Rick Stengel
@rickstengel.bsky.social
Former Under Secretary of State in Obama admin & Editor of TIME. Author of “Information Wars: How We Lost the Battle Against Disinformation” & the audiobook, “Mandela: The Lost Tapes.” Analyst @MSNOW
If only GOP senators would show political courage when they are seeking office and not just when they are leaving it.
Defying Trump, Cornyn Uses His Lame-Duck Power
In standing in the way of Todd Blanche, President Trump’s choice for attorney general, a liberated Senator John Cornyn is wielding his leverage.
nytimes.com
There are forever wars and world wars. Trump seems to be maneuvering us into some combination of the two.
Yes, there is always tension between security and openness, but of all the agencies that need to try to level with the American people, the defense dep't is No. 1: because it puts the sons and daughters of American families in harm's way. It is not being transparent enough.
‘Shameful’: Pentagon accused of cover-up over US military casualties in Iran war
No press briefing has been held for months, as the defence department belatedly or inaccurately releases figures
theguardian.com
Dora Damatta-Rodriguez is one of only 86 people the Trump admin has prosecuted for illegal voting. She’s a 72-year-old Panamanian-born grandmother who registered using a driver’s license that said she was a non-citizen. In the 2016 election, she voted for Trump. She was deported to Panama in June.
Trump claims voting by noncitizens is rampant in America. The numbers tell another story.
Federal prosecutors have charged just 129 people under a federal “voting by aliens” statute. Many of these incidents appear to stem from voter confusion, miscommunication with election officials or ad...
reuters.com
On #MandelaDay, let's remember his words, that fighting poverty & inequity is not a form of charity but an act of justice. And as Mayor Mamdani said at the Mandela global leadership forum, "Madiba lives in every protest for justice, every call for democracy, every march with a righteous demand."
The thing I've never understood is why would an undocumented immigrant or non-citizen want to risk being arrested and deported by voting illegally? The answer is, they don't, and that's why they don't try to vote.
A US president has done more damage to American elections than any foreign adversary.
When you falsely attempt to damage confidence in elections you damage democracy.
As wacky as most of his claims will be tonight, the danger is that he's laying the groundwork for the federal government to interfere in the midterms.
We finally see the president's vision for "his" military; not a protector of freedom and democracy at home and abroad, but a mercenary force that extorts 20% for its services. So, his definition of the US Army's motto, "This we'll defend," is international oil tankers.
To those on the right freaking out about the birthright citizenship ruling: The truth is, we've had it from the beginning, we just didn't have it for enslaved people or people of color. The 14th Amendment simply extended it to those who had been unfairly denied it. Is that what you wish to reverse?
At all of these international summits, I always think Trump behaves like an elderly maître d' with Tourette's syndrome.
The reporting that the Times journalists have been subpoenaed for is exactly the kind of journalism the First Amendment is designed to protect: matters involving national security and taxpayer dollars. Reporting that embarrasses a president is protected speech.
Times Journalists Subpoenaed as Trump Escalates Pressure on Media
The Justice Department is seeking to compel testimony from reporters who wrote about the new Air Force One. The Times called the move a “brazen act.”
nytimes.com
Literally everything he does is done shoddily, without thought or planning, for performative reasons or simple self-aggrandisement. Our republic is the casualty.
New Air Force One Lacks Defensive Countermeasures of Previous Model, Officials Say
nytimes.com
What the rest of NATO saw was an irrational and undisciplined head of its “dominant” member who is struggling in a war against a much smaller nation while the other military hyper-power, Russia, is unable to defeat an even smaller adversary. Time for a new strategy. Time for Europe to step up.
On eve of the NATO summit, let's remember Trump has repeatedly called NATO a "paper tiger." Does he know that he's using a saying popularized by the arch Communist Mao Zedong who famously said, "All reactionaries are paper tigers"?
Excited that Balogun is going to be able to play. But let’s remember, he plays for America because of birthright citizenship. Go USA!🇺🇸
Trump Asked FIFA to Review U.S. Player’s Suspension. Now He’s Eligible to Play.
nytimes.com
It's amazing that the crack White House staff discovered a July 4th Joseph McCarthy speech from 1952 that had never been given just in time for the 250th.
Trump warns of "communist menace" in speech at Mount Rushmore on eve of July 4th
The president kicked off America's 250th anniversary celebrations with a speech at Mount Rushmore where he warned of a resurgence in communism.
cbsnews.com
I still think what unites is greater than what divides us. We were born in a revolt against tyranny and we must continue to fight it where we see it. That's an American value. Happy 250th. rickstengel.substack.com/p/they-say-i...
It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to celebrate our birthday on July 4, 1776. Here's why and why th eDeclaration is a playbook in how to defeat a tyrant. rickstengel.substack.com/p/they-say-i...
It took 250 years, but we finally have a chief executive who understands the full money-making possibilities of the Oval Office. Another thing the Founders did not count on. #Happy250th
Trump Pulled in at Least $2 Billion After Returning to the White House
nytimes.com
An American president threatens genocide against an entire nation.
MeidasTouch@meidastouch.com · last mo.NEWS: Trump just posted about his latest strikes on Iran and threatened that “the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist” if the U.S. is “forced to militarily complete the job.” A reminder: the MOU specifically bars these kinds of threats.
It turns out that the best way to protect yourself from prosecution for conflicts of interest and criminal nepotism is, well, to engage in them in the open. They see public service as servicing their own interests.
Trump Cut a Billion-Dollar Mining Deal. His Sons Stand to Profit.
nytimes.com
As anyone who has ever worked with the military can tell you, you have no idea what party an officer is a member of. This politicization of the military, plus the demotion of officers of color and women, is weakening one of the only truly meritocratic institutions we have.
Top Army general leaves post amid Hegseth's overhaul
Army General Chris Donahue, the final American soldier to withdraw from Afghanistan, is leaving his post amid an overhaul by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. MS NOW Pentagon Reporter Priya Sridhar has ...
ms.now
For 1000s of years in negotiations between nations, both sides accepted the idea that you do not threaten envoys. Either out of ignorance or petulance—or both—the president violated that. Moreove, he violated the first provision of the MOU, “to refrain from making threats of violence.”
MS NOW Analyst: Trump Just Broke Biggest 'Taboo' In Diplomatic History
The president's warning against Iranian diplomats broke centuries of precedent.
huffpost.com
Sometimes he does speak the truth. “See, a normal president wouldn’t do this," he said. No, a normal president wouldn't take a $400 million flying bribe and then boast about it.
President Donald Trump unveils the new Air Force One, a converted Qatari jet
President Donald Trump has unveiled the new Air Force One, a formerly Qatari-owned jumbo jet now converted into the official U.S. presidential aircraft.
apnews.com
Shameful. The military is a meritocracy, but even so, soldiers of color and women need to over-perform. And they did. All of these recommended promotions were eminently deserved.
Secret Vetting and Blocked Promotions: Inside Hegseth’s War on Diversity
nytimes.com
“We dropped $250 million worth of bombs on them" the other day, Trump said at his press conference. There's never been an American president in history who itemized the cost of bombing adversaries like a landlord telling you how much it cost to fix the sink.
There is no US-Iran nuclear agreement. There is an agreement to negotiate one over the next 60 days. There is virtually nothing in the MOU about nuclear weapons or nuclear enrichment, but there’s a lot about oil and relaxing sanctions and a multi/billion dollar reconstruction fund.
