I hesitate to say you’ll be remembered for anything but this idiotic statement

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 2h ago

BLUMENTHAL: Judge Cook, was the Capitol attack on January 6? COOK: I hesitate to use the word 'attack'

BOOKER: Let me make this easy. Be a man. Yes or no -- did Joe Biden win the 2020 election? CANDEUB: ... the Congress certifie-- BOOKER: There you go. Stop! Can you please tell me yes or no, did President Biden win the 2020 election? CANDEUB: The Congress certified-- B: You are showing cowardice.

UPDATE: At 9:15am, former US Capitol Insurrection prosecutors will have press conference with Senators to discuss the "refusal of Trump Administration judicial nominees to acknowledge the results of the 2020 election or admit that what happened on January 6"

Scott MacFarlane@macfarlanenews.bsky.social · 7h ago

ALERT: House Democrats expand their midterm battlefield The cascading impact from Michigan primary And the critically important trial date at a courthouse in Oakland (very critical) Lots of enterprise reporting in DAY AHEAD open.substack.com/pub/macfarla...

“If you are tasked and paid by a Russian state entity to say something, that is not freedom of expression. That is subversion by an enemy state.” open.substack.com/pub/alexzfin...

France Moves to Expel a Russian Propagandist

Will the move set up a court battle to test the line between freedom of expression and protection of the constitutional order?

open.substack.com

FALSE. You have many alternatives, for example refusing to confirm until it’s in writing that the fund won’t come back. Future tense.

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · yesterday

Cornyn: "As to the idea it could be revived in the future, I think it's highly unlikely that could happen without the cooperation of the DOJ. And I think Mr Blanche gave us the assurances that it was dead and would not be revived and in this case we have no alternative but to take his word" 🙃

A vote to confirm Todd Blanche is a vote against justice for Epstein survivors.

If we can’t have term limits, can we have a rule where you don’t have any other jobs after you serve? Having it both ways is killing us.

Brian Finucane@bcfinucane.bsky.social · yesterday

My take on why at least some Rs on the way out the door don’t push back more on POTUS is that they want to remain Rs in good standing in order to take advantage of various post-Congress opportunities.

"Completely hollow," DDA's Virginia Canter told @theguardian.com. "Nothing changes the terms of the actual settlement agreement, which cannot be modified without all parties’ consent. As a result, Blanche could reverse course tomorrow if he wanted." The Senate must reject Blanche's nomination.

‘Completely hollow’: critics denounce Blanche deal to halt Trump slush fund

Democrats say agreement – which clears way for Blanche’s confirmation – makes promises president can easily reverse

theguardian.com

Seems to me that news that a bank has closed Trump accounts because of money laundering concerns should get more attention. Capital One says it closed Trump Organization’s accounts after anti-money-laundering review www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Capital One says it closed Trump Organization’s accounts after anti-money-laundering review

Disclosure from 2021 investigation marks first time a bank has formally tied money-laundering concerns to Donald Trump

theguardian.com

BREAKING: We just sued the Treasury Department for illegally withholding information about who is receiving settlement money from its Judgement Fund. Taxpayers need to know whether Jan. 6ers and Trump allies are getting massive payouts from the federal government.

CREW sues Treasury Department for concealing January 6th settlement details  - CREW | Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington

The Treasury Department is illegally concealing who is receiving settlement money from its Judgment Fund, obscuring whether January 6th insurrectionists are receiving payouts.

citizensforethics.org

Blanche gave Cornyn/Tillis a fake deal, which is not a legally binding modification of the original agreement signed by all parties like they demanded, & kept IRS immunity, so they can surrender while declaring victory. Just more theater from worthless Republicans in the senate.

Every vote to confirm Todd Blanche as attorney general is a vote to continue the coverup of the Epstein Files.

Yes me, I skeptical 🤚🏾

Allison Gill@muellershewrote.com · 2d ago

www.forbes.com/sites/alison...

Let's say, hypothetically, that there's no US-Iran deal imminent, Iran hasn't made any concessions, and ships still aren't going through Hormuz. If so, will any media that proclaimed a peace deal based on nothing but Trump's word regret the error and take steps to avoid making a similar one again?

Block Blanche

MeidasTouch@meidastouch.com · 3d ago

Katie Phang on Todd Blanche's meeting with Epstein survivors: "If you can imagine being the victim of this type of horrific child sex abuse, and then in your mind the brass ring is 'Let me sit down with the top cop of our country to be heard,' and to have him be such a dismissive asshole."

“Perimeters of a deal” lol

The fight for free and fair elections is the challenge of our generation. I started Democracy Docket to help inform and guide that fight. It has no corporate investors or advertisers. It relies on you for free subscriptions and paid memberships. Join today. demdock.com/4w6emld

Russia commits war crimes every single day

Anton Gerashchenko@antongerashchenko.bsky.social · 5d ago

It was a massive attack involving dozens of ballistic missiles. Russia killed nine people and injured 28 more, including four children, in Kyiv overnight. Civilian infrastructure was heavily damaged across multiple districts of the city.

This week the DOJ put in a motion of appearance in my/Harry's lawsuit to stop this slush fund saying that it's moot, and then they turn around and do this a few days later. The suit still stands.

Norm Eisen@normeisen.bsky.social · 5d ago

BREAKING: Trump is appealing the big win vs. the slush fund for the 35 judges by my org, Platkin & Susman Contrary to what Todd Blanche testified & told Cornyn & Tillis, I guess the slush fund is not dead after all! I explained @nytimes.com👇& I'll discuss at 5pm ET w/ @nicollewallace.bsky.social

Corruption takes two sides. Trump asks for the $ and people give it. The companies writing these checks seeking access and special treatment must also be held accountable. We have laws to do this. Audit the White House. Follow the dirty $ and get it back!! www.thebulwark.com/p/undoing-tr...

Undoing Trump’s Golden Age of Corruption

He’s made the presidency into a profitable grift. Here’s how some of his ill-gotten gains might be clawed back.

thebulwark.com

Orin Kerr@orinkerr.bsky.social · 5d ago

"‘The Boss Wants This Money’: Inside Trump’s Unprecedented Fundraising Operation," via the WSJ. Gift link: www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

Corruption. Bribes. Extortion. This is the driving force of Trump-style “governance.”

Democracy Defenders Action@democracydefendersaction.org · 5d ago

"The boss wants this money," Trump's fundraiser reportedly tells the billionaire CEOs he has shaken down for $800M+. They knew there was cost for access. Trump promised to drain the swamp but is instead flooding it and charging admission. www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

Their lives were destroyed by you, sir. Without your whipping them into a froth and sending them to the Capitol, they never would have committed crimes for you.

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 5d ago

Trump makes clear that he still supports the taxpayer-funded J6 slush fund: "I will always feel that these victims of govt abuse should be paid back ... Millions agree with me, as was proven in my landslide Presidential win, where this was a major subject of debate."

Our relationship to visual evidence is being profoundly disrupted by GenAI tools, which will impact how we know, what we can know, and what we think can be known about the world. A massive epistemological shift is upon us.

Faine Greenwood@faineg.bsky.social · 5d ago

I used to do some work on the ethical use of satellite and drone imagery for aid and disaster response, and it is genuinely hard to express in words what a dangerous, stupid thing Google is doing by making it easy to use GenAI to create faked satellite imagery:

We need a constitutional amendment to permit limits on campaign expenditures and prevent billionaires from buying elections. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/30/u...

Elon Musk Plans at Least $100 Million in Midterm Spending to Help Republicans

Elon Musk, a year after a huge blowup with President Trump and the Republican Party, is said to be planning to spend in at least eight states to help them in November.

nytimes.com

I know we were all gutted after the 2024 election and probably didn’t pay much attention to Jack Smith’s motion to dismiss the J6 case against Trump. But it’s worth a read. He made a point to say DoJ policy treats Trump’s second term as a PAUSE, and not the END of the case. I want Jack Smith for AG

Jack for AG 2029

Allison Gill@muellershewrote.com · 6d ago

The reason I want Jack Smith to be the next attorney general is because he brought that up in his motion to dismiss the case against Trump after he won the election. I mean, a full third of his motion is about possibly bringing charges again in the future. 9/

Sen Adam Schiff (D-CA) applauding delay in Todd Blanche committee vote “People should understand that the president has been able to engage in so much over-the-top corruption because the Senate & the House are not acting as a check on his power the way the Founders contemplated”

Any vote for Todd Blanche is a vote to continue covering up the Epstein Files.

Oversight Dems@oversightdemocrats.bsky.social · 6d ago

Todd Blanche has refused to release the Epstein files while continuing to shield abusers and pedophiles. Oversight Dems are united in calling on the Senate to REJECT his nomination for Attorney General.

America is resilient and will be restored, I believe that

Greg Sargent@gregsargent.bsky.social · 6d ago

The failure of Trumpism as a "personalist" project doesn't mean the broader MAGA ideological project will fail. But I think it's good that personalist dicator rule is getting so widely rejected. It may be a sign of democratic resilience. Some thoughts on that here: newrepublic.com/article/2137...

Every Wednesday: The Good Trouble Report. One everyday American choosing courage. This week — Erik Davis of Minnesota. His story is what good trouble is all about. Free teaser above. Full story for subscribers: www.standingourground.us/p/get-in-goo...