The issuance of the red card to Folarin Balogun may or may not have been deserved, but allowing Trump to interfere on a specific call, simply cannot be allowed.

I would love to see Balogun play & for what it is worth., I do think the red card was unwarranted.  Irrespective, Trump cannot be allowed to interfere in the game, or the sport.  He certainly cannot be allowed to infer that Rafael Claus (the Brazilian referee), made the call because he is historically corrupt.

Sports has been our only refuge and ironically, our last bastion of unity. It brought us some welcome respite, during the horrors of Covid. In more recent times, it has brought us some unity & joy, at time a time of incessant political noise & great divisiveness.

I am acutely aware that FIFA has been riddled with controversy & corruption, but if they are going to have a semblance of credibility left, they must not allow Trump to put his thumb on the scale. Equally importantly, they must defend Rafael Claus, their referee.

Anything short of that opens up a pandoras box of Trump intervention, in other sports, and the next time it may be for reasons beyond a referee/umpire's call.

The issuance of the red card to Folarin Balogun may or may not have been deserved, but allowing Trump to interfere on a specific call, simply cannot be allowed.

I would love to see Balogun play & for what it is worth., I do think the red card was unwarranted.  Irrespective, Trump cannot be allowed to interfere in the game, or the sport.  He certainly cannot be allowed to infer that Rafael Claus (the Brazilian referee), made the call because he is historically corrupt.

Sports has been our only refuge and ironically, our last bastion of unity. It brought us some welcome respite, during the horrors of Covid. In more recent times, it has brought us some unity & joy, at time a time of incessant political noise & great divisiveness.

I am acutely aware that FIFA has been riddled with controversy & corruption, but if they are going to have a semblance of credibility left, they must not allow Trump to put his thumb on the scale. Equally importantly, they must defend Rafael Claus, their referee.

Anything short of that opens up a pandoras box of Trump intervention, in other sports, and the next time it may be for reasons beyond a referee/umpire's call.

I have always voted my conscience. I am therefore not a registered Republican or a Democrat. I am however - & have always been - a proud never Trumper. He is an immoral, narcissistic, illiterate, misogynist & voting for him is contrary to all that has ever been meaningful, in my life.  Indeed, he is an assault on my soul.

If the Republicans win the House in November, we are a 100% guaranteed that Trump (ism) gets reelected in 2028.

I will vote for a door knob over Trump (ism) again. That having been said, it is time for the Schumers & the Jeffries of the world to hand over leadership to new blood. The Progressives have a deep bench, any of whom would be better than Trump and better than any of his sycophants: Jon Ossof; Wes Moore; Pete Buttgieg; Andy Beshear; Roy Cooper; Jason Crow; Alexandria Cortez; J.B. Pritzker; Josh Shapiro; Elisa Slotkin; Raphael Warnock; Dana Nessel; Madeline Dean; Jon Stewart. The Democrats have a bad habit of taking defeat from the jaws of victory. If they mess it up this November, the 2028 election may be moot. This is an election, more than ever where loyalty to country must come before party, ego or personal ambition.

Almost 55% of the electorate sat out in the 2022 midterms (only about 45% voted) . The Republicans gained control of the House &the Senate. In the 2018 midterms only about 3% more showed up (48.1% voted) & the Democrats flipped 40 seats in the House – 30 in States that Trump won.

Trump will do everything he can to deter us from showing up this November, but he should know by now that neither masked men with Confederate flags on the streets of D.C or VA.; nor armed, masked ICE agents in MN; or blackhawk helicopters in Chicago; nor the National guard in LA or the deployment of troops at our polling stations will deter us. We will show up in peaceful, overwhelming numbers & there is nothing Trump can do about it.

 

I have always voted my conscience. I am therefore not a registered Republican or a Democrat. I am however - & have always been - a proud never Trumper. He is an immoral, narcissistic, illiterate, misogynist & voting for him is contrary to all that has ever been meaningful, in my life.  Indeed, he is an assault on my soul.

If the Republicans win the House in November, we are a 100% guaranteed that Trump (ism) gets reelected in 2028.

I will vote for a door knob over Trump (ism) again. That having been said, it is time for the Schumers & the Jeffries of the world to hand over leadership to new blood. The Progressives have a deep bench, any of whom would be better than Trump and better than any of his sycophants: Jon Ossof; Wes Moore; Pete Buttgieg; Andy Beshear; Roy Cooper; Jason Crow; Alexandria Cortez; J.B. Pritzker; Josh Shapiro; Elisa Slotkin; Raphael Warnock; Dana Nessel; Madeline Dean; Jon Stewart. The Democrats have a bad habit of taking defeat from the jaws of victory. If they mess it up this November, the 2028 election may be moot. This is an election, more than ever where loyalty to country must come before party, ego or personal ambition.

Almost 55% of the electorate sat out in the 2022 midterms (only about 45% voted) . The Republicans gained control of the House &the Senate. In the 2018 midterms only about 3% more showed up (48.1% voted) & the Democrats flipped 40 seats in the House – 30 in States that Trump won.

Trump will do everything he can to deter us from showing up this November, but he should know by now that neither masked men with Confederate flags on the streets of D.C or VA.; nor armed, masked ICE agents in MN; or blackhawk helicopters in Chicago; nor the National guard in LA or the deployment of troops at our polling stations will deter us. We will show up in peaceful, overwhelming numbers & there is nothing Trump can do about it.

 

I have always voted my conscience. I am therefore not a registered Republican or a Democrat. I am however - & have always been - a proud never Trumper. He is an immoral, narcissistic, illiterate, misogynist & voting for him is contrary to all that has ever been meaningful, in my life.  Indeed, he is an assault on my soul.

If the Republicans win the House in November, we are a 100% guaranteed that Trump (ism) gets reelected in 2028.

I will vote for a door knob over Trump (ism) again. That having been said, it is time for the Schumers & the Jeffries of the world to hand over leadership to new blood. The Progressives have a deep bench, any of whom would be better than Trump and better than any of his sycophants: Jon Ossof; Wes Moore; Pete Buttgieg; Andy Beshear; Roy Cooper; Jason Crow; Alexandria Cortez; J.B. Pritzker; Josh Shapiro; Elisa Slotkin; Raphael Warnock; Dana Nessel; Madeline Dean; Jon Stewart. The Democrats have a bad habit of taking defeat from the jaws of victory. If they mess it up this November, the 2028 election may be moot. This is an election, more than ever where loyalty to country must come before party, ego or personal ambition.

Almost 55% of the electorate sat out in the 2022 midterms (only about 45% voted) . The Republicans gained control of the House &the Senate. In the 2018 midterms only about 3% more showed up (48.1% voted) & the Democrats flipped 40 seats in the House – 30 in States that Trump won.

Trump will do everything he can to deter us from showing up this November, but he should know by now that neither masked men with Confederate flags on the streets of D.C or VA.; nor armed, masked ICE agents in MN; or blackhawk helicopters in Chicago; nor the National guard in LA or the deployment of troops at our polling stations will deter us. We will show up in peaceful, overwhelming numbers & there is nothing Trump can do about it.

 

America was never perfect - far from it! We have been plagued with racism; economic inequity; food insecurity, starvation & homelessness (unforgivable in a country that has so much); infant mortality; hypocrisy in our domestic & foreign policies and so on BUT, as an immigrant who has travelled the world, I can tell you with some conviction that America – with all its flaws – was still the nicest country (by far) I have ever lived in, or travelled to. Imperfect as we have been, our intent has always been to keep chipping away so that every tomorrow, is better than today. Unfortunately, for most of us, our today is worse than yesterday, & at the moment tomorrow also looks bleak.

Our rhetoric has become toxic; women’s rights have gone back a century; civil rights have already gone to back to the 1960’s; our voting rights to the pre-civil rights era; our immigration policy to the 1930’s. Today I see our flag flying & immediately think MAGA. I am not sure when flying our flag became a bad thing or when it became only MAGA’s prerogative, to fly one, but here we are on our 250^(th) anniversary. The bottom line is today’s America bears little resemblance to the one I came to, some 40 years ago.  

Sure, Donald Trump has always fanned our lowest instincts, but the fact it took so little to fan those fires & actually elect him twice, says more about us as a Society, than him. Of course, there were always people who would tell immigrants like me to go back to the country I came from, but those were in a minority. Trump has no doubt made it fashionable to be a racist again.

History guarantees that the likes Trump will eventually go – & go, he will! The question is what will our Society look like, on the other side. Do we continue to adopt Donald Trump’s vision of America where every MAGA person is seen as a racist, & everyone on the left is viewed as a communist; where neighbors and family can no longer talk to each other, because of their political leanings, or can we find our way back to a more civil existence, again?

I fear we have already walked a path too far to see the America I knew again, at least in my lifetime. I hope someday, as a Society, we do find our way back so that the next generation can see why people like me came to America, in the first place!

I am sure there will be people who will read this and & tell me that it is immigrants like me who are the ones destroying this country & probably tell me again ‘to get out of their country’.

I came to this country (& yes legally) before 51% of the nation was born. My children have lived here virtually all their lives. I will fight to defend every inch of this land, that has given me so much. Don’t you dare tell me to get out!

Please vote this November.

 

Donald Trump: “I am probably the most unifying President in history”

Obama in his farewell addresses, admitted that one of his core regrets was his inability to bridge the growing partisan divide, and ease suspicion between political parties.

I suppose this says more about the character of the two men (or more appropriately the lack of character & delusions of one of them) but nonetheless I find it both, ironical & galling.

Barack Obama was a great President. The sad truth is that America was not yet ready for an educated, literate, articulate, dignified Black President. Donald Trump is not - & will never be – a patch on him.

Favorability in US (The Hill)                 

Trump 34%                                                      

Obama: 57%

Favorability among international allies: (IPSOS)    

Trump 23%                                                     

Obama Presidency: 76%

US favorability in Russia:

Gone up from 12% to 30% since Trump was elected (Moscow Times; The Hill).

Obama had a negative rating of 87%.

One can hardly forget Trump’s disgraceful press conference with Putin in Helsinki, or his red-carpet fly past in Alaska. Conversely Obama had that photo of his ‘death stare’ at Putin, during the G 20 Summit in China.

Trump has an incessant need for self-adulation; Obama has no need for adulation – do not have to look far, just watch Michele Obama praising him at the inauguration of the Obama Presidential library.

Trump thinks to prove he is a man, he has to brag about forcibly touching women in their private parts; and brag about walking in unannounced into the dressing room of a beauty pageant; inanely brag about the size of his hands; disparage women reporters or beat up on his wife (Ivana) whereas Obama is always the epitome of respect & dignity, for the office.

Trump has 34 felony convictions; 91 criminal charges; 27 sexual assault allegations; 2 impeachments; fraud settlement; attempted insurrection; pleaded the 5^(th) over 90 times; 60 stock trades a day; 38k times in the Epstein files; 7 times on Epstein plane.

Obama:  Zero allegations; scandals or indictments, & btw zero stock trades.  

Trump: Nouveau riche gold inlay; demolition of the East Wing; destruction of rose garden; the Ball room; Trump Arc; algae ridden Lincoln reflective pool; name on Federal buildings; signature & face on currency…

Obama: Postponed any & all renovations, after his inauguration to the WH, by one year. The optics of renovations, while the American people were economically struggling, did not seem appropriate to him, he said.

Trump:  Takes credit when it goes well (or in Trump’s case pretend it went well).  Always blames someone else, if it did not – generally it is Obama, he will blame.

Obama: Always took responsibility:

The Libyan aftermath; not being able to close Guantánamo Bay; failure to pass comprehensive immigration reform; failure to pass gun safety legislation (BBC interview); the intelligence failures leading to the Christmas day airline plot; the IRS targeting scandal; the ACA website launch etc.

Can you imagine a day when Trump says to the Epstein women “I am sorry for what you have gone through. My administration dropped the ball on this. I have told DOJ to release all files by tomorrow” or he addresses the nation & admits that the Iran conflict was a mistake & we are ending it…..one needs to dream, to get out of this nightmare!

In the interim, I will take some solace in the fact that a classy, intelligent, competent, eloquent man, who happens to be Black is driving the nouveau riche, orange make up ridden, intellectually & etiquette challenged temporary occupant of the WH absolutely insane, with envy.

Donald Trump: “I am probably the most unifying President in history”

Obama in his farewell addresses, admitted that one of his core regrets was his inability to bridge the growing partisan divide, and ease suspicion between political parties.

I suppose this says more about the character of the two men (or more appropriately the lack of character & delusions of one of them) but nonetheless I find it both, ironical & galling.

Barack Obama was a great President. The sad truth is that America was not yet ready for an educated, literate, articulate, dignified Black President. Donald Trump is not - & will never be – a patch on him.

Favorability in US (The Hill)                 

Trump 34%                                                      

Obama: 57%

Favorability among international allies: (IPSOS)    

Trump 23%                                                     

Obama Presidency: 76%

US favorability in Russia:

Gone up from 12% to 30% since Trump was elected (Moscow Times; The Hill).

Obama had a negative rating of 87%.

One can hardly forget Trump’s disgraceful press conference with Putin in Helsinki, or his red-carpet fly past in Alaska. Conversely Obama had that photo of his ‘death stare’ at Putin, during the G 20 Summit in China.

Trump has an incessant need for self-adulation; Obama has no need for adulation – do not have to look far, just watch Michele Obama praising him at the inauguration of the Obama Presidential library.

Trump thinks to prove he is a man, he has to brag about forcibly touching women in their private parts; and brag about walking in unannounced into the dressing room of a beauty pageant; inanely brag about the size of his hands; disparage women reporters or beat up on his wife (Ivana) whereas Obama is always the epitome of respect & dignity, for the office.

Trump has 34 felony convictions; 91 criminal charges; 27 sexual assault allegations; 2 impeachments; fraud settlement; attempted insurrection; pleaded the 5^(th) over 90 times; 60 stock trades a day; 38k times in the Epstein files; 7 times on Epstein plane.

Obama:  Zero allegations; scandals or indictments, & btw zero stock trades.  

Trump: Nouveau riche gold inlay; demolition of the East Wing; destruction of rose garden; the Ball room; Trump Arc; algae ridden Lincoln reflective pool; name on Federal buildings; signature & face on currency…

Obama: Postponed any & all renovations, after his inauguration to the WH, by one year. The optics of renovations, while the American people were economically struggling, did not seem appropriate to him, he said.

Trump:  Takes credit when it goes well (or in Trump’s case pretend it went well).  Always blames someone else, if it did not – generally it is Obama, he will blame.

Obama: Always took responsibility:

The Libyan aftermath; not being able to close Guantánamo Bay; failure to pass comprehensive immigration reform; failure to pass gun safety legislation (BBC interview); the intelligence failures leading to the Christmas day airline plot; the IRS targeting scandal; the ACA website launch etc.

Can you imagine a day when Trump says to the Epstein women “I am sorry for what you have gone through. My administration dropped the ball on this. I have told DOJ to release all files by tomorrow” or he addresses the nation & admits that the Iran conflict was a mistake & we are ending it…..one needs to dream, to get out of this nightmare!

In the interim, I will take some solace in the fact that a classy, intelligent, competent, eloquent man, who happens to be Black is driving the nouveau riche, orange make up ridden, intellectually & etiquette challenged temporary occupant of the WH absolutely insane, with envy.

 

 

.

 

The Trump legacy will not be the monuments he builds, or the buildings that he names after himself. He will certainly not be remembered for his competence; intellect; knowledge or oratory. He may be remembered as the President who abrogated America’s leadership & world dominance to China, or for having given oxygen to an otherwise irrelevant Russia; Saudi Arabia; Iran & North Korea. Irrespective, he will certainly be remembered for sowing the seeds of division & disunity, in the world. He will also be known for bringing America to the precipice of an autocracy. Indeed, he will be known for making racism & misogyny great again.

Trump will be unsuccessful in his attempted march to autocracy, notwithstanding any of his tricks. The question is whether we allow his seeds of division to continue to blossom or whether we pack it with him, when he leaves the WH. That will be up to us.

We have to treat America like a bleeding patient, who also has cancer. We have to first stop the bleeding so that the patient lives long enough, for us to treat the cancer.

STAGE 1

Donald Trump has told us that he will not willingly leave the WH. His official Trump store has been selling Trump 2028 caps ($55 each?) & 'rewrite the rules' shirt, for some time. MAGA can write it off, as a joke but the rest of us should believe him when he says that he is not leaving the WH. We have to first check Trump’s power, by voting in November, & then evict him from the WH.

The only antidote to all his tricks is showing up to vote, in overwhelming numbers.

·       In the 2018 midterms, only 48.1% of people eligible to vote, voted. Almost 52% sat out.

·       The Democrats still flipped 40 seats (30 in States that Trump won in 2016) & took control of the House (Pew Research).

·       The differential between Harris & Trump was about 2.8 million votes. Almost 90m sat out the 2024 elections.

Trump is banking on deterring us from showing up this November. He thinks intimidation & bullying will instill fear in us. He seems to have forgotten MN, Chicago & LA, and so much of US history – perhaps he should educate himself on our history, before reading about Hitler, Stalin or Mao.

If the Republicans hold on to the House this November, the 2028 Presidential elections (if any) will be moot. Please vote.

When Trump (ism) goes:

STAGE 2

We have to fully investigate & hold all those who broke the law accountable including: Donald Trump & his family; Pete Hegseth; Pam Bondi; Kristi Noem; Todd Blanche; Greg Bovino; Kash Patel; Howard Lutnick; Steve Witcoff; Jared Kushner; Tulsi Gabbard; Tom Homan; all the ICE agents & commanders who broke the law; any US commanders in the armed forces who were involved in the chain of command for the boat strikes off Venezuela, & civil infrastructure in Iran; the pedophiles in Epstein and all those who chose to blocked the release.

Need to repair our Society

To end Trump(ism) will likely take some who sat out the last elections, to get off the fence, & vote. It may even take some MAGA voting against Trump (ism).

We need to recognize that not all MAGA are racists or misogynists, and MAGA needs to recognize that Progressives are communists & traitors. It is time we find our way back to civil discourse. Anything short of that will allow Trump the satisfaction of knowing that he did indeed leave a legacy well beyond his Presidency, even it was to fan our worst insecurities & divisions.

Eventually, we also need to update our Constitution, so that this never happens again:

STAGE 3

We need to relook at some of the so-called safeguards in our Constitution. As a start, we need to: remove the electoral college; introduce term limits for not just members of Congress, but also all federal judges, including the Supreme Court; make the number of judges in the Supreme Court equal, so that Party leanings do not come into play; address the racket of campaign contributions, reestablish limits on Presidential immunity; put a cap or remove the Presidential power to pardon; make it illegal for any party to change the electoral map, midterm; make it illegal for members of Congress; Cabinet members; their staff or relatives from trading stocks; commodities or Currency.

We no longer have control over whether our politicians develop a spine, or whether it becomes unfashionable for members of Trump’s cabinet to wear shoes that are two sizes too big, or whether this DOJ remembers that its constitutional obligation is to represent the people, & not the WH; or whether the Supreme Court remembers that justice is supposed to be blind. We can only control whether we show up to vote & what America looks like, after Trump is gone. Let us do both.

2018 MID TERMS                  JUNE 2026

TRUMP’S OVERALL JOB APPROVAL     43%                                      36% (NPR/Maris)

ECONOMY                                                41%.                                     33%. (NPR/Maris)

• Trump is much less popular today, than he was in 2018.
• 2018 midterms, only 48.1% of people eligible to vote, voted.
• The Democrats flipped 40 seats (30 in States that Trump won in 2016) & took control of the House (Pew Research).
• In 2022 midterms, that number dropped to 45.1% & the Republicans controlled the House & Senate. (Pew Research).

There is no one coming to save our democracy - not our politicians; not our Courts; not our DOJ; not our Intelligence services & if Venezuela & Iran are any indication, nor our army. Trump can - & will - try all his stunts to rig the elections. Our only remedy is to show up in overwhelming numbers, to vote.

We cannot afford to stay home this November. Our value systems & our very way of life is what is at stake.

 

• I will vote for a door knob, over Trump (ism) in 2028, & the country will probably be better off...there I said it!
• Just because he is a known devil, does not make him better than an unknown devil There is at least a 50/50 chance the next person is not a devil. There is a 100% chance that he/she will be less deplorable.
• Sitting out runs the risk of reelecting Trump again. That makes me complicit with a misogynist; racist, narcissistic megalomaniac, whose reelection guarantees a continuing assault on my value systems.
• A control of the House by the Republicans in November guarantees Trump stays in power. The Presidential election in 2028 will matter none, if that happens.
• That having been said, I do think that it is time for the Democrats to hand over leadership to the next generation.
• The good news is that there is enough ‘bench strength’: Jon Osoff (GA); Jacob Frey (MN); Wes Moore (MD); Pete Buttigieg; Dana Nessel (Michigan); Josh Shapiro (PA); Alexandria Cortez (NY); Gavin Newsom (CA); Rafael Warnock (GA); Jon Stewart….
• Please vote in November.

In the 2018 midterms, only 48.1% of people eligible to vote, voted. The Democrats flipped 40 seats (30 in States that Trump won in 2016) & took control of the House (Pew Research).

In 2024, 90 million people sat out the election. .Trump received a total of 77 m votes - much less than the number who sat out. Almost 3 million voted for a third candidate. The differential between Harris & Trump was about 2.8 m votes.

Whatever your reason for sitting out the last elections, please know that none of us can afford the luxury of sitting out, again:

We elected him in 2016 & got/did not get:

The highest number of Covid deaths in the world (1.16m; second was Brazil with about 700k); he promised to replace Obamacare with something much less expensive & better within a couple of weeks of taking office (Kentucky rally 2015); the national debt grew by 39% to about $28 trillion; ; "Mexico will pay for the wall" (The US government has so far spent about $15 billion (BBC) Another $46.5 billion has been allocated under the ‘One Big, Beautiful Bill Act in 2025); we were promised comprehensive immigration reforn but instead were subjected to nursing babies being separated from their mothers; he was impeached twice; we got the "good people on both sides" speech; the Helsinki speech, with Putin & love letters with Kim Jong Un.

We then overlooked all this to reelect him:

Jan 6^(th) insurrection; 34 felony convictions; 91 criminal charges; 26 sexual assault allegations; he pleaded the 5^(th) 97 times; 4 indictments; sexual abuse verdict; $25m fraud settlement; $2m fake charity abuse judgment; a sexual abuse judgment; $400m fraud judgment; warnings of autocratic tendencies from senior advisors including: Gen Mark Mille; Gen John Kelly; Mark Esper etc.

Trump 2.0 this is what we got & counting:

He got us into a war of his own doing, with ill defined objectives & no end in sight (notwithstanding Vance's conference today). He has declared victory multiple times: June 21^(st), 2025; Feb 28^(th), 2026 ; March 11^(th) 2026; April 9^(th), 2026, 5 times in a span of 13 seconds May 13^(th (PBS)) . He has declared Hormuz open on March 9^(th); April 17^(th); May 23^(rd) & June14th ; meanwhile 13 of our soldiers are dead; thousands of civilians, including children are dead; millions are displaced; UNFAO tells us that we are on the verge of putting another 45m on the brink of starvation & it has already cost us about $100 billion.

We are the only country that has yet to hold even one pedophile accountable on Epstein- 9 other countries have. The President himself is mentioned 38k times in the files & documented as having travelled at least 7 times on Epstein’s plane. There are 4 FBI reports of a 13 year old who has made allegations of sexual assault, against the President.

Then there is the "other countries are paying us so much money in tariffs that each of us will get $2k dividend check; we will pay down our debt, and probably remove income tax". Yet refund checks are going to US Companies, not other countries: US debt has gone up @ $7.38 billion a day, in the last one year & is now at historical highs of about $38.9 trillion (US Congress Joint Economic Comm), & I am still waiting for my $2k dividend, and my taxes have not gone down.

Cannot also forget the catastrophic DOGE layoffs; the deployment of the National Guard in LA; deployment of Blackhawk helicopters in Chicago; assassinations of Renee Good & Alex Pritty; mass protests, on our steets; masked federal agents; detention camps; sadistic family separations; threatening of allies; targeting of political opponents & independent media; judges; Universities. The destruction of the East Wing, & the historic rose garden. The Great Gatsby theme party; the ball room; Trump Arch; UFC fight on the WH lawns; signature & Trumps face on: currency; gold coins; meme coins; passport; National parks pass; Trump Rx cards; Trump gold cards; renaming of federal & State buildings; 60 stock trades a day; blanket pardons of insurrectionists'; the 1.77 billion anti weaponization fund to pay so called patriots...

Comparing himself to Jesus; threatening the Vatican; the embarrassments of the Zelensky meeting, and the Putin & Mohammed Bin Salman welcome; the profanity laden Easter message; the threat to destroy one of the oldest civilizations in the world.

We have lost about 200k manufacturing jobs in the last year. There about 7.4 million people unemployed; 8.4% of the labor force is underemployed; lowest consumer confidence in almost 75 years; highest inflation in years & climbing; gas prices were at $2.98 a gallon on Feb 27th, 2026.

Most importantly, there continues to be an assault on our individual freedoms & our electoral process.

I will end on a personal note. I have lived in 10 cities, spanning 6 countries & 5 Continents. I have travelled and/or worked in about 20 countries. We take our freedoms for granted because, in this country, we have never experienced anything else. We are on the brink of losing those freedoms & in so doing, handing over our values to someone as reprehensible as Trump. Our only hope is to show up on election day. If the Republicans control the House after November, the 2028 elections will be moot. Pl show up to vote.

2016 ELECTIONS

• Mueller Report concluded that Russia engaged in a sweeping and systematic interference in the 2016 Presidential election.
• Mueller also found that Trump attempted to limit, influence, or end the investigation, numerous times. (PBS).

2020 ELECTIONS

• ODNI concluded that there was again extensive Russian interference.
• Furthermore, Jack Smith's DOJ report produced detailed evidence that Donald Trump willfully retained classified documents and engaged in a criminal scheme to subvert the 2020 election. Smith stated he possessed proof beyond a reasonable doubt, though the indictments were ultimately dropped and reports sealed following Trump's return to office in 2024.

2024 Elections

• Senior officials at the Office of the Director of DNI concluded that Russian efforts had become "much more sophisticated than in prior election cycles".(9/24). In November 2024 the ODNI; FBI & the CISA ascribed specific threats & incidents to the Russians.
• Russians not only openly escalated their interference, but by all accounts, foreign interference reached fever pitch. (11/24 NYT; NPR).
• Trump's history has always been to side with Putin. He did so in Helsinki; has done so again in Ukraine; he was the only Western leader who tried to readmit the Russians into the G8 , and again his decrying of NATO only emboldened Putin.
• Who actually followed up & looked at our 2024 elections? Who will monitor the upcoming ones? Not one cabinet member or Republican in Congress has shown any spine, & therefore we have to assume that it will be the fox guarding the hen house.

Trump has already shown us that is willing to do whatever it takes to hold on to power. He will fudge the electoral map; he will allow foreign interference, as long as it benefits him; he will continue to assault our electoral process; he will deploy ICE at voting booths to intimidate; he will mandate voter ID’s; he will take away State rights to monitor elections, & when all that fails, he will likely declare a national emergency, & use it as an excuse to deploy the army. This playbook was written by Victor Orban in Hungary &. as per the Heritage Foundation, was the basis for Project 2025 here. The only reason it did not work in Hungary was an 80% voter turnout. Victor Orban lost in a landslide!

A little over 48% voter turnout flipped 40 Republican seats in our 2018 midterms. This was despite Trump being President, & despite Russian interference. Please show up to vote. If the Republicans hold on to the House in November, the 2028 elections may become moot.

 

Obama’s Nobel peace prize Vs Trump’s NO Nobel peace prize, & Trump's preoccupation with glitz says it all:

President Obama postponed the renovation of his Oval office, for almost a year because he felt that undergoing expensive aesthetic renovations would send the wrong message to Americans who were struggling through difficult economic times.

Trump today unveiled a luxury Qatari gifted plane that cost the tax payers almost a billion Dollars. He hosted a $3.4m Great Gatsby themed party, while our – DOGE laid off – federal employees stood in unemployment lines; then there are those nouveau riche gold inlays; the ball room; the Trump de Arc; the Lincoln reflective pool fiasco; the USC fight……Marie Antoinnette would be proud!

& then there is Trump’s pre occupation with the Nobel Peace prize that Obama was awarded, & he was not.

Robert Gibbs (Obama's then Press Secretary) had woken up Obama to tell him that he (Obama) was the recipient of the Nobel Peace prize, the morning of October 9, 2009. Almost 4 hours later, Obama addressed the waiting media & some members of the general public, at the WH Rose garden. In his address, he said (among other things) “I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who have been honored by this prize.” …

Contrast that with Trump who has NEVER won the Nobel peace prize but:

• He has himself stated that he deserved it, at least on 8 public occasions.
• His WH in fact circulated a petition that encouraged other countries to sign, nominating Trump- Pakistan, Israel, Cambodia, Armenia & Azerbaijan; Rwanda; Gabon; Liberia; Mauritania; Bissau & Senegal & Japan did sign that petition. It is perhaps noteworthy that none of our European allies; the UK; Canada or Mexico were signatories.
• When he did not get the prize, he sent a letter to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre stating he no longer feels obligated to "think purely of peace" and that he was going to “take total & complete control of Greenland” – someone forgot to tell Trump (until the Norwegian PM did) that Greenland belonged to Denmark, not Norway!
• The Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado was awarded the prize, for her fight for democracy. She gifted her medal to Trump, & Trump accepted it. If I had done that growing up, my parents would not only have made me give it back. I would probably also have had to forsake my birthday gift, as punishment for bad behavior!

Trump is not making us great again – he is just making us embarrassed. We have almost forgotten what humility; literacy, etiquette, compassion or even normalcy looks like.

 

President Obama postponed the renovation of his Oval office, for almost a year because he felt that undergoing expensive aesthetic renovations would send the wrong message to Americans who were struggling through difficult economic times.

Trump today unveiled a luxury Qatari gifted plane that cost the tax payers almost a billion Dollars. He hosted a $3.4m Great Gatsby themed party, while our – DOGE laid off – federal employees stood in unemployment lines; then there are those nouveau riche gold inlays; the ball room; the Trump de Arc; the Lincoln reflective pool fiasco; the USC fight……Marie Antoinnette would be proud!

& then there is Trump’s pre occupation with the Nobel Peace prize that Obama was awarded, & he was not.

Robert Gibbs (Obama's then Press Secretary) had woken up Obama to tell him that he (Obama) was the recipient of the Nobel Peace prize, the morning of October 9, 2009. Almost 4 hours later, Obama addressed the waiting media & some members of the general public, at the WH Rose garden. In his address, he said (among other things) “I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who have been honored by this prize.” …

Contrast that with Trump who has NEVER won the Nobel peace prize but:

• He has himself stated that he deserved it, at least on 8 public occasions.
• His WH in fact circulated a petition that encouraged other countries to sign, nominating Trump- Pakistan, Israel, Cambodia, Armenia & Azerbaijan; Rwanda; Gabon; Liberia; Mauritania; Bissau & Senegal & Japan did sign that petition. It is perhaps noteworthy that none of our European allies; the UK; Canada or Mexico were signatories.
• When he did not get the prize, he sent a letter to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre stating he no longer feels obligated to "think purely of peace" and that he was going to “take total & complete control of Greenland” – someone forgot to tell Trump (until the Norwegian PM did) that Greenland belonged to Denmark, not Norway!
• The Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado was awarded the prize, for her fight for democracy. She gifted her medal to Trump, & Trump accepted it. If I had done that growing up, my parents would not only have made me give it back. I would probably also have had to forsake my birthday gift, as punishment for bad behavior!

Trump is not making us great again – he is just making us embarrassed. We have almost forgotten what humility; literacy, etiquette, compassion or even normalcy looks like.

 

The inauguration of the Obama Presidential library today evoked memories of what Grace, class & dignity looks like. It will no doubt also draw Trump's juvenile ire, & he will eventually find a way to take away that 'warm & fuzzy' feeling, & drag us back into the mud. These days we will take the small mercies.

Trump is having a bad few days:

• His MOU with Iran is already drawing unfavorable reviews, & the inevitable comparisons to Obama's JCPOA.
• Obama's library drew more celebrities than Trump's 250th year anniversary celebration. One felt an element of joy, that one has not felt in years.
• Every living President attended, except Trump.
• His performance at the G7 & the inane, illiterate rambling were a global embarrassment. To hear the Obama’s speak was a reminder of what humility & literacy looks like.

The next few days do not look much better for Trump:

• Maggie Haverman & Jonathan Swan book with more Epstein revelations are coming out on June 23^(rd).
• Our economy still sucks, notwithstanding his so-called MOU with Iran.
• The Lincoln Memorial Pool is symbolically the exact opposite of what draining the swamp looks like.

The only antidote to Trump (ism) is to show up to vote this November.

 

The inauguration of the Obama Presidential library today evoked memories of what Grace, class & dignity looks like. It will no doubt also draw Trump's juvenile ire, & he will eventually find a way to take away that 'warm & fuzzy' feeling, & drag us back into the mud. These days we will take the small mercies.

Trump is having a bad few days:

• His MOU with Iran is already drawing unfavorable reviews, & the inevitable comparisons to Obama's JCPOA.
• Obama's library drew more celebrities than Trump's 250th year anniversary celebration. One felt an element of joy, that one has not felt in years.
• Every living President attended, except Trump.
• His performance at the G7 & the inane, illiterate rambling were a global embarrassment. To hear the Obama’s speak was a reminder of what humility & literacy looks like.

The next few days do not look much better for Trump:

• Maggie Haverman & Jonathan Swan book with more Epstein revelations are coming out on June 23^(rd).
• Our economy still sucks, notwithstanding his so-called MOU with Iran.
• The Lincoln Memorial Pool is symbolically the exact opposite of what draining the swamp looks like.

The only antidote to Trump (ism) is to show up to vote this November.

 

The inauguration of the Obama Presidential library today evoked memories of what Grace, class & dignity looks like. It will no doubt also draw Trump's juvenile ire, & he will eventually find a way to take away that 'warm & fuzzy' feeling, & drag us back into the mud. These days we will take the small mercies.

Trump is having a bad few days:

• His MOU with Iran is already drawing unfavorable reviews, & the inevitable comparisons to Obama's JCPOA.
• Obama's library drew more celebrities than Trump's 250th year anniversary celebration. One felt an element of joy, that one has not felt in years.
• Every living President attended, except Trump.
• His performance at the G7 & the inane, illiterate rambling were a global embarrassment. To hear the Obama’s speak was a reminder of what humility & literacy looks like.

The next few days do not look much better for Trump:

• Maggie Haverman & Jonathan Swan book with more Epstein revelations are coming out on June 23^(rd).
• Our economy still sucks, notwithstanding his so-called MOU with Iran.
• The Lincoln Memorial Pool is symbolically the exact opposite of what draining the swamp looks like.

The only antidote to Trump (ism) is to show up to vote this November.

 

 

 

• Even one dead or one injured is one too many.

NAMES OF SERVICEMAN WHO DIED

Maj. John A. Klinner (33, Auburn, Alabama); Maj. Jeffrey R. O'Brien (45, Waukee, Iowa); Capt. Ariana G. Savino (31, Covington, Washington); Capt. Seth R. Koval (38, Mooresville, Indiana); Capt. Cody A. Khork (35, Winter Haven, Florida); Capt. Curtis J. Angst (30, Wilmington, Ohio); Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert M. Marzan (54, Sacramento, California); Tech. Sgt. Ashley B. Pruitt (34, Bardstown, Kentucky); Tech. Sgt. Tyler H. Simmons (28, Columbus, Ohio); Sgt. 1st Class Nicole M. Amor (39, White Bear Lake, Minnesota); Sgt. 1st Class Noah L. Tietjens (42, Bellevue, Nebraska); Sgt. Declan J. Coady (20, West Des Moines, Iowa); Staff Sgt. Benjamin Pennington (26, Glendale, Kentucky)

SERVICEMAN INJURED: 380

CIVILIAN LIVES:

Approximately 6000 civilians dead; about 200 children dead; over 3 m displaced

ECONOMIC COST:

Over $100 bn (about $1 bn a day)

 REGIONAL FALL OUT

Saudi Arabia; UAE: Qatar; Kuwait; Bahrain saw bombs on their streets.

CONCLUSION (if the war is over?)

No regime change in Iran; 70% of Iran’s military & nuclear capability intact; $300 bn in sanctions likely lifted; Hormuz the proverbial now tail that ‘wags the dog’; Israel continues to bomb Lebanon.

My mortgage agreement was about 200 pages but Trump has supposedly ended the Iran conflict with a 2 page document, that no one has seen…..is this administration really capable of postponing a victory lap until Friday, if it could take one today?