Dave Ball, a
producer and half of the English synth-pop duo Soft Cell, whose 1981
single “Tainted Love” became one of the defining hits of the new wave
era, has died at his home in London. He was 66.
Marc Almond, Mr. Ball’s musical partner in Soft Cell, announced his death
on Thursday. He did not give a cause, but Mr. Almond said in a
statement posted online that Mr. Ball had been “ill for a long while and
his health had been in slow decline over recent years.” Mr. Almond said
he died on Tuesday, although the band’s website said he died on
Wednesday.
Mr. Ball formed Soft Cell
with Mr. Almond in 1979 when they were both students at Leeds
Polytechnic, now Leeds Beckett University, in England. Mr. Almond was a
year ahead of Mr. Ball.
“He had heard me making bleepy noises on a synthesizer and asked me to do music for his performances,” Mr. Ball told The Guardian in 2017. “These grew into proper songs.”
Raised in Blackpool, England, after his adoption into a working-class
family, Ball grew up a budding artist with a penchant for the Northern
soul craze then sweeping the north of England, obsessively collecting
Tamla and Stax singles. He moved to Leeds to study fine art in his late
teens and met fellow student Almond, a lamé-clad performance artist. The
pair bonded over punk and electronic music and cult films; after a few
weeks of futzing with a Korg synthesizer, Ball enlisted his flamboyant
new friend as a bandmate.
They were a strange pair—“Marc, this gay bloke in makeup; and me, a big guy who looked like a minder,” as Ball put it to The Guardian
in 2017—but the contrast neatly superimposed onto their musical loves.
They named the duo Soft Cell, punning on what they called “consumerist
nightmares and suburban insanity,” and made songs amalgamating an
unlikely trinity of Kraftwerk, Suicide, and cabaret. They made their
live debut “at a college Christmas show two short months after they met,
performing ramshackle, anticonsumerist songs against a backdrop of
Super 8 films of destroyed radios and industrial landscapes,”
Pitchfork’s Eric Torres wrote in his review of the band’s debut album, Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret. “The art-punk spark was lit.”
An early breakout single, “Memorabilia,” co-produced by Mute
founder Daniel Miller, united their love of kitsch and acid house in a
floor-filler that suggested the underground, avant-garde curios of their
Some Bizzare
label cadre were about to boil over. The eruption came with “Tainted
Love,” a tempestuous, darkly intoxicating cover of a Gloria Jones song
Ball had heard in a club as a teenager. Backed by a cover of the
Supremes’ “Where Did Our Love Go,” the single was the United Kingdom’s
second-best seller of 1981 and topped the charts in more than a dozen
other countries.
The
hit, and the debut album that followed, affixed Soft Cell in British
music history: contemporaries of Depeche Mode and path-makers for bands
like Pet Shop Boys, Erasure, and Spandau Ballet, even if Almond accused
some of that crop of making heartless music “to pose against the Berlin
Wall to.” The duo released two more studio albums in the ensuing years, The Art of Falling Apart and This Last Night in Sodom;
both charted in the United Kingdom, despite the latter’s release after
the group’s dissolution. Soft Cell also released one of the first remix
albums, Non-Stop Ecstatic Dancing, and Ball, closely attuned to
the evolution of electronic music, would fashion 12" edits of their
singles by splicing together segments of tape. Almond and Ball’s embrace
of the clubland party lifestyle, and substance use, contributed to
their split. As Ball wrote in his 2020 autobiography, Electronic Boy,
“We’d been so successful very quickly, in constant demand and therefore
always together—living out of each other’s pockets. I don’t think any
relationship could have endured that pressure.”
"Tainted Love" is an eternal classic. Once you hear it, you can NAME THAT TUNE with the first two notes, it's that memorable.
Dave and Marc accomplished a lot as a duo and they provided a lot of joy with that specific song.
Friday, October 24, 2025. Chump's war on immigrants continues to
hurt us all, Todd Blanche needs to learn the law before he attempts to
practice it, Homeland Security is having an in house contest to
determine which employee can tell the most lies in one month, and much
more.
On yesterday's ALL THINGS CONSIDERED (NPR),
Arian Florido pointed out, "At least 20 people have died in ICE custody
so far this year, making it one of the deadliest years in immigration
and customs detention in the past two decades. This comes as the Trump
administration is hoping to increase the number of people it has in
detention. NPR's immigration policy reporter Ximena Bustillo has been
tracking these conditions." Chump continues his war on immigrants. And
on Americans.
A
pregnant Illinois woman has told Newsweek she thought her life was
about to end when a federal agent pointed his gun through her car window
earlier this week.
Lesly Guevara shared videos
on TikTok of her encounter with U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE) officers chasing two suspects in Berwyn after she
appeared to block them and began beeping her car horn to alert those
nearby to the officers’ presence on Monday.
“I kept
beeping at them because I know that they say that once you see ICE
agents or any of the sort like that, to make a lot of noise, let people
know that they’re around,” Guevara told Newsweek on Wednesday.
After
the federal agents’ car moved, Guevara, who said she is due to give
birth next month, and had her fiancé and 10-month-old son in the car
with her, said she noticed an agent walking toward her with his gun
raised, telling her she had been impeding officers.
“I started going off on him,” she said. “’You’re really gonna shoot a pregnant woman? You’re really gonna do that right now?’
“I
feared for my life and their life, but I felt like I am sick and tired
of people taking advantage of my people going through all of this, so I
had to do something.”
ICE
agents appeared to violently arrest a blind man who was peacefully
protesting the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Portland.
A video shows the man being violently dropped on his head before being
dragged away by authorities.
Footage of the arrest went viral on social media, as many expressed rage over such violence toward a disabled man.
Quinn
Haberl, who is 4’’6’ tall, was wearing a neon vest as he sat outside an
ICE facility in Portland. He was seated right beside a thick blue line
painted on the ground signaling where federal property began. His
position suggests he did not trespass on the facility.
The
chilling video then shows agents coming around Haberl, who was holding
his walking stick. One agent grabbed each of his limbs as the man fell
to the ground. Witnesses screamed in horror, “He is blind!”
Are you starting to grasp why Kristi Noem and Donald Chump are going to spend eternity rotting in hell? Back to the article:
The
demonstrator was then dragged through the driveway toward the building.
The officers tried to lift Haberl off the ground, but at one point,
they lost their grip and fell to the asphalt. The video then shows
agents forcing him to the ground, cuffing him, and picking up his
walking cane.
This
pure evil, don't pretend it's anything else. Local police need to be
cracking down on ICE. Abuse is not permitted nor allowed by any federal
official. "I work for Chump" does not waive your legal
responsibilities. It may -- and probably will -- condemn you to hell;
however, it does not give you a license to beat people up.
Quinn states, “I
think they wanted to make a point. So they picked up the weakest person
they could find and made a big show out of it." They will be consumed
with guilt and self-medicate to try to get through the coming years.
You better find yourself a therapist because that's what you're going to
need to avoid killing yourself as you live with the guilt over what you
did, over what shameful things you did.
Dayanne
Figueroa, a U.S. citizen and paralegal, said an unmarked government
vehicle struck her car at the 1600 block of West Hubbard Street in
Chicago on the morning of October 10, while she was on her way to get
coffee before going to work.
“I
was in shock and terrified,” Figueroa told Newsweek. “Instead of
handling the situation as a routine traffic incident, the masked agents,
armed in hands, forcibly removed me from my car without questions and
without informing me that I was under arrest.”
The
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told Newsweek that Border Patrol
was making a targeted arrest when Figueroa’s vehicle blocked agents and
struck an unmarked government vehicle.
That's
what they said. But they take after the head of their department,
Kristi Noem. You know, the woman who stood before God and country and
promised to love and honor Byron Noem but then, by press reports
including the conservative NEW YORK POST, in 2021 began her ongoing
extra-marital affair with Corey Lewandowski who, for the record, is also married and per NEW YORK last month,
the affair continues. Also continuing? His employment under her.
She's a liar, the employees under her are liars. Doubt it? Back to the
article:
Footage
obtained by Newsweek appears to show armed federal agents detaining
Figueroa, dragging her by the legs to remove her from her vehicle. Some
agents brandish guns, and bystanders can be heard shouting, “You hit
her,” as the situation unfolds.
Additional
video obtained by Figueroa’s family from another witness provides a
different angle of the encounter. The bystander who is filming tells
federal agents: “You hit her. We all saw it.”
“You
guys are f*****g scumbags, f*****g Nazis. They hit her car. You guys
hit her, and you f*****g know it,” the bystander is heard saying.
“As
agents were departing, the driver, a U.S. citizen, struck an unmarked
government vehicle,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told
Newsweek.
Eye
witnesses and video from two different angles do not support the false
claims being made by Homeland Security. They need to be sued.
And,
in fact, the woman whose car was hit? She should develop whiplash and
sue the department for damages. In fact, anyone in their car when
Homeland Security hits them should get a good personal injury attorney.
Money's
the only thing these whores understand. Ethics? A term they never
learned. But hit them in their bank account enough and they might do a
little adjustment.
Let's drop back to Wednesday's snapshot since Homeland Security's Trish wanted to dish with a lie -- something's she' become known for:
Again, tell a lie and you're a
made person in the Chump mob and they don't fire you. Look at Kristi
Noem and the people under her. Farrah Tomazin (DAILY BEAST) notes:
Homeland
Security Secretary Kristi Noem and her department have been accused of
lying to the public after being caught passing off an old photo of a
drug boat to promote Trump’s war on narco-terrorists.
On
Monday, the DHS News account posted a photo on X designed to discredit
Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who had accused Trump of murdering an
innocent fisherman in an attack on a boat the U.S. claimed was run by
drug smugglers.
“Colombian President claims one of the
Narco boats destroyed by the US Naval Task Force was ‘just a poor
Colombian fisherman’. Does this look like a fishing boat? It looks like
he had tons of bait (cocaine, attracts lots of fish). Colombian
president is a liar!!” the post said.
The photo featured the rear of a motorboat, with what appeared to be numerous bags of drugs.
However,
the post was deleted after social media users pointed out that it came
from a 2024 operation that took place about 1000 kilometers south of the
Canary Islands, which was reported at the time by Spanish newspaper El
País.
“This photo is from a drug bust that
occurred in 2024, zero ties to the current situation,” said a community
note that was added to the post as a consumer-based fact check.
A
senior ICE official is under fire after publicly sharing a 13-year-old
child's information — and an expert warns it "could lead to serious
consequences."
DHS spokesperson Tricia
McLaughlin, 31, who is the most senior public affairs official under
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, revealed the identity, alleged
criminal history and a photo of the child detained by ICE, The Daily
Beast reported Monday.
McLaughlin is accused of sharing children's information not just once, but multiple times.
Her
social media post and the DHS actions “could lead to serious
consequences inside the government, such as an Inspector General
investigation, disciplinary action, or even congressional scrutiny," Los
Angeles-based criminal defense attorney Arash Hashemi told The Beast.
Public
anger was rising after a Brazilian-born seventh-grader in Massachusetts
was reportedly taken by federal agents to a juvenile detention center
more than 500 miles away from his family.
In an attempt to stop the public criticism, McLaughlin and DHS tried to use social media.
"They
claimed that the boy had an 'extensive rap sheet,' while listing some
of his apparent past offenses. They also stated—falsely, it
transpired—that he had been in possession of a firearm," The Beast
reports.
It's illegal for DHS or law enforcement to share a child's information.
McLaughlin lied about him having a gun? See, they lie and then they lie again.
Again, Trish is a known liar.
Let's
address other issues. Ben at MEIDASTOUCH NEWS coves a new topic, an ad
using a speech delivered by then-President Ronald Reagan which condemns
tariffs and has outraged Donald Chump.
War Criminal Steven D. Green is dead. AP's Brett Barrouquere, who has long covered Green, reports
the 28-year-old Green was found dead in his Arizona prison cell on
Saturday and that, currently, the operating belief is that it was a case
of suicide.
May 7, 2009 Steven D. Green (pictured above) was convicted for his crimes in the March 12, 2006 gang-rape and murder of Abeer Qassim Hamza al-Janabi,
the murder of her parents and the murder of her five-year-old sister
while Green was serving in Iraq. Green was found to have killed all
four, to have participated in the gang-rape of Abeer and to have been
the ringleader of the conspiracy to commit the crimes and the conspiracy
to cover them up. May 21, 2009, the federal jury deadlocked on the death penalty.
Alsumaria explained,
"An ex-US soldier was found guilty for raping an Iraqi girl and killing
her family in 2006 while he might face death sentence. . . . Eye
witnesses have reported that Green shot dead the girl’s family in a
bedroom while two other soldiers were raping her. Then, Green raped her
in his turn and put a pillow on her face before shooting her. The
soldiers set the body afire to cover their crime traces."
As
the jury entered the court room, Green(red sweater vest) let out a
large sigh, not of relief, but seemingly of anxiety, knowing the weight
of the words to come. As Judge Thomas Russell stated "The court will now
publish the verdict," Green interlaced his fingers and clasped them
over his chin. Russell read the verdict flatly and absolutely. Green
went from looking down at each "guilty" to eyeing the jury. His
shoulders dropped as he was convicted of count #11, aggravated sexual
abuse, realizing what this means. A paralegal at the defense table
consoled Green by patting him on his back, even herself breaking down
crying at the end of the verdicts. After
Russell finished reading the verdicts, he begged questions of the
respective attorneys. Wendelsdorf, intending to ensure the absolution of
the verdict, requested the jury be polled. Honorable Judge Russell
asked each juror if they agreed with these verdicts, receiving a
simple-but-sufficient yes from all jurors. Green watched the jury
flatly.
We
covered Green and his War Crimes here in depth and repeatedly. Some
ignored, some that you would think would be covering it. At one point, a
left site e-mailed me that they couldn't cover it because they didn't
have this or that and couldn't afford to use the photo that AP owned.
That's
the photo above. And I posted on that saying here's my copy use it.
My copy wasn't as dark as AP's. They scanned their photo to be dark.
They got their photo from the same place I got mine -- it's Green's mug
shot. It's not an AP photo. They got a public photo, with no
copyrights on it, and slapped their name on it and called it copyright.
Again, no one steals more copyrights than the media.
Taxpayers owned the photo of Green, they own Reagan's speeches delivered while president. That's reality.
THE
NEW YORK POST is squealing like the pig they are about how Todd Blanche
and the Justice Dept are threatening California over proposals to
arrest ICE agents who break the law. It's a conspiracy they insist!
They
don't know what the hell a conspiracy is -- that's THE POST, that's
Todd, that's the Justice Dept. There are laws around the country in
every community. Those laws are in place for a reason. Government
officials discussing the need to enforce the laws? Not a conspiracy and
I don't think the biggest Trumper judge in the world would agree that
this was a conspiracy -- even before you add in the fact that this
issued is being discussed publicly by government officials in
California.
You have to obey the law.
ICE is breaking it. California is within their rights to address people found to be breaking the laws.
At
present, they're only talking about after the fact. They're not
talking about doing it in the middle of an operation. I would be in
favor of active arrests but that's not what's being discussed.
ICE
cannot break the law. There are laws in place and if they don't like
those laws? They can work to change them. But you're not going to beat
up people in the streets -- or in a courthouse hallway as with the thug
that pushed the woman down and ICE tried to pretend they were shocked
by one of their own before putting him quietly back on the payroll --
and get away with it.
Kristi and Chump apparently
told them anything goes. No, that's not the case. They have to operate
within the frame work of the law. If they break the law, they can be
arrested just like ayone else.
It's amazing because Steven D. Green got arrested.
And no one in the military screamed, 'You can't do that!"
That's the military police!
No, it wasn't. He had discharged and flown home and was arrested by the US government as he got off the plane.
The military is not above the law. But Chump wants to put his gestapo above the law?
Oh, hell no.
Todd
Blanche needs to watch his public statements. They're ignorant and
reveal that he is sadly out of his depth in his government position.
Just another incompetent appointed by Chump.
Now we need to talk about the White House. There are so many issues and we can't cover everything in the snapshot.
I
think they've done a great job. I've posted videos here but avoided
comment myself. That's because of the type of person I am. I can be
cold. You get a surprise death in the family? You want me there. Any
kind of emergency or surprise? You need me. I can zoom in and focus on
the most pressing issues.
Loss of objects is never my
most pressing issue. But the groups we're speaking to are driving home
to me just how important the destruction of the East Wing is to
Americans.
So, quickly, Donald Chump does not respect
history or, for that matter, this country. He's destroyed the White
House -- physically destroyed. It was not his to do so. But he doesn't
care. He'll talk "America first!" but then save Argentina cattle
ranchers at the expense of the American people.
History
does matter. Where we were and how we got to the present matters. But
not to an uneducated con man like Chump. It's all for sale in his
mind. There are no public commons, everything can have a tag slapped on
it and sold.
This is what happens when someone with
no respect for the institution or the people of this country is
president. We need to be sure this never happens again.
And people are right to be upset about this. It was a slap in the face to this country.
Apparently,
Chump fancies himself First Lady. This really would be a First Lady
project, after all. Maybe all these years of wearing his orange
foundation on his face (more recently on his hands as well) has allowed
him to get in touch with Miss Donald and let whatever's left of his hair
down.
But what he did was wrong and goes to the huge disrespect that he has for the American people.
We'll wind down with this from Senator Patty Murray's office:
ICYMI:
Senator Murray Statement on House Passage of “Big, Ugly Betrayal”
Cutting Health Care & SNAP for WA State Families to Fund Tax Cuts
for Billionaires
Senator Murray briefly relied on food stamps as a child
and has always fought to fully fund SNAP benefits; Murray fiercely
opposed Republicans when they passed the largest cuts to SNAP in
American history this summer by passing their Big Ugly Bill.
Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray
(D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, joined
Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM),
and 42 of their colleagues to send a letter to USDA Secretary Brooke
Rollins calling on the USDA to release the billions of dollars at its
disposal to ensure Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
benefits continue in November.
The senators raised the alarm about the USDA’s failure to use available funding to continue SNAP, writing: “We
were deeply disturbed to hear that the USDA has instructed states to
stop processing SNAP benefits for November and were surprised by your
recent comments that the program will ‘run out of money in two weeks.’
In fact, the USDA has several tools available which would enable SNAP
benefits to be paid through or close to the end of November.”
“First, the USDA must, at a minimum under the law, use the
contingency funding that is available for SNAP, as noted by USDA
officials. Second, the USDA has interchange authority under 7 U.S.C.
2257 that permits the transfer of funds from other USDA nutrition
programs. In fact, this authority was recently used by the USDA when it
transferred money from child nutrition programs to the WIC account to
maintain WIC benefits during the shutdown,” the senators continued.
“In the event that more resources are needed than what is
available in contingency funding, the USDA should explore all legal
means to augment funds to pay the full amount of SNAP benefits in
November. Americans are already struggling with the rising cost of
groceries, and they cannot afford a sudden lapse in grocery assistance.
We urge you to immediately communicate to states and committees of
jurisdiction the USDA’s plans to disburse the contingency funding to
state agencies and utilize all available legal authorities so that
American families can get benefits without interruption. Democrats
remain at the table and ready to negotiate reopening the government,” the senators concluded.
In addition to Senators Murray, Booker, Klobuchar, and Luján,
Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael Bennet
(D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Maria
Cantwell (D-WA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV),
Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ),
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Martin Heinrich (D-NM),
John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mark
Kelly (D-AZ), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Angus King (I-ME), Edward Markey (D-MA),
Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Alex
Padilla (D-CA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Jacky Rosen
(D-NV), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Adam Schiff (D-CA),
Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Tina
Smith (D-MN), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Mark
Warner (D-VA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Sheldon
Whitehouse (D-RI), and Ron Wyden (D-OR) signed the letter.
The full text of the letter to Secretary Rollins is available HERE and below.
The Honorable Brooke Rollins
Secretary U.S. Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20250
Dear Secretary Rollins,
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is our nation’s
largest food assistance program, serving 42 million people, including 16
million children, 8 million seniors, and 4 million people with
disabilities. Any halt in SNAP funding will have devastating impacts for
program beneficiaries, increasing food insecurity and undermining
family budgets. Given the critical importance of SNAP benefits, the USDA
must take all steps possible to ensure that families do not go hungry.
We were deeply disturbed to hear that the USDA has instructed states
to stop processing SNAP benefits for November and were surprised by your
recent comments that the program will “run out of money in two weeks.”
In fact, the USDA has several tools available which would enable SNAP
benefits to be paid through or close to the end of November. First, the
USDA must, at a minimum under the law, use the contingency funding that
is available for SNAP, as noted by USDA officials. Second, the USDA has
interchange authority under 7 U.S.C. 2257 that permits the transfer of
funds from other USDA nutrition programs. In fact, this authority was
recently used by the USDA when it transferred money from child nutrition
programs to the WIC account to maintain WIC benefits during the
shutdown. In the event that more resources are needed than what is
available in contingency funding, the USDA should explore all legal
means to augment funds to pay the full amount of SNAP benefits in
November.
Americans are already struggling with the rising cost of groceries,
and they cannot afford a sudden lapse in grocery assistance. We urge you
to immediately communicate to states and committees of jurisdiction the
USDA’s plans to disburse the contingency funding to state agencies and
utilize all available legal authorities so that American families can
get benefits without interruption. Democrats remain at the table and
ready to negotiate reopening the government.
We’ve all heard his songs “My Funny Valentine,” “The Lady Is a Tramp” and “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered.”
But
chances are, you know very little about lyricist Lorenz Hart, who along
with composer Richard Rodgers is responsible for classic musicals such
as “Pal Joey” and “Babes in Arms.” Richard Linklater’s new film, “Blue
Moon” (in theaters nationwide Oct. 24), offers a complex window into
Hart’s tragic final months before he died of pneumonia in 1943, after
drunkenly collapsing outside a bar during a rainstorm. He was 48.
The
melancholic movie is set entirely at New York’s famed Sardi’s
restaurant, where Rodgers (Andrew Scott) is celebrating the opening
night of “Oklahoma!,” his adulated musical with Oscar Hammerstein II
(Simon Delaney). Short, balding and deeply insecure, the embittered Hart
(Ethan Hawke) offers some disingenuous congratulations, but can’t mask
his contempt for Rodgers’ new writing partner and their swoony,
uncynical show.
I
know a great deal about Lorenz Hart and, in fact, will not be watching
Richard Linklater's latest garbage trying to pass for a film.
Lorenz Hart was gay. But not in this film where homophobic Linklater has him pining for a woman. I'm sick of this garbage.
Lorenz
was part of the songwriting team Rogers & Hart. Richard Rogers
wrote the music, Lorenz the lyrics. They are probably my favorite
songwriters -- as a team -- of the early 20th century. Starting with
the awful OKLAHOMA, Rogers works with Oscar Hammerstein who is far less
talented and I can't stand their songs.
But
working with Hart? They wrote "10 Cents A Dance" (it's meant to be a
comedy bit but I love it when Cloris Leachman does this song THE MARY
TYLER MOORE SHOW), "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered," "My Funny
Valentine" (best version by Carly Simon), "My Romance" (love Carly
Simon's version of this) "The Lady Is a Tramp" (Frank Sinatra did this
song the best for my tastes), "Sing For Your Supper" (love the Mamas and
the Papas version of this), "My Heart Stood Still" (ibid), "Glad To Be
Unhappy" (ibid), "I Could Write A Book" (love Harry Connick Jr.'s
version), "Spring Is Here" (again, Carly Simon does the best version of
this), "Falling In Love With Love" (Diana Ross & the Supremes did a
brilliant job with this song), "Mountain Greenery" (ibid) and "Where Or
When" (toss up between Lena Horne and Peggy Lee for best version of this
song). "Little Girl Blue"? There are so many great recordings of this
song -- Diana Ross, Janis Joplin, Afghan Whigs, Sarah Vaughan, Nina Simone and Frank Sinatra all did first rate versions of this song.
I'm
a huge fan of Rogers & Hart. I have worn out songbook of all
those songs and a few others and used to play them constantly on the
piano.
Back to the bad movie, Robert Kaplow is the screenwriter who wrote this garbage. From the USA TODAY article:
Other
elements of “Blue Moon” are historical fiction. There is no proof, for
instance, that author E.B. White (Patrick Kennedy) was at Sardi’s that
night, nor that Hart gave him the idea for “Stuart Little.”
“I
thought Hart needed to talk to another writer, so I needed to invent
that,” Kaplow says. “He couldn’t just talk to the bartender and the
piano player,” who are more or less comic relief.
[. . .]
At
one point during the afterparty, Hammerstein introduces Hart to a young
boy named Stevie (Cillian Sullivan), an aspiring composer whom musical
theater fans will recognize as Stephen Sondheim. Growing up, the
eight-time Tony winner was a classmate and friend of Hammerstein's son
James. Although Hammerstein was Sondheim’s mentor, it’s unlikely that
his 12-year-old protégé was there for the opening of “Oklahoma!”
By
all means, dispense with facts when making a film about someone's
life. I find the film offensive in every manner especially the
homophobia that results in them attempting to make Lorenz Hart
straight. Lorenz was knocked because he was gay. In the 60s and 70s,
critics would present Lorenz's work as weak and note his homosexuality.
His work is not weak. And if anything, his being gay probably made it
more heart felt. He is not surface.
Thursday, October 23, 2025. Chump's war on immigrants is targeting a
lot of US citizens, harming pregnant women, harming special needs
children, harming us all just like Chump's wrecking of the economy is
harming all the American people.
Let's start with Katie Phang.
She's speaking with Robert Held about how ICE is attacking Americans -- Americans like attorney Robert Held. Sabrina Franza (CBS NEWS) reported earlier this month:
A Chicago area attorney is telling the story of his detention inside
the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview,
where immigrants have been taken pending deportation proceedings amid
the Trump administration's ongoing crackdown on illegal immigration in
the Chicago area.
Robert
Held, 68, was among the protesters who were detained but not charged
with a crime. He said he was never one to regularly attend protests, but
that changed recently.
"I started showing up about two weeks ago,
roughly, because I'm outraged about what the administration and several
agencies of this administration are doing; not just to immigrants, but
to people with lawful status and people that were born here as well"
On
Saturday, he and other protesters were in front of the ICE gate on
public land when agents sought to clear the area. Agents shouted orders
for people to move.
"I was backing up and filming what was happening, and eventually
decided I needed to clear the street, and when I ran off the street, I
was chased and arrested by federal authorities," he said.
Held continued filming as he was down on the ground, taken away in handcuffs, placed in a vehicle and taken into ICE custody.
"The
vehicle was driving back into the facility, and they stopped. They
opened the door and Greg Bovino, the chief enforcement officer of the
Border Patrol, looked straight at me and he said, 'Now what do you want
to say to me?' I didn't respond to that, but my sense was – and it was
pretty obvious based on his tone and language – that he was trying to
show his authority over me," Held said.
To say that ICE is out of control and lacks supervision is to repeat what has been obvious all year lone.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
suggested on Wednesday that local police could arrest federal agents if
they break California law while conducting immigration raids that are
expected this week in the San Francisco Bay Area.
With Border Patrol agents due
to arrive, Ms. Pelosi issued the stark warning along with Kevin Mullin,
a fellow Democratic representative, who represents the small slice of
San Francisco that Ms. Pelosi doesn’t. President Trump has said several
times in recent weeks that he wanted to send federal forces to the city.
“While
the President may enjoy absolute immunity courtesy of his rogue Supreme
Court, those who operate under his orders do not,” they wrote in a statement
on Wednesday. “Our state and local authorities may arrest federal
agents if they break California law — and if they are convicted, the
President cannot pardon them.”
Immigration
and Customs Enforcement has allowed some recruits who haven’t been
fully vetted into its training program as it tries to boost hires.
The
Department of Homeland Security outfit later found out that recruits in
training had either failed drug tests, had criminal histories
preventing them from joining, or didn’t meet physical fitness or
academic criteria, one current and two former DHS officials told NBC News.
One
recruit at the ICE training facility in Brunswick, Georgia, the current
DHS official said, had been charged with strong-arm robbery and battery
over a domestic violence incident.
The
same official and the two former officials also said that some recruits
in the six-week training course hadn’t completed one element necessary
for background checks: submitting their fingerprints.
ICE’s
vetting and drug test policies, the former officials said, have not
been adhered to as strictly as it was before the agency sought to
increase its staffing.
In the days since an estimated 7 million people protested across the
country against the the attacks on democratic rights and threat of
dictatorship by the Trump administration, US Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE) launched new raids and major kidnapping operations in
New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, and in Wilder, Idaho.
Using
aggressive and dangerous tactics, including indiscriminate sweeps and
the deployment of military-style force against immigrant communities,
the latest ICE actions are part of the Trump administration’s escalation
of arrests, detention and mass deportations. These measures are also
being intertwined with the mobilization of the National Guard to
suppress public opposition to the assault on immigrants.
On
Tuesday, dozens of federal agents from ICE, Department of Homeland
Security (DHS), and other police agencies descended on Canal Street in
Manhattan’s Chinatown. According to ABC7 New York, at least nine people
were arrested during the raid, which targeted street vendors who were
accused of selling counterfeit goods.
The
New York raid was offensive on so many levels including the fact that
Kristi Noem's ICE wrongly kidnapped four US citizens. Cy Neff (GUARIDAN) explains:
The New York state attorney general, Letitia James, rolled out a “Federal Action Reporting Portal”
form urging New York residents to share photos and videos of federal
immigration enforcement action across the state, just a day after a high-profile ICE raid rattled Manhattan’s Chinatown and prompted hundreds to come out in protest.
A
US congressman revealed in a Wednesday press conference that four US
citizens were arrested and held for “nearly 24 hours” after Tuesday’s
raid. Protests broke out in New York on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings.
“Every New Yorker has the right to live without fear or intimidation,” James wrote in a statement announcing the portal.
“If you witnessed and documented ICE activity
yesterday, I urge you to share that footage with my office. We are
committed to reviewing these reports and assessing any violations of
law.”
The form offers spaces to submit images
and video footage of the raid, as well as a place to indicate location
information. Before submitting, users must check a box that indicates
that “the attorney general may use any documents, photographs, or videos
I provided in a public document, including in a legal proceeding or
public report or statement”.
Let's
take a moment to step away from ICE for another point. Letitia James
is doing her job. Chump's trying to prosecute her on chumped up
charges. But still Letitia James does her job. What does Chump do?
Tear down the White House, tank the economy, try to steal millions in
tax payer money and put the US government into a shutdown. That's what
he does -- everything but what he's supposed to be doing Mybe he
wouldn't be such a fat ass if he didn't sit around all day eating
McDonald's and planning his revenge over every real and imagined
slight? Again, Letitia James is doing her job. Chump? He's
overseeing the second longest shutdown in US history.
Women taken into custody by U.S. immigration agents while pregnant
say they received inadequate care in a letter Wednesday that calls on
the Trump administration to stop holding expectant mothers in federal
detention facilities.
The letter to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is part of a
broader campaign in recent months by Democrats and immigrant rights
groups to draw attention to what they say is the mistreatment of
pregnant women who have been detained in Trump’s immigration crackdown.
The Department of Homeland Security has defended the care given to
pregnant detainees, saying they are given regular prenatal visits and
nutritional support. The agency did not immediately provide figures on
the number of pregnant women in detention, as Democrats have demanded.
The letter sent by the American Civil Liberties Union gives accounts
from pregnant women who say they were shackled while being transported,
placed in solitary confinement for multiple days and given insufficient
food and water while held in detention facilities in Louisiana and
Georgia.
Chump lies and reality suffers.
AP's reporting reality. That's what ICE is doing. There's nothing
noble about it. They're thugs who can't get work anywhere else. And who
wouldn't get work if ICE actually vetted them. And there's no
oversight of ICE. Krisi Noem is apparently too busy carrying out her
alleged extra-marital affair with a Homeland Security employee she
supervises and selecting private planes to charge to the US taxpayer.
As the Trump administration intensifies its crackdown on
immigration, an increasing number of U.S. citizens are finding
themselves caught up in the sweeping actions.
A recent
investigation by ProPublica reveals that more than 170 American citizens
have been detained by immigration agents during the first nine months
of this push.
Our own Liz Landers recently spoke with the mother of one of these individuals.
Liz Landers:
A 15-year-old boy with disabilities was handcuffed
outside of a Los Angeles high school in August after federal immigration
agents mistakenly identified him as a suspect. The boy was waiting in a
car with his mother while his sister registered for classes inside.
The
family is suing the Trump administration, alleging racial profiling,
false arrest and assault. Federal officials have denied any wrongdoing
and say they were conducting a targeted operation.
For more on
what happened that day and why the family is taking legal action, we are
now joined by Andreina Mejia, the boy's mother.
Andreina, walk us through what happened that day. What happened when federal agents approached your car?
Andreina
Mejia, Mother of Detained American Child: I was on the phone, and
something told me to look up, when I just seen this white truck
approaching my car, and it looked like coming directly to me, where I'm
like, oh, my God, did they lose control? Like, he's going to hit my car.
And
I just seen these two men get off from the front pointing their guns at
me and my son, like, actually at our car. I had my window a little bit
down. They just came one from my side, the other one from my son's side,
and they just opened our doors. They took me out. They took my son out.
All
I remember me telling my son is like: "Don't make any movement. Just
follow instructions," just because, in my mind, I'm like, OK, they're
pointing guns. If they see my son trying to reach for something, I don't
know if they're going to shoot.
So I was trying to maintain him calm. And after that, I'm just seeing that they pulled him out. And I'm like: "What's going on?"
The guy's like; "Oh, like, we're looking for somebody and your son fits that description."
So, I’m like:
"I mean, who are you guys looking for?" And they showed
me a picture. And I'm like: "That's not my son. Like, my son is with me
at all times."
So, after that, they let my son come towards me. As
my son was approaching me,he started crying and just hugged me. And I
didn't really appreciate the comment that the guy did where he just
called my son: "Oh, we confuse you with somebody else, but just look at
the bright side. Like, you're going to have an exciting story to tell
your friends when you go back to school."
I just looked at him.
And, as a mom, it hurt me, because I was just thinking, there's nothing
exciting about getting guns pointed at you.
In Chump's mind, he's never wrong. In the
real world? He's rarely right. It's bad enough that he's destroyed our
economy, but now he wants to 'chumpsplain' how it's ranches' ignorance
and not his own incompetence. Kevin Breuninger (CNBC) notes:
President
Donald Trump on Wednesday said U.S. cattle ranchers "don't understand"
how they have benefitted from his tariffs, adding that they "have to get
their prices down."
The admonition came after
some ranchers have openly criticized Trump's proposal to import beef
from Argentina in order to bring down prices for American consumers.
Trump
claimed that those ranchers "don't understand that the only reason they
are doing so well, for the first time in decades, is because I put
Tariffs on cattle coming into the United States."
They
understand perfectly what's going on. A ranch isn't like a Chump
casino, it's not an eyesore that's falling apart the day after the grand
opening. Ranchers actually have to work. And they know their
overhead. They understand perfectly what's taking place.
Senate
Republicans from agriculture-heavy states are pushing back against
President Donald Trump’s proposal to import beef from Argentina, warning
that the move could hurt U.S. cattle producers.
Trump
told reporters Sunday while returning from South Florida that his
administration was considering the imports to help lower beef prices for
consumers. But several GOP senators said the plan would undermine
American ranchers already struggling with market pressures and high
production costs.
The president has been coming under
fire for his bailout of Argentina, initiated during the federal
government shutdown, from U.S. farmers and lawmakers. His plan to buy
beef from the country to make the meat cheaper for American consumers
has added to the tensions with a struggling industry struggling.
No, no, no, NEWSWEEK. Don't even pretend that this is about the American people. It is not about us at all. As your own Hugh Cameron reports:
President
Donald Trump’s administration has warned that disease issues facing
Argentina’s cattle industry could impede its plan to import the
country’s beef to help lower domestic prices.
On
Tuesday, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said on CNBC that Trump
is “in discussions with Argentina” regarding the proposal, but said that
the country is facing a “foot-and-mouth disease issue.”
Last night, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association's Buck Wehrbeing told Geoff Bennett on THE NEWSHOUR (PBS), "Argentina,
it's not just the amount of beef coming in, but they have a long
history of foot-and-mouth disease. USDA has not done a good enough job
yet of making sure that everything coming from there is safe. And so
we're not only concerned about the amount of beef that comes in, but
also the animal health issues. And so this is a bigger thing than just
cattle prices."
[Senator
Deb] said Tuesday on X she has “deep concerns” over the Trump
administration’s proposal to import beef from Argentina and has been in
touch with his administration about the idea, writing: “Bottom line: if
the goal is addressing beef prices at the grocery store, this isn’t the
way. Right now, government intervention in the beef market will hurt our
cattle ranchers.”
Woodall added that “Argentina has a
deeply unbalanced trade relationship with the U.S.,” noting Argentina
has sold $801 million worth of beef to the U.S. since 2020, compared to
$7 million the U.S. has sold to Argentina.
National
Cattlemen's Beef Association says one thing but Chump just knows
better? I'm sorry, how many head of cattle does Chump have at his dude
ranch in Florida? Oh, that's right: Zero.
President
Donald Trump attacked US cattle ranchers over their criticism of his
plan to slash record beef prices by importing more meat from Argentina,
deepening a quarrel over his trade policy with a group of reliable
supporters.
Trump on Wednesday said that
cattlemen should be grateful for his tariffs, saying they have helped
boost their profits, while also imploring them to lower the cost of
their products.
Yes,
he did attack cattle ranchers, he is attacking them. He's out of
control. How many drugs is he on to stay up all night? We see him
falling asleep on camera during the day. What drugs are keeping him up
all night? And what idiot -- Tulsi Gabbard? -- thinks it's impressive
that he sometimes does not sleep a wink at night?
Steel
silos tower over the Midwest, packed with soybeans and corn farmers
can’t sell at break-even prices. Grain elevators from Ohio to Iowa are
overflowing as production costs outstrip market returns.
“We’ve
already beat last year in terms of Q1 national filings,” said Ryan Loy,
an agricultural economist, warning that farm bankruptcies are
accelerating.
As tariffs, debt, and high interest rates collide, is America quietly sliding into another farm crisis?
A
crisis has hit the American heartland this year. What began as a trade
standoff between Washington and Beijing has spiraled into a full-blown
agricultural collapse. For thousands of farmers, the cause can be traced
to one policy move in early 2025 that set off a devastating chain
reaction.
It started with tariffs -- and the fallout spread faster than anyone expected.
In
February, President Trump imposed a 10% tariff on Chinese goods,
doubling it to 20% just a month later. China swiftly retaliated with its
own measures targeting U.S. agriculture, striking hardest at
soybeans—the backbone of American farm exports.
By
early April, Trump escalated again, introducing sweeping “Liberation
Day” tariffs on nearly all imports. But Beijing’s next move would push
farmers into crisis.
China, the world’s largest
soybean buyer, halted U.S. purchases beginning in May. The blow was
immediate and severe, with the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
confirming widespread concern among farm contacts.
With
tariffs stacking up to a total duty rate of 34%, U.S. soybeans became
roughly $2 per bushel more expensive than South American competitors.
The market America once dominated was gone overnight.
Thanks, Donald Chump, for wrecking the US economy one sector at a time. Chump's also harmed the toys industry. Mike Bedigan (INDEPENDENT) reports:
Barbie
creator Mattel has revealed a sharp decline in sales and revenue as the
toy maker feels the impact of Donald Trump’s sweeping international
tariffs – a worrying sign for the toymaker ahead of the busy holiday
season.
Mattel saw net sales fall 6 percent to
$1.74 billion in the third financial quarter of 2025, falling short of
Wall Street’s expectations. The company reported a net income of $278
million, down from $372 million, a year earlier – a decrease of $94
million.
The company noted in a Tuesday earnings
report that worldwide gross billings (sales to retailers before
adjustments) for dolls were $674 million and drop of 12 percent overall,
driven by Barbie – one of its top earners. Barbie dropped 17 percent in
gross billings and Fisher-Price reported a 19 percent decline, though
the losses were slightly offset by an 8 percent increase for Hot Wheels.
It
is the first time that Mattel has missed on both earnings and revenue
expectations in three financial quarters, according to CNBC.
The
toy industry is one of the hardest hit by the president’s global
tariffs, due to its large reliance on goods from China – one of the
countries hit hardest by the levies announced by the president. Trump
set tariffs - costs that are typically passed on to the consumer - and
that has led to higher costs for those products.
So
are we in what Phil Gramm — remember him? — once called a “mental
recession,” a sort of mass delusion that the economy is bad? It’s likely
that some of Americans’ sour mood is driven by political unease. Huge
and ever-changing tariffs, masked agents grabbing people off the street,
assassinations, vindictive prosecutions, rising measles cases, Trump’s
false claims that cities are “war zones” as pretext for sending in the
National Guard, and more. Increasingly unhinged statements from the
administration feed a general sense of destructive instability. Next
thing you know they’ll start demolishing the White House itself to make
room for some vanity project. Oh, wait.
Yet
it’s not only about political unease. There are some objective,
measurable reasons to say that the US economy, which appears OK by the
most commonly used measures, is definitely not OK once you look under
the hood. One essential aspect of this weirdness is the economy is
strongly bifurcated: AI is booming, but the rest of the economy isn’t.
Another aspect is that in many ways the economy feels “frozen”: while
there have been no mass layoffs so far, people who have lost their jobs
or are just entering the work force are finding it very hard to get new
jobs. Third, while the economy is growing thanks to AI spending, it’s a
K-shaped expansion: People who were already affluent are becoming more
so, but the less well-off are under severe pressure. For example, there
are clear signs that middle-to-low income consumers are struggling: car
loan and credit card delinquencies are rising, and grocers report that
shoppers are buying cheaper varieties of food. At the same time, the affluent are spending freely: the top 10% of the income distribution now accounts for nearly half of all consumer spending.
What’s
going on? I would argue that Trump’s wildly erratic policies are
creating huge uncertainty which is deterring many companies –
essentially those that are not in the AI sector or a sector catering to
the affluent – from making investments. And those forgone investments
include hiring new workers. The result is that much of the economy is
frozen — companies aren’t hiring or investing. This freeze, in turn,
explains both worker anxiety and rising inequality. Without the AI
boom/bubble spending, we might very well have fallen into a recession,
as some economists like Mark Zandi have claimed. And despite the AI boom, times for many workers are tough.
The
S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) crashed in early April when President
Trump announced sweeping tariffs on most countries, but the index
bounced back remarkably quickly due to strong earnings growth and
economic resilience. With the S&P 500 up 13% in 2025, the index is
on track for its the third straight year of double-digit gains,
something that has only happened twice since 2000.
However,
the picture is less rosy than it appears. Revised jobs data shows
hiring slowed sharply over the summer as businesses navigated economic
uncertainty, and inflation has trended steadily higher since Trump
announced his most severe tariffs in April. Meanwhile, investors just
got bad news about the U.S.-China trade war, and it comes at a time when
the stock market is already historically expensive.
Are
you getting how bad things are? Polling suggests most Americans are
registering just how bad the economy is and that Chump's the one who
destroyed it. If you're confused, read Tom Peterson (PENNY GEM):
Montgomery
Transport (Birmingham, AL) abruptly filed Chapter 7 in Oct 2025,
leaving ~1,000 workers jobless. This sudden collapse is part of a
brewing “Great Freight Recession,” as dozens of U.S. trucking firms have
crumbled under mounting costs.
The shock is rippling through America’s supply chain, threatening delivery reliability and economic stability.
U.S.
truckers are reeling from skyrocketing operating costs, tighter credit,
and tariff-driven price surges. Many carriers expanded during the
pandemic, only to face plunging demand. Dean Croke of Roper DAT bluntly
warned, “None of the signals are good when it comes to truckload
demand”.
The squeeze on margins and capital is proving unsustainable.
Shoppers
are already seeing consequences: spot truck rates climbed to about
$1.60/mile in Oct 2025, and cargo delays at ports lengthened restock
times. Grocers and retailers report absorbing higher shipping fees or
passing them on.
Analysts note these transport-driven costs are adding 2–3% to consumer prices, straining household budgets nationwide.
Multiple
carriers joined Montgomery’s fate. Jack Cooper Transport (Alabama) and
Carroll Fulmer Logistics (Florida) also folded in Oct 2025. Surviving
fleets are slashing staff and deferring expenses.
Will Chump ever admit he's wrecked the economy? Will he just keep lying? At what point will even MAGA have to walk away? Megan Cerullo (CBS NEWS) notes:
Trump
administration tariffs imposed this year on dozens of nations and a
range of industries are fueling inflation, especially for goods that are
widely imported into the U.S., a recent analysis shows.
Product
categories seeing some of the biggest price hikes due to tariffs
include furniture, car parts, electronics and musical instruments,
according to economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. The
findings are based on research models estimating tariff-related price
hikes and drawing on Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) data, a
widely used gauge of inflation.
Importers
bear the cost of tariffs, typically passing at least some of the added
expenses to consumers, economic research shows.
The
St. Louis Fed researchers found that companies passed 35% of tariff
costs onto consumers from May through July. Other research from Goldman
Sachs suggests that businesses could eventually pass on as much as 55% of added tariff costs
to consumers. Companies would swallow 22% of the extra costs, while
foreign exporters would absorb 18% of the expenses, economists with the
investment bank found.
But, hey, as
long as you don't check your receipts from the grocery store or your
bank balance, you can just keep pretending it's "fake news" and applaud
Chump's destruction of the US economy.
Now, just nine months into his second term, Trump has continued to target Latinos by:
—
gutting the U.S. refugee system and giving preference to English
speakers, white South Africans (i.e., Afrikaners) and Europeans who flee
countries they consider to be plagued by excessive migration;
—
launching immigration sweeps that target brown-skinned people,
according to a federal judge who ordered a stop to indiscriminate
immigration detentions and arrests in Southern California;
—
ending government programs that promoted diversity, equity and
inclusion and closing DEI offices throughout the federal government,
while pressuring colleges and universities to do the same;
—
relying on stereotype in labeling Colombian President Gustavo Petro "an
illegal drug leader" after Petro criticized Trump for launching deadly
attacks on boats from Venezuela; and
—
trying to gut the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by arguing for a narrow
interpretation of the statute that would make it harder for plaintiffs
to prove discrimination and more difficult to use race in drawing
districts.
After
conservative activist Charlie Kirk was murdered last month, the MAGA
mob made it clear that they resent it when they're called racist.
I
get that. Then they ought to cleanse their movement and scrub out all
the racism. It's a big project. They're going to need a lot of soap —
and even more humility.
I'm shoe horning that in because
otherwise it'll wait for another day that never comes -- there's so much
to cover every day. Let's wind down, Senator Patty Murray's office
issued the following yesterday:
Washington, D.C. – Today, on the 22nd day
of the Republican shutdown, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice
Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, joined Senator Jeff
Merkley (D-OR) on the Senate floor during his twenty hour-long and
counting speech sounding the alarm on how President Trump is acting like
a king, following an authoritarian playbook, and seeking to control
more aspects of Americans’ lives.
The exchange between Senator Murray and Senator Merkley, as delivered on the floor today, is below:
“I
see the Senator from Washington state is on the floor, and I would be
very happy to yield to a question,” Senator Merkley said.
[RINGING THE ALARM BELLS ON TRUMP’S ATTEMPTS TO CONTROL AMERICANS’ LIVES]
“I thank the Senator from Oregon. And first, let me just
commend you for what you are doing here, throughout the night,
throughout today, calling attention to a really critical issue in this
country,” Senator Murray replied.
“So many people come up to me. And you know, because we go
back and forth to the West Coast all the time, how many people walk up
to us and say, ‘What can I do about this?’ And each one of us has to
say, here’s what I can do.
“And I want to thank you for doing what you are doing today,
because you’re going above and beyond to point out to people that, as
your chart says, authoritarianism is here and it is here now, and we can
ignore it or we can speak out. And you have spent all night long, all
day, standing on your feet, and at, I’m sure, great personal sacrifice,
to fight for everyone in this country and to sound the alarms you’ve
been talking about. And so I just personally want to, want to thank you.
“And I want to reiterate something that you have said for all
of these hours and actually many times to me over the past few months,
the fact that Trump is using his place in government to control every
aspect of our life. Whether it’s what our schools are teaching or not
teaching, it’s whether or not he’s prosecuting his enemies, which he is
doing, it’s cutting off projects and funding to punish the political
opposition.
“And as you and I both know, we represent ‘blue states,’ but
we have a lot of red counties and cities and neighborhoods, and even
within all of our blue districts. And you can’t just randomly say ‘I’m
hurting blue without hurting red,’ because these are all Americans. But
he is using his power to do that.
“We are seeing him, as you know well, in your home state
deploying troops to intimidate Democrats. And I listened to you late
last night talk about what is happening in Portland. And the misuse of
this kind of power should be frightening to every single American, and
we need to stand up and we need to call it out, which is what you are
doing today. And even dictating what late night TV hosts is doing is
part of this whole picture that you’ve been describing.”
[TRUMP TRAMPLING ON CONGRESS’ POWER OF THE PURSE]
“But I came to the floor today as your partner on the Appropriations Committee,” Senator Murray continued. “We
serve on that together, and we all know in this body how important that
committee is, because we decide where the funding is going to go in the
country. Now I’ve been out on this floor, I’ve been at home, I’ve been
everywhere talking about the power of the purse, which sounds kind of
like this quaint little phrase, but it is really important for anybody
who has a family. You know that the person who writes the checks in the
checkbook decides where the money is going to go? Well, that power of
that checkbook, that power of the purse, it is, as it is called, lands
in this side of the aisle, on this side of the White House and Congress,
we have the power of the purse. Why is that? Because we represent our
constituents from across the country. I from Washington State, you from
Oregon, people from Illinois and Alabama and Florida all come here to be
a voice for their constituents on where their taxpayers’ [dollars] are
going to go. And within this country, the power of the purse means we
have the ability to decide where the money is going to go, because we
represent our constituents. That’s what they call on us to do, and I am
seeing Trump doing an all-out assault on Congress’ power of the purse.
“So, I wanted to come here today and ask you your thoughts on
how this President is undermining the power of the purse, and how it
plays into your ringing the bells about authoritarianism?” asked Senator Murray.
Senator Merkley responded, “Ringing the alarm bells for the
authoritarian power of the purse is one of those fundamental ways that,
in fact, the President is concentrating his power. The difference
between a democracy—in a democracy the legislature says, ‘here are the
programs, here’s how we want to run them, and here’s how we’re going to
fund them.’ And it brings together the collective wisdom of a large
group that comes from every portion of the nation, like we do here our
100 Senators from 50 states. And we not only bring our geographic
differences, we bring our life differences and our life skills and all
of that helps us form a pretty complex set of decisions about the
programs that need more support because of the challenges we’re facing
as a nation at that moment and those that can do with less support. And
that’s our responsibility. But all those voices together are just so
central to that.
“In an authoritarian nation, all of that
responsibility—design the program, fund the program, choose whether the
program will happen—it’s all transferred to the executive. So, we’re
thinking authoritarians over here, power of the purse with the
executive, democracy over here, power of the purse of the legislature.
So, Russell Vought, the current head of OMB, he’s a well-trained, clever
man, and he’s saying, ‘Well, let’s see how we can actually take the
power of the purse. You passed a bill for fiscal year [20]25 and now
we’re in. Now we’re not now, we’re no longer in fiscal year [20]25, but
let’s say we were, ‘Hmm, well, maybe I can just slow off the funds for
the programs I don’t want to fund. That way, the decision is transferred
to the executive. Maybe I can freeze them, maybe I can impound them,
basically permanently take them off the table, see if I can get away
with that. Maybe I can send over a request to have Congress formally
undo the programs that they have funded,’ and they did send one of those
over, and it was voted and needed a majority vote in both chambers. But
the problem with that is, you have a bipartisan vision to serve the
entire depth—this job to me is representing the geography of the United
States, to serve the entire breadth and depth of our nation with all of
our differences, and then on a partisan basis, meaning half the room,
they decide what programs to cut. And that means a deal was done in the
beginning between Democrats and Republicans, and then it was undone, and
the programs that were cut were the programs by and large the Democrats
had advocated for. How do you do the next deal in that situation? And
then we have Mr. Vought saying, ‘Hmm, what I’ll do is pretend I’m going
to spend it, but then in the last 45 days, I’ll send a notification that
I’d like Congress to undo it, but there is a waiting period, so
therefore I know what I have done is set it up so that before those 45
days are out, the end of the fiscal year comes, and that bucket that
goes to that program goes poof into thin air.’ And that’s the fancy term
he’s used for the pocket rescission. And so here, we are saying to our
Republican colleagues: if you’re negotiating in good faith to serve the
interests and concerns that all 100 senators bring here, that a bill
forged in that bipartisan manner can only be undone in a bipartisan
manner. And we do rescissions in a bipartisan manner. We do undo
funding. We take one year two, year three, year funding that turned out
not to be needed or better spent elsewhere, and we pull it back and we
put it into a different program, but we do that readjustment in the same
bipartisan way we did the initial program,” Senator Merkley continued.
“So, we’re saying to our colleagues across the aisle, if the
power of the purse means something, and it does—the difference between
an authoritarian government and a democracy, then work with us to defend
our Constitution. Defend that what we have done together cannot be
undone by the executive. And so far, we have not received a ‘Yes, we
will defend the Constitution.’ And what I hear is mainly, ‘Yeah,
President Trump would never go for that.’ When you hear that, you know
you’re trapped in an authoritarian because the vision of our nation is
that we the Congress will forge these programs and decide how to fund
them, how much and when it’s like, ‘Can’t do that, because Trump would
be upset,’ well, that just confirms we are in authoritarianism now, and
it’s not just the power of the purse, of course, it’s an attack on due
process. It’s an attack on free press. It’s an attack on the freedom of
speech. It is the weaponization of the Department of Justice. It is the
ignoring the laws that apply to the executive completely, like firing
all the IGs, getting rid of all the referees. In the book that I really
spent the night trying to use as a framework in order to say, ‘Hey,
experts who have studied how democracies die—they don’t die with people
with guns anymore. They die when people get elected, and then they
follow the authoritarian playbook on how to basically undo the checks
and balances and amplify the power.’”
[NATIONAL GUARD DEPLOYMENTS IN OREGON]
“And another piece of that that we should be very concerned
about in the Northwest right now, more in Portland, but who knows what
happens in Seattle, is trying to carve a path in which Trump has court
decisions that say he can put troops into the street whenever he wants,
and that is a massively dangerous amplification of authoritarian power.
And that’s why what we do this year makes such a such a difference that
we have to protest and say, ‘This is not normal.’ We have to ring the
alarm bells. We have to praise the 7 million people who got out there
and said, ‘No Kings’ in the United States. And that’s such a beautiful,
short way of saying, ‘No authoritarianism. We want our republic back,
and we’re willing to fight to make that happen,’” Senator Merkley said.
“That’s what you’re doing. And I thank the Senator from
Oregon, for all he’s been doing for so long—for so many years, but
especially for the last 20 plus hours that you’ve been
on the floor, many, too many hours on the floor—reminding us all of why
this is so critical,” concluded Senator Murray.
