Talk about a bunch of stick-up-the-asshole, losers; say hello to the Christian Nationalist Right.

These quaking, quivering Bozos are so afraid of their natural homosexual tendencies they will gleefully condemn anyone, gay, straight, trans, or gerbil fetish, if it might make them look straight.

It’s a sickness to hate anyone you don’t know simply because you have proclivities to hide, desires you can’t control, and magazines hidden from your spouse.

No matter how they couch it (apologies to JD Vance and his predilections), these hypocrites seethe with hatred because of emotions they can barely suppress, and like most cowards blame others for their own self-imagined shortcomings.

Could be worse, though. You could be related to one of these sanctimonious bastards.

See this – Boldface mine:

Novel MAGA celebration reflects Christian fundamentalists’ never-ending paranoia

Story by Alex Henderson • 2h • 2 min read

© provided by AlterNet

This Tuesday, June 30 marks the conclusion of "Nuclear Family Month," which many MAGA Republicans have been promoting as a Christian fundamentalist alternative to Pride Month. Defenders of "Nuclear Family Month" often argue that they are merely defending religious values, not attacking LGBTQ Americans. But Salon's Amanda Marcotte argues that "Nuclear Family Month" is not only anti-gay — it also underscores the Religious Right's contempt for heterosexuals who don't embrace their severe version of Christianity.

"In recent years," Marcotte observes in Salon, "Republican propaganda has quietly moved away from loud condemnation of the gay community to focusing the most overt hate on trans people. Donald Trump even has a few token gay men in his closest circles, such as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who has two children with his husband…. But while it hasn't attracted widespread media coverage, Republicans have not given up arguing that LGBTQ+ equality is a threat. This year, a slew of red state governors signed proclamations intended as blatant attacks on Pride Month."

Marcotte continues, "Some states are even calling June 'Nuclear Family Month.' Others have dubbed it 'Strong Families Month' or 'Fidelity Month.' Whatever euphemism is used, they are all poking a thumb in the eye of LGBTQ+ people during Pride, as Arkansas' Republican governor, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, made clear when she tweeted a Daily Wire article headlined, 'Another Red State Is Counter-Programming Pride Month, Focusing On Family Instead' — as if queer people don't have families."

Gay pride events have grown by leaps and bounds in the United States, where Pride Month is now a month-long celebration held in June. On Sunday, June 7, for example, Philadelphia's 2026 Philly Pride festival reported attracted around 147,000-150,000 attendees.

Marcotte, in Salon, emphasizes that heterosexual Americans should also be worried about the motivations behind "Nuclear Family Month."

"Straight people should definitely not feel safe with these Republicans in charge," Marcotte warns. "These documents don't only demonize LGBTQ+ people; they condemn the vast majority of straight people who don't adhere to the exceedingly narrow proscriptions of the Christian right. Divorced people, anyone who has ever needed government assistance, parents who put their kids in public school, non-Christians and women who don't see themselves as inferior to their husbands all get blasted as immoral — and queer people are implicitly blamed for what Republicans see as 'dysfunction' in the lives of everyday straight people…. 'Nuclear Family Month' and other such nonsense this year reflects a resurgence in the GOP of the view that most people, straight or not, are wicked, oversexed hooligans who need to be browbeaten into depressing marriages. Vice President JD Vance has been at the forefront of this pressure campaign that wants people to marry not out of love or joy, but out of grim duty to the patriarchy."

ttps://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/novel-maga-celebration-reflects-christian-fundamentalists-never-ending-paranoia/ar-AA26OABo?

Talk about a bunch of stick-up-the-asshole, losers; say hello to the Christian Nationalist Right.

These quaking, quivering Bozos are so afraid of their natural homosexual tendencies they will gleefully condemn anyone, gay, straight, trans, or gerbil fetish, if it might make them look straight.

It’s a sickness to hate anyone you don’t know simply because you have proclivities to hide, desires you can’t control, and magazines hidden from your spouse.

No matter how they couch it (apologies to JD Vance and his predilections), these hypocrites seethe with hatred because of emotions they can barely suppress, and like most cowards blame others for their own self-imagined shortcomings.

Could be worse, though. You could be related to one of these sanctimonious bastards.

See this – Boldface mine:

Novel MAGA celebration reflects Christian fundamentalists’ never-ending paranoia

Story by Alex Henderson • 2h • 2 min read

© provided by AlterNet

This Tuesday, June 30 marks the conclusion of "Nuclear Family Month," which many MAGA Republicans have been promoting as a Christian fundamentalist alternative to Pride Month. Defenders of "Nuclear Family Month" often argue that they are merely defending religious values, not attacking LGBTQ Americans. But Salon's Amanda Marcotte argues that "Nuclear Family Month" is not only anti-gay — it also underscores the Religious Right's contempt for heterosexuals who don't embrace their severe version of Christianity.

"In recent years," Marcotte observes in Salon, "Republican propaganda has quietly moved away from loud condemnation of the gay community to focusing the most overt hate on trans people. Donald Trump even has a few token gay men in his closest circles, such as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who has two children with his husband…. But while it hasn't attracted widespread media coverage, Republicans have not given up arguing that LGBTQ+ equality is a threat. This year, a slew of red state governors signed proclamations intended as blatant attacks on Pride Month."

Marcotte continues, "Some states are even calling June 'Nuclear Family Month.' Others have dubbed it 'Strong Families Month' or 'Fidelity Month.' Whatever euphemism is used, they are all poking a thumb in the eye of LGBTQ+ people during Pride, as Arkansas' Republican governor, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, made clear when she tweeted a Daily Wire article headlined, 'Another Red State Is Counter-Programming Pride Month, Focusing On Family Instead' — as if queer people don't have families."

Gay pride events have grown by leaps and bounds in the United States, where Pride Month is now a month-long celebration held in June. On Sunday, June 7, for example, Philadelphia's 2026 Philly Pride festival reported attracted around 147,000-150,000 attendees.

Marcotte, in Salon, emphasizes that heterosexual Americans should also be worried about the motivations behind "Nuclear Family Month."

"Straight people should definitely not feel safe with these Republicans in charge," Marcotte warns. "These documents don't only demonize LGBTQ+ people; they condemn the vast majority of straight people who don't adhere to the exceedingly narrow proscriptions of the Christian right. Divorced people, anyone who has ever needed government assistance, parents who put their kids in public school, non-Christians and women who don't see themselves as inferior to their husbands all get blasted as immoral — and queer people are implicitly blamed for what Republicans see as 'dysfunction' in the lives of everyday straight people…. 'Nuclear Family Month' and other such nonsense this year reflects a resurgence in the GOP of the view that most people, straight or not, are wicked, oversexed hooligans who need to be browbeaten into depressing marriages. Vice President JD Vance has been at the forefront of this pressure campaign that wants people to marry not out of love or joy, but out of grim duty to the patriarchy."

ttps://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/novel-maga-celebration-reflects-christian-fundamentalists-never-ending-paranoia/ar-AA26OABo?

Talk about a bunch of stick-up-the-asshole, losers; say hello to the Christian Nationalist Right.

These quaking, quivering Bozos are so afraid of their natural homosexual tendencies they will gleefully condemn anyone, gay, straight, trans, or gerbil fetish, if it might make them look straight.

It’s a sickness to hate anyone you don’t know simply because you have proclivities to hide, desires you can’t control, and magazines hidden from your spouse.

No matter how they couch it (apologies to JD Vance and his predilections), these hypocrites seethe with hatred because of emotions they can barely suppress, and like most cowards blame others for their own self-imagined shortcomings.

Could be worse, though. You could be related to one of these sanctimonious bastards.

See this – Boldface mine:

Novel MAGA celebration reflects Christian fundamentalists’ never-ending paranoia

Story by Alex Henderson • 2h • 2 min read

© provided by AlterNet

This Tuesday, June 30 marks the conclusion of "Nuclear Family Month," which many MAGA Republicans have been promoting as a Christian fundamentalist alternative to Pride Month. Defenders of "Nuclear Family Month" often argue that they are merely defending religious values, not attacking LGBTQ Americans. But Salon's Amanda Marcotte argues that "Nuclear Family Month" is not only anti-gay — it also underscores the Religious Right's contempt for heterosexuals who don't embrace their severe version of Christianity.

"In recent years," Marcotte observes in Salon, "Republican propaganda has quietly moved away from loud condemnation of the gay community to focusing the most overt hate on trans people. Donald Trump even has a few token gay men in his closest circles, such as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who has two children with his husband…. But while it hasn't attracted widespread media coverage, Republicans have not given up arguing that LGBTQ+ equality is a threat. This year, a slew of red state governors signed proclamations intended as blatant attacks on Pride Month."

Marcotte continues, "Some states are even calling June 'Nuclear Family Month.' Others have dubbed it 'Strong Families Month' or 'Fidelity Month.' Whatever euphemism is used, they are all poking a thumb in the eye of LGBTQ+ people during Pride, as Arkansas' Republican governor, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, made clear when she tweeted a Daily Wire article headlined, 'Another Red State Is Counter-Programming Pride Month, Focusing On Family Instead' — as if queer people don't have families."

Gay pride events have grown by leaps and bounds in the United States, where Pride Month is now a month-long celebration held in June. On Sunday, June 7, for example, Philadelphia's 2026 Philly Pride festival reported attracted around 147,000-150,000 attendees.

Marcotte, in Salon, emphasizes that heterosexual Americans should also be worried about the motivations behind "Nuclear Family Month."

"Straight people should definitely not feel safe with these Republicans in charge," Marcotte warns. "These documents don't only demonize LGBTQ+ people; they condemn the vast majority of straight people who don't adhere to the exceedingly narrow proscriptions of the Christian right. Divorced people, anyone who has ever needed government assistance, parents who put their kids in public school, non-Christians and women who don't see themselves as inferior to their husbands all get blasted as immoral — and queer people are implicitly blamed for what Republicans see as 'dysfunction' in the lives of everyday straight people…. 'Nuclear Family Month' and other such nonsense this year reflects a resurgence in the GOP of the view that most people, straight or not, are wicked, oversexed hooligans who need to be browbeaten into depressing marriages. Vice President JD Vance has been at the forefront of this pressure campaign that wants people to marry not out of love or joy, but out of grim duty to the patriarchy."

ttps://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/novel-maga-celebration-reflects-christian-fundamentalists-never-ending-paranoia/ar-AA26OABo?

Talk about a bunch of stick-up-the-asshole, losers; say hello to the Christian Nationalist Right.

These quaking, quivering Bozos are so afraid of their natural homosexual tendencies they will gleefully condemn anyone, gay, straight, trans, or gerbil fetish, if it might make them look straight.

It’s a sickness to hate anyone you don’t know simply because you have proclivities to hide, desires you can’t control, and magazines hidden from your spouse.

No matter how they couch it (apologies to JD Vance and his predilections), these hypocrites seethe with hatred because of emotions they can barely suppress, and like most cowards blame others for their own self-imagined shortcomings.

Could be worse, though. You could be related to one of these sanctimonious bastards.

See this – Boldface mine:

Novel MAGA celebration reflects Christian fundamentalists’ never-ending paranoia

Story by Alex Henderson • 2h • 2 min read

© provided by AlterNet

This Tuesday, June 30 marks the conclusion of "Nuclear Family Month," which many MAGA Republicans have been promoting as a Christian fundamentalist alternative to Pride Month. Defenders of "Nuclear Family Month" often argue that they are merely defending religious values, not attacking LGBTQ Americans. But Salon's Amanda Marcotte argues that "Nuclear Family Month" is not only anti-gay — it also underscores the Religious Right's contempt for heterosexuals who don't embrace their severe version of Christianity.

"In recent years," Marcotte observes in Salon, "Republican propaganda has quietly moved away from loud condemnation of the gay community to focusing the most overt hate on trans people. Donald Trump even has a few token gay men in his closest circles, such as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who has two children with his husband…. But while it hasn't attracted widespread media coverage, Republicans have not given up arguing that LGBTQ+ equality is a threat. This year, a slew of red state governors signed proclamations intended as blatant attacks on Pride Month."

Marcotte continues, "Some states are even calling June 'Nuclear Family Month.' Others have dubbed it 'Strong Families Month' or 'Fidelity Month.' Whatever euphemism is used, they are all poking a thumb in the eye of LGBTQ+ people during Pride, as Arkansas' Republican governor, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, made clear when she tweeted a Daily Wire article headlined, 'Another Red State Is Counter-Programming Pride Month, Focusing On Family Instead' — as if queer people don't have families."

Gay pride events have grown by leaps and bounds in the United States, where Pride Month is now a month-long celebration held in June. On Sunday, June 7, for example, Philadelphia's 2026 Philly Pride festival reported attracted around 147,000-150,000 attendees.

Marcotte, in Salon, emphasizes that heterosexual Americans should also be worried about the motivations behind "Nuclear Family Month."

"Straight people should definitely not feel safe with these Republicans in charge," Marcotte warns. "These documents don't only demonize LGBTQ+ people; they condemn the vast majority of straight people who don't adhere to the exceedingly narrow proscriptions of the Christian right. Divorced people, anyone who has ever needed government assistance, parents who put their kids in public school, non-Christians and women who don't see themselves as inferior to their husbands all get blasted as immoral — and queer people are implicitly blamed for what Republicans see as 'dysfunction' in the lives of everyday straight people…. 'Nuclear Family Month' and other such nonsense this year reflects a resurgence in the GOP of the view that most people, straight or not, are wicked, oversexed hooligans who need to be browbeaten into depressing marriages. Vice President JD Vance has been at the forefront of this pressure campaign that wants people to marry not out of love or joy, but out of grim duty to the patriarchy."

ttps://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/novel-maga-celebration-reflects-christian-fundamentalists-never-ending-paranoia/ar-AA26OABo?

Talk about a bunch of stick-up-the-asshole, losers; say hello to the Christian Nationalist Right.

These quaking, quivering Bozos are so afraid of their natural homosexual tendencies they will gleefully condemn anyone, gay, straight, trans, or gerbil fetish, if it might make them look straight.

It’s a sickness to hate anyone you don’t know simply because you have proclivities to hide, desires you can’t control, and magazines hidden from your spouse.

No matter how they couch it (apologies to JD Vance and his predilections), these hypocrites seethe with hatred because of emotions they can barely suppress, and like most cowards blame others for their own self-imagined shortcomings.

Could be worse, though. You could be related to one of these sanctimonious bastards.

See this – Boldface mine:

Novel MAGA celebration reflects Christian fundamentalists’ never-ending paranoia

Story by Alex Henderson • 2h • 2 min read

© provided by AlterNet

This Tuesday, June 30 marks the conclusion of "Nuclear Family Month," which many MAGA Republicans have been promoting as a Christian fundamentalist alternative to Pride Month. Defenders of "Nuclear Family Month" often argue that they are merely defending religious values, not attacking LGBTQ Americans. But Salon's Amanda Marcotte argues that "Nuclear Family Month" is not only anti-gay — it also underscores the Religious Right's contempt for heterosexuals who don't embrace their severe version of Christianity.

"In recent years," Marcotte observes in Salon, "Republican propaganda has quietly moved away from loud condemnation of the gay community to focusing the most overt hate on trans people. Donald Trump even has a few token gay men in his closest circles, such as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who has two children with his husband…. But while it hasn't attracted widespread media coverage, Republicans have not given up arguing that LGBTQ+ equality is a threat. This year, a slew of red state governors signed proclamations intended as blatant attacks on Pride Month."

Marcotte continues, "Some states are even calling June 'Nuclear Family Month.' Others have dubbed it 'Strong Families Month' or 'Fidelity Month.' Whatever euphemism is used, they are all poking a thumb in the eye of LGBTQ+ people during Pride, as Arkansas' Republican governor, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, made clear when she tweeted a Daily Wire article headlined, 'Another Red State Is Counter-Programming Pride Month, Focusing On Family Instead' — as if queer people don't have families."

Gay pride events have grown by leaps and bounds in the United States, where Pride Month is now a month-long celebration held in June. On Sunday, June 7, for example, Philadelphia's 2026 Philly Pride festival reported attracted around 147,000-150,000 attendees.

Marcotte, in Salon, emphasizes that heterosexual Americans should also be worried about the motivations behind "Nuclear Family Month."

"Straight people should definitely not feel safe with these Republicans in charge," Marcotte warns. "These documents don't only demonize LGBTQ+ people; they condemn the vast majority of straight people who don't adhere to the exceedingly narrow proscriptions of the Christian right. Divorced people, anyone who has ever needed government assistance, parents who put their kids in public school, non-Christians and women who don't see themselves as inferior to their husbands all get blasted as immoral — and queer people are implicitly blamed for what Republicans see as 'dysfunction' in the lives of everyday straight people…. 'Nuclear Family Month' and other such nonsense this year reflects a resurgence in the GOP of the view that most people, straight or not, are wicked, oversexed hooligans who need to be browbeaten into depressing marriages. Vice President JD Vance has been at the forefront of this pressure campaign that wants people to marry not out of love or joy, but out of grim duty to the patriarchy."

ttps://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/novel-maga-celebration-reflects-christian-fundamentalists-never-ending-paranoia/ar-AA26OABo?

Trump bought up to $5M of stock in company right before $220M ICE bid

Story by Josh Marcus

The Independent

President Donald Trump purchased as much as $5 million in stock in law enforcement technology company Axon before Immigration and Customs Enforcement proposed a $220 million contract that was likely to go to the company, which makes widely used police body cameras and Taser stun guns.

Axon’s share price soon spiked, potentially netting the president hundreds of thousands of dollars in gains from a company impacted by his administration’s agenda.

On February 10, the president bought shares in Axon valued between $1 million and $5 million, according to federal financial disclosures.

Two weeks later, ICE announced it was looking to purchase nearly 18,000 energy weapons to add to its existing stock of Tasers, part of an up to five-year, $220 million contract.

In the week after the solicitation, Axon’s stock jumped by more than 34 percent, according to a CNBC analysis. “The concern is that [Trump] bought into a company whose business could grow if his own administration expands immigration enforcement,” Jordan Libowitz of nonprofit watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington told the outlet.

The president continued to buy and sell shares in Axon throughout February and March, and he appears to have retained at least a six-figure stake in the company, according to the financial disclosures, which cover the first three months of 2026.

The White House said there were no conflicts of interest surrounding the potential contract, which has not been awarded yet.

“This is the same, tired narrative that Democrats have pushed against President Trump, his family, and his administration for a decade,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in a statement toThe Independent. “President Trump only acts in the best interests of the American public.”

She pointed to a prior statement on X from the president’s son Eric Trump. He said in May that the president’s holdings are “maintained exclusively in fully discretionary accounts managed by independent third-party financial institutions.”

 “Neither President Trump, his family, nor the Trump Organization has any role in selecting, directing, approving, influencing or soliciting specific investments,” the statement added.

The Independent has requested comment from Axon and the Department of Homeland Security about the contract and the president’s trades.

In the first quarter of this year, the president disclosed making trades worth at least $220 million, dealmaking that critics say is inappropriate and ethically suspect.

The president has made trades in companies including Oracle, Meta, Nvidia, and Apple, whose businesses are strongly impacted by White House trade and regulatory policy. At the same time, those companies or their top executives have all donated to the president’s projects, such as his inauguration, White House ballroom, and America’s 250th anniversary celebrations.

The president has cultivated particularly close ties to the billionaire Ellison family.

Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison gave roughly $45 million to groups supporting the 2024 Trump campaign, The Wall Street Journal reports, and Oracle has since sponsored the Trump-aligned Freedom 250 group.

The Trump administration has tapped Oracle as a key partner on a $500 billion AI data center project, and the Department of Justice recently cleared Ellison’s son David Ellison, the CEO of Paramount Skydance, to complete his $81 billion takeover bid for Warner Bros. Discovery.

The president’s sons, as well as those of his Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, have also been part of deals boosted by the administration.

The Trump and Lutnick families have financial ties to at least 14 companies that are actively partnering with the federal government on mining deals, which stand to benefit from more than $8.9 billion dollars in federal support, according to a New York Times analysis.

The president and his family also have a growing, highly opaque cryptocurrency empire that has helped the president increase his net worth by $1.4 billion since returning to office.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-bought-up-to-5m-of-stock-in-company-right-before-220m-ice-bid/ar-AA26PjIU?

Trump bought up to $5M of stock in company right before $220M ICE bid

Story by Josh Marcus

The Independent

President Donald Trump purchased as much as $5 million in stock in law enforcement technology company Axon before Immigration and Customs Enforcement proposed a $220 million contract that was likely to go to the company, which makes widely used police body cameras and Taser stun guns.

Axon’s share price soon spiked, potentially netting the president hundreds of thousands of dollars in gains from a company impacted by his administration’s agenda.

On February 10, the president bought shares in Axon valued between $1 million and $5 million, according to federal financial disclosures.

Two weeks later, ICE announced it was looking to purchase nearly 18,000 energy weapons to add to its existing stock of Tasers, part of an up to five-year, $220 million contract.

In the week after the solicitation, Axon’s stock jumped by more than 34 percent, according to a CNBC analysis. “The concern is that [Trump] bought into a company whose business could grow if his own administration expands immigration enforcement,” Jordan Libowitz of nonprofit watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington told the outlet.

The president continued to buy and sell shares in Axon throughout February and March, and he appears to have retained at least a six-figure stake in the company, according to the financial disclosures, which cover the first three months of 2026.

The White House said there were no conflicts of interest surrounding the potential contract, which has not been awarded yet.

“This is the same, tired narrative that Democrats have pushed against President Trump, his family, and his administration for a decade,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in a statement toThe Independent. “President Trump only acts in the best interests of the American public.”

She pointed to a prior statement on X from the president’s son Eric Trump. He said in May that the president’s holdings are “maintained exclusively in fully discretionary accounts managed by independent third-party financial institutions.”

 “Neither President Trump, his family, nor the Trump Organization has any role in selecting, directing, approving, influencing or soliciting specific investments,” the statement added.

The Independent has requested comment from Axon and the Department of Homeland Security about the contract and the president’s trades.

In the first quarter of this year, the president disclosed making trades worth at least $220 million, dealmaking that critics say is inappropriate and ethically suspect.

The president has made trades in companies including Oracle, Meta, Nvidia, and Apple, whose businesses are strongly impacted by White House trade and regulatory policy. At the same time, those companies or their top executives have all donated to the president’s projects, such as his inauguration, White House ballroom, and America’s 250th anniversary celebrations.

The president has cultivated particularly close ties to the billionaire Ellison family.

Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison gave roughly $45 million to groups supporting the 2024 Trump campaign, The Wall Street Journal reports, and Oracle has since sponsored the Trump-aligned Freedom 250 group.

The Trump administration has tapped Oracle as a key partner on a $500 billion AI data center project, and the Department of Justice recently cleared Ellison’s son David Ellison, the CEO of Paramount Skydance, to complete his $81 billion takeover bid for Warner Bros. Discovery.

The president’s sons, as well as those of his Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, have also been part of deals boosted by the administration.

The Trump and Lutnick families have financial ties to at least 14 companies that are actively partnering with the federal government on mining deals, which stand to benefit from more than $8.9 billion dollars in federal support, according to a New York Times analysis.

The president and his family also have a growing, highly opaque cryptocurrency empire that has helped the president increase his net worth by $1.4 billion since returning to office.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-bought-up-to-5m-of-stock-in-company-right-before-220m-ice-bid/ar-AA26PjIU?

Story by Josh Marcus

The Independent

President Donald Trump purchased as much as $5 million in stock in law enforcement technology company Axon before Immigration and Customs Enforcement proposed a $220 million contract that was likely to go to the company, which makes widely used police body cameras and Taser stun guns.

Axon’s share price soon spiked, potentially netting the president hundreds of thousands of dollars in gains from a company impacted by his administration’s agenda.

On February 10, the president bought shares in Axon valued between $1 million and $5 million, according to federal financial disclosures.

Two weeks later, ICE announced it was looking to purchase nearly 18,000 energy weapons to add to its existing stock of Tasers, part of an up to five-year, $220 million contract.

In the week after the solicitation, Axon’s stock jumped by more than 34 percent, according to a CNBC analysis. “The concern is that [Trump] bought into a company whose business could grow if his own administration expands immigration enforcement,” Jordan Libowitz of nonprofit watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington told the outlet.

The president continued to buy and sell shares in Axon throughout February and March, and he appears to have retained at least a six-figure stake in the company, according to the financial disclosures, which cover the first three months of 2026.

The White House said there were no conflicts of interest surrounding the potential contract, which has not been awarded yet.

“This is the same, tired narrative that Democrats have pushed against President Trump, his family, and his administration for a decade,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in a statement toThe Independent. “President Trump only acts in the best interests of the American public.”

She pointed to a prior statement on X from the president’s son Eric Trump. He said in May that the president’s holdings are “maintained exclusively in fully discretionary accounts managed by independent third-party financial institutions.”

“Neither President Trump, his family, nor the Trump Organization has any role in selecting, directing, approving, influencing or soliciting specific investments,” the statement added.

The Independent has requested comment from Axon and the Department of Homeland Security about the contract and the president’s trades.

In the first quarter of this year, the president disclosed making trades worth at least $220 million, dealmaking that critics say is inappropriate and ethically suspect.

The president has made trades in companies including Oracle, Meta, Nvidia, and Apple, whose businesses are strongly impacted by White House trade and regulatory policy. At the same time, those companies or their top executives have all donated to the president’s projects, such as his inauguration, White House ballroom, and America’s 250th anniversary celebrations.

The president has cultivated particularly close ties to the billionaire Ellison family.

Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison gave roughly $45 million to groups supporting the 2024 Trump campaign, The Wall Street Journal reports, and Oracle has since sponsored the Trump-aligned Freedom 250 group.

The Trump administration has tapped Oracle as a key partner on a $500 billion AI data center project, and the Department of Justice recently cleared Ellison’s son David Ellison, the CEO of Paramount Skydance, to complete his $81 billion takeover bid for Warner Bros. Discovery.

The president’s sons, as well as those of his Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, have also been part of deals boosted by the administration.

The Trump and Lutnick families have financial ties to at least 14 companies that are actively partnering with the federal government on mining deals, which stand to benefit from more than $8.9 billion dollars in federal support, according to a New York Times analysis.

The president and his family also have a growing, highly opaque cryptocurrency empire that has helped the president increase his net worth by $1.4 billion since returning to office.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-bought-up-to-5m-of-stock-in-company-right-before-220m-ice-bid/ar-AA26PjIU?

Story by Josh Marcus

The Independent

President Donald Trump purchased as much as $5 million in stock in law enforcement technology company Axon before Immigration and Customs Enforcement proposed a $220 million contract that was likely to go to the company, which makes widely used police body cameras and Taser stun guns.

Axon’s share price soon spiked, potentially netting the president hundreds of thousands of dollars in gains from a company impacted by his administration’s agenda.

On February 10, the president bought shares in Axon valued between $1 million and $5 million, according to federal financial disclosures.

Two weeks later, ICE announced it was looking to purchase nearly 18,000 energy weapons to add to its existing stock of Tasers, part of an up to five-year, $220 million contract.

In the week after the solicitation, Axon’s stock jumped by more than 34 percent, according to a CNBC analysis. “The concern is that [Trump] bought into a company whose business could grow if his own administration expands immigration enforcement,” Jordan Libowitz of nonprofit watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington told the outlet.

The president continued to buy and sell shares in Axon throughout February and March, and he appears to have retained at least a six-figure stake in the company, according to the financial disclosures, which cover the first three months of 2026.

The White House said there were no conflicts of interest surrounding the potential contract, which has not been awarded yet.

“This is the same, tired narrative that Democrats have pushed against President Trump, his family, and his administration for a decade,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in a statement toThe Independent. “President Trump only acts in the best interests of the American public.”

She pointed to a prior statement on X from the president’s son Eric Trump. He said in May that the president’s holdings are “maintained exclusively in fully discretionary accounts managed by independent third-party financial institutions.”

“Neither President Trump, his family, nor the Trump Organization has any role in selecting, directing, approving, influencing or soliciting specific investments,” the statement added.

The Independent has requested comment from Axon and the Department of Homeland Security about the contract and the president’s trades.

In the first quarter of this year, the president disclosed making trades worth at least $220 million, dealmaking that critics say is inappropriate and ethically suspect.

The president has made trades in companies including Oracle, Meta, Nvidia, and Apple, whose businesses are strongly impacted by White House trade and regulatory policy. At the same time, those companies or their top executives have all donated to the president’s projects, such as his inauguration, White House ballroom, and America’s 250th anniversary celebrations.

The president has cultivated particularly close ties to the billionaire Ellison family.

Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison gave roughly $45 million to groups supporting the 2024 Trump campaign, The Wall Street Journal reports, and Oracle has since sponsored the Trump-aligned Freedom 250 group.

The Trump administration has tapped Oracle as a key partner on a $500 billion AI data center project, and the Department of Justice recently cleared Ellison’s son David Ellison, the CEO of Paramount Skydance, to complete his $81 billion takeover bid for Warner Bros. Discovery.

The president’s sons, as well as those of his Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, have also been part of deals boosted by the administration.

The Trump and Lutnick families have financial ties to at least 14 companies that are actively partnering with the federal government on mining deals, which stand to benefit from more than $8.9 billion dollars in federal support, according to a New York Times analysis.

The president and his family also have a growing, highly opaque cryptocurrency empire that has helped the president increase his net worth by $1.4 billion since returning to office.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-bought-up-to-5m-of-stock-in-company-right-before-220m-ice-bid/ar-AA26PjIU?

Story by Josh Marcus

The Independent

President Donald Trump purchased as much as $5 million in stock in law enforcement technology company Axon before Immigration and Customs Enforcement proposed a $220 million contract that was likely to go to the company, which makes widely used police body cameras and Taser stun guns.

Axon’s share price soon spiked, potentially netting the president hundreds of thousands of dollars in gains from a company impacted by his administration’s agenda.

On February 10, the president bought shares in Axon valued between $1 million and $5 million, according to federal financial disclosures.

Two weeks later, ICE announced it was looking to purchase nearly 18,000 energy weapons to add to its existing stock of Tasers, part of an up to five-year, $220 million contract.

In the week after the solicitation, Axon’s stock jumped by more than 34 percent, according to a CNBC analysis. “The concern is that [Trump] bought into a company whose business could grow if his own administration expands immigration enforcement,” Jordan Libowitz of nonprofit watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington told the outlet.

The president continued to buy and sell shares in Axon throughout February and March, and he appears to have retained at least a six-figure stake in the company, according to the financial disclosures, which cover the first three months of 2026.

The White House said there were no conflicts of interest surrounding the potential contract, which has not been awarded yet.

“This is the same, tired narrative that Democrats have pushed against President Trump, his family, and his administration for a decade,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in a statement toThe Independent. “President Trump only acts in the best interests of the American public.”

She pointed to a prior statement on X from the president’s son Eric Trump. He said in May that the president’s holdings are “maintained exclusively in fully discretionary accounts managed by independent third-party financial institutions.”

“Neither President Trump, his family, nor the Trump Organization has any role in selecting, directing, approving, influencing or soliciting specific investments,” the statement added.

The Independent has requested comment from Axon and the Department of Homeland Security about the contract and the president’s trades.

In the first quarter of this year, the president disclosed making trades worth at least $220 million, dealmaking that critics say is inappropriate and ethically suspect.

The president has made trades in companies including Oracle, Meta, Nvidia, and Apple, whose businesses are strongly impacted by White House trade and regulatory policy. At the same time, those companies or their top executives have all donated to the president’s projects, such as his inauguration, White House ballroom, and America’s 250th anniversary celebrations.

The president has cultivated particularly close ties to the billionaire Ellison family.

Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison gave roughly $45 million to groups supporting the 2024 Trump campaign, The Wall Street Journal reports, and Oracle has since sponsored the Trump-aligned Freedom 250 group.

The Trump administration has tapped Oracle as a key partner on a $500 billion AI data center project, and the Department of Justice recently cleared Ellison’s son David Ellison, the CEO of Paramount Skydance, to complete his $81 billion takeover bid for Warner Bros. Discovery.

The president’s sons, as well as those of his Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, have also been part of deals boosted by the administration.

The Trump and Lutnick families have financial ties to at least 14 companies that are actively partnering with the federal government on mining deals, which stand to benefit from more than $8.9 billion dollars in federal support, according to a New York Times analysis.

The president and his family also have a growing, highly opaque cryptocurrency empire that has helped the president increase his net worth by $1.4 billion since returning to office.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-bought-up-to-5m-of-stock-in-company-right-before-220m-ice-bid/ar-AA26PjIU?

AOC to Trump: 'If you don’t want to be prosecuted for crimes, don’t do crimes'

House speaker Mile Johnson finally admitted Trump, his donors, and some members of the Republican congress have committed crimes against America.

Simple as that. An admission of guilt!

See this – Boldface mine:

AOC to Trump: 'If you don’t want to be prosecuted for crimes, don’t do crimes'

Story by John Queally

© provided by AlterNet

Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York ripped into Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson on Friday night for saying that Republican control of Congress is the only thing keeping President Donald Trump from being held to account for his numerous scandals and abuses of power during his second term in the White House.

Asked about comments made by the Speaker earlier in the day, Ocasio-Cortez told MS-NOW’s Jen Psaki that Johnson characterized future efforts to investigate or accountability for possible misdeeds or corruption by Trump, his family members, or members of his administration “as though it’s some partisan witch hunt,” she said. “But if you don’t want to be prosecuted for crimes, don’t do crimes.”

Ocasio-Cortez, often referred to by her initials AOC, had been asked about remarks Speaker Johnson made at the annual summit of the right-wing Faith and Freedom Coalition, a group with close ties to Trump and the Christian nationalist movement that supports him.

“If we lose the midterms, heaven forbid, these Democrats—y’all, impeachment isn’t even the real concern,” Johnson told the crowd. “They will turn every committee of Congress into an investigative body, and they’ll go after the president’s family, the Cabinet, his donors, friends, half of you in this room will be targeted.”

The House speaker added, “I run the protection program. We’ll take care of you, OK?”

Johnson’s remarks unsurprisingly sparked a series of critical reactions, including AOC’s.

“Mike Johnson saying the quiet part out loud: protect the powerful. S---- everyone else,” said Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (D-Pa.).

“The Speaker of the House just talked like a guy guarding a operation that can’t survive daylight,” said Rep. Mike Levin (D-Calif.). “Because that’s exactly what he’s doing.”

“You don’t need a ‘protection program’ for people who did nothing wrong,” Levin continued. “You need one when you’re afraid of what the books would show. Congress is supposed to be a check on power, not the muscle protecting it. Johnson is a total disgrace to the office. November can’t come fast enough.”

What Johnson is “talking about,” explained AOC in her interview with Psaki, is a Republican Party in Congress “running a protection racket” for Trump and his cronies, both in and out of government.

“And we are already seeing that this Trump administration has run what some have called one of the largest pedophile protection programs in American history,” she continued, referencing the scandal surrounding the disgraced convicted sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein.

“And so when Mike Johnson tells a group of wealthy donors, I’m the only thing standing between you, and a consequence that should rattle at the conscience of every American,” she said. “What he wants to do is create—or rather, not even create, because it’s already been created—but protect a class of impunity in America that says, ‘You can commit whatever crime, and so long as you pay a check to us, we will protect you.’ And that is a model of extortion in American politics. And you know what? That’s their pitch.”

Melanie D’Arrigo, executive director of the Campaign for New York Health, responded to Johnson’s comments by detailing just a few examples of possible corruption by Trump that deserve much more scrutiny and congressional oversight.

“Trump has almost tripled his net worth during this term. His sons bought drone companies and immediately received military contracts right before Trump started another war. Trump threw a crypto contest to see who could buy the most of his meme coin, with the prize being exclusive access to him in his presidential capacity,” D-Arrigo noted. "His son-in-law is getting billions in business deals from the countries and oligarchs wanting political favors. Large donors are spending millions to get pardons and investigations have dropped. Trump is still actively covering up the Epstein files,” she added. “And these are just a handful of the things that were publicly reported on—imagine what we don’t know about yet.”

D’Arrigo called on voters to help “flip the House” away from the Republicans and investigate these examples of grift and corruption as well as others.

AOC to Trump: 'If you don’t want to be prosecuted for crimes, don’t do crimes'

House speaker Mile Johnson finally admitted Trump, his donors, and some members of the Republican congress have committed crimes against America.

Simple as that. An admission of guilt!

See this – Boldface mine:

AOC to Trump: 'If you don’t want to be prosecuted for crimes, don’t do crimes'

Story by John Queally

© provided by AlterNet

Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York ripped into Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson on Friday night for saying that Republican control of Congress is the only thing keeping President Donald Trump from being held to account for his numerous scandals and abuses of power during his second term in the White House.

Asked about comments made by the Speaker earlier in the day, Ocasio-Cortez told MS-NOW’s Jen Psaki that Johnson characterized future efforts to investigate or accountability for possible misdeeds or corruption by Trump, his family members, or members of his administration “as though it’s some partisan witch hunt,” she said. “But if you don’t want to be prosecuted for crimes, don’t do crimes.”

Ocasio-Cortez, often referred to by her initials AOC, had been asked about remarks Speaker Johnson made at the annual summit of the right-wing Faith and Freedom Coalition, a group with close ties to Trump and the Christian nationalist movement that supports him.

“If we lose the midterms, heaven forbid, these Democrats—y’all, impeachment isn’t even the real concern,” Johnson told the crowd. “They will turn every committee of Congress into an investigative body, and they’ll go after the president’s family, the Cabinet, his donors, friends, half of you in this room will be targeted.”

The House speaker added, “I run the protection program. We’ll take care of you, OK?”

Johnson’s remarks unsurprisingly sparked a series of critical reactions, including AOC’s.

“Mike Johnson saying the quiet part out loud: protect the powerful. S---- everyone else,” said Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (D-Pa.).

“The Speaker of the House just talked like a guy guarding a operation that can’t survive daylight,” said Rep. Mike Levin (D-Calif.). “Because that’s exactly what he’s doing.”

“You don’t need a ‘protection program’ for people who did nothing wrong,” Levin continued. “You need one when you’re afraid of what the books would show. Congress is supposed to be a check on power, not the muscle protecting it. Johnson is a total disgrace to the office. November can’t come fast enough.”

What Johnson is “talking about,” explained AOC in her interview with Psaki, is a Republican Party in Congress “running a protection racket” for Trump and his cronies, both in and out of government.

“And we are already seeing that this Trump administration has run what some have called one of the largest pedophile protection programs in American history,” she continued, referencing the scandal surrounding the disgraced convicted sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein.

“And so when Mike Johnson tells a group of wealthy donors, I’m the only thing standing between you, and a consequence that should rattle at the conscience of every American,” she said. “What he wants to do is create—or rather, not even create, because it’s already been created—but protect a class of impunity in America that says, ‘You can commit whatever crime, and so long as you pay a check to us, we will protect you.’ And that is a model of extortion in American politics. And you know what? That’s their pitch.”

Melanie D’Arrigo, executive director of the Campaign for New York Health, responded to Johnson’s comments by detailing just a few examples of possible corruption by Trump that deserve much more scrutiny and congressional oversight.

“Trump has almost tripled his net worth during this term. His sons bought drone companies and immediately received military contracts right before Trump started another war. Trump threw a crypto contest to see who could buy the most of his meme coin, with the prize being exclusive access to him in his presidential capacity,” D-Arrigo noted. "His son-in-law is getting billions in business deals from the countries and oligarchs wanting political favors. Large donors are spending millions to get pardons and investigations have dropped. Trump is still actively covering up the Epstein files,” she added. “And these are just a handful of the things that were publicly reported on—imagine what we don’t know about yet.”

D’Arrigo called on voters to help “flip the House” away from the Republicans and investigate these examples of grift and corruption as well as others.

AOC to Trump: 'If you don’t want to be prosecuted for crimes, don’t do crimes'

House speaker Mile Johnson finally admitted Trump, his donors, and some members of the Republican congress have committed crimes against America.

Simple as that. An admission of guilt!

See this – Boldface mine:

AOC to Trump: 'If you don’t want to be prosecuted for crimes, don’t do crimes'

Story by John Queally

© provided by AlterNet

Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York ripped into Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson on Friday night for saying that Republican control of Congress is the only thing keeping President Donald Trump from being held to account for his numerous scandals and abuses of power during his second term in the White House.

Asked about comments made by the Speaker earlier in the day, Ocasio-Cortez told MS-NOW’s Jen Psaki that Johnson characterized future efforts to investigate or accountability for possible misdeeds or corruption by Trump, his family members, or members of his administration “as though it’s some partisan witch hunt,” she said. “But if you don’t want to be prosecuted for crimes, don’t do crimes.”

Ocasio-Cortez, often referred to by her initials AOC, had been asked about remarks Speaker Johnson made at the annual summit of the right-wing Faith and Freedom Coalition, a group with close ties to Trump and the Christian nationalist movement that supports him.

“If we lose the midterms, heaven forbid, these Democrats—y’all, impeachment isn’t even the real concern,” Johnson told the crowd. “They will turn every committee of Congress into an investigative body, and they’ll go after the president’s family, the Cabinet, his donors, friends, half of you in this room will be targeted.”

The House speaker added, “I run the protection program. We’ll take care of you, OK?”

Johnson’s remarks unsurprisingly sparked a series of critical reactions, including AOC’s.

“Mike Johnson saying the quiet part out loud: protect the powerful. S---- everyone else,” said Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (D-Pa.).

“The Speaker of the House just talked like a guy guarding a operation that can’t survive daylight,” said Rep. Mike Levin (D-Calif.). “Because that’s exactly what he’s doing.”

“You don’t need a ‘protection program’ for people who did nothing wrong,” Levin continued. “You need one when you’re afraid of what the books would show. Congress is supposed to be a check on power, not the muscle protecting it. Johnson is a total disgrace to the office. November can’t come fast enough.”

What Johnson is “talking about,” explained AOC in her interview with Psaki, is a Republican Party in Congress “running a protection racket” for Trump and his cronies, both in and out of government.

“And we are already seeing that this Trump administration has run what some have called one of the largest pedophile protection programs in American history,” she continued, referencing the scandal surrounding the disgraced convicted sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein.

“And so when Mike Johnson tells a group of wealthy donors, I’m the only thing standing between you, and a consequence that should rattle at the conscience of every American,” she said. “What he wants to do is create—or rather, not even create, because it’s already been created—but protect a class of impunity in America that says, ‘You can commit whatever crime, and so long as you pay a check to us, we will protect you.’ And that is a model of extortion in American politics. And you know what? That’s their pitch.”

Melanie D’Arrigo, executive director of the Campaign for New York Health, responded to Johnson’s comments by detailing just a few examples of possible corruption by Trump that deserve much more scrutiny and congressional oversight.

“Trump has almost tripled his net worth during this term. His sons bought drone companies and immediately received military contracts right before Trump started another war. Trump threw a crypto contest to see who could buy the most of his meme coin, with the prize being exclusive access to him in his presidential capacity,” D-Arrigo noted. "His son-in-law is getting billions in business deals from the countries and oligarchs wanting political favors. Large donors are spending millions to get pardons and investigations have dropped. Trump is still actively covering up the Epstein files,” she added. “And these are just a handful of the things that were publicly reported on—imagine what we don’t know about yet.”

D’Arrigo called on voters to help “flip the House” away from the Republicans and investigate these examples of grift and corruption as well as others.

House speaker Mile Johnson finally admitted Trump, his donors, and some members of the Republican congress have committed crimes against America.

Simple as that. An admission of guilt!

See this – Boldface mine:

AOC to Trump: 'If you don’t want to be prosecuted for crimes, don’t do crimes'

Story by John Queally

© provided by AlterNet

Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York ripped into Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson on Friday night for saying that Republican control of Congress is the only thing keeping President Donald Trump from being held to account for his numerous scandals and abuses of power during his second term in the White House.

Asked about comments made by the Speaker earlier in the day, Ocasio-Cortez told MS-NOW’s Jen Psaki that Johnson characterized future efforts to investigate or accountability for possible misdeeds or corruption by Trump, his family members, or members of his administration “as though it’s some partisan witch hunt,” she said. “But if you don’t want to be prosecuted for crimes, don’t do crimes.”

Ocasio-Cortez, often referred to by her initials AOC, had been asked about remarks Speaker Johnson made at the annual summit of the right-wing Faith and Freedom Coalition, a group with close ties to Trump and the Christian nationalist movement that supports him.

“If we lose the midterms, heaven forbid, these Democrats—y’all, impeachment isn’t even the real concern,” Johnson told the crowd. “They will turn every committee of Congress into an investigative body, and they’ll go after the president’s family, the Cabinet, his donors, friends, half of you in this room will be targeted.”

The House speaker added, “I run the protection program. We’ll take care of you, OK?”

Johnson’s remarks unsurprisingly sparked a series of critical reactions, including AOC’s.

“Mike Johnson saying the quiet part out loud: protect the powerful. S---- everyone else,” said Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (D-Pa.).

“The Speaker of the House just talked like a guy guarding a operation that can’t survive daylight,” said Rep. Mike Levin (D-Calif.). “Because that’s exactly what he’s doing.”

“You don’t need a ‘protection program’ for people who did nothing wrong,” Levin continued. “You need one when you’re afraid of what the books would show. Congress is supposed to be a check on power, not the muscle protecting it. Johnson is a total disgrace to the office. November can’t come fast enough.”

What Johnson is “talking about,” explained AOC in her interview with Psaki, is a Republican Party in Congress “running a protection racket” for Trump and his cronies, both in and out of government.

“And we are already seeing that this Trump administration has run what some have called one of the largest pedophile protection programs in American history,” she continued, referencing the scandal surrounding the disgraced convicted sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein.

“And so when Mike Johnson tells a group of wealthy donors, I’m the only thing standing between you, and a consequence that should rattle at the conscience of every American,” she said. “What he wants to do is create—or rather, not even create, because it’s already been created—but protect a class of impunity in America that says, ‘You can commit whatever crime, and so long as you pay a check to us, we will protect you.’ And that is a model of extortion in American politics. And you know what? That’s their pitch.”

Melanie D’Arrigo, executive director of the Campaign for New York Health, responded to Johnson’s comments by detailing just a few examples of possible corruption by Trump that deserve much more scrutiny and congressional oversight.

“Trump has almost tripled his net worth during this term. His sons bought drone companies and immediately received military contracts right before Trump started another war. Trump threw a crypto contest to see who could buy the most of his meme coin, with the prize being exclusive access to him in his presidential capacity,” D-Arrigo noted. "His son-in-law is getting billions in business deals from the countries and oligarchs wanting political favors. Large donors are spending millions to get pardons and investigations have dropped. Trump is still actively covering up the Epstein files,” she added. “And these are just a handful of the things that were publicly reported on—imagine what we don’t know about yet.”

D’Arrigo called on voters to help “flip the House” away from the Republicans and investigate these examples of grift and corruption as well as others.

House speaker Mile Johnson finally admitted Trump, his donors, and some members of the Republican congress have committed crimes against America.

Simple as that. An admission of guilt!

See this – Boldface mine:

AOC to Trump: 'If you don’t want to be prosecuted for crimes, don’t do crimes'

Story by John Queally

© provided by AlterNet

Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York ripped into Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson on Friday night for saying that Republican control of Congress is the only thing keeping President Donald Trump from being held to account for his numerous scandals and abuses of power during his second term in the White House.

Asked about comments made by the Speaker earlier in the day, Ocasio-Cortez told MS-NOW’s Jen Psaki that Johnson characterized future efforts to investigate or accountability for possible misdeeds or corruption by Trump, his family members, or members of his administration “as though it’s some partisan witch hunt,” she said. “But if you don’t want to be prosecuted for crimes, don’t do crimes.”

Ocasio-Cortez, often referred to by her initials AOC, had been asked about remarks Speaker Johnson made at the annual summit of the right-wing Faith and Freedom Coalition, a group with close ties to Trump and the Christian nationalist movement that supports him.

“If we lose the midterms, heaven forbid, these Democrats—y’all, impeachment isn’t even the real concern,” Johnson told the crowd. “They will turn every committee of Congress into an investigative body, and they’ll go after the president’s family, the Cabinet, his donors, friends, half of you in this room will be targeted.”

The House speaker added, “I run the protection program. We’ll take care of you, OK?”

Johnson’s remarks unsurprisingly sparked a series of critical reactions, including AOC’s.

“Mike Johnson saying the quiet part out loud: protect the powerful. S---- everyone else,” said Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (D-Pa.).

“The Speaker of the House just talked like a guy guarding a operation that can’t survive daylight,” said Rep. Mike Levin (D-Calif.). “Because that’s exactly what he’s doing.”

“You don’t need a ‘protection program’ for people who did nothing wrong,” Levin continued. “You need one when you’re afraid of what the books would show. Congress is supposed to be a check on power, not the muscle protecting it. Johnson is a total disgrace to the office. November can’t come fast enough.”

What Johnson is “talking about,” explained AOC in her interview with Psaki, is a Republican Party in Congress “running a protection racket” for Trump and his cronies, both in and out of government.

“And we are already seeing that this Trump administration has run what some have called one of the largest pedophile protection programs in American history,” she continued, referencing the scandal surrounding the disgraced convicted sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein.

“And so when Mike Johnson tells a group of wealthy donors, I’m the only thing standing between you, and a consequence that should rattle at the conscience of every American,” she said. “What he wants to do is create—or rather, not even create, because it’s already been created—but protect a class of impunity in America that says, ‘You can commit whatever crime, and so long as you pay a check to us, we will protect you.’ And that is a model of extortion in American politics. And you know what? That’s their pitch.”

Melanie D’Arrigo, executive director of the Campaign for New York Health, responded to Johnson’s comments by detailing just a few examples of possible corruption by Trump that deserve much more scrutiny and congressional oversight.

“Trump has almost tripled his net worth during this term. His sons bought drone companies and immediately received military contracts right before Trump started another war. Trump threw a crypto contest to see who could buy the most of his meme coin, with the prize being exclusive access to him in his presidential capacity,” D-Arrigo noted. "His son-in-law is getting billions in business deals from the countries and oligarchs wanting political favors. Large donors are spending millions to get pardons and investigations have dropped. Trump is still actively covering up the Epstein files,” she added. “And these are just a handful of the things that were publicly reported on—imagine what we don’t know about yet.”

D’Arrigo called on voters to help “flip the House” away from the Republicans and investigate these examples of grift and corruption as well as others.

House speaker Mile Johnson finally admitted Trump, his donors, and some members of the Republican congress have committed crimes against America.

Simple as that. An admission of guilt!

See this – Boldface mine:

AOC to Trump: 'If you don’t want to be prosecuted for crimes, don’t do crimes'

Story by John Queally

© provided by AlterNet

Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York ripped into Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson on Friday night for saying that Republican control of Congress is the only thing keeping President Donald Trump from being held to account for his numerous scandals and abuses of power during his second term in the White House.

Asked about comments made by the Speaker earlier in the day, Ocasio-Cortez told MS-NOW’s Jen Psaki that Johnson characterized future efforts to investigate or accountability for possible misdeeds or corruption by Trump, his family members, or members of his administration “as though it’s some partisan witch hunt,” she said. “But if you don’t want to be prosecuted for crimes, don’t do crimes.”

Ocasio-Cortez, often referred to by her initials AOC, had been asked about remarks Speaker Johnson made at the annual summit of the right-wing Faith and Freedom Coalition, a group with close ties to Trump and the Christian nationalist movement that supports him.

“If we lose the midterms, heaven forbid, these Democrats—y’all, impeachment isn’t even the real concern,” Johnson told the crowd. “They will turn every committee of Congress into an investigative body, and they’ll go after the president’s family, the Cabinet, his donors, friends, half of you in this room will be targeted.”

The House speaker added, “I run the protection program. We’ll take care of you, OK?”

Johnson’s remarks unsurprisingly sparked a series of critical reactions, including AOC’s.

“Mike Johnson saying the quiet part out loud: protect the powerful. S---- everyone else,” said Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (D-Pa.).

“The Speaker of the House just talked like a guy guarding a operation that can’t survive daylight,” said Rep. Mike Levin (D-Calif.). “Because that’s exactly what he’s doing.”

“You don’t need a ‘protection program’ for people who did nothing wrong,” Levin continued. “You need one when you’re afraid of what the books would show. Congress is supposed to be a check on power, not the muscle protecting it. Johnson is a total disgrace to the office. November can’t come fast enough.”

What Johnson is “talking about,” explained AOC in her interview with Psaki, is a Republican Party in Congress “running a protection racket” for Trump and his cronies, both in and out of government.

“And we are already seeing that this Trump administration has run what some have called one of the largest pedophile protection programs in American history,” she continued, referencing the scandal surrounding the disgraced convicted sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein.

“And so when Mike Johnson tells a group of wealthy donors, I’m the only thing standing between you, and a consequence that should rattle at the conscience of every American,” she said. “What he wants to do is create—or rather, not even create, because it’s already been created—but protect a class of impunity in America that says, ‘You can commit whatever crime, and so long as you pay a check to us, we will protect you.’ And that is a model of extortion in American politics. And you know what? That’s their pitch.”

Melanie D’Arrigo, executive director of the Campaign for New York Health, responded to Johnson’s comments by detailing just a few examples of possible corruption by Trump that deserve much more scrutiny and congressional oversight.

“Trump has almost tripled his net worth during this term. His sons bought drone companies and immediately received military contracts right before Trump started another war. Trump threw a crypto contest to see who could buy the most of his meme coin, with the prize being exclusive access to him in his presidential capacity,” D-Arrigo noted. "His son-in-law is getting billions in business deals from the countries and oligarchs wanting political favors. Large donors are spending millions to get pardons and investigations have dropped. Trump is still actively covering up the Epstein files,” she added. “And these are just a handful of the things that were publicly reported on—imagine what we don’t know about yet.”

D’Arrigo called on voters to help “flip the House” away from the Republicans and investigate these examples of grift and corruption as well as others.

House speaker Mile Johnson finally admitted Trump, his donors, and some members of the Republican congress have committed crimes against America.

Simple as that. An admission of guilt!

See this – Boldface mine:

AOC to Trump: 'If you don’t want to be prosecuted for crimes, don’t do crimes'

Story by John Queally

© provided by AlterNet

Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York ripped into Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson on Friday night for saying that Republican control of Congress is the only thing keeping President Donald Trump from being held to account for his numerous scandals and abuses of power during his second term in the White House.

Asked about comments made by the Speaker earlier in the day, Ocasio-Cortez told MS-NOW’s Jen Psaki that Johnson characterized future efforts to investigate or accountability for possible misdeeds or corruption by Trump, his family members, or members of his administration “as though it’s some partisan witch hunt,” she said. “But if you don’t want to be prosecuted for crimes, don’t do crimes.”

Ocasio-Cortez, often referred to by her initials AOC, had been asked about remarks Speaker Johnson made at the annual summit of the right-wing Faith and Freedom Coalition, a group with close ties to Trump and the Christian nationalist movement that supports him.

“If we lose the midterms, heaven forbid, these Democrats—y’all, impeachment isn’t even the real concern,” Johnson told the crowd. “They will turn every committee of Congress into an investigative body, and they’ll go after the president’s family, the Cabinet, his donors, friends, half of you in this room will be targeted.”

The House speaker added, “I run the protection program. We’ll take care of you, OK?”

Johnson’s remarks unsurprisingly sparked a series of critical reactions, including AOC’s.

“Mike Johnson saying the quiet part out loud: protect the powerful. S---- everyone else,” said Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (D-Pa.).

“The Speaker of the House just talked like a guy guarding a operation that can’t survive daylight,” said Rep. Mike Levin (D-Calif.). “Because that’s exactly what he’s doing.”

“You don’t need a ‘protection program’ for people who did nothing wrong,” Levin continued. “You need one when you’re afraid of what the books would show. Congress is supposed to be a check on power, not the muscle protecting it. Johnson is a total disgrace to the office. November can’t come fast enough.”

What Johnson is “talking about,” explained AOC in her interview with Psaki, is a Republican Party in Congress “running a protection racket” for Trump and his cronies, both in and out of government.

“And we are already seeing that this Trump administration has run what some have called one of the largest pedophile protection programs in American history,” she continued, referencing the scandal surrounding the disgraced convicted sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein.

“And so when Mike Johnson tells a group of wealthy donors, I’m the only thing standing between you, and a consequence that should rattle at the conscience of every American,” she said. “What he wants to do is create—or rather, not even create, because it’s already been created—but protect a class of impunity in America that says, ‘You can commit whatever crime, and so long as you pay a check to us, we will protect you.’ And that is a model of extortion in American politics. And you know what? That’s their pitch.”

Melanie D’Arrigo, executive director of the Campaign for New York Health, responded to Johnson’s comments by detailing just a few examples of possible corruption by Trump that deserve much more scrutiny and congressional oversight.

“Trump has almost tripled his net worth during this term. His sons bought drone companies and immediately received military contracts right before Trump started another war. Trump threw a crypto contest to see who could buy the most of his meme coin, with the prize being exclusive access to him in his presidential capacity,” D-Arrigo noted. "His son-in-law is getting billions in business deals from the countries and oligarchs wanting political favors. Large donors are spending millions to get pardons and investigations have dropped. Trump is still actively covering up the Epstein files,” she added. “And these are just a handful of the things that were publicly reported on—imagine what we don’t know about yet.”

D’Arrigo called on voters to help “flip the House” away from the Republicans and investigate these examples of grift and corruption as well as others.

65

No, this is not Bangladesh during a famine, it is not Somalia with pictures of starving children with flies in their eyes, It is not Haiti, war torn and ravaged by poverty, it is America under Trump with Millionaires and a GOP as cruel and uncaring as any third world despot.

Children and the elderly are going to bed hungry and not one Republican gives a damn about it. Millions are now without the hope of healthcare with subsidies removed and rural hospitals closing as we speak. And if you are not a member of the millionaire class Trump’s war-torn economy – maybe giving your sons or daughters to a needless war, a war already lost – the Republican economy is daily driving you to new depths of despair.

America is no longer a ‘gleaming city on a hill’, a place of comfort and familial refuge. Now thanks to Trump, Musk, the Republican congress and Republican dominated Supreme Court, the common man is beaten down daily while the rich and arrogant flourish.

It is not getting better, it will not get better until the corrupt criminals in the administration are ousted imprisoned, and a compassionate democracy is allowed to return.

See this – Boldface mine:

SNAP recipient’s benefits slashed: ‘Who lives on $24 a month?’

Story by Jay Dow and Alix Martichoux • 1h • 3 min read

The Hill

How some are surviving after SNAP cuts

NEW YORK CITY (WPIX) — After months of drastic changes to SNAP, some beneficiaries say they’re going hungry after their monthly benefits were slashed to near-nothing.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (or SNAP) has been undergoing reforms and changes since the passage of the Trump administration’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, SNAP provided 1 in 8 Americans with help buying groceries last year.

So many people have been kicked off SNAP, that number has since changed to an estimated 1 in 9 Americans, The Associated Press reports. Nearly 5 million fewer people received food aid in March when compared to last year.

Shiela Boyd, an 81-year-old New York resident who spoke with Nexstar’s WPIX, wasn’t kicked off the program, but said her benefits were suddenly cut from $298 a month to just $24.

“I can’t buy nutritious food. Who lives on $24 a month?” Boyd said. “I need more money to eat.”

Now, she says almost all the food she eats comes from donations. Sometimes she has to skip meals because there isn’t enough to eat.

It happened to Boyd after an income recalculation in the spring, which looked at her gross Social Security benefit — not the actual net income that hits her bank account every month, which is lower.

Boyd is not alone. Changes to SNAP requirements have been rolling out over the past year, adding work requirements for more adults and granting fewer exceptions. It also removes some income deductions that were previously allowed, like the cost of internet and utilities.

The Congressional Budget Office estimated the changes, in all, would result in 2.7 million fewer people receiving SNAP benefits.

In Boyd’s case, she tried to appeal the benefit recalculation but was denied in her hearing. She argued her net Social Security income, not gross income, should be used in calculating her benefits amount, but the state commissioner overseeing the appeal disagreed.

“The Agency’s determination as to the adequacy of the Appellant’s SNAP benefits is correct,” the commissioner ruled.

Boyd told WPIX she has been losing weight since going hungry. “I weigh 102 pounds,” she said, and is thinking outside the box to find new ways to feed herself. “I’m trying to sell things … like jewelry. My whole lifestyle is different now.”

“I spend most of my day trying to find a way to get money to sell things,” she continued. “You know you work hard all your life, and this is what they — it’s a slap in the face. I think it’s unforgivable.”

In a press release defending the SNAP reforms, the White House said, “The One Big Beautiful Bill promotes work, responsibility, and restores SNAP to serve the truly needy. … The mission of the program has failed. SNAP was intended to be temporary help for those who encounter tough times — we are strengthening this program to serve those who need it most.”

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/snap-recipient-s-benefits-slashed-who-lives-on-24-a-month/ar-AA26FLVh?