifts from far right billionaires, or to demand answers from Alito about his apparent embrace of the insurrection. Instead, he’s posting weak statements on social media meekly calling for right-wing members of the Court to do a better job policing themselves.Republicans like Jim Jordan are ignorant about a lot of things. But they understand that the gavel is power, and they are not afraid to use it. Senate Democrats need to get over their qualms and, in this instance, behave more like their rivals across the aisle….Hearings drive narratives. But they can do more than that. Congress has real power to pressure government officials, and hearings are a way to demonstrate and exercise that power.</blockquote>Read more at Public Notice.More odds and ends:The Daily Beast: <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/hunter-biden-prosecutors-mightve-already-lost-the-jury" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Hunter Biden Prosecutors Might’ve Already Lost the Jury.</a><blockquote>The <a class="" href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/keyword/hunter-biden" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Hunter Biden</a> <a class="" href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/hunters-trial-reveals-trumps-big-lie-about-biden-and-justice?ref=topic" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">trial</a> starting in Wilmington, <a class="" href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/keyword/delaware" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Delaware</a>, is a poster-child case for potential jury nullification.Biden, the only surviving son of President <a class="" href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/keyword/joe-biden" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Joe Biden</a>, is being tried for possessing a firearm while being a user of illegal drugs or drug addict and for lying about the same on a purchase form when he bought a gun. On the surface, the prosecution—a culmination of more than a half-decade of investigation by Special Counsel David Weiss—would appear to have a slam dunk case because there is no real dispute he bought the gun, or that he had a drug addiction around the time he bought the gun.The <a class="" href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/jury_nullification" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">strict definition of jury nullification</a> is when a jury has determined that a defendant is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt—but either rejects the evidence or refuses to apply the law because the jury “wants to send a message about some social issue that is larger than the case itself, or because the result dictated by law is contrary to the jury’s sense of justice, morality, or fairness.” Mr. and Mrs. Hunter Biden Let’s be clear. Juries are not supposed to do that. They are supposed to convict if the evidence proves guilt beyond a reasonable doubt and acquit if it doesn’t.But while the definition of nullification conjures up images of a jury making a social justice-inspired speech in refusing to convict, the reality is quite different because the jury does not need to make such a blatant statement. Rather, the sense that jurors may have of unfairness can be evidenced in an acquittal—despite strong evidence of guilt. (There’s also, of course, the possibility of a hung jury.)What that means is skilled defense counsel can bring out the factors of unfairness without having to specifically ask a jury to ignore evidence or the law, while skilled prosecutors need to guard against the kind of evidence and testimony that may lead to nullification.Thus far, the trial is revealing an outmatched prosecution, which has already blundered into a couple of minefields. Defense counsel Abbe Lowell is a seasoned high-profile defense counsel who has defended <a class="" href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/keyword/ivanka-trump" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ivanka Trump</a> and <a class="" href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/keyword/jared-kushner" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jared Kushner</a> and got former presidential candidate <a class="" href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/keyword/john-edwards" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">John Edwards</a> acquitted on campaign finance charges (brought by then-DOJ lawyer <a class="" href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/keyword/jack-smith" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jack Smith</a>).In the opening by the Biden defense team, Lowell focused on the requirement that the false statements on the gun ownership form had to be “knowing”—a term that Lowell claimed the prosecution tried to avoid in its opening. The utility of this defense is that it works synergistically with the effects of Biden’s admitted drug addiction affecting his decision-making abilities, as well as necessitating a deep dive into the details of his addiction and the specific timeline of when he was using crack cocaine and his efforts to get clean.The defense appears to be setting up a defense theory that, on the specific date Biden bought the gun, he <a class="" href="https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/hunter-biden-trial-06-04-24/index.html" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">genuinely believed he was not an addict</a> because he had just finished an 11-day rehabilitation program.</blockquote>More at the link.Alan Feuer at The New York Times: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/05/us/politics/trump-documents-case-hearings.html" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Judge Reshuffles Hearings in Trump Documents Case.</a><blockquote>The federal judge overseeing former President Donald J. Trump’s classified documents case abruptly changed the proceeding’s schedule on Wednesday, reshuffling the timing for hearings on an array of important legal issues.The move by the judge, Aileen M. Cannon, was unlikely to have much impact on the overall trajectory of the case, but it reflected the substantial number of unresolved legal motions she is juggling. Last month, Judge Cannon <a class="" href="https://nytimes.com/2024/05/07/us/politics/trump-documents-trial-postponed.html" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">scrapped the case’s trial date</a>, saying she could not yet pick a new one because of what she described at the time as “the myriad and interconnected” questions she had still not managed to consider.Judge Cannon kept in place a hearing she had set for June 21 to discuss a motion by Mr. Trump’s lawyers to dismiss the indictment on the grounds that Jack Smith, the special counsel named to oversee the prosecutions of Mr. Trump, was illegally appointed to his job.Similar motions have been rejected in cases involving other special counsels, including Robert S. Mueller III, who investigated connections between Russia and Mr. Trump’s 2016 campaign, and David C. Weiss, who has brought two criminal cases against Hunter Biden, President Biden’s son.The most important change Judge Cannon made to the schedule in a brief order was arguably the cancellation of a three-day hearing that had been set to take place starting June 24 in Federal District Court in Fort Pierce, Fla.The hearing was originally meant to consider whether Mr. Trump’s lawyers should be permitted access to communications between prosecutors working for Mr. Smith and officials at the National Archives and several national security agencies. Giddy up The lawyers want those communications to <a class="" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/16/us/politics/trump-documents-intelligence.html" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">bolster their claims</a> that Mr. Smith worked hand in glove with the Biden administration and members of the so-called deep state to bring the documents case against Mr. Trump.Prosecutors had objected to holding the proceeding at all, telling Judge Cannon in March that no similar hearings had ever been held in the Southern District of Florida, where she sits. In her order on Wednesday, she said she would place the hearing back on her calendar at some point in the future.Instead of that hearing, Judge Cannon said there would now be a shorter one, on June 24 and 25, to consider different topics, including any lingering discussion about Mr. Smith’s appointment.Judge Cannon also told the defense and the prosecution to be ready to debate <a class="" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/21/us/politics/trump-lawyers-prosecutors-misconduct.html" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mr. Trump’s motion to exclude from the case any evidence</a> — including more than 100 classified documents — that the F.B.I. discovered in August 2022 when agents searched Mar-a-Lago, Mr. Trump’s private club and residence in Florida.The two sides will argue as well over Mr. Trump’s attempt to suppress the private audio notes that prosecutors obtained from one of his lawyers through a process that pierced the normal protections of attorney-client privilege. The notes by the lawyer, M. Evan Corcoran, were central to the government’s allegations that Mr. Trump had obstructed the government’s repeated efforts to reclaim the classified materials he took to Mar-a-Lago.Finally, the parties are expected to discuss <a class="" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/31/us/politics/trump-fbi-agents-documents-case.html#:~:text=At%20the%20start%20of%20the,or%20otherwise%20endanger%20the%20agents." rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mr. Smith’s request to Judge Cannon to alter Mr. Trump’s conditions of release</a> by barring him from making public statements that could endanger F.B.I. agents working on the case.</blockquote>Aileen Cannon is an expert at causing unnecessary delays without triggering an appeal to the 11th Circuit. If she rules that Jack Smith was illegally appointed, that would be cause for immediate appeal, so she will probably find some way to just waste more time.Jose Pagliery at The Daily Beast: <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/trial-lawyer-lost-8-lbs-skipping-trumps-mcdonalds-courthouse-lunches?utm_campaign=owned_social&via=twitter_page&utm_medium=socialflow&utm_source=twitter_owned_tdb" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Trial Lawyer Lost 8 Lbs Skipping Trump’s McDonald’s Courthouse Lunches.</a><blockquote><a class="" href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/keyword/donald-j-trump" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Donald Trump’s</a> lead lawyer says the former president’s seven-week <a class="" href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-verdict-how-cheapness-over-stormy-and-cohen-cost-so-much?ref=author" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">criminal trial</a> in New York took a physical toll—but he still managed to lose weight by skipping Trump’s notoriously unhealthy meals.Todd Blanche appeared on a podcast, <a class="" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Kpdn0-IESo&ab_channel=domarkus" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">For The Defense</a>, hosted by the attorney David Oscar Markus.“Was it McDonald’s for lunch every single day, or did you get something else?” Markus asked.“Oh, no-no-no,” Blanche said. “Well, first of all, I didn’t have lunch one day. I ate in the morning and at night.” Delivery of McDonalds order for Trump’s courthouse lunch “Look, President Trump’s team takes care of everybody. Like, everybody gets food. You know, there’s a lot of food. It’s not always McDonald’s. There’s a lot of… variety. There’s pizza, and there’s other non-healthy alternatives to McDonald’s.”Blanche smiled, turning away from the camera and raising his eyebrows.“Look, I loved it, because, you know, you come in from lunch, and as you know when you’re on trial, you’re trying to figure out what the heck you’re gonna stuff in your belly with the hour that you have. And we would walk in, and there would just be this, just, plethora of just food everywhere,” he said, gesturing with his hands.The public got a peek last Thursday, when Donald Trump Jr. posted a TikTok video from what legal teams sometimes call the “war room,” where defendants strategize during breaks. The clip showed Trump Sr. sitting before a half-finished 20-ounce Diet Coca-Cola, an opened bag of Lay’s potato chips, a box of Milk Duds, a Milky Way bar, a theater-sized box of Whoppers malted milk balls, and what appeared to be four Hostess SnoBalls….Trump’s <a class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-trump-eats-at-mcdonalds-2017-12" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">go-to</a> McDonald’s meal—two Big Macs, two Filet-O-Fish, and a chocolate shake—was first described by close ally Corey R. Lewandowski in a 2017 book, Let Trump Be Trump.</blockquote>How is it possible that Trump hasn’t had a heart attack by now?  That’s all I have for you today. I hope you’re enjoying your Thursday. <a href="https://skydancingblog.com/2024/06/06/thursday-reads-267/" class="" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://skydancingblog.com/2024/06/06/thursday-reads-267/</a><a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://skydancingblog.com/tag/alito-law-clerk-susan-sullivan/" target="_blank">#AlitoLawClerkSusanSullivan</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://skydancingblog.com/tag/clarence-thomas/" target="_blank">#ClarenceThomas</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://skydancingblog.com/tag/d-day-80th-anniversary/" target="_blank">#DDay80thAnniversary</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://skydancingblog.com/tag/dick-durbin/" target="_blank">#DickDurbin</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://skydancingblog.com/tag/hunter-biden-trial/" target="_blank">#HunterBidenTrial</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://skydancingblog.com/tag/judge-aileen-cannon/" target="_blank">#JudgeAileenCannon</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://skydancingblog.com/tag/justice-samuel-alito/" target="_blank">#JusticeSamuelAlito</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://skydancingblog.com/tag/normandy/" target="_blank">#Normandy</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://skydancingblog.com/tag/right-to-contraception/" target="_blank">#rightToContraception</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://skydancingblog.com/tag/senate-vote-on-birth-control/" target="_blank">#SenateVoteOnBirthControl</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://skydancingblog.com/tag/todd-blanche/" target="_blank">#ToddBlanche</a> <a rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" class="hashtag u-tag u-category" href="https://skydancingblog.com/tag/trump-courthouse-lunches/" target="_blank">#TrumpCourthouseLunches</a>

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