02b U.S. Politics – Progressive

Republican leading AI effort has ambitious timeline for getting his bill through the House– www.politico.com

pgnewser June 9, 2026 0

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Rep. Jay Obernolte has an aggressive timeline for getting his new bipartisan Artificial Intelligence proposal taken up in the House — and a path for getting a congressional hearing on a major part of the plan.

In an interview Monday night, the California Republican said he hoped to turn the draft framework he unveiled last Thursday into multiple bills, with the first expected to be introduced in the coming weeks. Each bill would be considered by its committee of jurisdiction.

“One of the challenges that we have is that the bill crosses so many different policy committee jurisdictions,” he said. “So I think we’ve got to divide it up into different titles that are in the jurisdiction of various policy committees and hear those individually.”

Politico Defends LA Mayoral Vote Count Amid Concerns Over Nithya Raman Surge– www.newsbusters.org

pgnewser June 9, 2026 0

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Candidate Nithya Raman in the Los Angeles mayoral race came in third place on election night, June 2, so far behind second place finisher Spencer Platt that she essentially conceded the election in a tearful farewell. And then, miracle of miracle, over the next few days as more and more mail-in ballots kept rolling in, Raman suddenly surged in the votes, often exceeding first place Karen Bass in some counts and doubling the percentage of her election day returns to the extent that by Sunday she surpassed Pratt in the vote, thus apparently landing a spot in the November runoff elections.

Oh, and for those of you who expressed skepticism about this electoral miracle in the midst of a questionable vote count of the mass ballot mailings in which voter identification requirements were at best laughable, Politico has written off your concerns as “baseless.”

Trump said the pace of California ballot counting proves a rigged election. Pants on Fire!– www.politifact.com

pgnewser June 9, 2026 0

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Shortly before abruptly ending his “Meet the Press” interview, President Donald Trump wrongly pointed to California’s ballot counting pace as evidence of “a rigged election.”

When Trump said the state was still counting ballots days after the June 2 election, host Kristen Welker said, “That’s how they count the votes in California.”

Trump said: “Do you know why they’re doing that? Because they’re cheating on the election.”

Welker asked Trump for his evidence that the election was rigged.

A year after Trump’s gestapo invaded LA, the fear remains– www.dailykos.com

pgnewser June 9, 2026 0

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One year ago, Los Angeles was stormed by federal immigration agents as part of President Donald Trump’s pursuit to meet a lofty deportation goal. And the repercussions of that invasion are still felt.

At the time, despite the city’s protections for undocumented immigrants, videos quickly began dispersing online last year of agents across Los Angeles raiding Home Depot parking lots, food carts, and more. Many Angelenos witnessed federal agents ushering men and women into vans on the side of the street.

In response, locals flooded the streets to protest what was happening to immigrant families in their own backyard.

Trump storms out of interview after election fraud, DOJ fund questions– www.cnbc.com

pgnewser June 9, 2026 0

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President Donald Trump stormed out of a taped interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” after being pressed on his controversial “weaponization” fund and on evidence of his persistent claims of election fraud.

Trump sat with NBC’s Kristen Welker for a taped interview on a Wisconsin farm that touched on the Iran war, potential interest rate hikes and the $1.776 billion “weaponization” fund that could financially compensate convicted violent rioters who attacked police officers on Jan. 6, 2021. Thousands of people stormed the Capitol that day, attempting to disrupt the certification of former President Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory.

The president said he would like to see the weaponization fund proceed despite setbacks that prompted acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to say it was permanently halted.

“If it was up to me, I’d pay them the kind of money that they deserve,” Trump said of the fund. “People have been destroyed. Lives have been destroyed. Many suicides, think of it.” The president has repeatedly made such claims without providing evidence.

Trump Battles ‘Crooked’ Welker Before Bolting From Wild NBC Interview– www.newsbusters.org

pgnewser June 9, 2026 0

Trump Battles ‘Crooked’ Welker Before Bolting From Wild NBC Interview– www.newsbusters.org
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Last Friday, President Trump made time during his trip to Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin for an extended sit-down interview with NBC’s Meet the Press moderator Kristen Welker, but was derailed several times by pounding rain on the roof of the facility, heated exchanges, and a premature ending as Trump abruptly walked out because he was tired of dealing with such a “crooked” network.

Welker pressed Trump on the war with Iran, and asked if he broke his promise of no new wars, which grew a bit confrontational.

TRUMP: No. I had to stop a country, very powerful, very dangerous country, from having a nuclear weapon because they’d use it. They’d blow up the world. They’d blow up the Middle East. They’d blow up Israel. They’d come here. They’d blow up Europe. They’re nuts, okay?…It’s America first. I’m doing our country a service.

(….)

WELKER: So, you’re saying you didn’t break your promise. And yet, Mr. President, in your first term, you held to that promise, and it was so fundamental to who you were as a candidate, to a first-term president. What changed? Because you insisted “no new wars.”

TRUMP: Well, well. First of all, I didn’t guarantee no war. Why would I have built the strongest military in the world? I built our military. I inherited a terrible military. We had no equipment. We had nothing. I built a tremendous military. Biden gave a lot of it away, but it’s still a relatively small portion compared to what I built.

WELKER: But you said it over and over again, Mr. President.

TRUMP: Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Why would I build a military — Now, I didn’t want to use this, but I’m doing you and everybody else a big favor….I know you, you’re a big liberal, a big progressive.

WELKER: No!

TRUMP: But we were —

WELKER: I’m just a journalist.

Donald Trump health fears soar as expert raises alarm over ‘mumbling’ President | World | News– www.express.co.uk

pgnewser June 9, 2026 0

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US President Donald Trump has sparked alarm as a physical therapist makes worrying claims about his health after “mumbling” on live TV. The concerns were raised after an appearance in the Oval Office, where the 79-year-old addressed reporters during an event focused on environmental policy and “clean coal”.

A healthcare professional who specialises in geriatrics has since shared a detailed analysis of the footage, claiming Mr Trump displayed what he described as “stroke-like” symptoms. However, there is no official evidence that the President has suffered a stroke, and the White House has dismissed speculation about his health.

Adam James, a physical therapist who posts online under the name @epistemiccrisis, analysed footage from the June 4 event and shared his views on Instagram.

Lammy told JD Vance his remarks about Henry Nowak were ‘wrong’ – UK politics live | Politics– www.theguardian.com

pgnewser June 9, 2026 0

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On Friday evening, the US vice-president, JD Vance, blamed Henry Nowak’s murder on the “mass invasion of migrants” and said the “only response” was “righteous anger”, prompting a rebuke from Downing Street which hit out at “people trying to interfere in our democracy and seeking to stir up division”.

The UK justice secretary and deputy prime minister, David Lammy, revealed to Sky News’ Trevor Phillips that he spoke to Vance yesterday following his intervention. Lammy, who is rumoured to be good friends with the vice-president, said:

I spoke to the vice president yesterday, and I wanted to emphasise a number of things.

The first is that our democratic process is working well. This young man has been convicted. There is an investigation into the police by the Independent Police (Conduct)Authority.

There is an investigation into Hampshire Police by the inspectorate. The (attorney general) is looking at the sentencing in relation to this. The national police chiefs are looking at the guidance in relation to this.

The second thing was I disagree with him. This has got nothing to do with mass migration. This young man was a Brit. Let’s be clear about that. And I said, ‘look, Mr vice president, you’re wrong about this’.

And it’s also the case that actually murder is coming down in the United Kingdom. So we had an agreeable conversation. But we disagree.

“Can We Make the Protesters Look More Violent?” – Mother Jones– www.motherjones.com

pgnewser June 9, 2026 0

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Scott Pelley spent 37 years at CBS News, only to be fired last week after coming into conflict with Free Press founder Bari Weiss, who took control of the network last October. In a New York Times sit-down interview with Lulu Garcia-Navarro published Sunday, Pelley said Weiss personally interfered with the network’s coverage of the ICE officer who killed Renée Good in Minneapolis.

Pelley told Garcia-Navarro that, hours before an episode of 60 Minutes on the killings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti was set to air, Weiss sent an email to his boss asking for changes to the episode. “Two of the things in the email include, can we make the protesters look more violent? Now, I’m paraphrasing. I don’t have the quote, but that’s what was communicated to me. And the other thing, Renee Good’s car. You need to describe her as driving toward the officer.”

Rep. Dean Skewers Todd Blanche Over Redactions Of Epstein Files– crooksandliars.com

pgnewser June 4, 2026 0

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Rep. Madeleine Dean tore apart the unconscionable number of redacted files in the Epstein files. She proved that Trump lied about being on Jeffrey Epstein’s plane while sycophant acting AG Todd Blanche looked on.

DEAN: When will you comply with the law and release all of the files?

TODD: As I said to you when we spoke before, we have complied with the law.

DEAN: There are 3 million more documents, and you know what you said to me? They’re all duplicative, and they include another guy named Epstein.

Blanche Dubois claimed he never said it, but you know he did.

After the Chairman interrupted, Dean let Blanche have it.

What is true is that the president has lied about being on Epstein’s plane, and the unredacted files prove that.

There’s a lot in here. I am shocked at this.

There’s also this set of files in the file. This is investigation into the potential co-conspirators of Jeffrey Epstein. I almost used up all the blank ink in the hallway, because it’s all covered up. It’s all covered up.

The American people are not stupid.

They know that when members of Congress have to go in and actually unredact, try to find the truth for these victims, something is corrupt.

Something is corrosive. You were paid $10 million to represent the president. You hang a 30-foot banner of the president’s menacing face over the entrance to the Department of Justice.

You said that if you were terminated or not moved forward as attorney general, you would say to the president, I love you, sir.

So I have one question for you.

Is your obligation to the victims and survivors of Epstein’s heinous crimes and all his perpetrators, or is your first obligation to the president of the United States?

Fired CBS reporter reveals MAGA bosses pressured him to skew news– www.dailykos.com

pgnewser June 4, 2026 0

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Scott Pelley, one of the most well-known journalists on the CBS News roster, revealed that the pro-Trump management now leading the network has pressured him to inject bias and lies in news stories. On Tuesday night, Pelley was fired from CBS.

In a statement released via social media, Pelley said the current management of CBS is casting the “legend” of CBS News aside, “apparently to curry a moment of favor with the Trump administration.”

Pelley said management has “instructed me to inject falsehoods and bias into a politically sensitive story.” He added that he was “told to include assertions that are unverified.”

Senate Republicans manage to unstick immigration funding bill– www.politico.com

pgnewser June 4, 2026 0

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Senate Republicans launched debate on their party-line immigration enforcement bill Wednesday — a major step after nearly two weeks of delay — but they are facing lingering internal concerns over a proposed “Anti-Weaponization Fund” that could still scuttle the legislation.

Senators voted 53-46 on party lines to advance the bill, which would provide roughly $70 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other Department of Homeland Security agencies.

An updated bill released Wednesday omits $1 billion in Secret Service security funding that had been included in an earlier draft and could have been used for President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom project. POLITICO first reported the decision to drop the funding last month.

It also strips out Justice Department funding unrelated to the controversial settlement fund — a move that GOP leaders made in hopes of making it harder to include language restricting or eliminating the fund. Top Republicans have warned that adding such language could threaten to tank the overall bill.

“Right now, the goal is to get the base bill across the finish line, and so hopefully all of our members who have amendment ideas will … keep in mind the need that we’ve got to keep the bill together and make sure we’ve got 50 votes for it at the end,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune said.

Judge unseals Fulton County elections case seeking to shield ID info from DOJ, county says – WSBTV.com

pgnewser June 2, 2026 0

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The court has granted Fulton County’s request to unseal their case against the Department of Justice, who issued a subpoena seeking the identity information of everyone associated with the 2020 election.

That’s according to a statement released Sunday from Robb Pits, chairman of the Board of Commissioners of Fulton County.

The county filed a motion to quash to keep the DOJ from enforcing the subpoena.

“The recent decision to unseal means that you will be able to follow future developments because the public and media now have access to the docket and the documents filed in the case,” Pitts said.

The subpoena comes after the FBI in January went to a Fulton County elections warehouse and seized ballots and other documents from the 2020 election, which Georgia’s certified totals showed Trump lost in the state to Biden by 11,779 votes out of nearly 5 million cast…

Trump is facing a new inflation warning from the bond market, adding to his midterm challenges– abcnews.com

pgnewser June 2, 2026 0

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WASHINGTON — The world is getting more uptight about lending money to President Donald Trump’s government — causing interest rates to climb in ways that are worsening affordability pressures, hampering economic growth and creating a new risk for Republicans in November’s midterm elections.

The energy price spike triggered by the Iran war has seeped into the price of bonds that help fund the U.S. government. Interest rates on a 10-year U.S. Treasury note are topping 4.44%, up from 3.95% before the war started at the end of February. Average mortgage rates have climbed to their highest levels in nine months, while auto sales are slumping.

Judge says NPS can't revoke DC protest permit over '86 47' flag– thehill.com

pgnewser June 2, 2026 0

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A federal judge temporarily blocked the National Park Service (NPS) on Monday from revoking a permit for a 24/7 anti-Trump protest in the nation’s capital over the display of an “86 47” flag. The Secret Service regards the statement as a potential call for violence against the president, and court documents show federal officers ordered the flag be taken down last week after…

DOJ’s ‘Anti-Weaponization Fund’ backtrack fails to calm Senate Republicans– www.politico.com

pgnewser June 2, 2026 0

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The Justice Department took a small step back Monday from its controversial $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund.” It wasn’t nearly enough to quell the furor on Capitol Hill.

Republican senators, including some top leaders, said a DOJ statement that it would “abide by” a federal judge’s recent ruling to temporarily halt any payouts did not do enough to clear the intraparty concerns that have thrown the GOP’s immigration enforcement bill into limbo.

Instead they nudged President Donald Trump to make a more explicit move to renounce the fund, which could be used to pay participants in the Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021, and other Trump political allies that have been subject to federal prosecution.

South Africa and Afrikaners reject US claims of humanitarian crisis for white people– www.euronews.com

pgnewser May 28, 2026 0

South Africa and Afrikaners reject US claims of humanitarian crisis for white people– www.euronews.com
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The South African government and advocacy groups for the country’s Afrikaner white minority rejected on Wednesday the Trump administration’s position that there’s a humanitarian emergency affecting white people in South Africa.

The argument served as the administration’s rationale for raising the US refugee cap, but only for white Afrikaners.

The Trump administration said on Tuesday that it will admit an additional 10,000 white South Africans into the US as refugees this year, increasing its annual quota, but blocking people from other countries from entering through the programme.

CNN Backs New Jersey Dems’ Performative Grandstanding at ICE Facility– www.newsbusters.org

pgnewser May 27, 2026 0

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Over the holiday weekend, New Jersey Democrat politicians gathered outside Newark’s Delaney Hall, which ICE has been using as a detention facility for over a decade. CNN showed video on Tuesday morning’s The Situation Room of several prominent Democrat politicians. Included in their highlight reel was New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill, Senator Andy Kim, and Representative Robert Menendez, who spoke to cameras outside the facility amid swarms of protesters performing the modern Democrat’s favorite pastime as they clashed with officers and attempted to block vehicles coming in or out.

These particular protests were spurred by unsubstantiated “reports of rough conditions like rotten food and a hunger strike by detainees,” according to co-host Pamela Brown.

University of Iowa students must take Intellectual Freedom classes whether they want to or not– boingboing.net

pgnewser May 27, 2026 0

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The Center for Intellectual Freedom is a comically-named educational institution established by Iowa’s conservative legislature to counter the liberal indoctrination of traditional education. Few students have availed themselves of its “top-tier scholarship,” though, though, leaving commissars with a numbers problem. A solution is at hand: force University of Iowa students to take classes there if they want to graduate.

Republican lawmakers added a provision to a massive budget bill during a 35-hour legislative session requiring University of Iowa students to complete at least six credit hours from the center to earn an undergraduate degree. The bill now heads to Gov. Kim Reynolds’ desk.

The center opened in the spring semester, having been allocated $1m in funding with millions more to come, but enrollment is “dismal”. A report impressed upon its readers the need to require students to take the courses if they are to bother. The bill doesn’t become law until Gov. Kim Reynolds signs it; she may also veto it or use a line-item veto to strip the requirement.

The center launched two one-credit hour classes in late March. Numbers from the University’s website show one class has just 8 of 32 seats filled, and the other has 11 of 32 seats filled. Ben Murrey of the nonprofit research group Common Sense Institute, which the center hired to analyze demand and student interest, said he is not surprised by the low turnout. … “it’s remarkable that they got really any enrollment at all.”

US has deported thousands of Cubans and Venezuelans to danger in Mexico, Human Rights Watch says– abcnews.com

pgnewser May 27, 2026 0

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MEXICO CITY — The Trump administration has deported nearly 13,000 Cubans, Venezuelans and other nationals to Mexico, where they are vulnerable to cartel violence in an unfamiliar country, a report by Human Rights Watch released Wednesday said.

While Mexico has accepted these types of deportations for years, the deportees under the Trump administration are older and have lived in the U.S. for longer than in the past, making it more difficult for them to find work and increasing the urgency of the need for medical care.

The report, which is based on more than 50 interviews in the southern Mexican cities Tapachula and Villahermosa, comes as U.S. President Donald Trump has expanded immigration enforcement to carry out his mass deportation plan.

Why Conservatives Are Trying to Kill the Voting Rights Act – Mother Jones– www.motherjones.com

pgnewser May 27, 2026 0

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A woman casts her ballot at a polling station in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on November 3, 2024.Kamil KrzaczynskI/AFP/Getty

Get your news from a source that’s not owned and controlled by oligarchs. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily.

The Voting Rights Act is widely considered one of the most effective laws in prohibiting racial discrimination in voting. One of its key provisions has long allowed states to take race into account when drawing voting maps to ensure that nonwhite voters have electoral power. But earlier this year, the Supreme Court narrowed that provision. In her dissent, Justice Elena Kagan described the court’s decision as the “now-completed demolition of the Voting Rights Act.”

Senate Republicans battle over future of parliamentarian– thehill.com

pgnewser May 27, 2026 0

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Some Senate Republican aides say there is growing support within the Senate GOP conference for ousting the parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough, after she ruled against a proposal to provide $1 billion for the White House ballroom, a move that would drastically change how the upper chamber operates. The ruling infuriated President Trump, who claimed last week…

Irish councilor proposes tiny statue of mosquito blamed for killing invader Oliver Cromwell– boingboing.net

pgnewser May 27, 2026 0

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A Green Party councillor in Cork wants the Irish city to honor the mosquito blamed for killing Oliver Cromwell, the English Lord Protector whose conquest of Ireland made him a reviled figure there. Oliver Moran tabled the motion at a Cork City Council meeting on May 12, proposing what he describes as the world’s smallest public statue, to be mounted on an empty plinth outside City Hall.

The motion reads:

STATUE TO THE MOSQUITO OR MIDGE THAT BIT OLIVER CROMWELL

‘That Cork City Council will erect a statue to the mosquito or midge that bit Oliver Cromwell during his siege of the city, later causing his death through ‘Cork fever’ (malaria); and that this statue shall be the ‘world’s smallest public statue’.’