Trump is putting the pieces in place for permanent autocratic rule.
Border Czar finds raiding Chicago is not so easy.
No more condoms to Gaza
The State Dept. has announced a halt to shipments of condoms to Gaza. The initiative to send $50 million worth of condoms to Gaza was part of a broader US foreign aid program under the Biden administration, reportedly aimed at supporting health and family planning services to the Palestinians.
Now, Sec. of State Marco Rubio is claiming that the condoms are being employed by Hamas as “bomb-carrying balloons” in order to terrorize Israelis.
No, you can’t make this shit up.
Freedom Fries
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot has discussed with Denmark the possibility of deploying French troops to Greenland in response to several threats recently by US President Donald Trump to annex the Danish Territory.
"If Denmark calls for help, France will be there with other European Union countries who have expressed very strong support for Denmark during a recent meeting of the EU Foreign Ministers, with several considering also deploying troops to Greenland."
This raises the question: Will we have to start calling French fries “Freedom Fries” like we did back in 2003 when France opposed our invasion of Iraq?
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Where we’re headed
Trump is putting all the pieces in place for his dream of a permanent MAGA autocracy that can rule by open terror if needed, imprison its opposition, and use violent paramilitary groups to spread fear and chaos.
After being pardoned by Trump, former leader of the neo-fascist Proud Boys gang Enrique Tarrio said, “The people who did this need to feel the heat, they need to be put behind bars, and they need to be prosecuted.”
Trump also commuted the sentences of Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes – who was convicted of seditious conspiracy and sentenced to 18 years in jail — and 13 other members of the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys. The potential threat of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers being used by Trump as extra-legal enforcers or fascist gangs is a concern for those who fear a resurgence of far-right extremism. Last month, the judge who presided over Rhodes’s trial said a pardon should be “frightening to anyone who cares about democracy in this country.”
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Chicago is a tough nut to crack
Trump’s former fascist guru, Steve Bannon, trying to reverse his own verdicts, is demanding the arrest of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
Lock Pritzker up. Lock the mayor up. You got to throw down now. This is - folks, you gotta understand, Bove [Trump’s acting Deputy Attorney General] and Homan [Border Czar] are as tough as boot leather. That and — I told you Chicago was going to be the place you're going to go, and Chicago is emblematic of what's going to happen otherwise, but we pick the fight.
Bannon, Bove, and Homan’s problem is that Chicago is proving to be a tough nut to crack. Trump’s border czar was on CNN, apparently frustrated because Chicagoans are very well educated and know their rights, which is making it harder for ICE to arrest people. He mentioned the city's "Know Your Rights" campaign, launched by Mayor Johnson, has made it difficult for ICE to carry out arrests. Homan referred to the campaign as a way for immigrants to "escape arrest."
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Meanwhile, Bannon is currently awaiting trial for charges related to defrauding donors in the "We Build the Wall" campaign. He previously served a four-month prison sentence for contempt of Congress but is now out on bail pending his upcoming trial.
Bannon was actually pardoned by Trump in the final hours of his presidency back in January 2021. However, the charges he's currently facing are on the state level, which means Trump cannot intervene.
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The following report may or may not be accurate.
Breaking News: Chicago is changing the name of the street outside of the Trump International Hotel to Felon Ave, making the address of the hotel to be 401 Felon Ave, Chicago. — Davis Stella at Threads
