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Bryan King @[email protected] · 2026-03-06 · 12:30 UTC
Microsoft’s “Microslop” Discord Ban Backfires: What AI Builders Can Learn from This Epic Moderation Fail

2,644 words, 14 minutes read time.
The “Microslop” Catalyst: When Automated Moderation Becomes a PR Liability
The recent escalation on Microsoft’s official Copilot Discord server serves as a stark reminder that in the high-stakes world of generative AI, the community’s perception of quality is as vital as the underlying architecture itself. In early March 2026, what began as a routine effort to maintain decorum within a product-support hub rapidly spiraled into a live case study of the Streisand Effect. Reports from multiple industry outlets confirmed that Microsoft had implemented a blunt, automated keyword filter designed to silently delete any message containing the term “Microslop.” This derogatory portmanteau has been increasingly used by developers and power users to describe what they perceive as low-quality, intrusive, or “sloppy” AI integrations within the Windows ecosystem. While the corporate intent was likely to prune what a spokesperson later categorized as “coordinated spam,” the execution triggered a tidal wave of digital civil disobedience. Instead of silencing the critics, the automated system provided a focal point for them, validating the sentiment that the tech giant was more interested in brand preservation than addressing the technical grievances that birthed the nickname.
Analyzing the root of this frustration reveals that the term “slop” is often an emotional reaction to a very real technical burden placed on the developer community. For instance, attempting to upgrade a SharePoint Framework (SPFx) project from version 1.14.x to the recently released 1.22.x is frequently described by those in the trenches as a “blood bath” of error messages and cryptic warnings. The transition is not merely a version bump; it is an overhaul of the build toolchain that often leaves developers debugging deep-seated errors that appear to stem from AI-generated or “slop-induced” bugs within M365 and community plug-ins. When a developer spends three days chasing an error only to find it buried in a low-quality, automated code suggestion or a poorly integrated community tool, the “Microslop” label stops being a joke and starts being an accurate description of a broken workflow. This disconnect between Microsoft’s “AI-first” marketing and the gritty, error-prone reality of its development frameworks is precisely why a simple keyword filter was never going to be enough to contain the community’s mounting resentment.
The Streisand Effect: How Censorship Becomes a Signal
The failure of the “Microslop” ban is a textbook example of how heavy-handed moderation can amplify the very information it seeks to suppress. In the context of AI builders, this incident highlights the danger of using automated tools to sanitize discourse, as it inadvertently creates a “badge of resistance” for the user base. Every bypassed filter and every subsequent ban on the Copilot Discord became a signal to the broader industry that there was a significant rift between Microsoft’s narrative of AI “sophistication” and the community’s lived experience with the product. Furthermore, by escalating from keyword filtering to a full server lockdown, Microsoft effectively confirmed the power of the “Microslop” label. This elevated the term from a minor annoyance to a headline-grabbing symbol of corporate insecurity, demonstrating that the more a corporation tries to hide a piece of information, the more the public will seek it out and amplify it.
This phenomenon is particularly dangerous for AI-centric companies because the technology itself is already under intense scrutiny for its reliability and ethical implications. If a builder cannot manage a community hub without resorting to blunt-force censorship, it raises uncomfortable questions about how they manage the more complex, nuanced guardrails required for the Large Language Models (LLMs) themselves. The internet rarely leaves such attempts at suppression unpunished; in this case, the ban led to the creation of browser extensions and scripts specifically designed to spread the nickname across the web. This demonstrates that in 2026, community management is no longer just an administrative task; it is a critical component of brand integrity that requires a much more sophisticated approach than a simple “find and replace” blocklist. Builders must recognize that transparency is the only effective dampener for the Streisand Effect, as any attempt to use automation to hide dissatisfaction only serves to validate the critics.
Why the “Slop” Narrative Resonates: The Technical Quality Gap
At the heart of the “Microslop” controversy lies a deeper, more substantive issue regarding the growing perception that AI integration has entered a period of diminishing returns, often referred to as the “slop” era. The term “slop” gained significant cultural weight after major linguistic authorities and industry analysts began using it to specifically define the flood of low-quality, mass-produced AI content clogging the modern internet. When users apply this term to a tech giant, they are not merely engaging in schoolyard insults; they are expressing a technical frustration with the way generative AI features have been integrated into a legacy operating system. Analyzing the user feedback leading up to the Discord lockdown reveals a clear pattern of “quantity over quality” in the deployment of Copilot. Developers and power users have documented numerous instances where AI components were perceived as being forced into core OS functions like Notepad, File Explorer, and Task Manager, often at the expense of system latency and overall stability.
This quality gap is precisely what gave the “Microslop” nickname its viral potency, as it hit upon a verifiable truth regarding the current state of the software. If the AI integration were universally recognized as seamless, high-value, and technically flawless, the derogatory label would have failed to gain traction among the engineering community. However, because the term captured a widespread sentiment that the software was becoming bloated with unrefined, “sloppy” code that prioritizes corporate AI metrics over actual user utility, the attempt to ban the word felt like an attempt to ban the truth itself. For AI builders, this serves as a critical warning that one cannot moderate their way out of a fundamental quality problem. If a community begins to categorize a product’s output as “slop,” the correct response is not to update the server’s AutoMod settings to include the word on a prohibited list; the solution is to re-evaluate the product roadmap and address the technical regressions causing the friction.
Root Cause Analysis: The Failure of Brittle Automation in Community Governance
The technical root cause of the Discord meltdown can be traced back to the implementation of “naive” or “brittle” automation—a common pitfall for organizations that treat community management as a purely administrative task. Microsoft’s moderation team relied on a basic fixed-string match filter, which is the mos
Furthermore, the automation failed to account for context, which is the most vital component of any successful moderation strategy. The bot reportedly flagged every instance of the word “Microslop,” regardless of whether the user was using it as an insult, asking a question about the controversy, or providing constructive criticism. By labeling a corporate nickname with the same “inappropriate” tag usually reserved for hate speech or harassment, the automated system actively insulted the intelligence of the user base. This lack of nuance in the AI-driven moderation stack created a pressure cooker environment where every automated deletion was viewed as an act of corporate censorship. For AI builders, the lesson is that any automation deployed for community governance must be as sophisticated as the product it supports. Relying on 1990s-era keyword filtering to manage a 2026-era AI community is a recipe for disaster, as it signals a lack of technical effort that only further reinforces the “slop” narrative the organization is trying to escape.
The Strategic Shift: Moving Beyond Blunt Force Suppression
The failure of the “Microslop” ban highlights a critical strategic inflection point for AI builders who must navigate the increasingly volatile waters of developer communities. Relying on blunt-force suppression as a first-line defense against product criticism is a strategy rooted in legacy corporate communication models that are incompatible with the transparent, decentralized nature of modern technical hubs. When a tech giant attempts to scrub a derogatory term from its digital ecosystem, it effectively abdicates its role as a collaborator and assumes the role of an adversary. This shift in posture is particularly damaging in the context of generative AI, where the success of a platform like Copilot is heavily dependent on the feedback loops and integrations created by the very developers who feel alienated by such heavy-handed moderation. Instead of viewing these “slop” accusations as a nuisance to be silenced, sophisticated AI organizations should view them as high-fidelity data points indicating where the gap between marketing hype and functional utility has become too wide to ignore.
Consequently, the move toward resilient community management requires a transition from “policing” to “pivoting.” Analyzing the fallout from the March 2026 lockdown reveals that the most effective way to neutralize a pejorative nickname is to address the technical deficiencies that gave the name its power. For instance, if users are labeling an AI integration as “slop” due to high latency, resource bloat, or inconsistent output, the strategic response should involve a public-facing commitment to performance benchmarks and a transparent roadmap for optimization. By engaging with the substance of the criticism rather than the semantics of the label, a builder can naturally erode the legitimacy of the mockery. Microsoft’s decision to hide behind a locked Discord server suggests a lack of preparedness for the “friction” that inevitably accompanies the rollout of transformative technologies. To avoid this pitfall, builders must ensure that their community teams are empowered with technical context and the authority to translate community outrage into actionable product requirements, rather than being relegated to the role of digital janitors tasked with sweeping dissent under the rug.
Building Resilience: Lessons in Context-Aware Governance
For AI startups and established enterprises alike, the “Microslop” debacle provides a definitive masterclass in the necessity of context-aware governance. The primary technical takeaway is that community moderation in 2026 must be as intellectually rigorous as the models being developed. A sophisticated governance stack would utilize sentiment analysis and intent recognition to differentiate between a user engaging in harassment and a user expressing a legitimate, albeit sarcastically phrased, grievance. By failing to integrate these more nuanced AI capabilities into their own moderation tools, Microsoft inadvertently signaled a lack of confidence in the very technology they are asking the world to adopt. If an AI leader cannot trust its own systems to handle a Discord meme without resorting to a total server blackout, it becomes significantly harder to convince enterprise clients that the same technology is ready to handle mission-critical business logic or sensitive customer interactions.
Furthermore, building a resilient community requires a fundamental acceptance of the “ugly” side of product development. In the age of social media and rapid-fire developer feedback, mistakes will be memed, and failures will be christened with catchy, derogatory nicknames. Attempting to legislate these memes out of existence is a losing battle that only serves to accelerate the Streisand Effect. Instead, AI builders should focus on creating “high-trust environments” where users feel that their feedback—no matter how unpolished or “sloppy” it may be—is being ingested as a valuable resource. This involves maintaining open channels even during a PR crisis and resisting the urge to implement “emergency” filters that treat your most vocal users like hostile actors. By prioritizing stability, transparency, and technical excellence over brand hygiene, organizations can transform a potential “Microslop” moment into a demonstration of corporate maturity and a commitment to long-term product quality.
From Damage Control to Product Discipline: Reclaiming the Narrative
The ultimate fallout of the Microsoft Discord lockdown serves as a definitive case study in why AI builders must prioritize technical discipline over narrative control. When a corporation attempts to “engineer” a community’s vocabulary through restrictive automation, it inadvertently signals a lack of confidence in the underlying product’s ability to speak for itself. Analyzing the broader industry trends of 2026, it becomes clear that the “slop” label is not merely a social media trend but a technical critique of the current state of LLM integration. For a developer audience, the transition from “Microsoft” to “Microslop” in common parlance was a direct reaction to perceived regressions in software performance and the intrusion of non-essential AI telemetry into stable workflows. By focusing on the removal of the word rather than the remediation of the code, Microsoft missed a critical opportunity to demonstrate the “sophistication” that CEO Satya Nadella has publicly championed. Builders must realize that in a highly literate technical ecosystem, the only way to effectively kill a derogatory meme is to make it irrelevant through superior engineering and undeniable user value.
Furthermore, the “Microslop” incident underscores the necessity of a unified strategy between product engineering and community management. In many large-scale tech organizations, these departments operate in silos, leading to situations where a community manager implements a blunt-force keyword filter without realizing it contradicts the broader corporate message of AI-driven nuance and intelligence. This strategic misalignment is what allowed a minor moderation decision to balloon into a global PR crisis that dominated tech headlines for a week. To build a resilient AI brand, organizations must ensure that their automated governance tools are reflective of their core technological promises. If your product is marketed as an “intelligent companion,” your moderation bot cannot behave like a primitive 1990s-era blacklist. Moving forward, the industry must adopt a “feedback-first” architecture where automated tools are used to categorize and elevate user frustration to engineering teams, rather than acting as a digital firewall designed to protect executive sensibilities from the harsh reality of user sentiment.
Conclusion: The Lasting Legacy of the “Slop” Era
The March 2026 Discord lockdown will likely be remembered as the moment “Microslop” transitioned from a niche joke to a permanent fixture of the AI era’s vocabulary. Microsoft’s attempt to use automated moderation as a shield against criticism backfired because it ignored the fundamental law of the digital age: the more you try to hide a grievance, the more you validate its existence. For those of us building in the AI space, the lessons are clear and uncompromising. We must build with transparency, moderate with context, and never mistake a blunt-force keyword filter for a comprehensive community strategy. If we want our products to be associated with innovation rather than “slop,” we must earn that reputation through technical excellence and genuine engagement, not through the silent deletion of our critics’ messages. In the end, Microsoft didn’t just ban a word; they inadvertently launched a movement, proving that even the world’s most powerful tech companies remain vulnerable to the power of a well-timed, nine-letter meme and the undeniable force of the Streisand Effect.
Call to Action
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D. Bryan King

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The views and opinions expressed in this post are solely those of the author. The information provided is based on personal research, experience, and understanding of the subject matter at the time of writing. Readers should consult relevant experts or authorities for specific guidance related to their unique situations.

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abolitionmedia @[email protected] · 2026-02-20 · 17:17 UTC

Italy: Statements by Anna Beniamino, Juan Sorroche and Action for Palestine Ireland

Some contributions from inside and outside prisons for the initiatives “Sabotage war and repression” on February 7 and 8 in Viterbo
On February 7, about 150 people took to the streets in Viterbo for a radical demonstration that showed how it is possible and necessary to link the issues of war and repression: with the resistance of the Palestinian people, against defeatism in Ukraine, against repression as an expression of war policies on the home front, against 41 bis as a war prison, and in solidarity with Alfredo Cospito. These issues were explored in greater depth the following day, again in the city of Viterbo, at a very rich militant conference. Here is the text announcing the two initiatives:
https://ilrovescio.info/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Sabotiamo-la-guerra-e-la-repressione-corretto-al-23.12.pdf
While waiting to publish further material as it becomes available, we are circulating letters from Anna and Juan from the prisons where they are being held as contributions to the conference on February 8. We are also publishing a greeting from Ireland, as partial testimony to the internationalist nature of the days of struggle and discussion on February 7 and 8.
* * *
Contribution by Anna Beniamino from section AS2 of the Rebibbia women’s prison (Rome) for the conference held on February 8 in Viterbo.
First of all, thank you for asking me to contribute to the conference on War and Repression. I will try, starting from the perspective that is, despite myself, clearer here: repression and the ‘local’ repercussions, in prisons, of global policies of war, economic austerity, and the militarization of society.
I am aware that there are no theoretical recipes or detailed, definitive analyses, but only a simple and solid certainty that any real, non-virtual struggle implies reaction and repression.
The problem is ‘only’ to take this into account, to be ready and not to be paralyzed by fear of it, to build solidarity and awareness of one’s own means and ends, with continuity and tenacity. Especially in these times when preventive repressive work is spreading across multiple levels, both covert and overt.
Starting in 2022, when Alfredo was transferred to 41 bis, I wrote several times about differentiated circuits and regimes as well as, long before that, inside and outside prison, about struggles and repression, in ordinary and “extraordinary” terms; I refer back to all this and to my latest notes for the Roman assembly against 41 bis.
Essentially, I believe that the discussion should be resumed… because it is never over, nor have the ethical assumptions that supported it fallen away, so as not to leave a well-established discussion unfinished, not to leave a comrade alone, not to waste an opportunity in which a single battle has shown how we can be together, “irredeemable” and positively recognizable outside the narrow area of the anarchist movement in its content, so as not to leave alone the comrades who are now facing the various trials connected with the mobilization, because credibility is also built on continuity and consistency, because the mask has been removed from one of the pillars of bipartisan rhetoric on “mafia and terrorism,” because the “fight against terrorism” is now a global smokescreen and the current context of militarized capitalism and blatant neocolonialism in the procurement of resources and the opening of trade routes lends itself well to the reception of an anti-authoritarian, anti-militarist message of solidarity among the oppressed.
And 41 bis is a militarized prison management system, which they are trying to maintain. It is not residual (a compost bin for mafia foot soldiers in use in the 1980s) but undergoing restructuring, fundamental and foundational, a clear expression of the technological control of the human animal, of the reduction of the body to a machine and of the individual imprisoned to a bodily simulacrum to be kept alive (not always!) with acceptable vital parameters, preferably in a vegetative state.
The data on the various Dantean circles of the prisons of the Bel Paese are now well known even in the mainstream (and also thanks to past mobilization), just a few small additional notes…
41 bis does not appear to be in the process of being phased out, but rather restructured and centralized, with a predictable increase in capacity—with seven dedicated prisons, three in Sardinia and four on the mainland. From what has emerged in the local media in recent months, both in Alessandria and in Sardinia, the municipality and region have been struck by administrative NIMBY syndrome: they do not want such a notorious type of prison in their territories or, more prosaically, the idea is to sweep the dust under the carpet (of their neighbor). It can be assumed that, for the prison administration, centralizing only 41 bis prisoners in the same prison (as is currently the case only in L’Aquila) means reducing costs and further militarizing the regime.
At the same time, since the pandemic, AS circuits have been tightened, stabilized under closed conditions, with gradual reductions in usability, always with a view to simplifying control and economizing in its management, with the specter of “security” being touted everywhere. Doing some quick math, it is clear that the prison system is in chronic and growing managerial/economic crisis (as is the entire state apparatus, for that matter), so the first to pay the price are the lumpenproletariat piled up in the common sections, where self-control is clearly emphasized, where self-destruction and intoxication with drugs and psychotropic drugs are functional to the control (if not managerial control) of situations on the edge of survival. Last but not least, juvenile prisons are more overcrowded than ever, a clear demonstration of the preventive work of repression.
Meanwhile, the Italian state is preparing to achieve European leadership in the imprisonment of long-term political prisoners, from the season of struggles of the 1970s and 1980s, still in AS, and in the use of that typically Italian 41 bis, of emergency elevated to a system, which constantly moves on the margins of ‘law’, adaptable according to the target.
Although the technical-jurisprudential data lends itself to an interpretation of denied rights, and I believe this is one of the critical points that is controversial and open to misinterpretation if poorly managed/explained, in terms of victimization and the restoration of rights, I do not believe that it loses its incisiveness if, in reality, formal contradictions and legal and procedural distortions are highlighted, legal and procedural distortions, also to highlight the arrogance of power, to combat the normalization of repression, double or multiple standards depending on the enemy (yes, that ‘criminal law of the enemy’ that is being discussed) and the expansion of the repressive ‘offer’ and the audience of potential candidates.
Previously, someone said, to give a down-to-earth example, ‘ah, but the crime of association, 270 bis, is impossible for anarchists, it’s a remnant of the repressive strategy of the 1980s’ – then we found ourselves with a barrage of convictions and proceedings for 270 bis and its siblings, thrice, four times, five times, etc., etc., which are modeled and used according to national and international political balances. From the internal communist target to the anarchist one, to the Islamist one, to now settle on the Palestinian resistance.
It is not a laboratory, as was commonly said some time ago, it is the current reality. These are not experiments to be studied, it is a practice to be fought, the “multitasking” use of terrorism charges, which can be applied to any political opponent.
Although the global panorama of war & ‘Board of Peace’, genocide & ‘Gaza Beach’ now makes the true nature of democratic regimes and the military use of technological and scientific progress clear even to Western citizens who have been lobotomized by the media and consumerism, and although the sirens of war are getting closer and closer to our backyards, I have the impression (from here, from the aquarium of a prison, therefore with all the limitations of vision that this entails) that in these parts repression is investing heavily in prevention, clumsy and arrogant like the current rabble in power, with a martial appearance and effective genuflection to the guidelines of global capital. But still able to reel off new types of crimes with impunity, red tape and restrictions that simplify the work by dissecting it in advance.
In moments of “fatigue” in the struggles, the audience of potential targets of repression expands, almost like a stress test of tolerance, to include those fringes of the movement and social opposition in the broad sense that normally, in Western democratic regimes are perceived as more protected (or rather convince themselves that they are, having traded scraps of freedom and critical thinking for some niche of survival).
Emergency legislation is being modeled without there being an emergency, yet.
It may seem contradictory; logic would dictate greater action, greater repression, but here we are essentially at the point of preventive sterilization. Cutting off the buds before they become a thorny bush, when it is easier to do so, delighting in manipulating what is beginning to emerge, not as a revolutionary movement but as a movement of opinion, indignation, and denunciation.
When it is easier to contain it with batons and tear gas, fines and the buying and selling of the most recoverable components, stick and carrot, gunshots and social media, as needed, to each his own, with a few more licenses.
Those who study and work in the field of control know full well that for several years now, the symbolic, ritualistic, informative, and counter-informative aspects of protests have prevailed in Western squares. From the black blocs of Seattle, who targeted shop windows, to Fridays for Future, who prioritized holding up signs for the cameras, from the rhetoric of “don’t believe the media, become the media” to the compulsive use of social media in an unresolved love-hate relationship.
The current protests in Minneapolis against ICE show this, with tragic results: “subversive,” ‘insurrectionist’ high-tech protesters, carrying cell phones to film the misdeeds of these “special forces” who round up adults and children… The police (after technologically tracking migrants and protesters) are more old-fashioned than their opponents, now shooting as they did 100 years ago, at a kneeling protester.
Is this a short circuit in the repression of democratic dissent administered in its purest form, the alarm bell of a change in scenario, or a sign that the transition has already taken place?
In Italy, the pandemic has led to a shift from Berlusconi’s glitter and doubloons to Meloni’s insignia. Although the national leaders are unlikely to display martial aplomb, they are in fact promoting warmongering policies, trafficking in arms, and aspiring to post-war reconstruction deals (depending on the bone they are allowed to gnaw on under the table), dusting off the rhetorical paraphernalia of yesteryear, God-Country-Family, defense of borders, etc., etc., but doing so from the screen of a smartphone, the widespread form of political ‘education’ today, in the collapse of the party-electoral system (if we do a few more quick calculations on the percentage of national voters and those in the various European states). This ‘education’ is not rhetorical but necessary in the search for new cannon fodder for new internal and international conflicts: at the moment, we are in the midst of fiction and commercials designed to sell a military career as attractive, with aesthetic suggestions wavering between Top Gun and toy soldiers helping children and the elderly find their way home… soon they will relaunch compulsory military service as ‘formative’ and ‘performative’, ‘smart’ cannon fodder…
However, there is a counter-rhetoric to the poison of war and militarist propaganda, also dating back to that era, created by the distillations of revolutionary currents, by those who were resistant and capable of countering it with atheism and anti-clericalism, internationalism and anti-militarism. This is more relevant than ever, given that, if we raise our gaze for a moment and look beyond the more comfortable representations of these shores, we see that, in addition to war, there is renewed talk of desertion on both sides, Russian and Ukrainian; given that the squares of the world sometimes move of their own accord and the transition from indignation at a corrupt system to irreparable rupture occurs precisely in those generations born and raised on the web and social media, from Nepal to Indonesia.
It is a matter of reversing the perspective and becoming aware, here too, of one’s own role, limitations, shortcomings, and responsibilities in order to free ourselves from postmodern muddle and interclassist vagueness, to recognize the differences between mimetic representations of conflict and real conflicts, to choose whether to exercise solidarity among the oppressed or to be unable to recognize the oppressors, in the game of mirrors of current communication that sometimes uses overexposure, fast scrolling, and the deconstruction of meaning as preventive weapons. And even the most resistant tend to be distracted, dazzled.
Knowing how to recognize oneself and recognize the nature of the conflict at hand would be a small starting point, not a destination.
Anna,
January ‘26
Rome, Rebibbia
* * *
Contribution by Juan Sorroche from section AS2 of Terni prison for the conference on February 8 in Viterbo
Hello to all, comrades, present at today’s event. Greetings to those who created this space for discussion and gave us prisoners the opportunity to express ourselves in this space, and also for the solidarity you often express.
I am Juan Sorroche, an anarchist prisoner arrested on May 22, 2019, and I am writing from the AS2 section of Terni prison, where I have been incarcerated for six years with a total sentence of 28 years and two trials still ongoing.
I feel compelled to say a few things at this conference, even at the risk of coming across as self-referential and rhetorical. As an anarchist prisoner, I do not write for aesthetic pleasure, but rather with the intention of creating debate and stimulating self-organization and coordination for the struggle. As a prisoner and as an anarchist militant, I have always believed that we must be clear and not hide our opinions and ideological intentions, even in front of judges, holding our heads high and not letting anyone speak for us.
I have always believed in and felt deeply connected to the place where I was born, but not to the land or the place itself, that is, not in a nationalistic sense, but in a cosmopolitan sense, in the culture of internationalist anarchist history, Spanish history. Even before I was aware of what anarchy and anarchism were, my dear grandmother (who believed strongly in God but was a staunch anti-clericalist due to her experiences during the period of insurrection and revolution, and then in the civil war) used to sing me a piece of a CNT song when I was very young. It was a single verse against priests that went something like this: ‘If the priests knew how many beatings they were about to get, they would sing freedom, freedom, freedom’. Then my uncle, who returned to Spain after Franco’s death, lived with us when he was a child and was a role model for me. During the war, he deserted Franco’s army, and they caught him and gave him a choice: be shot or go to Tunisia to fight for them. He chose the latter option, of course, and there he deserted again, risking being shot. He then secretly reached France by ship and made a life for himself there until his return. I could recount many other experiences and stories from my family.
This little digression is to say that I have come to the conclusion that for me, and probably for many individual anarchists and libertarians, beyond the rational aspect, there is also a need to nurture and enliven that of the heart, of the spirit of rebellion.
It is essential and necessary to explore them and observe them continuously with curiosity in order to give us strength of mind, despite prison, suffering, mistrust, and despite all the pessimistic judgments that kill the will of anarchy. And personally, I believe that the soul, the heart that moves each anarchist and libertarian individually, is not a matter of folklore because it tells us many wise things. If we observe sincerely, it asks us questions, it helps us understand ourselves and understand: where do those distant, deep feelings and our primordial impulses of revolt that have lit this flame come from? And it tells us to get out of bed every day and move towards the life-struggle of anarchism. It also tells us how to be anarchists, where that has taken us, and where we want to go. Without regrets.
But above all, it tells us and gives us the will and spirit to believe in ourselves, in Anarchy, and in the revolutionary-libertarian spirit. And it tells us to continue and continue every day, and mainly to listen, understand, and overcome that part of ourselves that crushes us, discourages us, keeps us constantly immobile without understanding our fears, and corrodes us from within, increasing resignation and frustration. All this and much more is what our roots, our hearts, and the spirit that moves each anarchist individually tells us.
And so I believe that my anti-militarist and internationalist-anarchist tendencies run deep. For me, it is a very intimate matter that has been handed down to me in warmth and human love. Those people were able to impose themselves as figures without pretension, and for this very reason they remain essential roots for me, pillars of reference who loved me and whom I loved as a child, roots that must not be lost and that run deep within me.
I cannot feel and understand these complex sensibilities and feelings as separate from these complex rational concepts; for me, they are a holistic Taoist whole, they are integrative, inseparable in a personal and ideological sense.
But be careful, I don’t think it’s just a matter of sensitivity, of anarchist or libertarian spirit!
Because I believe that self-organization is necessary, both as our compass and as our material foundation. Direct libertarian action is needed, accompanied by planning with clear perspectives at different levels, tactical and strategic, discussed in depth by everyone without delegation.
Clarity is essential with the comrades with whom we self-organize, whether they are anarchists, libertarians, or not.
This clarity: that these perspectives can only be achieved through the violent destruction of the state, capitalism, and progressive industrialism in the world.
Of course, comrades, I don’t believe that class struggle is exclusively about violent actions. Nor do I believe that it involves only peaceful and cultural struggles. If anything, it is the convergence of all these multiform struggles and many others; both social struggles involving countless people and minorities, groups, and individuals who engage in direct action, and even those more specific to armed propaganda. It is this diverse and multifaceted convergence that constitutes the real strength, the qualities necessary for class struggle.
We must fight against the miserable interclassist social pacification of the warmongers that exists today in Palestine and in our own contexts, which serves only to lull us to sleep, to transform our consciousness in order to extinguish the struggles of rupture and revolt, and we must self-organize autonomously in the class struggle. Because I do not believe that spontaneous radical social explosions of struggle alone are enough, such as the wonderful days of September 22nd when we “blocked everything” and, mind you, I believe they are still very important and fundamental!
But at this moment in history, we also need the spirit, the soul of the will of the revolutionaries, who must also be connected and prepared in body and materially self-organized as revolutionary-libertarian and autonomous minorities.
Malatesta already said this back in 1915, during the First World War, forcefully asserting concepts that I believe are still very valid today in a context such as the current class struggle, the world war. He stated this in his text, “The Anarchist International and the War,” the so-called Manifesto of the Thirty-Five, published a year before the harmful and deleterious Manifesto of the Sixteen.
I believe, like Malatesta, what he wrote in the text: “Anarchists and War.”
“In times of war, anarchists have a very specific personal action to carry out: their action, we might say, is specific in terms of both means and ends. We stay among ourselves and agree to act in groups of three or four. A group of fifteen, twenty, or forty individuals should therefore be divided into four, six, or ten groups, each free from the collective preoccupations of the action.”
Of course, here he is only talking to anarchists. And of course, I believe that this is only a problem that must first be solved by anarchists and libertarians.
However, this provides food for thought and a question to reflect on at the conference. This is by no means a new issue. But I believe it is a priority to address how our various specific spaces and times should be self-organized.
I say this also because I believe it is a serious mistake to confuse specific anarchist and libertarian self-organized spaces and times with other specific non-anarchist ones, without clarifying this. Also because, in my opinion, this only creates confusion and misunderstandings with everyone, anarchists and non-anarchists alike, and does not lead far in the class struggle.
And let me be clear, this does not in any way exclude me from fighting alongside other non-anarchist comrades.
I simply believe that we must be sincere in our self-organization among all of us, anarchists and non-anarchists alike, in order to create different spaces and times with mutual, reciprocal, and clear agreements that are anti-authoritarian.
But I wonder, and I ask at the conference: if we ourselves are not capable of self-organizing autonomously, how can we think we can contribute and support each other in conflicts, in specific struggles, or in the class struggle, bringing real and qualitative strength?
And above all: how can we expect not to find ourselves constantly unprepared and out of step with the times and spaces of struggle if we are not self-organized, without clear projects and tasks, with concrete tactical objectives, and a strategic ideological compass for these specific meetings of ours as a methodological tool that is constantly evolving?
Another issue to address is how to self-organize to defend and attack the major problem within our struggles in Italy that causes and produces the interclassist recovery of social struggles of radical and autonomous revolts of rupture?
I believe that the problem always arises as a consequence of this lack of self-organized spaces and times in the class struggle, leaving gaps without a real defense and attack to counter them with clear objectives, both materially and politically-ideologically.
I believe that all this, this lack, apart from very small and courageous minority components in the world, is one of the main reasons for the inability of our anarchist movement and the general movement of revolutionary rupture to develop struggles articulated towards a real class struggle that meets social struggles and autonomy in the class struggle.
This is the problem: it is not just a matter of analysis, which, incidentally, has been accurate and very good on more than one occasion in our movement, but remains only a theoretical point of view. The point is how to change reality by demonstrating these analyses in the struggle. But I believe that the interpretation of some recent analyses is correct and very useful – as, for me, is the anarchist text La fase nichilista (The Nihilist Phase) by Vetriolo – but we must not fall into inaction, in order to keep pace with the class struggle and make our own real contribution from a revolutionary-libertarian perspective. Because only the integration of propaganda with facts and analysis, and vice versa, is what demonstrates the credibility and real concreteness of such analyses and of revolutionary minorities, which, together with the actions of specific general and international social movements, can change the social context of reality with real qualitative forces in the class.
Of course, analytical concepts are fundamental, and it is especially important to be able to carry out a precise analysis today, but they must have a real, complex, and in fact inseparable and intrinsic link to what Malatesta wrote. The same applies to intrinsic armed propaganda, in an integrative relationship between revolutionary-libertarian minorities and specific general and international movements and the class struggle.
Without this intertwining of practice-theory-theory-practice… and self-organization in reality as a force and in quality, both in time and space, in the long run I believe that analyses, however good and qualitative they may be, such as The Nihilist Phase, remain a simple philosophical point of view.
And, let me be clear, I believe that internationalist movements are valuable and should be considered worthy of interest, and I also believe that it is essential to relate to them for development; they are the lifeblood of the various revolutionary class struggle movements.
But, honestly, when it comes to the revolutionary task, I believe that today these are very, very, very timid, and I would not give them so much emphasis. And, I repeat, I say timid or I would not give them emphasis for the great revolutionary task, which for me must be a libertarian task of breaking away, and above all creating a real balance of power that we should create as revolutionaries, to try to defend ourselves in order to attack the nation-state, capitalism, and progressive and technological industrialism in reality.
But we also need to be frank, debate among ourselves, confront each other, and be self-critical and constructively critical within our own ranks, especially in the face of the “parliamentary cretinism” and democratic reformism that exists today, which, incidentally, is completely counterrevolutionary.
And above all within many of our own movements of struggle, this democratic reformism is interclassist and very strong.
And let’s be honest, this is nothing new. Certain tactical and strategic methods, including armed ones, such as direct attacks on both property and people, are only acceptable to certain individuals, groups, minorities, and activist movements in Italy if they take place in distant “tropical” countries with their folkloric armed guerrilla and partisan warfare. And unfortunately, the same thing is happening again today in Western Asia, as in Palestine, and yesterday with the Kurds, Algerians, Zapatistas, Mapuche, etc., etc. However, above all, they immediately distance themselves, as at the G8 in Genoa, etc., and above all, urge you not to even think of it as a possibility here in terms of the necessary armed guerrilla and partisan warfare, in a context of class struggle, at least not here, where we have a constitutional democracy.
We have already seen this time and time again in the various university ‘waves’ and in various struggles by antagonistic movements in twenty-five years of struggle in Italy, and I do not see why today should be any different without having done the hard political and concrete work of revolutionary struggle and autonomous rupture in the class struggle.
So I repeat: how can we strongly and politically oppose this “parliamentary cretinism” with practices of rupture and autonomy?
I believe that Malatesta already gave us good guidance in 1915.
The Salis case is emblematic, giving us a sense of the situation and telling us a lot about this internalized method of interclassist “parliamentary cretinism,” which is very serious, especially given the social and historical context of war in which we find ourselves! It is particularly serious within our struggle movements, serious for those who have delegated the anti-authoritarian and autonomous class struggle by voting for a party, thereby effectively reinforcing the nation-state, capitalism, technological industrialism, and the interclassist warmongering democratic system, thus severely undermining an already weak real revolutionary and internationalist solidarity.
I believe that not addressing all this clearly as a whole is a big mistake for the struggles.
A hug…
Greetings, anarchy!
Juan Sorroche
AS2-Terni – 27/01/2026
* * *
Greetings from Action for Palestine Ireland to the initiatives on February 7 and 8 in Viterbo
Action for Palestine Ireland sends its revolutionary greetings to our comrades in Italy. We salute your mobilization against war and repression and your uncompromising stance against imperialism at a time marked by accelerating militarization, censorship, and social control at the heart of imperialism and in its peripheries.
From our perspective in Ireland, the current phase marks an intensification of global contradictions. The escalating Zionist assault on the West Bank and Gaza, the ongoing imperialist attempts at destabilization against Venezuela and Iran, and the widening arc of confrontation led by NATO all point to a deepening of the strategy of permanent war. This strategy requires not only external aggression, but also an intensification of repression on the home front. The coming year will require not only resistance as in the past, but also new forms of international coordination and political clarity among revolutionaries. It is time to build new waves of resistance rooted in a common analysis and a shared struggle.
In Ireland, this war-like reconfiguration is increasingly evident. We have witnessed a marked escalation in the repression of anti-imperialist activities: the brutality of the Garda against demonstrations of solidarity with Palestine and against NATO; violent intimidation of Irish republicans by the Special Branch; and the creation of new repressive precedents within the illegitimate courts of the Irish Free State, which now mirror British trends in sentencing aimed at criminalizing dissent. These developments are not isolated abuses, but expressions of a state preparing to discipline internal opposition as it aligns itself more openly with imperialist war.
A recent example clearly illustrates this concept. Activists from across Ireland organized a secret protest at Shannon Airport, long a logistics hub for US troops and military equipment transiting to imperialist wars. Upon arrival, they were met by senior Garda officers and special units of the investigative police. This preemptive mobilization of the state’s highest repressive apparatus signals an intensification of surveillance on anti-imperialist militants and confirms that Ireland’s supposed military “neutrality” is a fiction. The Irish Free State is actively abandoning even the facade of neutrality in order to integrate more fully into the NATO war machine, while repressing those who denounce and resist this role.
These trends do not bode well for Palestine, nor for the working class and oppressed people in general. However, they also highlight the vulnerabilities of the system. It is precisely when contradictions intensify, when war abroad requires repression at home, that capitalism reveals its weakness. Our task is to prepare for these moments, to organize and act in concert across national borders.
For these reasons, we welcome your mobilizations in Viterbo and your commitment to an internationalist struggle against war and repression.
We hope to strengthen collaboration between our struggles, contributing to a common front against imperialism, Zionist colonialism, and the bourgeois states that support them. Together, through coordination and revolutionary determination, we are committed to transforming resistance into a concrete force.
Solidarity,
Action for Palestine Ireland
Italy: Statements by Anna Beniamino, from Rebibbia prison, and Juan Sorroche, from Terni prison, and greetings from Action for Palestine Ireland on the occasion of the “Sabotage the War and Repression” initiatives on February 7 and 8 in Viterbo
https://abolitionmedia.noblogs.org/?p=28558 #AnarchistPrisoners #AnnaBeniamino #europe #internationalism #ireland #italy #JuanSorroche #palestineSolidarity

#anarchistprisoners #annabeniamino #europe #internationalism #ireland #italy
abolitionmedia @[email protected] · 2026-02-20 · 17:17 UTC

Italy: Statements by Anna Beniamino, Juan Sorroche and Action for Palestine Ireland

Some contributions from inside and outside prisons for the initiatives “Sabotage war and repression” on February 7 and 8 in Viterbo
On February 7, about 150 people took to the streets in Viterbo for a radical demonstration that showed how it is possible and necessary to link the issues of war and repression: with the resistance of the Palestinian people, against defeatism in Ukraine, against repression as an expression of war policies on the home front, against 41 bis as a war prison, and in solidarity with Alfredo Cospito. These issues were explored in greater depth the following day, again in the city of Viterbo, at a very rich militant conference. Here is the text announcing the two initiatives:
https://ilrovescio.info/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Sabotiamo-la-guerra-e-la-repressione-corretto-al-23.12.pdf
While waiting to publish further material as it becomes available, we are circulating letters from Anna and Juan from the prisons where they are being held as contributions to the conference on February 8. We are also publishing a greeting from Ireland, as partial testimony to the internationalist nature of the days of struggle and discussion on February 7 and 8.
* * *
Contribution by Anna Beniamino from section AS2 of the Rebibbia women’s prison (Rome) for the conference held on February 8 in Viterbo.
First of all, thank you for asking me to contribute to the conference on War and Repression. I will try, starting from the perspective that is, despite myself, clearer here: repression and the ‘local’ repercussions, in prisons, of global policies of war, economic austerity, and the militarization of society.
I am aware that there are no theoretical recipes or detailed, definitive analyses, but only a simple and solid certainty that any real, non-virtual struggle implies reaction and repression.
The problem is ‘only’ to take this into account, to be ready and not to be paralyzed by fear of it, to build solidarity and awareness of one’s own means and ends, with continuity and tenacity. Especially in these times when preventive repressive work is spreading across multiple levels, both covert and overt.
Starting in 2022, when Alfredo was transferred to 41 bis, I wrote several times about differentiated circuits and regimes as well as, long before that, inside and outside prison, about struggles and repression, in ordinary and “extraordinary” terms; I refer back to all this and to my latest notes for the Roman assembly against 41 bis.
Essentially, I believe that the discussion should be resumed… because it is never over, nor have the ethical assumptions that supported it fallen away, so as not to leave a well-established discussion unfinished, not to leave a comrade alone, not to waste an opportunity in which a single battle has shown how we can be together, “irredeemable” and positively recognizable outside the narrow area of the anarchist movement in its content, so as not to leave alone the comrades who are now facing the various trials connected with the mobilization, because credibility is also built on continuity and consistency, because the mask has been removed from one of the pillars of bipartisan rhetoric on “mafia and terrorism,” because the “fight against terrorism” is now a global smokescreen and the current context of militarized capitalism and blatant neocolonialism in the procurement of resources and the opening of trade routes lends itself well to the reception of an anti-authoritarian, anti-militarist message of solidarity among the oppressed.
And 41 bis is a militarized prison management system, which they are trying to maintain. It is not residual (a compost bin for mafia foot soldiers in use in the 1980s) but undergoing restructuring, fundamental and foundational, a clear expression of the technological control of the human animal, of the reduction of the body to a machine and of the individual imprisoned to a bodily simulacrum to be kept alive (not always!) with acceptable vital parameters, preferably in a vegetative state.
The data on the various Dantean circles of the prisons of the Bel Paese are now well known even in the mainstream (and also thanks to past mobilization), just a few small additional notes…
41 bis does not appear to be in the process of being phased out, but rather restructured and centralized, with a predictable increase in capacity—with seven dedicated prisons, three in Sardinia and four on the mainland. From what has emerged in the local media in recent months, both in Alessandria and in Sardinia, the municipality and region have been struck by administrative NIMBY syndrome: they do not want such a notorious type of prison in their territories or, more prosaically, the idea is to sweep the dust under the carpet (of their neighbor). It can be assumed that, for the prison administration, centralizing only 41 bis prisoners in the same prison (as is currently the case only in L’Aquila) means reducing costs and further militarizing the regime.
At the same time, since the pandemic, AS circuits have been tightened, stabilized under closed conditions, with gradual reductions in usability, always with a view to simplifying control and economizing in its management, with the specter of “security” being touted everywhere. Doing some quick math, it is clear that the prison system is in chronic and growing managerial/economic crisis (as is the entire state apparatus, for that matter), so the first to pay the price are the lumpenproletariat piled up in the common sections, where self-control is clearly emphasized, where self-destruction and intoxication with drugs and psychotropic drugs are functional to the control (if not managerial control) of situations on the edge of survival. Last but not least, juvenile prisons are more overcrowded than ever, a clear demonstration of the preventive work of repression.
Meanwhile, the Italian state is preparing to achieve European leadership in the imprisonment of long-term political prisoners, from the season of struggles of the 1970s and 1980s, still in AS, and in the use of that typically Italian 41 bis, of emergency elevated to a system, which constantly moves on the margins of ‘law’, adaptable according to the target.
Although the technical-jurisprudential data lends itself to an interpretation of denied rights, and I believe this is one of the critical points that is controversial and open to misinterpretation if poorly managed/explained, in terms of victimization and the restoration of rights, I do not believe that it loses its incisiveness if, in reality, formal contradictions and legal and procedural distortions are highlighted, legal and procedural distortions, also to highlight the arrogance of power, to combat the normalization of repression, double or multiple standards depending on the enemy (yes, that ‘criminal law of the enemy’ that is being discussed) and the expansion of the repressive ‘offer’ and the audience of potential candidates.
Previously, someone said, to give a down-to-earth example, ‘ah, but the crime of association, 270 bis, is impossible for anarchists, it’s a remnant of the repressive strategy of the 1980s’ – then we found ourselves with a barrage of convictions and proceedings for 270 bis and its siblings, thrice, four times, five times, etc., etc., which are modeled and used according to national and international political balances. From the internal communist target to the anarchist one, to the Islamist one, to now settle on the Palestinian resistance.
It is not a laboratory, as was commonly said some time ago, it is the current reality. These are not experiments to be studied, it is a practice to be fought, the “multitasking” use of terrorism charges, which can be applied to any political opponent.
Although the global panorama of war & ‘Board of Peace’, genocide & ‘Gaza Beach’ now makes the true nature of democratic regimes and the military use of technological and scientific progress clear even to Western citizens who have been lobotomized by the media and consumerism, and although the sirens of war are getting closer and closer to our backyards, I have the impression (from here, from the aquarium of a prison, therefore with all the limitations of vision that this entails) that in these parts repression is investing heavily in prevention, clumsy and arrogant like the current rabble in power, with a martial appearance and effective genuflection to the guidelines of global capital. But still able to reel off new types of crimes with impunity, red tape and restrictions that simplify the work by dissecting it in advance.
In moments of “fatigue” in the struggles, the audience of potential targets of repression expands, almost like a stress test of tolerance, to include those fringes of the movement and social opposition in the broad sense that normally, in Western democratic regimes are perceived as more protected (or rather convince themselves that they are, having traded scraps of freedom and critical thinking for some niche of survival).
Emergency legislation is being modeled without there being an emergency, yet.
It may seem contradictory; logic would dictate greater action, greater repression, but here we are essentially at the point of preventive sterilization. Cutting off the buds before they become a thorny bush, when it is easier to do so, delighting in manipulating what is beginning to emerge, not as a revolutionary movement but as a movement of opinion, indignation, and denunciation.
When it is easier to contain it with batons and tear gas, fines and the buying and selling of the most recoverable components, stick and carrot, gunshots and social media, as needed, to each his own, with a few more licenses.
Those who study and work in the field of control know full well that for several years now, the symbolic, ritualistic, informative, and counter-informative aspects of protests have prevailed in Western squares. From the black blocs of Seattle, who targeted shop windows, to Fridays for Future, who prioritized holding up signs for the cameras, from the rhetoric of “don’t believe the media, become the media” to the compulsive use of social media in an unresolved love-hate relationship.
The current protests in Minneapolis against ICE show this, with tragic results: “subversive,” ‘insurrectionist’ high-tech protesters, carrying cell phones to film the misdeeds of these “special forces” who round up adults and children… The police (after technologically tracking migrants and protesters) are more old-fashioned than their opponents, now shooting as they did 100 years ago, at a kneeling protester.
Is this a short circuit in the repression of democratic dissent administered in its purest form, the alarm bell of a change in scenario, or a sign that the transition has already taken place?
In Italy, the pandemic has led to a shift from Berlusconi’s glitter and doubloons to Meloni’s insignia. Although the national leaders are unlikely to display martial aplomb, they are in fact promoting warmongering policies, trafficking in arms, and aspiring to post-war reconstruction deals (depending on the bone they are allowed to gnaw on under the table), dusting off the rhetorical paraphernalia of yesteryear, God-Country-Family, defense of borders, etc., etc., but doing so from the screen of a smartphone, the widespread form of political ‘education’ today, in the collapse of the party-electoral system (if we do a few more quick calculations on the percentage of national voters and those in the various European states). This ‘education’ is not rhetorical but necessary in the search for new cannon fodder for new internal and international conflicts: at the moment, we are in the midst of fiction and commercials designed to sell a military career as attractive, with aesthetic suggestions wavering between Top Gun and toy soldiers helping children and the elderly find their way home… soon they will relaunch compulsory military service as ‘formative’ and ‘performative’, ‘smart’ cannon fodder…
However, there is a counter-rhetoric to the poison of war and militarist propaganda, also dating back to that era, created by the distillations of revolutionary currents, by those who were resistant and capable of countering it with atheism and anti-clericalism, internationalism and anti-militarism. This is more relevant than ever, given that, if we raise our gaze for a moment and look beyond the more comfortable representations of these shores, we see that, in addition to war, there is renewed talk of desertion on both sides, Russian and Ukrainian; given that the squares of the world sometimes move of their own accord and the transition from indignation at a corrupt system to irreparable rupture occurs precisely in those generations born and raised on the web and social media, from Nepal to Indonesia.
It is a matter of reversing the perspective and becoming aware, here too, of one’s own role, limitations, shortcomings, and responsibilities in order to free ourselves from postmodern muddle and interclassist vagueness, to recognize the differences between mimetic representations of conflict and real conflicts, to choose whether to exercise solidarity among the oppressed or to be unable to recognize the oppressors, in the game of mirrors of current communication that sometimes uses overexposure, fast scrolling, and the deconstruction of meaning as preventive weapons. And even the most resistant tend to be distracted, dazzled.
Knowing how to recognize oneself and recognize the nature of the conflict at hand would be a small starting point, not a destination.
Anna,
January ‘26
Rome, Rebibbia
* * *
Contribution by Juan Sorroche from section AS2 of Terni prison for the conference on February 8 in Viterbo
Hello to all, comrades, present at today’s event. Greetings to those who created this space for discussion and gave us prisoners the opportunity to express ourselves in this space, and also for the solidarity you often express.
I am Juan Sorroche, an anarchist prisoner arrested on May 22, 2019, and I am writing from the AS2 section of Terni prison, where I have been incarcerated for six years with a total sentence of 28 years and two trials still ongoing.
I feel compelled to say a few things at this conference, even at the risk of coming across as self-referential and rhetorical. As an anarchist prisoner, I do not write for aesthetic pleasure, but rather with the intention of creating debate and stimulating self-organization and coordination for the struggle. As a prisoner and as an anarchist militant, I have always believed that we must be clear and not hide our opinions and ideological intentions, even in front of judges, holding our heads high and not letting anyone speak for us.
I have always believed in and felt deeply connected to the place where I was born, but not to the land or the place itself, that is, not in a nationalistic sense, but in a cosmopolitan sense, in the culture of internationalist anarchist history, Spanish history. Even before I was aware of what anarchy and anarchism were, my dear grandmother (who believed strongly in God but was a staunch anti-clericalist due to her experiences during the period of insurrection and revolution, and then in the civil war) used to sing me a piece of a CNT song when I was very young. It was a single verse against priests that went something like this: ‘If the priests knew how many beatings they were about to get, they would sing freedom, freedom, freedom’. Then my uncle, who returned to Spain after Franco’s death, lived with us when he was a child and was a role model for me. During the war, he deserted Franco’s army, and they caught him and gave him a choice: be shot or go to Tunisia to fight for them. He chose the latter option, of course, and there he deserted again, risking being shot. He then secretly reached France by ship and made a life for himself there until his return. I could recount many other experiences and stories from my family.
This little digression is to say that I have come to the conclusion that for me, and probably for many individual anarchists and libertarians, beyond the rational aspect, there is also a need to nurture and enliven that of the heart, of the spirit of rebellion.
It is essential and necessary to explore them and observe them continuously with curiosity in order to give us strength of mind, despite prison, suffering, mistrust, and despite all the pessimistic judgments that kill the will of anarchy. And personally, I believe that the soul, the heart that moves each anarchist and libertarian individually, is not a matter of folklore because it tells us many wise things. If we observe sincerely, it asks us questions, it helps us understand ourselves and understand: where do those distant, deep feelings and our primordial impulses of revolt that have lit this flame come from? And it tells us to get out of bed every day and move towards the life-struggle of anarchism. It also tells us how to be anarchists, where that has taken us, and where we want to go. Without regrets.
But above all, it tells us and gives us the will and spirit to believe in ourselves, in Anarchy, and in the revolutionary-libertarian spirit. And it tells us to continue and continue every day, and mainly to listen, understand, and overcome that part of ourselves that crushes us, discourages us, keeps us constantly immobile without understanding our fears, and corrodes us from within, increasing resignation and frustration. All this and much more is what our roots, our hearts, and the spirit that moves each anarchist individually tells us.
And so I believe that my anti-militarist and internationalist-anarchist tendencies run deep. For me, it is a very intimate matter that has been handed down to me in warmth and human love. Those people were able to impose themselves as figures without pretension, and for this very reason they remain essential roots for me, pillars of reference who loved me and whom I loved as a child, roots that must not be lost and that run deep within me.
I cannot feel and understand these complex sensibilities and feelings as separate from these complex rational concepts; for me, they are a holistic Taoist whole, they are integrative, inseparable in a personal and ideological sense.
But be careful, I don’t think it’s just a matter of sensitivity, of anarchist or libertarian spirit!
Because I believe that self-organization is necessary, both as our compass and as our material foundation. Direct libertarian action is needed, accompanied by planning with clear perspectives at different levels, tactical and strategic, discussed in depth by everyone without delegation.
Clarity is essential with the comrades with whom we self-organize, whether they are anarchists, libertarians, or not.
This clarity: that these perspectives can only be achieved through the violent destruction of the state, capitalism, and progressive industrialism in the world.
Of course, comrades, I don’t believe that class struggle is exclusively about violent actions. Nor do I believe that it involves only peaceful and cultural struggles. If anything, it is the convergence of all these multiform struggles and many others; both social struggles involving countless people and minorities, groups, and individuals who engage in direct action, and even those more specific to armed propaganda. It is this diverse and multifaceted convergence that constitutes the real strength, the qualities necessary for class struggle.
We must fight against the miserable interclassist social pacification of the warmongers that exists today in Palestine and in our own contexts, which serves only to lull us to sleep, to transform our consciousness in order to extinguish the struggles of rupture and revolt, and we must self-organize autonomously in the class struggle. Because I do not believe that spontaneous radical social explosions of struggle alone are enough, such as the wonderful days of September 22nd when we “blocked everything” and, mind you, I believe they are still very important and fundamental!
But at this moment in history, we also need the spirit, the soul of the will of the revolutionaries, who must also be connected and prepared in body and materially self-organized as revolutionary-libertarian and autonomous minorities.
Malatesta already said this back in 1915, during the First World War, forcefully asserting concepts that I believe are still very valid today in a context such as the current class struggle, the world war. He stated this in his text, “The Anarchist International and the War,” the so-called Manifesto of the Thirty-Five, published a year before the harmful and deleterious Manifesto of the Sixteen.
I believe, like Malatesta, what he wrote in the text: “Anarchists and War.”
“In times of war, anarchists have a very specific personal action to carry out: their action, we might say, is specific in terms of both means and ends. We stay among ourselves and agree to act in groups of three or four. A group of fifteen, twenty, or forty individuals should therefore be divided into four, six, or ten groups, each free from the collective preoccupations of the action.”
Of course, here he is only talking to anarchists. And of course, I believe that this is only a problem that must first be solved by anarchists and libertarians.
However, this provides food for thought and a question to reflect on at the conference. This is by no means a new issue. But I believe it is a priority to address how our various specific spaces and times should be self-organized.
I say this also because I believe it is a serious mistake to confuse specific anarchist and libertarian self-organized spaces and times with other specific non-anarchist ones, without clarifying this. Also because, in my opinion, this only creates confusion and misunderstandings with everyone, anarchists and non-anarchists alike, and does not lead far in the class struggle.
And let me be clear, this does not in any way exclude me from fighting alongside other non-anarchist comrades.
I simply believe that we must be sincere in our self-organization among all of us, anarchists and non-anarchists alike, in order to create different spaces and times with mutual, reciprocal, and clear agreements that are anti-authoritarian.
But I wonder, and I ask at the conference: if we ourselves are not capable of self-organizing autonomously, how can we think we can contribute and support each other in conflicts, in specific struggles, or in the class struggle, bringing real and qualitative strength?
And above all: how can we expect not to find ourselves constantly unprepared and out of step with the times and spaces of struggle if we are not self-organized, without clear projects and tasks, with concrete tactical objectives, and a strategic ideological compass for these specific meetings of ours as a methodological tool that is constantly evolving?
Another issue to address is how to self-organize to defend and attack the major problem within our struggles in Italy that causes and produces the interclassist recovery of social struggles of radical and autonomous revolts of rupture?
I believe that the problem always arises as a consequence of this lack of self-organized spaces and times in the class struggle, leaving gaps without a real defense and attack to counter them with clear objectives, both materially and politically-ideologically.
I believe that all this, this lack, apart from very small and courageous minority components in the world, is one of the main reasons for the inability of our anarchist movement and the general movement of revolutionary rupture to develop struggles articulated towards a real class struggle that meets social struggles and autonomy in the class struggle.
This is the problem: it is not just a matter of analysis, which, incidentally, has been accurate and very good on more than one occasion in our movement, but remains only a theoretical point of view. The point is how to change reality by demonstrating these analyses in the struggle. But I believe that the interpretation of some recent analyses is correct and very useful – as, for me, is the anarchist text La fase nichilista (The Nihilist Phase) by Vetriolo – but we must not fall into inaction, in order to keep pace with the class struggle and make our own real contribution from a revolutionary-libertarian perspective. Because only the integration of propaganda with facts and analysis, and vice versa, is what demonstrates the credibility and real concreteness of such analyses and of revolutionary minorities, which, together with the actions of specific general and international social movements, can change the social context of reality with real qualitative forces in the class.
Of course, analytical concepts are fundamental, and it is especially important to be able to carry out a precise analysis today, but they must have a real, complex, and in fact inseparable and intrinsic link to what Malatesta wrote. The same applies to intrinsic armed propaganda, in an integrative relationship between revolutionary-libertarian minorities and specific general and international movements and the class struggle.
Without this intertwining of practice-theory-theory-practice… and self-organization in reality as a force and in quality, both in time and space, in the long run I believe that analyses, however good and qualitative they may be, such as The Nihilist Phase, remain a simple philosophical point of view.
And, let me be clear, I believe that internationalist movements are valuable and should be considered worthy of interest, and I also believe that it is essential to relate to them for development; they are the lifeblood of the various revolutionary class struggle movements.
But, honestly, when it comes to the revolutionary task, I believe that today these are very, very, very timid, and I would not give them so much emphasis. And, I repeat, I say timid or I would not give them emphasis for the great revolutionary task, which for me must be a libertarian task of breaking away, and above all creating a real balance of power that we should create as revolutionaries, to try to defend ourselves in order to attack the nation-state, capitalism, and progressive and technological industrialism in reality.
But we also need to be frank, debate among ourselves, confront each other, and be self-critical and constructively critical within our own ranks, especially in the face of the “parliamentary cretinism” and democratic reformism that exists today, which, incidentally, is completely counterrevolutionary.
And above all within many of our own movements of struggle, this democratic reformism is interclassist and very strong.
And let’s be honest, this is nothing new. Certain tactical and strategic methods, including armed ones, such as direct attacks on both property and people, are only acceptable to certain individuals, groups, minorities, and activist movements in Italy if they take place in distant “tropical” countries with their folkloric armed guerrilla and partisan warfare. And unfortunately, the same thing is happening again today in Western Asia, as in Palestine, and yesterday with the Kurds, Algerians, Zapatistas, Mapuche, etc., etc. However, above all, they immediately distance themselves, as at the G8 in Genoa, etc., and above all, urge you not to even think of it as a possibility here in terms of the necessary armed guerrilla and partisan warfare, in a context of class struggle, at least not here, where we have a constitutional democracy.
We have already seen this time and time again in the various university ‘waves’ and in various struggles by antagonistic movements in twenty-five years of struggle in Italy, and I do not see why today should be any different without having done the hard political and concrete work of revolutionary struggle and autonomous rupture in the class struggle.
So I repeat: how can we strongly and politically oppose this “parliamentary cretinism” with practices of rupture and autonomy?
I believe that Malatesta already gave us good guidance in 1915.
The Salis case is emblematic, giving us a sense of the situation and telling us a lot about this internalized method of interclassist “parliamentary cretinism,” which is very serious, especially given the social and historical context of war in which we find ourselves! It is particularly serious within our struggle movements, serious for those who have delegated the anti-authoritarian and autonomous class struggle by voting for a party, thereby effectively reinforcing the nation-state, capitalism, technological industrialism, and the interclassist warmongering democratic system, thus severely undermining an already weak real revolutionary and internationalist solidarity.
I believe that not addressing all this clearly as a whole is a big mistake for the struggles.
A hug…
Greetings, anarchy!
Juan Sorroche
AS2-Terni – 27/01/2026
* * *
Greetings from Action for Palestine Ireland to the initiatives on February 7 and 8 in Viterbo
Action for Palestine Ireland sends its revolutionary greetings to our comrades in Italy. We salute your mobilization against war and repression and your uncompromising stance against imperialism at a time marked by accelerating militarization, censorship, and social control at the heart of imperialism and in its peripheries.
From our perspective in Ireland, the current phase marks an intensification of global contradictions. The escalating Zionist assault on the West Bank and Gaza, the ongoing imperialist attempts at destabilization against Venezuela and Iran, and the widening arc of confrontation led by NATO all point to a deepening of the strategy of permanent war. This strategy requires not only external aggression, but also an intensification of repression on the home front. The coming year will require not only resistance as in the past, but also new forms of international coordination and political clarity among revolutionaries. It is time to build new waves of resistance rooted in a common analysis and a shared struggle.
In Ireland, this war-like reconfiguration is increasingly evident. We have witnessed a marked escalation in the repression of anti-imperialist activities: the brutality of the Garda against demonstrations of solidarity with Palestine and against NATO; violent intimidation of Irish republicans by the Special Branch; and the creation of new repressive precedents within the illegitimate courts of the Irish Free State, which now mirror British trends in sentencing aimed at criminalizing dissent. These developments are not isolated abuses, but expressions of a state preparing to discipline internal opposition as it aligns itself more openly with imperialist war.
A recent example clearly illustrates this concept. Activists from across Ireland organized a secret protest at Shannon Airport, long a logistics hub for US troops and military equipment transiting to imperialist wars. Upon arrival, they were met by senior Garda officers and special units of the investigative police. This preemptive mobilization of the state’s highest repressive apparatus signals an intensification of surveillance on anti-imperialist militants and confirms that Ireland’s supposed military “neutrality” is a fiction. The Irish Free State is actively abandoning even the facade of neutrality in order to integrate more fully into the NATO war machine, while repressing those who denounce and resist this role.
These trends do not bode well for Palestine, nor for the working class and oppressed people in general. However, they also highlight the vulnerabilities of the system. It is precisely when contradictions intensify, when war abroad requires repression at home, that capitalism reveals its weakness. Our task is to prepare for these moments, to organize and act in concert across national borders.
For these reasons, we welcome your mobilizations in Viterbo and your commitment to an internationalist struggle against war and repression.
We hope to strengthen collaboration between our struggles, contributing to a common front against imperialism, Zionist colonialism, and the bourgeois states that support them. Together, through coordination and revolutionary determination, we are committed to transforming resistance into a concrete force.
Solidarity,
Action for Palestine Ireland
Italy: Statements by Anna Beniamino, from Rebibbia prison, and Juan Sorroche, from Terni prison, and greetings from Action for Palestine Ireland on the occasion of the “Sabotage the War and Repression” initiatives on February 7 and 8 in Viterbo
https://abolitionmedia.noblogs.org/?p=28558 #AnarchistPrisoners #AnnaBeniamino #europe #internationalism #ireland #italy #JuanSorroche #palestineSolidarity

#anarchistprisoners #annabeniamino #europe #internationalism #ireland #italy
47th Pennsylvania Volunteers @[email protected] · 2024-05-16 · 07:49 UTC
USS Laurel Hill, May 26, 1862 (Baldwin Lithograph, Collection of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Hyde Park, New York, 1936, U.S. Naval Heritage Command, public domain).

Barely out of sight of the city of Alexandria, in Rapides Parish Louisiana, when it ran into the enemy during its retreat south in mid-May 1864, the Union’s Army of the Gulf easily defeated the Confederate States Army troops it encountered and continued its trek toward the village of Marksville in Avoyelles Parish. Members of the 47th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, which was positioned farther back in the Union column, were aware of, but not involved in, that short engagement. According to C Company Musician Henry D. Wharton:
After marching a few miles skirmishing commenced in front between the cavalry and the enemy in riflepits [sic] on the bank of the river, but they were easily driven away. When we came up we discovered their pits and places where there had been batteries planted. At this point the John Warren, an unarmed transport, on which were sick soldiers and women, was fired into and sunk, killing many and those that were not drowned taken prisoners. A tin-clad gunboat was destroyed at the same place, by which we lost a large mail. Many letters and directed envelopes were found on the bank – thrown there after the contents had been read by the unprincipled scoundrels. The inhumanity of Guerrilla bands in this department is beyond belief, and if one did not know the truth of it or saw some of their barbarities, he would write it down as the story of a ‘reliable gentleman’ or as told by an ‘intelligent contraband.’ Not satisfied with his murderous intent on unarmed transports he fires into the Hospital steamer Laurel Hill, with four hundred sick on board. This boat had the usual hospital signal floating fore and aft, yet, notwithstanding all this, and the customs of war, they fired on them, proving by this act that they are more hardened than the Indians on the frontier.
* Note: The USS Laurel Hill survived the attack and, in a few short weeks, became the final home for ailing 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers, including Corporal William Schweitzer and Privates Amandus Bellis and Nicholas Hoffman (Company A) and Private John Witz (Company E).

Map of key 1864 Red River Campaign locations, showing the battle sites of Sabine Cross Roads, Pleasant Hill and Mansura in relation to the Union’s occupation sites at Alexandria, Grand Ecore, Morganza, and New Orleans (excerpt from Dickinson College/U.S. Library of Congress map, public domain; click to enlarge).

Resuming their trek south with the retreating Army of the Gulf, the 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers engaged in yet another long march, trudging more than thirty miles as the month of May 1864 wore on. According to the expedition’s commanding officer, Union Major-General Nathaniel P. Banks:
The fleet passed below Alexandria on the 13th of May. The army on its march from Alexandria did not encounter the enemy in force until near the town of Mansura. He was driven through the town in the evening of the 14th of May, and at daybreak next morning our advance encountered his cavalry on the prairie east of the town.
According to Henry Wharton, “On Sunday, May 15, we left the river road and took a short route through the woods, saving considerable distance.”
The windings of Red river are so numerous that it resembles the tape-worm railroad wherewith the politicians frightened the dear people during the administration of Ritner and Stevens. – We stopped several hours in the woods to leave cavalry pass, when we moved forward and by four o’clock emerged into a large open plain where we formed in line of battle, expecting a regular engagement. The enemy, however, retired and we advanced ‘till dark, when the forces halted for the night, with orders to rest on their arms. – ‘Twas here that Banks rode through our regiment, amidst the cheers of the boys, and gave the pleasant news that Grant had defeated Lee.

“Sleeping on Their Arms” by Winslow Homer (Harper’s Weekly, May 21, 1864).

Positioned just outside of the town of Marksville, under orders to “rest on their arms” for the night, the 47th Pennsylvanians half-dozed with their rifles within a finger’s length—but without the benefit of tents for cover. It was the eve of the Battle of Mansura, which unfolded on May 16, 1864 as follows, according to Wharton:
Early next morning we marched through Marksville into a prairie nine miles long and six wide where every preparation was made for a fight. The whole of our force was formed in line, in support of artillery in front, who commenced operations on the enemy driving him gradually from the prairie into the woods. As the enemy retreated before the heavy fire of our artillery, the infantry advanced in line until they reached Mousoula [sic, Mansura], where they formed in column, taking the whole field in an attempt to flank the enemy, but their running qualities were so good that we were foiled. The maneuvring [sic, maneuvering] of the troops was handsomely done, and the movements was [sic, were] one of the finest things of the war. The fight of artillery was a steady one of five miles. The enemy merely stood that they might cover the retreat of their infantry and train under cover of their artillery.
Per Major-General Banks, the Confederate troops “fell back, with steady and sharp skirmishing across the prairie, to a belt of woods, which he occupied.”
The enemy’s position covered three roads diverging from Mansura to the Atchafalaya. He manifested a determination here to obstinately resist our passage. The engagement, which lasted several hours, was confined chiefly to the artillery until our troops got possession of the edge of the woods – first upon our left by General Emory; subsequently on our right by General Smith, when he was driven from the field, after a sharp and decisive fight, with considerable loss.
According to military historian Steven E. Clay, “As the Army of the Gulf marched from Alexandria to Simmesport, it followed the River Road. As it moved, Taylor’s cavalry harassed the column from all sides.”
Steele’s men resumed the pressure on A. J. Smith’s rearguard. Annoying Emory and the cavalry advanced guard was Major and Bagby’s commands. The troops also attempted to slow the Federal march by cutting trees and placing other obstacles in the way. Parson’s men skirmished with Gooding’s troopers on the right flank. None of the rebel cavalry’s efforts, however, appreciably slowed the Union column.
On 14 May, the army’s van arrived at Bayour Choctaw. Emory called the pontoon train forward, and within a short time, the pontonniers had the stream bridged and the army was crossing…. That evening the troops of the XIX Corps [including the 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers] bivouacked beside the wrecks of the John Warner, Signal, and Covington. Strewn upon the ground were the letters many of the men had mailed to their loved ones earlier and had been placed on the Warner bound for New Orleans. The rebel soldiers had opened the letters, read them for entertainment, and simply tossed them aside. The idea did not sit well with the Federals, but neither did the wanton destruction and plunder of civilian homes with the Confederates.
On 15 May the column slowly crossed the Bayou Choctaw Swamp and entered the Avoyelles … Prairie. There, Major’s cavalry, later along with Bagby’s troops, attacked the lead elements several times. The fighting became so hot at moments that Emory deployed his artillery to help drive the bothersome rebel troopers away…. By nightfall … the XIX Corps had reached Marksville with the rest of the army strung out behind.
Late on 15 May, Banks learned that Taylor had massed his forces six miles ahead at the town of Mansura, evidently with the intention of blocking further Federal movement on the road to Simmesport…. On learning of the concentration of rebel forces, Banks sent orders to Emory directing him to move no later than 0300 [3 a.m.] on 16 May and to attack the enemy at daybreak. Further, Smith advanced on Emory’s right to attack into Taylor’s left flank. The XIII Corps [13th Corps], now under Lawler since 9 May … was to remain in front of Marksville as the reserve. The trains [Union wagon trains] were held behind that town….
As ordered, the Army of the Gulf moved south before sunrise. As morning dawned, the Federal army began its deployment on the wide open plain of the Avoyelles Prairie. The US troops advanced with Emory’s XIX [including the 47th Pennsylvania] in the lead with Grover’s 1st Division on the Federal left near the Grand River and McMillan’s 2nd Division [including the 47th Pennsylvania] on the right. The XIX Corps was followed by A. J. Smith’s XVI Corps [16th Corps] in column; Mower’s division was followed by that of Kilby Smith. As the Federal brigades deployed on the field they could see the Confederate battle line in the distance. Virtually in the center of the battlefield was the tiny village of Mansura.
According to Clay, Confederate Major-General Richard Taylor (a plantation owner and son of former U.S. President Zachary Taylor) “had placed eight dismounted cavalry regiments from Major’s and Bagby’s commands to the east of the hamlet” of Mansura. “At least 19 cannon with the batteries interspersed among the brigades supported these troops.” Confederate Brigadier-General Camille Armand Jules Marie, the Prince de Polignac, a prince of France who fought with the Confederate Army during America’s Civil War and whom the 47th Pennsylvanian Volunteers had previously faced in combat during the Battle of Sabine Cross Roads near Mansfield, Louisiana, “posted his two small infantry brigades and two dismounted regiments of cavalry on the left, west of town, and thirteen more guns supported Polignac’s force.”

New York Tribune headline announcing the U.S. Army of the Gulf’s May 1864 victory near Marksville, Louisiana (New York Tribune, June 3, 1864, public domain).

Standing “on a flat, green savanna,” according to Clay, the troops under Brigadier-General Emory’s command, including the 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers, were the first to march into the battle’s fray, followed by A. J. Smith’s “divisions to the right of the line.” It quickly became obvious to all who were watching the scene unfold that Taylor had woefully misjudged his opponents; his six thousand Confederates were greeted with the spectacle of the eighteen-thousand strong Army of the Gulf arrayed before them.
According to Clay, “The battle began sometime after 0600 [6 a.m.] with a mutual artillery bombardment.”
As the fusillade opened, commanders on both sides ordered their men to lie down in order to reduce casualties during the artillery duel. The tactic was effective. The barrage lasted about four hours, but few men were struck by the many rounds fired. As the Union battle line rose and moved forward on occasion, Taylor’s skirmish line responded by slowly giving ground…. Finally, at about 1000 (1 p.m.), as the XVI Corps pressed forward on the Confederate left to flank Taylor’s position as planned, the rebel line quickly sidestepped the move and fell back toward their trains which were located southwest in the village of Evergreen.
Unlike the sanguinary opening battles of the Red River Campaign, the Battle of Mansura was far less brutal. Per Wharton:
Our loss was slight. Of the rebels we could not ascertain correctly, but learned from citizens who had secreted themselves during the fight, that they had many killed and wounded, who threw them into wagons, promiscuously, and drove them off so that we could not learn their casualties.
Afterward, the victorious Army of the Gulf resumed its march south. According Major-General Banks:
The 16th of May we reached Simmsport [sic, Simmesport], on the Atchafalaya. Being entirely destitute of any ordinary bridge material for the passage of this river – about six hundred yards wide – a bridge was constructed of the steamers, under direction of Lieutenant Colonel Bailey. This work was not of the same magnitude, but was as important to the army as the dam at Alexandria was to the navy. It had the merit of being an entirely novel construction, no bridge of such magnitude having been constructed of similar materials. The bridge was completed at one o’clock on the 19th of May. The wagon train passed in the afternoon, and the troops the next morning, in better spirit and condition, as able and eager to meet the enemy as at any period of the campaign.
Union Major-General Nathaniel Banks subsequently reported that, during the Army of the Gulf’s final engagement with Confederates, the “command of General A. J. Smith, which covered the rear of the army during the construction of the bridge and the passage of the army, had a severe engagement with the enemy, under Polignac, on the afternoon of the 19th, at Yellow Bayou, which lasted several hours.”
Our loss was about one hundred and fifty in killed and wounded; that of the enemy much greater, besides many prisoners who were taken by our troops. Major General E. R. S. Canby arrived at Simmsport [sic, Simmesport] on the 19th of May, and the next day assumed command of the troops as a portion of the forces of the military division of the West Mississippi, to the command of which he had been assigned.
The 47th Pennsylvania, however, was not involved in that battle at Yellow Bayou; according to Wharton:
This fight was the last one of the expedition. The whole of the force is safe on the Mississippi, gunboats, transports and trains. The 16th and 17th have gone to their old commands.
It is amusing to read the statements of correspondents to papers North, concerning our movements and the losses of our army. I have it from the best source that the Federal loss from Franklin to Mansfield, and from their [sic] to this point does not exceed thirty-five hundred in killed, wounded and missing, while that of the rebels is over eight thousand.

Union Army base at Morganza Bend, Louisiana, circa 1863-1865 (U.S. Library of Congress, public domain).

After that final battle, the surviving members of the 47th made their way through Simmesport and into the Atchafalaya Basin, and then moved on to the village of Morganza, where they made camp again. According to Wharton, the members of Company C were sent on a special mission which took them on an intense journey of one hundred and twenty miles:
Company C, on last Saturday was detailed by the General in command of the Division to take one hundred and eighty-seven prisoners (rebs) to New Orleans. This they done [sic] satisfactorily and returned yesterday to their regiment, ready for duty. While in the City some of the boys made Captain Gobin quite a handsome present, to show their appreciation of him as an officer gentleman.
By May 28, 1864, the men from Company C had returned from New Orleans and were once again encamped at Morganza with the full 47th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, prompting Henry Wharton to write:
The boys are well. James Kennedy who was wounded at Pleasant Hill, died at New Orleans hospital a few days ago. His friends in the company were pleased to learn that Dr. Dodge of Sunbury, now of the U.S. Steamer Octorora, was with him in his last moments, and ministered to his wants. The Doctor was one of the Surgeons from the Navy who volunteered when our wounded was [sic, were] sent to New Orleans.
Their long trek through Louisiana was over, but their fight to preserve America’s Union was not.
Sources:
1. Banks, Nathaniel P. “Report of the Red River Campaign,” in “Annual Report of the Secretary of War,” in Message of the President of the United States, and Accompanying Documents, to the Two Houses of Congress, at the Commencement of the First Session of the Thirty-Ninth Congress. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1866.
2. Bates, Samuel P. History of Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-5, vol. 1. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: B. Singerly, State Printer, 1869.
3. “Battle of Pleasant Hill, April 9, 1864, Walker’s Texas Division Campaign Map, Detail,” in “House Divided.” Carlisle, Pennsylvania: History Department, Dickinson College, November 21, 2009 (cropped from the original public domain map available on the website of the U.S. Library of Congress).
4. Clay, Steven E. The Staff Ride Handbook for the Red River Campaign, 7 March-19 May 1864. Fort Leavenworth, Kansas: Combat Studies Institute Press, U.S. Army Combined Arms Centers, 2023.
5. Prisoner of War Records, Camp Ford and Camp Groce (47th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry). Tyler Texas: Smith County Historical Society, 2010.
6. “Report of Maj. Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks, U. S. Army, Commanding Expedition and Department of the Gulf” (to Edwin M. Stanton, Secretary of War), in Annual Report of the Secretary of War, in Message of the President of the United States, and Accompanying Documents, to the Two Houses of Congress, at the Commencement of the First Session of the Thirty-Ninth Congress. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1866.
7. Schmidt, Lewis G. A Civil War History of the 47th Regiment of Pennsylvania Veteran Volunteers. Allentown, Pennsylvania: Self-published, 1986.
8. “The History of the Forty-Seventh Regt. P. V.” Allentown, Pennsylvania: The Lehigh Register, July 20, 1870.
9. Wharton, Henry D. Letters from the Sunbury Guards, 1861-1868. Sunbury, Pennsylvania: Sunbury American.
https://47thpennsylvaniavolunteers.com/2024/05/16/the-march-from-marksville-to-morganza-louisiana-and-the-battle-of-mansura-mid-to-late-may-1864/
#003366 #1864 #47thPennsylvaniaInfantry #47thPennsylvaniaVolunteers #Alexandria #America #AmericanCivilWar #AmericanHistory #Army #ArmyOfTheGulf #Atchafalaya #AvoyellesParish #BattleOfMansura #CivilWar #CommonwealthOfPennsylvania #Emory #History #Infantry #LaurelHill #Louisiana #Mansura #Marksville #Morganza #NathanielPBanks #PennsylvaniaHistory #PennsylvaniaInTheCivilWar #RapidesParish #RedRiver #RedRiverCampaign #Simmesport #Slavery #TheUnionArmy #USMilitaryAndTheUnionArmy #USSLaurelHill #WilliamHEmory #XIXCorps
#47thpennsylvaniainfantry #47thpennsylvaniavolunteers #alexandria #america #americancivilwar #americanhistory
47th Pennsylvania Volunteers @[email protected] · 2024-05-16 · 07:49 UTC
USS Laurel Hill, May 26, 1862 (Baldwin Lithograph, Collection of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Hyde Park, New York, 1936, U.S. Naval Heritage Command, public domain).

Barely out of sight of the city of Alexandria, in Rapides Parish Louisiana, when it ran into the enemy during its retreat south in mid-May 1864, the Union’s Army of the Gulf easily defeated the Confederate States Army troops it encountered and continued its trek toward the village of Marksville in Avoyelles Parish. Members of the 47th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, which was positioned farther back in the Union column, were aware of, but not involved in, that short engagement. According to C Company Musician Henry D. Wharton:
After marching a few miles skirmishing commenced in front between the cavalry and the enemy in riflepits [sic] on the bank of the river, but they were easily driven away. When we came up we discovered their pits and places where there had been batteries planted. At this point the John Warren, an unarmed transport, on which were sick soldiers and women, was fired into and sunk, killing many and those that were not drowned taken prisoners. A tin-clad gunboat was destroyed at the same place, by which we lost a large mail. Many letters and directed envelopes were found on the bank – thrown there after the contents had been read by the unprincipled scoundrels. The inhumanity of Guerrilla bands in this department is beyond belief, and if one did not know the truth of it or saw some of their barbarities, he would write it down as the story of a ‘reliable gentleman’ or as told by an ‘intelligent contraband.’ Not satisfied with his murderous intent on unarmed transports he fires into the Hospital steamer Laurel Hill, with four hundred sick on board. This boat had the usual hospital signal floating fore and aft, yet, notwithstanding all this, and the customs of war, they fired on them, proving by this act that they are more hardened than the Indians on the frontier.
* Note: The USS Laurel Hill survived the attack and, in a few short weeks, became the final home for ailing 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers, including Corporal William Schweitzer and Privates Amandus Bellis and Nicholas Hoffman (Company A) and Private John Witz (Company E).

Map of key 1864 Red River Campaign locations, showing the battle sites of Sabine Cross Roads, Pleasant Hill and Mansura in relation to the Union’s occupation sites at Alexandria, Grand Ecore, Morganza, and New Orleans (excerpt from Dickinson College/U.S. Library of Congress map, public domain; click to enlarge).

Resuming their trek south with the retreating Army of the Gulf, the 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers engaged in yet another long march, trudging more than thirty miles as the month of May 1864 wore on. According to the expedition’s commanding officer, Union Major-General Nathaniel P. Banks:
The fleet passed below Alexandria on the 13th of May. The army on its march from Alexandria did not encounter the enemy in force until near the town of Mansura. He was driven through the town in the evening of the 14th of May, and at daybreak next morning our advance encountered his cavalry on the prairie east of the town.
According to Henry Wharton, “On Sunday, May 15, we left the river road and took a short route through the woods, saving considerable distance.”
The windings of Red river are so numerous that it resembles the tape-worm railroad wherewith the politicians frightened the dear people during the administration of Ritner and Stevens. – We stopped several hours in the woods to leave cavalry pass, when we moved forward and by four o’clock emerged into a large open plain where we formed in line of battle, expecting a regular engagement. The enemy, however, retired and we advanced ‘till dark, when the forces halted for the night, with orders to rest on their arms. – ‘Twas here that Banks rode through our regiment, amidst the cheers of the boys, and gave the pleasant news that Grant had defeated Lee.

“Sleeping on Their Arms” by Winslow Homer (Harper’s Weekly, May 21, 1864).

Positioned just outside of the town of Marksville, under orders to “rest on their arms” for the night, the 47th Pennsylvanians half-dozed with their rifles within a finger’s length—but without the benefit of tents for cover. It was the eve of the Battle of Mansura, which unfolded on May 16, 1864 as follows, according to Wharton:
Early next morning we marched through Marksville into a prairie nine miles long and six wide where every preparation was made for a fight. The whole of our force was formed in line, in support of artillery in front, who commenced operations on the enemy driving him gradually from the prairie into the woods. As the enemy retreated before the heavy fire of our artillery, the infantry advanced in line until they reached Mousoula [sic, Mansura], where they formed in column, taking the whole field in an attempt to flank the enemy, but their running qualities were so good that we were foiled. The maneuvring [sic, maneuvering] of the troops was handsomely done, and the movements was [sic, were] one of the finest things of the war. The fight of artillery was a steady one of five miles. The enemy merely stood that they might cover the retreat of their infantry and train under cover of their artillery.
Per Major-General Banks, the Confederate troops “fell back, with steady and sharp skirmishing across the prairie, to a belt of woods, which he occupied.”
The enemy’s position covered three roads diverging from Mansura to the Atchafalaya. He manifested a determination here to obstinately resist our passage. The engagement, which lasted several hours, was confined chiefly to the artillery until our troops got possession of the edge of the woods – first upon our left by General Emory; subsequently on our right by General Smith, when he was driven from the field, after a sharp and decisive fight, with considerable loss.
According to military historian Steven E. Clay, “As the Army of the Gulf marched from Alexandria to Simmesport, it followed the River Road. As it moved, Taylor’s cavalry harassed the column from all sides.”
Steele’s men resumed the pressure on A. J. Smith’s rearguard. Annoying Emory and the cavalry advanced guard was Major and Bagby’s commands. The troops also attempted to slow the Federal march by cutting trees and placing other obstacles in the way. Parson’s men skirmished with Gooding’s troopers on the right flank. None of the rebel cavalry’s efforts, however, appreciably slowed the Union column.
On 14 May, the army’s van arrived at Bayour Choctaw. Emory called the pontoon train forward, and within a short time, the pontonniers had the stream bridged and the army was crossing…. That evening the troops of the XIX Corps [including the 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers] bivouacked beside the wrecks of the John Warner, Signal, and Covington. Strewn upon the ground were the letters many of the men had mailed to their loved ones earlier and had been placed on the Warner bound for New Orleans. The rebel soldiers had opened the letters, read them for entertainment, and simply tossed them aside. The idea did not sit well with the Federals, but neither did the wanton destruction and plunder of civilian homes with the Confederates.
On 15 May the column slowly crossed the Bayou Choctaw Swamp and entered the Avoyelles … Prairie. There, Major’s cavalry, later along with Bagby’s troops, attacked the lead elements several times. The fighting became so hot at moments that Emory deployed his artillery to help drive the bothersome rebel troopers away…. By nightfall … the XIX Corps had reached Marksville with the rest of the army strung out behind.
Late on 15 May, Banks learned that Taylor had massed his forces six miles ahead at the town of Mansura, evidently with the intention of blocking further Federal movement on the road to Simmesport…. On learning of the concentration of rebel forces, Banks sent orders to Emory directing him to move no later than 0300 [3 a.m.] on 16 May and to attack the enemy at daybreak. Further, Smith advanced on Emory’s right to attack into Taylor’s left flank. The XIII Corps [13th Corps], now under Lawler since 9 May … was to remain in front of Marksville as the reserve. The trains [Union wagon trains] were held behind that town….
As ordered, the Army of the Gulf moved south before sunrise. As morning dawned, the Federal army began its deployment on the wide open plain of the Avoyelles Prairie. The US troops advanced with Emory’s XIX [including the 47th Pennsylvania] in the lead with Grover’s 1st Division on the Federal left near the Grand River and McMillan’s 2nd Division [including the 47th Pennsylvania] on the right. The XIX Corps was followed by A. J. Smith’s XVI Corps [16th Corps] in column; Mower’s division was followed by that of Kilby Smith. As the Federal brigades deployed on the field they could see the Confederate battle line in the distance. Virtually in the center of the battlefield was the tiny village of Mansura.
According to Clay, Confederate Major-General Richard Taylor (a plantation owner and son of former U.S. President Zachary Taylor) “had placed eight dismounted cavalry regiments from Major’s and Bagby’s commands to the east of the hamlet” of Mansura. “At least 19 cannon with the batteries interspersed among the brigades supported these troops.” Confederate Brigadier-General Camille Armand Jules Marie, the Prince de Polignac, a prince of France who fought with the Confederate Army during America’s Civil War and whom the 47th Pennsylvanian Volunteers had previously faced in combat during the Battle of Sabine Cross Roads near Mansfield, Louisiana, “posted his two small infantry brigades and two dismounted regiments of cavalry on the left, west of town, and thirteen more guns supported Polignac’s force.”

New York Tribune headline announcing the U.S. Army of the Gulf’s May 1864 victory near Marksville, Louisiana (New York Tribune, June 3, 1864, public domain).

Standing “on a flat, green savanna,” according to Clay, the troops under Brigadier-General Emory’s command, including the 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers, were the first to march into the battle’s fray, followed by A. J. Smith’s “divisions to the right of the line.” It quickly became obvious to all who were watching the scene unfold that Taylor had woefully misjudged his opponents; his six thousand Confederates were greeted with the spectacle of the eighteen-thousand strong Army of the Gulf arrayed before them.
According to Clay, “The battle began sometime after 0600 [6 a.m.] with a mutual artillery bombardment.”
As the fusillade opened, commanders on both sides ordered their men to lie down in order to reduce casualties during the artillery duel. The tactic was effective. The barrage lasted about four hours, but few men were struck by the many rounds fired. As the Union battle line rose and moved forward on occasion, Taylor’s skirmish line responded by slowly giving ground…. Finally, at about 1000 (1 p.m.), as the XVI Corps pressed forward on the Confederate left to flank Taylor’s position as planned, the rebel line quickly sidestepped the move and fell back toward their trains which were located southwest in the village of Evergreen.
Unlike the sanguinary opening battles of the Red River Campaign, the Battle of Mansura was far less brutal. Per Wharton:
Our loss was slight. Of the rebels we could not ascertain correctly, but learned from citizens who had secreted themselves during the fight, that they had many killed and wounded, who threw them into wagons, promiscuously, and drove them off so that we could not learn their casualties.
Afterward, the victorious Army of the Gulf resumed its march south. According Major-General Banks:
The 16th of May we reached Simmsport [sic, Simmesport], on the Atchafalaya. Being entirely destitute of any ordinary bridge material for the passage of this river – about six hundred yards wide – a bridge was constructed of the steamers, under direction of Lieutenant Colonel Bailey. This work was not of the same magnitude, but was as important to the army as the dam at Alexandria was to the navy. It had the merit of being an entirely novel construction, no bridge of such magnitude having been constructed of similar materials. The bridge was completed at one o’clock on the 19th of May. The wagon train passed in the afternoon, and the troops the next morning, in better spirit and condition, as able and eager to meet the enemy as at any period of the campaign.
Union Major-General Nathaniel Banks subsequently reported that, during the Army of the Gulf’s final engagement with Confederates, the “command of General A. J. Smith, which covered the rear of the army during the construction of the bridge and the passage of the army, had a severe engagement with the enemy, under Polignac, on the afternoon of the 19th, at Yellow Bayou, which lasted several hours.”
Our loss was about one hundred and fifty in killed and wounded; that of the enemy much greater, besides many prisoners who were taken by our troops. Major General E. R. S. Canby arrived at Simmsport [sic, Simmesport] on the 19th of May, and the next day assumed command of the troops as a portion of the forces of the military division of the West Mississippi, to the command of which he had been assigned.
The 47th Pennsylvania, however, was not involved in that battle at Yellow Bayou; according to Wharton:
This fight was the last one of the expedition. The whole of the force is safe on the Mississippi, gunboats, transports and trains. The 16th and 17th have gone to their old commands.
It is amusing to read the statements of correspondents to papers North, concerning our movements and the losses of our army. I have it from the best source that the Federal loss from Franklin to Mansfield, and from their [sic] to this point does not exceed thirty-five hundred in killed, wounded and missing, while that of the rebels is over eight thousand.

Union Army base at Morganza Bend, Louisiana, circa 1863-1865 (U.S. Library of Congress, public domain).

After that final battle, the surviving members of the 47th made their way through Simmesport and into the Atchafalaya Basin, and then moved on to the village of Morganza, where they made camp again. According to Wharton, the members of Company C were sent on a special mission which took them on an intense journey of one hundred and twenty miles:
Company C, on last Saturday was detailed by the General in command of the Division to take one hundred and eighty-seven prisoners (rebs) to New Orleans. This they done [sic] satisfactorily and returned yesterday to their regiment, ready for duty. While in the City some of the boys made Captain Gobin quite a handsome present, to show their appreciation of him as an officer gentleman.
By May 28, 1864, the men from Company C had returned from New Orleans and were once again encamped at Morganza with the full 47th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, prompting Henry Wharton to write:
The boys are well. James Kennedy who was wounded at Pleasant Hill, died at New Orleans hospital a few days ago. His friends in the company were pleased to learn that Dr. Dodge of Sunbury, now of the U.S. Steamer Octorora, was with him in his last moments, and ministered to his wants. The Doctor was one of the Surgeons from the Navy who volunteered when our wounded was [sic, were] sent to New Orleans.
Their long trek through Louisiana was over, but their fight to preserve America’s Union was not.
Sources:
1. Banks, Nathaniel P. “Report of the Red River Campaign,” in “Annual Report of the Secretary of War,” in Message of the President of the United States, and Accompanying Documents, to the Two Houses of Congress, at the Commencement of the First Session of the Thirty-Ninth Congress. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1866.
2. Bates, Samuel P. History of Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-5, vol. 1. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: B. Singerly, State Printer, 1869.
3. “Battle of Pleasant Hill, April 9, 1864, Walker’s Texas Division Campaign Map, Detail,” in “House Divided.” Carlisle, Pennsylvania: History Department, Dickinson College, November 21, 2009 (cropped from the original public domain map available on the website of the U.S. Library of Congress).
4. Clay, Steven E. The Staff Ride Handbook for the Red River Campaign, 7 March-19 May 1864. Fort Leavenworth, Kansas: Combat Studies Institute Press, U.S. Army Combined Arms Centers, 2023.
5. Prisoner of War Records, Camp Ford and Camp Groce (47th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry). Tyler Texas: Smith County Historical Society, 2010.
6. “Report of Maj. Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks, U. S. Army, Commanding Expedition and Department of the Gulf” (to Edwin M. Stanton, Secretary of War), in Annual Report of the Secretary of War, in Message of the President of the United States, and Accompanying Documents, to the Two Houses of Congress, at the Commencement of the First Session of the Thirty-Ninth Congress. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1866.
7. Schmidt, Lewis G. A Civil War History of the 47th Regiment of Pennsylvania Veteran Volunteers. Allentown, Pennsylvania: Self-published, 1986.
8. “The History of the Forty-Seventh Regt. P. V.” Allentown, Pennsylvania: The Lehigh Register, July 20, 1870.
9. Wharton, Henry D. Letters from the Sunbury Guards, 1861-1868. Sunbury, Pennsylvania: Sunbury American.
https://47thpennsylvaniavolunteers.com/2024/05/16/the-march-from-marksville-to-morganza-louisiana-and-the-battle-of-mansura-mid-to-late-may-1864/
#003366 #1864 #47thPennsylvaniaInfantry #47thPennsylvaniaVolunteers #Alexandria #America #AmericanCivilWar #AmericanHistory #Army #ArmyOfTheGulf #Atchafalaya #AvoyellesParish #BattleOfMansura #CivilWar #CommonwealthOfPennsylvania #Emory #History #Infantry #LaurelHill #Louisiana #Mansura #Marksville #Morganza #NathanielPBanks #PennsylvaniaHistory #PennsylvaniaInTheCivilWar #RapidesParish #RedRiver #RedRiverCampaign #Simmesport #Slavery #TheUnionArmy #USMilitaryAndTheUnionArmy #USSLaurelHill #WilliamHEmory #XIXCorps
#47thpennsylvaniainfantry #47thpennsylvaniavolunteers #alexandria #america #americancivilwar #americanhistory
47th Pennsylvania Volunteers @[email protected] · 2024-05-16 · 07:49 UTC
USS Laurel Hill, May 26, 1862 (Baldwin Lithograph, Collection of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Hyde Park, New York, 1936, U.S. Naval Heritage Command, public domain).

Barely out of sight of the city of Alexandria, in Rapides Parish Louisiana, when it ran into the enemy during its retreat south in mid-May 1864, the Union’s Army of the Gulf easily defeated the Confederate States Army troops it encountered and continued its trek toward the village of Marksville in Avoyelles Parish. Members of the 47th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, which was positioned farther back in the Union column, were aware of, but not involved in, that short engagement. According to C Company Musician Henry D. Wharton:
After marching a few miles skirmishing commenced in front between the cavalry and the enemy in riflepits [sic] on the bank of the river, but they were easily driven away. When we came up we discovered their pits and places where there had been batteries planted. At this point the John Warren, an unarmed transport, on which were sick soldiers and women, was fired into and sunk, killing many and those that were not drowned taken prisoners. A tin-clad gunboat was destroyed at the same place, by which we lost a large mail. Many letters and directed envelopes were found on the bank – thrown there after the contents had been read by the unprincipled scoundrels. The inhumanity of Guerrilla bands in this department is beyond belief, and if one did not know the truth of it or saw some of their barbarities, he would write it down as the story of a ‘reliable gentleman’ or as told by an ‘intelligent contraband.’ Not satisfied with his murderous intent on unarmed transports he fires into the Hospital steamer Laurel Hill, with four hundred sick on board. This boat had the usual hospital signal floating fore and aft, yet, notwithstanding all this, and the customs of war, they fired on them, proving by this act that they are more hardened than the Indians on the frontier.
* Note: The USS Laurel Hill survived the attack and, in a few short weeks, became the final home for ailing 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers, including Corporal William Schweitzer and Privates Amandus Bellis and Nicholas Hoffman (Company A) and Private John Witz (Company E).

Map of key 1864 Red River Campaign locations, showing the battle sites of Sabine Cross Roads, Pleasant Hill and Mansura in relation to the Union’s occupation sites at Alexandria, Grand Ecore, Morganza, and New Orleans (excerpt from Dickinson College/U.S. Library of Congress map, public domain; click to enlarge).

Resuming their trek south with the retreating Army of the Gulf, the 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers engaged in yet another long march, trudging more than thirty miles as the month of May 1864 wore on. According to the expedition’s commanding officer, Union Major-General Nathaniel P. Banks:
The fleet passed below Alexandria on the 13th of May. The army on its march from Alexandria did not encounter the enemy in force until near the town of Mansura. He was driven through the town in the evening of the 14th of May, and at daybreak next morning our advance encountered his cavalry on the prairie east of the town.
According to Henry Wharton, “On Sunday, May 15, we left the river road and took a short route through the woods, saving considerable distance.”
The windings of Red river are so numerous that it resembles the tape-worm railroad wherewith the politicians frightened the dear people during the administration of Ritner and Stevens. – We stopped several hours in the woods to leave cavalry pass, when we moved forward and by four o’clock emerged into a large open plain where we formed in line of battle, expecting a regular engagement. The enemy, however, retired and we advanced ‘till dark, when the forces halted for the night, with orders to rest on their arms. – ‘Twas here that Banks rode through our regiment, amidst the cheers of the boys, and gave the pleasant news that Grant had defeated Lee.

“Sleeping on Their Arms” by Winslow Homer (Harper’s Weekly, May 21, 1864).

Positioned just outside of the town of Marksville, under orders to “rest on their arms” for the night, the 47th Pennsylvanians half-dozed with their rifles within a finger’s length—but without the benefit of tents for cover. It was the eve of the Battle of Mansura, which unfolded on May 16, 1864 as follows, according to Wharton:
Early next morning we marched through Marksville into a prairie nine miles long and six wide where every preparation was made for a fight. The whole of our force was formed in line, in support of artillery in front, who commenced operations on the enemy driving him gradually from the prairie into the woods. As the enemy retreated before the heavy fire of our artillery, the infantry advanced in line until they reached Mousoula [sic, Mansura], where they formed in column, taking the whole field in an attempt to flank the enemy, but their running qualities were so good that we were foiled. The maneuvring [sic, maneuvering] of the troops was handsomely done, and the movements was [sic, were] one of the finest things of the war. The fight of artillery was a steady one of five miles. The enemy merely stood that they might cover the retreat of their infantry and train under cover of their artillery.
Per Major-General Banks, the Confederate troops “fell back, with steady and sharp skirmishing across the prairie, to a belt of woods, which he occupied.”
The enemy’s position covered three roads diverging from Mansura to the Atchafalaya. He manifested a determination here to obstinately resist our passage. The engagement, which lasted several hours, was confined chiefly to the artillery until our troops got possession of the edge of the woods – first upon our left by General Emory; subsequently on our right by General Smith, when he was driven from the field, after a sharp and decisive fight, with considerable loss.
According to military historian Steven E. Clay, “As the Army of the Gulf marched from Alexandria to Simmesport, it followed the River Road. As it moved, Taylor’s cavalry harassed the column from all sides.”
Steele’s men resumed the pressure on A. J. Smith’s rearguard. Annoying Emory and the cavalry advanced guard was Major and Bagby’s commands. The troops also attempted to slow the Federal march by cutting trees and placing other obstacles in the way. Parson’s men skirmished with Gooding’s troopers on the right flank. None of the rebel cavalry’s efforts, however, appreciably slowed the Union column.
On 14 May, the army’s van arrived at Bayour Choctaw. Emory called the pontoon train forward, and within a short time, the pontonniers had the stream bridged and the army was crossing…. That evening the troops of the XIX Corps [including the 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers] bivouacked beside the wrecks of the John Warner, Signal, and Covington. Strewn upon the ground were the letters many of the men had mailed to their loved ones earlier and had been placed on the Warner bound for New Orleans. The rebel soldiers had opened the letters, read them for entertainment, and simply tossed them aside. The idea did not sit well with the Federals, but neither did the wanton destruction and plunder of civilian homes with the Confederates.
On 15 May the column slowly crossed the Bayou Choctaw Swamp and entered the Avoyelles … Prairie. There, Major’s cavalry, later along with Bagby’s troops, attacked the lead elements several times. The fighting became so hot at moments that Emory deployed his artillery to help drive the bothersome rebel troopers away…. By nightfall … the XIX Corps had reached Marksville with the rest of the army strung out behind.
Late on 15 May, Banks learned that Taylor had massed his forces six miles ahead at the town of Mansura, evidently with the intention of blocking further Federal movement on the road to Simmesport…. On learning of the concentration of rebel forces, Banks sent orders to Emory directing him to move no later than 0300 [3 a.m.] on 16 May and to attack the enemy at daybreak. Further, Smith advanced on Emory’s right to attack into Taylor’s left flank. The XIII Corps [13th Corps], now under Lawler since 9 May … was to remain in front of Marksville as the reserve. The trains [Union wagon trains] were held behind that town….
As ordered, the Army of the Gulf moved south before sunrise. As morning dawned, the Federal army began its deployment on the wide open plain of the Avoyelles Prairie. The US troops advanced with Emory’s XIX [including the 47th Pennsylvania] in the lead with Grover’s 1st Division on the Federal left near the Grand River and McMillan’s 2nd Division [including the 47th Pennsylvania] on the right. The XIX Corps was followed by A. J. Smith’s XVI Corps [16th Corps] in column; Mower’s division was followed by that of Kilby Smith. As the Federal brigades deployed on the field they could see the Confederate battle line in the distance. Virtually in the center of the battlefield was the tiny village of Mansura.
According to Clay, Confederate Major-General Richard Taylor (a plantation owner and son of former U.S. President Zachary Taylor) “had placed eight dismounted cavalry regiments from Major’s and Bagby’s commands to the east of the hamlet” of Mansura. “At least 19 cannon with the batteries interspersed among the brigades supported these troops.” Confederate Brigadier-General Camille Armand Jules Marie, the Prince de Polignac, a prince of France who fought with the Confederate Army during America’s Civil War and whom the 47th Pennsylvanian Volunteers had previously faced in combat during the Battle of Sabine Cross Roads near Mansfield, Louisiana, “posted his two small infantry brigades and two dismounted regiments of cavalry on the left, west of town, and thirteen more guns supported Polignac’s force.”

New York Tribune headline announcing the U.S. Army of the Gulf’s May 1864 victory near Marksville, Louisiana (New York Tribune, June 3, 1864, public domain).

Standing “on a flat, green savanna,” according to Clay, the troops under Brigadier-General Emory’s command, including the 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers, were the first to march into the battle’s fray, followed by A. J. Smith’s “divisions to the right of the line.” It quickly became obvious to all who were watching the scene unfold that Taylor had woefully misjudged his opponents; his six thousand Confederates were greeted with the spectacle of the eighteen-thousand strong Army of the Gulf arrayed before them.
According to Clay, “The battle began sometime after 0600 [6 a.m.] with a mutual artillery bombardment.”
As the fusillade opened, commanders on both sides ordered their men to lie down in order to reduce casualties during the artillery duel. The tactic was effective. The barrage lasted about four hours, but few men were struck by the many rounds fired. As the Union battle line rose and moved forward on occasion, Taylor’s skirmish line responded by slowly giving ground…. Finally, at about 1000 (1 p.m.), as the XVI Corps pressed forward on the Confederate left to flank Taylor’s position as planned, the rebel line quickly sidestepped the move and fell back toward their trains which were located southwest in the village of Evergreen.
Unlike the sanguinary opening battles of the Red River Campaign, the Battle of Mansura was far less brutal. Per Wharton:
Our loss was slight. Of the rebels we could not ascertain correctly, but learned from citizens who had secreted themselves during the fight, that they had many killed and wounded, who threw them into wagons, promiscuously, and drove them off so that we could not learn their casualties.
Afterward, the victorious Army of the Gulf resumed its march south. According Major-General Banks:
The 16th of May we reached Simmsport [sic, Simmesport], on the Atchafalaya. Being entirely destitute of any ordinary bridge material for the passage of this river – about six hundred yards wide – a bridge was constructed of the steamers, under direction of Lieutenant Colonel Bailey. This work was not of the same magnitude, but was as important to the army as the dam at Alexandria was to the navy. It had the merit of being an entirely novel construction, no bridge of such magnitude having been constructed of similar materials. The bridge was completed at one o’clock on the 19th of May. The wagon train passed in the afternoon, and the troops the next morning, in better spirit and condition, as able and eager to meet the enemy as at any period of the campaign.
Union Major-General Nathaniel Banks subsequently reported that, during the Army of the Gulf’s final engagement with Confederates, the “command of General A. J. Smith, which covered the rear of the army during the construction of the bridge and the passage of the army, had a severe engagement with the enemy, under Polignac, on the afternoon of the 19th, at Yellow Bayou, which lasted several hours.”
Our loss was about one hundred and fifty in killed and wounded; that of the enemy much greater, besides many prisoners who were taken by our troops. Major General E. R. S. Canby arrived at Simmsport [sic, Simmesport] on the 19th of May, and the next day assumed command of the troops as a portion of the forces of the military division of the West Mississippi, to the command of which he had been assigned.
The 47th Pennsylvania, however, was not involved in that battle at Yellow Bayou; according to Wharton:
This fight was the last one of the expedition. The whole of the force is safe on the Mississippi, gunboats, transports and trains. The 16th and 17th have gone to their old commands.
It is amusing to read the statements of correspondents to papers North, concerning our movements and the losses of our army. I have it from the best source that the Federal loss from Franklin to Mansfield, and from their [sic] to this point does not exceed thirty-five hundred in killed, wounded and missing, while that of the rebels is over eight thousand.

Union Army base at Morganza Bend, Louisiana, circa 1863-1865 (U.S. Library of Congress, public domain).

After that final battle, the surviving members of the 47th made their way through Simmesport and into the Atchafalaya Basin, and then moved on to the village of Morganza, where they made camp again. According to Wharton, the members of Company C were sent on a special mission which took them on an intense journey of one hundred and twenty miles:
Company C, on last Saturday was detailed by the General in command of the Division to take one hundred and eighty-seven prisoners (rebs) to New Orleans. This they done [sic] satisfactorily and returned yesterday to their regiment, ready for duty. While in the City some of the boys made Captain Gobin quite a handsome present, to show their appreciation of him as an officer gentleman.
By May 28, 1864, the men from Company C had returned from New Orleans and were once again encamped at Morganza with the full 47th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, prompting Henry Wharton to write:
The boys are well. James Kennedy who was wounded at Pleasant Hill, died at New Orleans hospital a few days ago. His friends in the company were pleased to learn that Dr. Dodge of Sunbury, now of the U.S. Steamer Octorora, was with him in his last moments, and ministered to his wants. The Doctor was one of the Surgeons from the Navy who volunteered when our wounded was [sic, were] sent to New Orleans.
Their long trek through Louisiana was over, but their fight to preserve America’s Union was not.
Sources:
1. Banks, Nathaniel P. “Report of the Red River Campaign,” in “Annual Report of the Secretary of War,” in Message of the President of the United States, and Accompanying Documents, to the Two Houses of Congress, at the Commencement of the First Session of the Thirty-Ninth Congress. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1866.
2. Bates, Samuel P. History of Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-5, vol. 1. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: B. Singerly, State Printer, 1869.
3. “Battle of Pleasant Hill, April 9, 1864, Walker’s Texas Division Campaign Map, Detail,” in “House Divided.” Carlisle, Pennsylvania: History Department, Dickinson College, November 21, 2009 (cropped from the original public domain map available on the website of the U.S. Library of Congress).
4. Clay, Steven E. The Staff Ride Handbook for the Red River Campaign, 7 March-19 May 1864. Fort Leavenworth, Kansas: Combat Studies Institute Press, U.S. Army Combined Arms Centers, 2023.
5. Prisoner of War Records, Camp Ford and Camp Groce (47th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry). Tyler Texas: Smith County Historical Society, 2010.
6. “Report of Maj. Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks, U. S. Army, Commanding Expedition and Department of the Gulf” (to Edwin M. Stanton, Secretary of War), in Annual Report of the Secretary of War, in Message of the President of the United States, and Accompanying Documents, to the Two Houses of Congress, at the Commencement of the First Session of the Thirty-Ninth Congress. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1866.
7. Schmidt, Lewis G. A Civil War History of the 47th Regiment of Pennsylvania Veteran Volunteers. Allentown, Pennsylvania: Self-published, 1986.
8. “The History of the Forty-Seventh Regt. P. V.” Allentown, Pennsylvania: The Lehigh Register, July 20, 1870.
9. Wharton, Henry D. Letters from the Sunbury Guards, 1861-1868. Sunbury, Pennsylvania: Sunbury American.
https://47thpennsylvaniavolunteers.com/2024/05/16/the-march-from-marksville-to-morganza-louisiana-and-the-battle-of-mansura-mid-to-late-may-1864/
#003366 #1864 #47thPennsylvaniaInfantry #47thPennsylvaniaVolunteers #Alexandria #America #AmericanCivilWar #AmericanHistory #Army #ArmyOfTheGulf #Atchafalaya #AvoyellesParish #BattleOfMansura #CivilWar #CommonwealthOfPennsylvania #Emory #History #Infantry #LaurelHill #Louisiana #Mansura #Marksville #Morganza #NathanielPBanks #PennsylvaniaHistory #RapidesParish #RedRiver #RedRiverCampaign #Simmesport #Slavery #TheUnionArmy #USMilitaryAndTheUnionArmy #USSLaurelHill #WilliamHEmory #XIXCorps
#47thpennsylvaniainfantry #47thpennsylvaniavolunteers #alexandria #america #americancivilwar #americanhistory
47th Pennsylvania Volunteers @[email protected] · 2024-05-16 · 07:49 UTC
USS Laurel Hill, May 26, 1862 (Baldwin Lithograph, Collection of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Hyde Park, New York, 1936, U.S. Naval Heritage Command, public domain).

Barely out of sight of the city of Alexandria, in Rapides Parish Louisiana, when it ran into the enemy during its retreat south in mid-May 1864, the Union’s Army of the Gulf easily defeated the Confederate States Army troops it encountered and continued its trek toward the village of Marksville in Avoyelles Parish. Members of the 47th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, which was positioned farther back in the Union column, were aware of, but not involved in, that short engagement. According to C Company Musician Henry D. Wharton:
After marching a few miles skirmishing commenced in front between the cavalry and the enemy in riflepits [sic] on the bank of the river, but they were easily driven away. When we came up we discovered their pits and places where there had been batteries planted. At this point the John Warren, an unarmed transport, on which were sick soldiers and women, was fired into and sunk, killing many and those that were not drowned taken prisoners. A tin-clad gunboat was destroyed at the same place, by which we lost a large mail. Many letters and directed envelopes were found on the bank – thrown there after the contents had been read by the unprincipled scoundrels. The inhumanity of Guerrilla bands in this department is beyond belief, and if one did not know the truth of it or saw some of their barbarities, he would write it down as the story of a ‘reliable gentleman’ or as told by an ‘intelligent contraband.’ Not satisfied with his murderous intent on unarmed transports he fires into the Hospital steamer Laurel Hill, with four hundred sick on board. This boat had the usual hospital signal floating fore and aft, yet, notwithstanding all this, and the customs of war, they fired on them, proving by this act that they are more hardened than the Indians on the frontier.
* Note: The USS Laurel Hill survived the attack and, in a few short weeks, became the final home for ailing 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers, including Corporal William Schweitzer and Privates Amandus Bellis and Nicholas Hoffman (Company A) and Private John Witz (Company E).

Map of key 1864 Red River Campaign locations, showing the battle sites of Sabine Cross Roads, Pleasant Hill and Mansura in relation to the Union’s occupation sites at Alexandria, Grand Ecore, Morganza, and New Orleans (excerpt from Dickinson College/U.S. Library of Congress map, public domain; click to enlarge).

Resuming their trek south with the retreating Army of the Gulf, the 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers engaged in yet another long march, trudging more than thirty miles as the month of May 1864 wore on. According to the expedition’s commanding officer, Union Major-General Nathaniel P. Banks:
The fleet passed below Alexandria on the 13th of May. The army on its march from Alexandria did not encounter the enemy in force until near the town of Mansura. He was driven through the town in the evening of the 14th of May, and at daybreak next morning our advance encountered his cavalry on the prairie east of the town.
According to Henry Wharton, “On Sunday, May 15, we left the river road and took a short route through the woods, saving considerable distance.”
The windings of Red river are so numerous that it resembles the tape-worm railroad wherewith the politicians frightened the dear people during the administration of Ritner and Stevens. – We stopped several hours in the woods to leave cavalry pass, when we moved forward and by four o’clock emerged into a large open plain where we formed in line of battle, expecting a regular engagement. The enemy, however, retired and we advanced ‘till dark, when the forces halted for the night, with orders to rest on their arms. – ‘Twas here that Banks rode through our regiment, amidst the cheers of the boys, and gave the pleasant news that Grant had defeated Lee.

“Sleeping on Their Arms” by Winslow Homer (Harper’s Weekly, May 21, 1864).

Positioned just outside of the town of Marksville, under orders to “rest on their arms” for the night, the 47th Pennsylvanians half-dozed with their rifles within a finger’s length—but without the benefit of tents for cover. It was the eve of the Battle of Mansura, which unfolded on May 16, 1864 as follows, according to Wharton:
Early next morning we marched through Marksville into a prairie nine miles long and six wide where every preparation was made for a fight. The whole of our force was formed in line, in support of artillery in front, who commenced operations on the enemy driving him gradually from the prairie into the woods. As the enemy retreated before the heavy fire of our artillery, the infantry advanced in line until they reached Mousoula [sic, Mansura], where they formed in column, taking the whole field in an attempt to flank the enemy, but their running qualities were so good that we were foiled. The maneuvring [sic, maneuvering] of the troops was handsomely done, and the movements was [sic, were] one of the finest things of the war. The fight of artillery was a steady one of five miles. The enemy merely stood that they might cover the retreat of their infantry and train under cover of their artillery.
Per Major-General Banks, the Confederate troops “fell back, with steady and sharp skirmishing across the prairie, to a belt of woods, which he occupied.”
The enemy’s position covered three roads diverging from Mansura to the Atchafalaya. He manifested a determination here to obstinately resist our passage. The engagement, which lasted several hours, was confined chiefly to the artillery until our troops got possession of the edge of the woods – first upon our left by General Emory; subsequently on our right by General Smith, when he was driven from the field, after a sharp and decisive fight, with considerable loss.
According to military historian Steven E. Clay, “As the Army of the Gulf marched from Alexandria to Simmesport, it followed the River Road. As it moved, Taylor’s cavalry harassed the column from all sides.”
Steele’s men resumed the pressure on A. J. Smith’s rearguard. Annoying Emory and the cavalry advanced guard was Major and Bagby’s commands. The troops also attempted to slow the Federal march by cutting trees and placing other obstacles in the way. Parson’s men skirmished with Gooding’s troopers on the right flank. None of the rebel cavalry’s efforts, however, appreciably slowed the Union column.
On 14 May, the army’s van arrived at Bayour Choctaw. Emory called the pontoon train forward, and within a short time, the pontonniers had the stream bridged and the army was crossing…. That evening the troops of the XIX Corps [including the 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers] bivouacked beside the wrecks of the John Warner, Signal, and Covington. Strewn upon the ground were the letters many of the men had mailed to their loved ones earlier and had been placed on the Warner bound for New Orleans. The rebel soldiers had opened the letters, read them for entertainment, and simply tossed them aside. The idea did not sit well with the Federals, but neither did the wanton destruction and plunder of civilian homes with the Confederates.
On 15 May the column slowly crossed the Bayou Choctaw Swamp and entered the Avoyelles … Prairie. There, Major’s cavalry, later along with Bagby’s troops, attacked the lead elements several times. The fighting became so hot at moments that Emory deployed his artillery to help drive the bothersome rebel troopers away…. By nightfall … the XIX Corps had reached Marksville with the rest of the army strung out behind.
Late on 15 May, Banks learned that Taylor had massed his forces six miles ahead at the town of Mansura, evidently with the intention of blocking further Federal movement on the road to Simmesport…. On learning of the concentration of rebel forces, Banks sent orders to Emory directing him to move no later than 0300 [3 a.m.] on 16 May and to attack the enemy at daybreak. Further, Smith advanced on Emory’s right to attack into Taylor’s left flank. The XIII Corps [13th Corps], now under Lawler since 9 May … was to remain in front of Marksville as the reserve. The trains [Union wagon trains] were held behind that town….
As ordered, the Army of the Gulf moved south before sunrise. As morning dawned, the Federal army began its deployment on the wide open plain of the Avoyelles Prairie. The US troops advanced with Emory’s XIX [including the 47th Pennsylvania] in the lead with Grover’s 1st Division on the Federal left near the Grand River and McMillan’s 2nd Division [including the 47th Pennsylvania] on the right. The XIX Corps was followed by A. J. Smith’s XVI Corps [16th Corps] in column; Mower’s division was followed by that of Kilby Smith. As the Federal brigades deployed on the field they could see the Confederate battle line in the distance. Virtually in the center of the battlefield was the tiny village of Mansura.
According to Clay, Confederate Major-General Richard Taylor (a plantation owner and son of former U.S. President Zachary Taylor) “had placed eight dismounted cavalry regiments from Major’s and Bagby’s commands to the east of the hamlet” of Mansura. “At least 19 cannon with the batteries interspersed among the brigades supported these troops.” Confederate Brigadier-General Camille Armand Jules Marie, the Prince de Polignac, a prince of France who fought with the Confederate Army during America’s Civil War and whom the 47th Pennsylvanian Volunteers had previously faced in combat during the Battle of Sabine Cross Roads near Mansfield, Louisiana, “posted his two small infantry brigades and two dismounted regiments of cavalry on the left, west of town, and thirteen more guns supported Polignac’s force.”

New York Tribune headline announcing the U.S. Army of the Gulf’s May 1864 victory near Marksville, Louisiana (New York Tribune, June 3, 1864, public domain).

Standing “on a flat, green savanna,” according to Clay, the troops under Brigadier-General Emory’s command, including the 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers, were the first to march into the battle’s fray, followed by A. J. Smith’s “divisions to the right of the line.” It quickly became obvious to all who were watching the scene unfold that Taylor had woefully misjudged his opponents; his six thousand Confederates were greeted with the spectacle of the eighteen-thousand strong Army of the Gulf arrayed before them.
According to Clay, “The battle began sometime after 0600 [6 a.m.] with a mutual artillery bombardment.”
As the fusillade opened, commanders on both sides ordered their men to lie down in order to reduce casualties during the artillery duel. The tactic was effective. The barrage lasted about four hours, but few men were struck by the many rounds fired. As the Union battle line rose and moved forward on occasion, Taylor’s skirmish line responded by slowly giving ground…. Finally, at about 1000 (1 p.m.), as the XVI Corps pressed forward on the Confederate left to flank Taylor’s position as planned, the rebel line quickly sidestepped the move and fell back toward their trains which were located southwest in the village of Evergreen.
Unlike the sanguinary opening battles of the Red River Campaign, the Battle of Mansura was far less brutal. Per Wharton:
Our loss was slight. Of the rebels we could not ascertain correctly, but learned from citizens who had secreted themselves during the fight, that they had many killed and wounded, who threw them into wagons, promiscuously, and drove them off so that we could not learn their casualties.
Afterward, the victorious Army of the Gulf resumed its march south. According Major-General Banks:
The 16th of May we reached Simmsport [sic, Simmesport], on the Atchafalaya. Being entirely destitute of any ordinary bridge material for the passage of this river – about six hundred yards wide – a bridge was constructed of the steamers, under direction of Lieutenant Colonel Bailey. This work was not of the same magnitude, but was as important to the army as the dam at Alexandria was to the navy. It had the merit of being an entirely novel construction, no bridge of such magnitude having been constructed of similar materials. The bridge was completed at one o’clock on the 19th of May. The wagon train passed in the afternoon, and the troops the next morning, in better spirit and condition, as able and eager to meet the enemy as at any period of the campaign.
Union Major-General Nathaniel Banks subsequently reported that, during the Army of the Gulf’s final engagement with Confederates, the “command of General A. J. Smith, which covered the rear of the army during the construction of the bridge and the passage of the army, had a severe engagement with the enemy, under Polignac, on the afternoon of the 19th, at Yellow Bayou, which lasted several hours.”
Our loss was about one hundred and fifty in killed and wounded; that of the enemy much greater, besides many prisoners who were taken by our troops. Major General E. R. S. Canby arrived at Simmsport [sic, Simmesport] on the 19th of May, and the next day assumed command of the troops as a portion of the forces of the military division of the West Mississippi, to the command of which he had been assigned.
The 47th Pennsylvania, however, was not involved in that battle at Yellow Bayou; according to Wharton:
This fight was the last one of the expedition. The whole of the force is safe on the Mississippi, gunboats, transports and trains. The 16th and 17th have gone to their old commands.
It is amusing to read the statements of correspondents to papers North, concerning our movements and the losses of our army. I have it from the best source that the Federal loss from Franklin to Mansfield, and from their [sic] to this point does not exceed thirty-five hundred in killed, wounded and missing, while that of the rebels is over eight thousand.

Union Army base at Morganza Bend, Louisiana, circa 1863-1865 (U.S. Library of Congress, public domain).

After that final battle, the surviving members of the 47th made their way through Simmesport and into the Atchafalaya Basin, and then moved on to the village of Morganza, where they made camp again. According to Wharton, the members of Company C were sent on a special mission which took them on an intense journey of one hundred and twenty miles:
Company C, on last Saturday was detailed by the General in command of the Division to take one hundred and eighty-seven prisoners (rebs) to New Orleans. This they done [sic] satisfactorily and returned yesterday to their regiment, ready for duty. While in the City some of the boys made Captain Gobin quite a handsome present, to show their appreciation of him as an officer gentleman.
By May 28, 1864, the men from Company C had returned from New Orleans and were once again encamped at Morganza with the full 47th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, prompting Henry Wharton to write:
The boys are well. James Kennedy who was wounded at Pleasant Hill, died at New Orleans hospital a few days ago. His friends in the company were pleased to learn that Dr. Dodge of Sunbury, now of the U.S. Steamer Octorora, was with him in his last moments, and ministered to his wants. The Doctor was one of the Surgeons from the Navy who volunteered when our wounded was [sic, were] sent to New Orleans.
Their long trek through Louisiana was over, but their fight to preserve America’s Union was not.
Sources:
1. Banks, Nathaniel P. “Report of the Red River Campaign,” in “Annual Report of the Secretary of War,” in Message of the President of the United States, and Accompanying Documents, to the Two Houses of Congress, at the Commencement of the First Session of the Thirty-Ninth Congress. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1866.
2. Bates, Samuel P. History of Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-5, vol. 1. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: B. Singerly, State Printer, 1869.
3. “Battle of Pleasant Hill, April 9, 1864, Walker’s Texas Division Campaign Map, Detail,” in “House Divided.” Carlisle, Pennsylvania: History Department, Dickinson College, November 21, 2009 (cropped from the original public domain map available on the website of the U.S. Library of Congress).
4. Clay, Steven E. The Staff Ride Handbook for the Red River Campaign, 7 March-19 May 1864. Fort Leavenworth, Kansas: Combat Studies Institute Press, U.S. Army Combined Arms Centers, 2023.
5. Prisoner of War Records, Camp Ford and Camp Groce (47th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry). Tyler Texas: Smith County Historical Society, 2010.
6. “Report of Maj. Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks, U. S. Army, Commanding Expedition and Department of the Gulf” (to Edwin M. Stanton, Secretary of War), in Annual Report of the Secretary of War, in Message of the President of the United States, and Accompanying Documents, to the Two Houses of Congress, at the Commencement of the First Session of the Thirty-Ninth Congress. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1866.
7. Schmidt, Lewis G. A Civil War History of the 47th Regiment of Pennsylvania Veteran Volunteers. Allentown, Pennsylvania: Self-published, 1986.
8. “The History of the Forty-Seventh Regt. P. V.” Allentown, Pennsylvania: The Lehigh Register, July 20, 1870.
9. Wharton, Henry D. Letters from the Sunbury Guards, 1861-1868. Sunbury, Pennsylvania: Sunbury American.
https://47thpennsylvaniavolunteers.com/2024/05/16/the-march-from-marksville-to-morganza-louisiana-and-the-battle-of-mansura-mid-to-late-may-1864/
#003366 #1864 #47thPennsylvaniaInfantry #47thPennsylvaniaVolunteers #Alexandria #America #AmericanCivilWar #AmericanHistory #Army #ArmyOfTheGulf #Atchafalaya #AvoyellesParish #BattleOfMansura #CivilWar #CommonwealthOfPennsylvania #Emory #History #Infantry #LaurelHill #Louisiana #Mansura #Marksville #Morganza #NathanielPBanks #PennsylvaniaHistory #PennsylvaniaInTheCivilWar #RapidesParish #RedRiver #RedRiverCampaign #Simmesport #Slavery #TheUnionArmy #USMilitaryAndTheUnionArmy #USSLaurelHill #WilliamHEmory #XIXCorps
#xixcorps #williamhemory #usslaurelhill #usmilitaryandtheunionarmy #theunionarmy #slavery
47th Pennsylvania Volunteers @[email protected] · 2024-05-16 · 07:49 UTC
USS Laurel Hill, May 26, 1862 (Baldwin Lithograph, Collection of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Hyde Park, New York, 1936, U.S. Naval Heritage Command, public domain).

Barely out of sight of the city of Alexandria, in Rapides Parish Louisiana, when it ran into the enemy during its retreat south in mid-May 1864, the Union’s Army of the Gulf easily defeated the Confederate States Army troops it encountered and continued its trek toward the village of Marksville in Avoyelles Parish. Members of the 47th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, which was positioned farther back in the Union column, were aware of, but not involved in, that short engagement. According to C Company Musician Henry D. Wharton:
After marching a few miles skirmishing commenced in front between the cavalry and the enemy in riflepits [sic] on the bank of the river, but they were easily driven away. When we came up we discovered their pits and places where there had been batteries planted. At this point the John Warren, an unarmed transport, on which were sick soldiers and women, was fired into and sunk, killing many and those that were not drowned taken prisoners. A tin-clad gunboat was destroyed at the same place, by which we lost a large mail. Many letters and directed envelopes were found on the bank – thrown there after the contents had been read by the unprincipled scoundrels. The inhumanity of Guerrilla bands in this department is beyond belief, and if one did not know the truth of it or saw some of their barbarities, he would write it down as the story of a ‘reliable gentleman’ or as told by an ‘intelligent contraband.’ Not satisfied with his murderous intent on unarmed transports he fires into the Hospital steamer Laurel Hill, with four hundred sick on board. This boat had the usual hospital signal floating fore and aft, yet, notwithstanding all this, and the customs of war, they fired on them, proving by this act that they are more hardened than the Indians on the frontier.
* Note: The USS Laurel Hill survived the attack and, in a few short weeks, became the final home for ailing 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers, including Corporal William Schweitzer and Privates Amandus Bellis and Nicholas Hoffman (Company A) and Private John Witz (Company E).

Map of key 1864 Red River Campaign locations, showing the battle sites of Sabine Cross Roads, Pleasant Hill and Mansura in relation to the Union’s occupation sites at Alexandria, Grand Ecore, Morganza, and New Orleans (excerpt from Dickinson College/U.S. Library of Congress map, public domain; click to enlarge).

Resuming their trek south with the retreating Army of the Gulf, the 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers engaged in yet another long march, trudging more than thirty miles as the month of May 1864 wore on. According to the expedition’s commanding officer, Union Major-General Nathaniel P. Banks:
The fleet passed below Alexandria on the 13th of May. The army on its march from Alexandria did not encounter the enemy in force until near the town of Mansura. He was driven through the town in the evening of the 14th of May, and at daybreak next morning our advance encountered his cavalry on the prairie east of the town.
According to Henry Wharton, “On Sunday, May 15, we left the river road and took a short route through the woods, saving considerable distance.”
The windings of Red river are so numerous that it resembles the tape-worm railroad wherewith the politicians frightened the dear people during the administration of Ritner and Stevens. – We stopped several hours in the woods to leave cavalry pass, when we moved forward and by four o’clock emerged into a large open plain where we formed in line of battle, expecting a regular engagement. The enemy, however, retired and we advanced ‘till dark, when the forces halted for the night, with orders to rest on their arms. – ‘Twas here that Banks rode through our regiment, amidst the cheers of the boys, and gave the pleasant news that Grant had defeated Lee.

“Sleeping on Their Arms” by Winslow Homer (Harper’s Weekly, May 21, 1864).

Positioned just outside of the town of Marksville, under orders to “rest on their arms” for the night, the 47th Pennsylvanians half-dozed with their rifles within a finger’s length—but without the benefit of tents for cover. It was the eve of the Battle of Mansura, which unfolded on May 16, 1864 as follows, according to Wharton:
Early next morning we marched through Marksville into a prairie nine miles long and six wide where every preparation was made for a fight. The whole of our force was formed in line, in support of artillery in front, who commenced operations on the enemy driving him gradually from the prairie into the woods. As the enemy retreated before the heavy fire of our artillery, the infantry advanced in line until they reached Mousoula [sic, Mansura], where they formed in column, taking the whole field in an attempt to flank the enemy, but their running qualities were so good that we were foiled. The maneuvring [sic, maneuvering] of the troops was handsomely done, and the movements was [sic, were] one of the finest things of the war. The fight of artillery was a steady one of five miles. The enemy merely stood that they might cover the retreat of their infantry and train under cover of their artillery.
Per Major-General Banks, the Confederate troops “fell back, with steady and sharp skirmishing across the prairie, to a belt of woods, which he occupied.”
The enemy’s position covered three roads diverging from Mansura to the Atchafalaya. He manifested a determination here to obstinately resist our passage. The engagement, which lasted several hours, was confined chiefly to the artillery until our troops got possession of the edge of the woods – first upon our left by General Emory; subsequently on our right by General Smith, when he was driven from the field, after a sharp and decisive fight, with considerable loss.
According to military historian Steven E. Clay, “As the Army of the Gulf marched from Alexandria to Simmesport, it followed the River Road. As it moved, Taylor’s cavalry harassed the column from all sides.”
Steele’s men resumed the pressure on A. J. Smith’s rearguard. Annoying Emory and the cavalry advanced guard was Major and Bagby’s commands. The troops also attempted to slow the Federal march by cutting trees and placing other obstacles in the way. Parson’s men skirmished with Gooding’s troopers on the right flank. None of the rebel cavalry’s efforts, however, appreciably slowed the Union column.
On 14 May, the army’s van arrived at Bayour Choctaw. Emory called the pontoon train forward, and within a short time, the pontonniers had the stream bridged and the army was crossing…. That evening the troops of the XIX Corps [including the 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers] bivouacked beside the wrecks of the John Warner, Signal, and Covington. Strewn upon the ground were the letters many of the men had mailed to their loved ones earlier and had been placed on the Warner bound for New Orleans. The rebel soldiers had opened the letters, read them for entertainment, and simply tossed them aside. The idea did not sit well with the Federals, but neither did the wanton destruction and plunder of civilian homes with the Confederates.
On 15 May the column slowly crossed the Bayou Choctaw Swamp and entered the Avoyelles … Prairie. There, Major’s cavalry, later along with Bagby’s troops, attacked the lead elements several times. The fighting became so hot at moments that Emory deployed his artillery to help drive the bothersome rebel troopers away…. By nightfall … the XIX Corps had reached Marksville with the rest of the army strung out behind.
Late on 15 May, Banks learned that Taylor had massed his forces six miles ahead at the town of Mansura, evidently with the intention of blocking further Federal movement on the road to Simmesport…. On learning of the concentration of rebel forces, Banks sent orders to Emory directing him to move no later than 0300 [3 a.m.] on 16 May and to attack the enemy at daybreak. Further, Smith advanced on Emory’s right to attack into Taylor’s left flank. The XIII Corps [13th Corps], now under Lawler since 9 May … was to remain in front of Marksville as the reserve. The trains [Union wagon trains] were held behind that town….
As ordered, the Army of the Gulf moved south before sunrise. As morning dawned, the Federal army began its deployment on the wide open plain of the Avoyelles Prairie. The US troops advanced with Emory’s XIX [including the 47th Pennsylvania] in the lead with Grover’s 1st Division on the Federal left near the Grand River and McMillan’s 2nd Division [including the 47th Pennsylvania] on the right. The XIX Corps was followed by A. J. Smith’s XVI Corps [16th Corps] in column; Mower’s division was followed by that of Kilby Smith. As the Federal brigades deployed on the field they could see the Confederate battle line in the distance. Virtually in the center of the battlefield was the tiny village of Mansura.
According to Clay, Confederate Major-General Richard Taylor (a plantation owner and son of former U.S. President Zachary Taylor) “had placed eight dismounted cavalry regiments from Major’s and Bagby’s commands to the east of the hamlet” of Mansura. “At least 19 cannon with the batteries interspersed among the brigades supported these troops.” Confederate Brigadier-General Camille Armand Jules Marie, the Prince de Polignac, a prince of France who fought with the Confederate Army during America’s Civil War and whom the 47th Pennsylvanian Volunteers had previously faced in combat during the Battle of Sabine Cross Roads near Mansfield, Louisiana, “posted his two small infantry brigades and two dismounted regiments of cavalry on the left, west of town, and thirteen more guns supported Polignac’s force.”

New York Tribune headline announcing the U.S. Army of the Gulf’s May 1864 victory near Marksville, Louisiana (New York Tribune, June 3, 1864, public domain).

Standing “on a flat, green savanna,” according to Clay, the troops under Brigadier-General Emory’s command, including the 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers, were the first to march into the battle’s fray, followed by A. J. Smith’s “divisions to the right of the line.” It quickly became obvious to all who were watching the scene unfold that Taylor had woefully misjudged his opponents; his six thousand Confederates were greeted with the spectacle of the eighteen-thousand strong Army of the Gulf arrayed before them.
According to Clay, “The battle began sometime after 0600 [6 a.m.] with a mutual artillery bombardment.”
As the fusillade opened, commanders on both sides ordered their men to lie down in order to reduce casualties during the artillery duel. The tactic was effective. The barrage lasted about four hours, but few men were struck by the many rounds fired. As the Union battle line rose and moved forward on occasion, Taylor’s skirmish line responded by slowly giving ground…. Finally, at about 1000 (1 p.m.), as the XVI Corps pressed forward on the Confederate left to flank Taylor’s position as planned, the rebel line quickly sidestepped the move and fell back toward their trains which were located southwest in the village of Evergreen.
Unlike the sanguinary opening battles of the Red River Campaign, the Battle of Mansura was far less brutal. Per Wharton:
Our loss was slight. Of the rebels we could not ascertain correctly, but learned from citizens who had secreted themselves during the fight, that they had many killed and wounded, who threw them into wagons, promiscuously, and drove them off so that we could not learn their casualties.
Afterward, the victorious Army of the Gulf resumed its march south. According Major-General Banks:
The 16th of May we reached Simmsport [sic, Simmesport], on the Atchafalaya. Being entirely destitute of any ordinary bridge material for the passage of this river – about six hundred yards wide – a bridge was constructed of the steamers, under direction of Lieutenant Colonel Bailey. This work was not of the same magnitude, but was as important to the army as the dam at Alexandria was to the navy. It had the merit of being an entirely novel construction, no bridge of such magnitude having been constructed of similar materials. The bridge was completed at one o’clock on the 19th of May. The wagon train passed in the afternoon, and the troops the next morning, in better spirit and condition, as able and eager to meet the enemy as at any period of the campaign.
Union Major-General Nathaniel Banks subsequently reported that, during the Army of the Gulf’s final engagement with Confederates, the “command of General A. J. Smith, which covered the rear of the army during the construction of the bridge and the passage of the army, had a severe engagement with the enemy, under Polignac, on the afternoon of the 19th, at Yellow Bayou, which lasted several hours.”
Our loss was about one hundred and fifty in killed and wounded; that of the enemy much greater, besides many prisoners who were taken by our troops. Major General E. R. S. Canby arrived at Simmsport [sic, Simmesport] on the 19th of May, and the next day assumed command of the troops as a portion of the forces of the military division of the West Mississippi, to the command of which he had been assigned.
The 47th Pennsylvania, however, was not involved in that battle at Yellow Bayou; according to Wharton:
This fight was the last one of the expedition. The whole of the force is safe on the Mississippi, gunboats, transports and trains. The 16th and 17th have gone to their old commands.
It is amusing to read the statements of correspondents to papers North, concerning our movements and the losses of our army. I have it from the best source that the Federal loss from Franklin to Mansfield, and from their [sic] to this point does not exceed thirty-five hundred in killed, wounded and missing, while that of the rebels is over eight thousand.

Union Army base at Morganza Bend, Louisiana, circa 1863-1865 (U.S. Library of Congress, public domain).

After that final battle, the surviving members of the 47th made their way through Simmesport and into the Atchafalaya Basin, and then moved on to the village of Morganza, where they made camp again. According to Wharton, the members of Company C were sent on a special mission which took them on an intense journey of one hundred and twenty miles:
Company C, on last Saturday was detailed by the General in command of the Division to take one hundred and eighty-seven prisoners (rebs) to New Orleans. This they done [sic] satisfactorily and returned yesterday to their regiment, ready for duty. While in the City some of the boys made Captain Gobin quite a handsome present, to show their appreciation of him as an officer gentleman.
By May 28, 1864, the men from Company C had returned from New Orleans and were once again encamped at Morganza with the full 47th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, prompting Henry Wharton to write:
The boys are well. James Kennedy who was wounded at Pleasant Hill, died at New Orleans hospital a few days ago. His friends in the company were pleased to learn that Dr. Dodge of Sunbury, now of the U.S. Steamer Octorora, was with him in his last moments, and ministered to his wants. The Doctor was one of the Surgeons from the Navy who volunteered when our wounded was [sic, were] sent to New Orleans.
Their long trek through Louisiana was over, but their fight to preserve America’s Union was not.
Sources:
1. Banks, Nathaniel P. “Report of the Red River Campaign,” in “Annual Report of the Secretary of War,” in Message of the President of the United States, and Accompanying Documents, to the Two Houses of Congress, at the Commencement of the First Session of the Thirty-Ninth Congress. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1866.
2. Bates, Samuel P. History of Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-5, vol. 1. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: B. Singerly, State Printer, 1869.
3. “Battle of Pleasant Hill, April 9, 1864, Walker’s Texas Division Campaign Map, Detail,” in “House Divided.” Carlisle, Pennsylvania: History Department, Dickinson College, November 21, 2009 (cropped from the original public domain map available on the website of the U.S. Library of Congress).
4. Clay, Steven E. The Staff Ride Handbook for the Red River Campaign, 7 March-19 May 1864. Fort Leavenworth, Kansas: Combat Studies Institute Press, U.S. Army Combined Arms Centers, 2023.
5. Prisoner of War Records, Camp Ford and Camp Groce (47th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry). Tyler Texas: Smith County Historical Society, 2010.
6. “Report of Maj. Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks, U. S. Army, Commanding Expedition and Department of the Gulf” (to Edwin M. Stanton, Secretary of War), in Annual Report of the Secretary of War, in Message of the President of the United States, and Accompanying Documents, to the Two Houses of Congress, at the Commencement of the First Session of the Thirty-Ninth Congress. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1866.
7. Schmidt, Lewis G. A Civil War History of the 47th Regiment of Pennsylvania Veteran Volunteers. Allentown, Pennsylvania: Self-published, 1986.
8. “The History of the Forty-Seventh Regt. P. V.” Allentown, Pennsylvania: The Lehigh Register, July 20, 1870.
9. Wharton, Henry D. Letters from the Sunbury Guards, 1861-1868. Sunbury, Pennsylvania: Sunbury American.
https://47thpennsylvaniavolunteers.com/2024/05/16/the-march-from-marksville-to-morganza-louisiana-and-the-battle-of-mansura-mid-to-late-may-1864/
#003366 #1864 #47thPennsylvaniaInfantry #47thPennsylvaniaVolunteers #Alexandria #America #AmericanCivilWar #AmericanHistory #Army #ArmyOfTheGulf #Atchafalaya #AvoyellesParish #BattleOfMansura #CivilWar #CommonwealthOfPennsylvania #Emory #History #Infantry #LaurelHill #Louisiana #Mansura #Marksville #Morganza #NathanielPBanks #PennsylvaniaHistory #PennsylvaniaInTheCivilWar #RapidesParish #RedRiver #RedRiverCampaign #Simmesport #Slavery #TheUnionArmy #USMilitaryAndTheUnionArmy #USSLaurelHill #WilliamHEmory #XIXCorps
#47thpennsylvaniainfantry #47thpennsylvaniavolunteers #alexandria #america #americancivilwar #americanhistory
No Minister @[email protected] · 2026-04-01 · 00:04 UTC
Wednesday’s Quick Hits
When guns aren’t available
Let’s start with something fun. This guy is freakishly good.
https://twitter.com/Rainmaker1973/status/2038622272844636321
The Andromeda Strain
News has finally emerged about the NASA astronaut whose illness resulted in an “evacuation” of the four members of Expedition 74 from the ISS a few weeks before the scheduled end of their mission. The astronaut who was sick has been identified, and what he was suffering from:
Astronaut Mike Fincke, who has been to space four times, told the Associated Press that he was struck with the illness while eating dinner. He briefly lost the ability to speak. “He couldn’t talk and remembers no pain, but his anxious crewmates jumped into action after seeing him in distress and requested help from flight surgeons on the ground,”
Sort of:
Fincke said he’s been enjoying time with his family back on Earth. “We couldn’t tell. It was one of those things that the doctors are still scratching their heads,” according to Fincke. He didn’t have a stroke or heart attack, the data showed. “We cleared out all the really tough things,” he added. “We are almost 100% sure that this is a space-related thing.”
Well at least nothing burst out of his chest!
More on Democrat Cities
Groan! I just did a piece on how to clean up Chicago and other Democrat cities and now this on the infamous Red Line…
When you pray for metal fatigue
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWgkWAQjUgu/
Those rear doors are locked to prevent this sort of insanity, and I can’t see how he could squeeze out of the windows. The guy concerned will be walking the streets of Chicago tomorrow and who knows what other excitements he will seek.
NYC Residents meet Menken’s Good and Hard Rule
It’s good that the city is building a homeless shelter for about 150 men suffering from the usual factors of homeless men; drug addiction and mental health issues.
It’s bad that they’re putting it in the middle of an ordinary neighbourhood:
https://twitter.com/ABC7NY/status/2038543233555341685
Mamdani thinks he can put homeless shelters in any neighborhood he wants because he wants the homeless to feel like they are at home, because maybe being around families will rehabilitate them. He could put shelters anywhere in the city, but he chooses to put them right in the middle of our neighborhood. He doesn’t care about the danger that poses to us. Look at all the cops that showed up tonight. Will the cops show up when some homeless drug addict lays his hands on a child?
Exactly, but the politicians don’t have to worry about that last: the following is a reference to Chicago Mayor Johnson, but it applies to any of the Democrat pollies.

The NYC protest happened in an Asian neighbourhood but we all know that Asians are just White Supremacist Adjacent so they’ll be ignored, and in any case almost half of them – 49.1% percent – voted for Zohran Mamdani.
Why Crime Flourishes in Minnesota.
Even after all the publicity about the massive amounts of fraud that the local Somali community have pulled against the Minnesota welfare agencies, the message still doesn’t get through to the forces of Law and Order in Democrat places.
https://twitter.com/KSTP/status/2038649718356459881
One year for $250 million is not a bad deal. Plus a quick reminder that local political star lIhan Omar (Somalia) was also in the middle of this fraud:
- Ilhan Omar Promoted “Feed Our Future”
- Ilhan Omar Volunteered at “Feed Our Future”
- Illhan Omar got Donations from “Feed Our Future”
Governor Tim “Chorus Dancer” Walz is also quite open about the motivating factor, if not actually yelling “We Love Being Ripped Off” in public.
https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/2037980587596591235
Providence, Rhode Island Wipes Iryna Zarutska from history
Some victims are deserving of being memorialised, like Saint George I stick this gun in your pregnant belly Floyd, because their memory brings us together.
But other victims are – what’s the word – forgettable, problematic…??

The mural, located on the exterior of The Dark Lady, an LGBTQ+ club in downtown Providence, remains incomplete, WJAR-TV reported. The office of Mayor Brett Smiley told the news outlet that he wants the artwork taken down.

“The murder of the individual depicted in this mural was a devastating tragedy, but the misguided, isolating intent of those funding murals like the one across the county is divisive and does not represent Providence,” Smiley said in a statement.
Oh right, “divisive”. Divisive was the word I was looking for. Even the LGBTQ+ connection could not save the mural.
What a cunt Mayor Smiley is – and he’ll probably be re-elected by his Democrat voters.
However, his best efforts, I don’t think the Memory Hole works that well anymore and Iryna Zarutska will not be forgotten – and neither will shitty political and ideological efforts to wipe her away.
https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/2003244574127653327
Bigger Versions of Left-Wing Cities
Strangely enough scaling up the likes of such cities to the Nation-State level doesn’t work either.
Canada
https://twitter.com/ksorbs/status/2036937420646609336
To be fair if I was ruled by the likes of the NDP (New Democrat Party) I might to commit suicide too. No Canadian Left-wing government can win power without the NDP’s support. The following is very funny, if unintentionally so.
https://twitter.com/CollinRugg/status/2038278734705512888
Spain
Father loses legal fight to halt euthanasia of 25-year-old daughter… Noelia Castillo Ramos’ case galvanized international attention after her father, Gerónimo Castillo, mounted a legal battle against the authorization of various Spanish courts for his daughter to receive euthanasia in 2023. Aided by Abogados Cristianos (Christian Lawyers), a conservative Catholic organization, Mr. Castillo exhausted all appeals to the Spanish courts.

The father argued that his daughter wasn’t fully psychologically able to make a decision regarding euthanasia and that she needed better medical and psychiatric care. His legal battle was ultimately shut down by the European Court for Human Rights in Strasbourg, France, on March 10.
In her brief, awful life she had been:
- Removed from her parents after their divorce.
- Tried to commit suicide twice (saved by her mother once).
- Sexually abused by her boyfriend.
- Attempted rape in a nightclub.
- Gang raped in the state care home she was placed in.
- Attempted suicide again by jumping off the home’s fifth floor. Survived, if that’s the word.
- Refused privately-funded care offered by numerous wealth (and non-wealthy) people
But in the end, like Canada, it was simpler (and cheaper) for the State to just kill her.
Nations cannot survive when their cultures are this sick.
Muslim Mass Killing of Christians
Also known as No Protests!
https://twitter.com/VividProwess/status/2038427239360925747
https://twitter.com/EYakoby/status/2038746476440854955
A Nuked Country Can be a Better Country
After all that incredibly depressing news there is this from Japan, which has a weird sub-culture (aren’t all Japanese sub-cultures such?) of loving the United States. Cute, but where are the Daisy Dukes?
https://twitter.com/Richard_Harambe/status/2038316228557607108
#Canada #CanadianPolitics #Chicago #Crime #DemocratCities #Euthanasia #FraudAndGrifting #Minneapolis #NewYorkCityNYCAndState #SoftOnCrime #Space #ViolentCrime #WokeIdentityPolitics
#canada #canadianpolitics #chicago #crime #democratcities #euthanasia
Sky Dancing @[email protected] · 2025-11-12 · 18:07 UTC
Wednesday Reads
Good Afternoon!!
I was going to write about how the Democrats actually won the government shutdown. But bigger news has broken. I’ll get to the shutdown story after that and then some news about Kash Patel, Trump’s incompetent FBI director.
It looks like the Epstein shit is about to hit the fan.

Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell

James Hill, Lauren Peller, Katherine Faulders, and Jay O’Brien ABC News: House Democrats release new Epstein emails referencing Trump.
Sex offender Jeffrey Epstein referred to Donald Trump as the “dog that hasn’t barked” and told his former companion Ghislaine Maxwell that an alleged victim had “spent hours at my house” with Trump, according to email correspondence released Wednesday by Democrats on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
“I want you to realize that that dog that hasn’t barked is trump,” Epstein wrote in a typo-riddled message to Maxwell in April 2011. “[Victim] spent hours at my house with him ,, he has never once been mentioned.”
“I have been thinking about that … ” Maxwell replied.
That email exchange — which came just weeks after a British newspaper published a series of stories about Epstein, Maxwell and their powerful associates — was one of three released by the Democrats from a batch of more than 23,000 documents the committee recently received from the Epstein Estate in response to a subpoena.
The other messages are between Epstein and author Michael Wolff.
“I hear CNN planning to ask Trump tonight about his relationship with you–either on air or in scrum afterwards,” Wolff wrote to Epstein in December 2015, six months after Trump had officially entered the race for the White House.
“Trump said he asked me to resign, never a member ever,” Epstein wrote, “Of course he knew about the girls as he asked ghislaine to stop” [….]
Wolff in a phone interview on Wednesday said of the 2015 exchange that he couldn’t remember “the specific emails or the context, but I was in an in-depth conversation with Epstein at that time about his relationship with Donald Trump. So I think this reflects that.”
“I was trying at that time to get Epstein to talk about his relationship with Trump, and actually, he proved to be an enormously valuable source to me,” Wolff said. “Part of the context of this is that I was pushing Epstein at that point to go public with what he knew about Trump.”
You can read the original emails along with more context at the ABC link.
A bit more from the emails from Hailey Fuchs at Politico: Jeffrey Epstein, in newly released email, says Trump ‘knew about the girls.’
Also in the emails released by Oversight Democrats Wednesday, Wolff wrote in a 2015 message to Epstein that he heard Trump – then a presidential candidate – would be asked by CNN about the convicted sex offender. Epstein asked Wolff what he thought an ideal response from Trump would be.

Michael Wolff

“I think you should let him hang himself,” Wolff responded. If [Trump] says he hasn’t been on the plane or to the house, then that gives you a valuable PR and political currency.
“You can hang him in a way that potentially generates a positive benefit for you,” Wolff continued, “or, if it really looks like he could win, you could save him, generating a debt.”
Wolff added that Trump could potentially praise Epstein when asked. Wolff’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The materials were received by the House Oversight Committee last Thursday, meaning the move by Democrats to release the materials was likely timed to coincide with the House’s return from a lengthy recess to vote Wednesday evening on ending the prolonged government shutdown.
Michael Gold at The New York Times (gift link): Epstein Alleged in Emails That Trump Knew of His Conduct.
House Democrats on Wednesday released emails in which Jeffrey Epstein wrote that President Trump had “spent hours at my house” with one of Mr. Epstein’s victims, among other messages that suggested that the convicted sex offender believed Mr. Trump knew more about his abuse than he has acknowledged….

Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA)

…Democrats on the House Oversight Committee said the emails, which they selected from thousands of pages of documents received by their panel, raised new questions about the relationship between the two men. In one of the messages, Mr. Epstein flatly asserted that Mr. Trump “knew about the girls,” many of whom were later found by investigators to have been underage. In another, Mr. Epstein pondered how to address questions from the news media about their relationship as Mr. Trump was becoming a national political figure….
“These latest emails and correspondence raise glaring questions about what else the White House is hiding and the nature of the relationship between Epstein and the president,” Representative Robert Garcia of California, the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, said in a statement.
The three separate email exchanges released on Wednesday were all from after Mr. Epstein’s 2008 plea deal in Florida on state charges of soliciting prostitution, in which federal prosecutors agreed not to pursue charges. They came years after Mr. Trump and Mr. Epstein had a reported falling out in the early 2000s.
See the ABC story above for descriptions of the emails.
House Democrats, citing an unnamed whistle-blower, said this week that Ms. Maxwell was preparing to formally ask Mr. Trump to commute her federal prison sentence.
The emails were provided to the Oversight Committee along with a larger tranche of documents from Mr. Epstein’s estate that the panel requested as part of its investigation into Mr. Epstein and Ms. Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence on sex-trafficking charges.
Republicans argued that Democrats omitted context from the emails they released.
Republicans on the Oversight Committee accused Democrats of politicizing the investigation. “Democrats continue to carelessly cherry-pick documents to generate clickbait that is not grounded in the facts,” a committee spokeswoman said. “The Epstein Estate has produced over 20,000 pages of documents on Thursday, yet Democrats are once again intentionally withholding records that name Democrat officials.”
The Republicans also identified the victim whose name was redacted in the emails as Virginia Giuffre, who died by suicide in April. Ms. Giuffre had said that Ms. Maxwell recruited her into Mr. Epstein’s sex ring while she was working at Mar-a-Lago, Mr. Trump’s private club and residence in Palm Beach, as a teenager.
In a 2016 deposition for a civil case, Ms. Giuffre was asked if she believed Mr. Trump had witnessed the sexual abuse of minors in Mr. Epstein’s home. “I don’t think Donald Trump participated in anything,” she said.
“I never saw or witnessed Donald Trump participate in those acts, but was he in the house of Jeffrey Epstein,” Ms. Giuffre added. “I’ve heard he has been, but I haven’t seen him myself so I don’t know.”
Use the gift link to read the whole article.
This afternoon at 4:00, Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.) will finally be sworn in. She will then sign the discharge petition to require the DOJ to release all of the Epstein files.
Kaanita Iyer at CNN: Rep.-elect Grijalva says she plans to confront Johnson at long-delayed swearing-in ceremony.
Arizona Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva, who is set to be sworn in on Wednesday, said she will confront House Speaker Mike Johnson after waiting nearly 50 days to be seated as a member of Congress.
“I won’t be able to like sort of move on if I don’t address it personally and we’ll see what kind of reaction he has,” Grijalva, a Democrat, told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on “The Source” Tuesday.

Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.)

“I’m not exactly sure what I’m going to say,” Grijalva added but said she will stress that Johnson refusing to swear her in for over a month is “undemocratic.”
“It’s unconstitutional. It’s illegal. Should never happen — this kind of obstruction cannot happen again,” Grijalva said.

Grijalva won a special election on September 23 to replace her father, longtime Rep. Raúl Grijalva, who died in March.
The House has been out of session since September 19 and Johnson refused to swear in Grijalva in the chamber’s absence amid the government shutdown.

One more on the Epstein story from Meredith Lee Hill, Hailey Fuchs and Nicholas Wu at Politico: Here’s how the House battle over the Epstein files will play out
The monthslong bipartisan effort to sidestep Speaker Mike Johnson and force the release of all Justice Department files on the late sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein is kicking into high gear this week, setting up a December floor battle that President Donald Trump has sought to avoid….

The process of doing so will begin around 4 p.m., when Johnson swears in Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva right before the House votes to end the government shutdown — ending a 50-day wait following the Arizona Democrat’s election. Shortly afterward, Grijalva says she will affix the 218th and final signature to the discharge petition led by Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) to force a vote on the full release of DOJ’s Epstein files.
That in itself will be the culmination of months of drama that blew up into a full crisis for Johnson this summer, with a GOP mutiny grinding the floor to a halt and forcing leaders to send the House home early for August recess. The uproar over a possible Epstein cover-up faded but never disappeared entirely.

The completion of the discharge petition, a rarely used mechanism to sidestep the majority party leadership, will trigger a countdown for the bill to hit the House floor. It will still take seven legislative days for the petition to ripen, after which Johnson will have two legislative days to schedule a vote. Senior Republican and Democratic aides estimate a floor vote will come the first week of December, after the Thanksgiving recess.
The discharge petition tees up a “rule,” a procedural measure setting the terms of debate for the Epstein bill’s consideration on the House floor. This gives the effort’s leaders greater control over the bill, which will still require Senate approval if it passes the House.
Senate Republican leaders haven’t publicly committed to bringing up the Epstein measure if the House passes it. Republicans expect it will die in the Senate, but not before a contentious House fight.
Could Johnson stop the petition from getting a vote in the House?
While Johnson has options to short-circuit the effort before it gets to the floor, he said in an interview last month he would not seek to do so. Republicans on the Rules Committee have also warned Johnson they will not help him kill the bill in the panel, and he’s in turn privately assured some of them the Epstein measure will get floor consideration if the petition reaches 218 signatures.
At that point, the speaker can only defeat it if he siphons away enough Republican votes — a tall order in a majority where Johnson has only a two-vote margin after Grijalva is sworn in. GOP leaders don’t plan to formally whip against the Epstein vote when it gets to the floor, according to three people granted anonymity to describe internal deliberations.
“I’m certain the House vote will succeed,” Massie said in an interview. “Some Republican members who are not signers of the petition have told me they will vote for the measure when the vote is called. I suspect there will be many more.”
Read about which members might end up voting for the release of the files at the link.
Next, did the Democrats really lose the shutdown?
Jonathan V. Last at The Bulwark: Give Chuck a Break. It Could Have Been Worse.
Like Dr. Strange, I have seen all six possible endgames from the shutdown fight and I’m here to tell you that yes, Democrats could have done better. They probably should have done better. But they exit this event in a stronger position than they entered. And also: They could have done much worse.
We’re going to rank the shutdown endgames from best to worst and then I’m going to make the case simultaneously that (a) Democrats played their hand poorly from the start, but that (b) they were ultimately bailed out by Trump’s obsession with dominance, and (c) we ought to appreciate the bad stuff that didn’t happen here.
You’ll need to go to the link to read the possible endgames; I can’t copy that much from the post. But here’s the final argument:
Here’s what Democrats should have said from the start:
Republicans control the White House, the House, and the Senate. They have the votes to pass this budget any time they want. They do not need a single Democratic vote.
All Republicans have to do is repeal the filibuster.
If Republicans are so inept that they can’t find the votes to repeal the filibuster or to pass their legislation, then they should feel free to come to the minority and ask for help.
But the Democrats have no offer. The voters gave Republicans unified control of government. If Republicans are incapable of governing, voters deserve to see that.
The problem isn’t that Democrats caved on the shutdown. Just objectively speaking, they emerge from this fight in a slightly better position than they entered it.
They prolonged the longest government shutdown in history.
This shutdown damaged Trump politically. (Just look at the polling.
They centered health care costs as a major issue for 2026.
The fake concession they got from Senate Republicans—a meaningless future vote on extending the ACA subsidies—will (a) put Republican senators on the spot and (b) create a point of vulnerability for House Republicans when they refuse to take up the bill.
They avoided the worst-case outcome. Which is not nothing.
Please read the whole thing at The Bulwark link.
Annie Karni at The New York Times: What if Democrats’ Big Shutdown Loss Turns Out to Be a Win?
At first blush, the deal that paved the way to end the government shutdown this week looked exactly like the kind of feeble outcome many Democrats have come to expect from their leaders in Washington.
After waging a 40-day fight to protect Americans’ access to health care — one they framed as existential — their side folded after eight defectors struck a deal that would allow President Trump and Republicans to reopen the government this week without doing anything about health coverage or costs, enraging all corners of the party.
But even some of the Democrats most outraged by the outcome are not so certain that their party’s aborted fight was all for naught.
They assert that in hammering away at the extension of health care subsidies that are slated to expire at the end of next month, they managed to thrust Mr. Trump and Republicans onto the defensive, elevating a political issue that has long been a major weakness for them….
It may turn out that the long-term outcome of the longest government shutdown in history will be a grand-scale political and policy defeat for Democrats. The head-scratching end to a fight they were not willing to see through to victory deflated the party and deepened long-simmering divisions ahead of next year’s critical midterm elections. But in the shorter term, there could be benefits.
Senate Democrats believe that they held together long enough for Mr. Trump to reveal a new level of callousness in his refusal to fund food stamps for 42 million Americans who rely on the nation’s largest anti-hunger program. And they believe all of that helped contribute to a mini-blue wave last week, one that could continue if Democrats can keep the right issues at the forefront.
In my opinion, the shutdown fight demonstrated to many voters who don’t usually pay attention to politics that Trump doesn’t care one bit about their concerns.
Kash Patel’s Reign at the FBI
The Wall Street Journal has a piece by Sadie Gurman, Aruna Viswanatha, Josh Dawsey, and Jack Gillum about Trump’s FBI director: Kash Patel’s ‘Effin Wild’ Ride as FBI Director.
On Halloween morning, FBI Director Kash Patel had a big announcement to make: “The FBI thwarted a potential terrorist attack,” he said in a 7:32 a.m. social-media post that referenced arrests in Michigan.
There was one problem: No criminal charges had yet been filed and local police weren’t aware of the details. Two friends of the alleged terrorists in New Jersey and Washington state caught wind of the arrests and moved up plans to leave the country, according to court documents and law-enforcement officials familiar with the investigation.
Justice Department leaders complained to the White House about Patel’s premature post, saying it had disrupted the investigation, administration officials said.
In his nine months on the job, Patel has drawn flak from his bosses in the Justice Department and from his underlings at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, where he has fired dozens of agents deemed hostile to Donald Trump or to conservative ideals.
But the Halloween announcement wasn’t the biggest controversy to envelop the director that week. Patel hit the news for taking an FBI plane to attend a wrestling event where his girlfriend, a country western singer, performed, and then to her home in Nashville. A former FBI agent, Kyle Seraphin, publicized the trip and called the taxpayer funded travel in the middle of a shutdown “pathetic.”
After that, Patel visited a Texas hunting resort called the Boondoggle Ranch, according to flight records and people familiar with the trip, which hasn’t been previously reported.
Patel’s travel has frustrated both Justice Department officials, who complained to the White House about it, and the White House itself, which had told cabinet officials months ago in writing to limit their travel, particularly if it was overseas or unrelated to Trump’s agenda, according to an administration official. Details about Patel’s trips to visit his girlfriend and an August trip to Scotland have been passed around the White House in recent days, officials said.
The FBI director is required by law to take the bureau’s private plane instead of commercial flights in order to have access to secure communications. If the travel is personal, the director is required to reimburse the government for the cost of a commercial flight—typically far less than the actual costs of private-jet use.
A bit more:
Last month, Patel gave Trump an unusual public presentation in the Oval Office, where he credited the president for the bureau’s successes on everything from drug seizures to the arrests of several most-wanted fugitives.
“We are absolutely crushing violent crime like never before and defending this homeland, sir,” Patel said, gesturing toward large poster boards showing a surge in arrests this summer.
Patel’s presence at the bureau has been something of a culture shock for a buttoned-up workforce, used to wearing suits and ties. Instead, Patel has appeared at events in hooded sweatshirts, jeans or hunting vests, and often speaks colloquially, calling agents “cops,” and telling podcaster Joe Rogan that the job of FBI director was “effin wild.”
He has also handed out an oversize commemorative coin to colleagues resembling the logo of the Marvel “Punisher” character, who came to embody a general distrust of the U.S. justice system. The coin also has a large number nine on it, in a reference to himself as the FBI’s ninth director.
Patel’s supporters say he is trying to present himself as down-to-earth and accessible to the workforce. He “wants the Bureau to get back to focusing on field and agent work vs. an elitist D.C. culture,” FBI spokesman Ben Williamson said. The FBI declined to discuss Patel’s plane travel, citing safety concerns. Justice Department and FBI representatives said the two agencies closely coordinated plans for the terrorism operation in advance.
The story is behind a paywall, but I was able to get through by clicking the link at Memeorandum.
The New York Times (gift link): F.B.I. Director Is Said to Have Made a Pledge to Head of MI5, Then Broken It.
At a secret gathering in May, south of London, the head of Britain’s domestic security service asked Kash Patel, the F.B.I. director, for help.
British security officials rely on the bureau for high-tech surveillance tools — the kind they might need to monitor a new embassy that China wants to build near the Tower of London. The head of MI5, Ken McCallum, asked Mr. Patel to protect the job of an F.B.I. agent based in London who dealt with that technology, according to several current and former U.S. officials with knowledge of the episode.

Kash Patel and girlfriend Alexis Wilkins

Mr. Patel agreed to find funding to keep the posting, the officials said. But the job had already been slated to disappear as the White House moved to slash the F.B.I. budget. The agent moved to a different job back in the United States, saving the F.B.I. money but leaving MI5 officials incredulous.
It was a jarring introduction to Mr. Patel’s leadership style for British officials. They had long forged personal ties with their U.S. counterparts, as well as with three other close allies, in an intelligence partnership known as the Five Eyes.
The relationships among the organizations matter because many top national security officials view trust and reliability as paramount to sharing critical information with allies — vital for communication between agency directors, and hard to restore once lost.
On the same day in 1946 that Winston Churchill delivered his Iron Curtain speech in the United States, Britain and the United States secretly signed the pact that formed the basis for their intelligence alliance. It was an outgrowth of their collaboration during World War II. The partnership expanded during the advent of the Cold War to include other countries — Australia, Canada and New Zealand — earning it the name Five Eyes.
All rely heavily on American intelligence to help keep their countries safe. Though the F.B.I. is a criminal investigation agency, it is also a major part of the Western intelligence-gathering community. Alongside other U.S. agencies like the C.I.A., the F.B.I. has offices in embassies around the globe.
Mr. Patel’s inexperience, his dismissals of top F.B.I. officials and his shift of bureau resources from thwarting spies and terrorism have heightened concerns among the other Five Eyes nations that the bureau is adrift, according to the former U.S. officials and other people familiar with allies’ reactions to the bureau changes.
Five Eyes officials have watched with alarm as Mr. Patel has fired agents who investigated President Trump and invoked his powers to investigate the president’s perceived enemies. The officials and others spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution.
Use the gift article to read the rest.
A few more interesting stories:
The Guardian: UK pauses intelligence-sharing with US on suspected drug vessels in Caribbean.
The Guardian: Venezuelans sent by Trump to El Salvador endured systematic torture, report finds.
The New Republic: Damning Video Shows DHS Agents Pepper-Spray a Baby.
Politico Magazine: ‘He’s Actually Weakening the Economy’: Why Trump’s Strategy May Fail. A top economist says Trump is doing industrial policy all wrong.
NBC News: Trump’s Pentagon name change could cost up to $2 billion.
Those are my recommended reads for today. What’s on your mind?
#ChuckSchumer #DonaldTrump #EpsteinFiles #FBI #GhislaineMaxwell #governmentShutdown2025 #JeffreyEpstein #KashPatel #MichaelWolff #RepAdelitaGrijalva #RepRobertGarcia
#chuckschumer #donaldtrump #epsteinfiles #fbi #ghislainemaxwell #governmentshutdown2025
Sky Dancing @[email protected] · 2025-11-12 · 18:07 UTC
Wednesday Reads
Good Afternoon!!
I was going to write about how the Democrats actually won the government shutdown. But bigger news has broken. I’ll get to the shutdown story after that and then some news about Kash Patel, Trump’s incompetent FBI director.
It looks like the Epstein shit is about to hit the fan.

Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell

James Hill, Lauren Peller, Katherine Faulders, and Jay O’Brien ABC News: House Democrats release new Epstein emails referencing Trump.
Sex offender Jeffrey Epstein referred to Donald Trump as the “dog that hasn’t barked” and told his former companion Ghislaine Maxwell that an alleged victim had “spent hours at my house” with Trump, according to email correspondence released Wednesday by Democrats on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
“I want you to realize that that dog that hasn’t barked is trump,” Epstein wrote in a typo-riddled message to Maxwell in April 2011. “[Victim] spent hours at my house with him ,, he has never once been mentioned.”
“I have been thinking about that … ” Maxwell replied.
That email exchange — which came just weeks after a British newspaper published a series of stories about Epstein, Maxwell and their powerful associates — was one of three released by the Democrats from a batch of more than 23,000 documents the committee recently received from the Epstein Estate in response to a subpoena.
The other messages are between Epstein and author Michael Wolff.
“I hear CNN planning to ask Trump tonight about his relationship with you–either on air or in scrum afterwards,” Wolff wrote to Epstein in December 2015, six months after Trump had officially entered the race for the White House.
“Trump said he asked me to resign, never a member ever,” Epstein wrote, “Of course he knew about the girls as he asked ghislaine to stop” [….]
Wolff in a phone interview on Wednesday said of the 2015 exchange that he couldn’t remember “the specific emails or the context, but I was in an in-depth conversation with Epstein at that time about his relationship with Donald Trump. So I think this reflects that.”
“I was trying at that time to get Epstein to talk about his relationship with Trump, and actually, he proved to be an enormously valuable source to me,” Wolff said. “Part of the context of this is that I was pushing Epstein at that point to go public with what he knew about Trump.”
You can read the original emails along with more context at the ABC link.
A bit more from the emails from Hailey Fuchs at Politico: Jeffrey Epstein, in newly released email, says Trump ‘knew about the girls.’
Also in the emails released by Oversight Democrats Wednesday, Wolff wrote in a 2015 message to Epstein that he heard Trump – then a presidential candidate – would be asked by CNN about the convicted sex offender. Epstein asked Wolff what he thought an ideal response from Trump would be.

Michael Wolff

“I think you should let him hang himself,” Wolff responded. If [Trump] says he hasn’t been on the plane or to the house, then that gives you a valuable PR and political currency.
“You can hang him in a way that potentially generates a positive benefit for you,” Wolff continued, “or, if it really looks like he could win, you could save him, generating a debt.”
Wolff added that Trump could potentially praise Epstein when asked. Wolff’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The materials were received by the House Oversight Committee last Thursday, meaning the move by Democrats to release the materials was likely timed to coincide with the House’s return from a lengthy recess to vote Wednesday evening on ending the prolonged government shutdown.
Michael Gold at The New York Times (gift link): Epstein Alleged in Emails That Trump Knew of His Conduct.
House Democrats on Wednesday released emails in which Jeffrey Epstein wrote that President Trump had “spent hours at my house” with one of Mr. Epstein’s victims, among other messages that suggested that the convicted sex offender believed Mr. Trump knew more about his abuse than he has acknowledged….

Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA)

…Democrats on the House Oversight Committee said the emails, which they selected from thousands of pages of documents received by their panel, raised new questions about the relationship between the two men. In one of the messages, Mr. Epstein flatly asserted that Mr. Trump “knew about the girls,” many of whom were later found by investigators to have been underage. In another, Mr. Epstein pondered how to address questions from the news media about their relationship as Mr. Trump was becoming a national political figure….
“These latest emails and correspondence raise glaring questions about what else the White House is hiding and the nature of the relationship between Epstein and the president,” Representative Robert Garcia of California, the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, said in a statement.
The three separate email exchanges released on Wednesday were all from after Mr. Epstein’s 2008 plea deal in Florida on state charges of soliciting prostitution, in which federal prosecutors agreed not to pursue charges. They came years after Mr. Trump and Mr. Epstein had a reported falling out in the early 2000s.
See the ABC story above for descriptions of the emails.
House Democrats, citing an unnamed whistle-blower, said this week that Ms. Maxwell was preparing to formally ask Mr. Trump to commute her federal prison sentence.
The emails were provided to the Oversight Committee along with a larger tranche of documents from Mr. Epstein’s estate that the panel requested as part of its investigation into Mr. Epstein and Ms. Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence on sex-trafficking charges.
Republicans argued that Democrats omitted context from the emails they released.
Republicans on the Oversight Committee accused Democrats of politicizing the investigation. “Democrats continue to carelessly cherry-pick documents to generate clickbait that is not grounded in the facts,” a committee spokeswoman said. “The Epstein Estate has produced over 20,000 pages of documents on Thursday, yet Democrats are once again intentionally withholding records that name Democrat officials.”
The Republicans also identified the victim whose name was redacted in the emails as Virginia Giuffre, who died by suicide in April. Ms. Giuffre had said that Ms. Maxwell recruited her into Mr. Epstein’s sex ring while she was working at Mar-a-Lago, Mr. Trump’s private club and residence in Palm Beach, as a teenager.
In a 2016 deposition for a civil case, Ms. Giuffre was asked if she believed Mr. Trump had witnessed the sexual abuse of minors in Mr. Epstein’s home. “I don’t think Donald Trump participated in anything,” she said.
“I never saw or witnessed Donald Trump participate in those acts, but was he in the house of Jeffrey Epstein,” Ms. Giuffre added. “I’ve heard he has been, but I haven’t seen him myself so I don’t know.”
Use the gift link to read the whole article.
This afternoon at 4:00, Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.) will finally be sworn in. She will then sign the discharge petition to require the DOJ to release all of the Epstein files.
Kaanita Iyer at CNN: Rep.-elect Grijalva says she plans to confront Johnson at long-delayed swearing-in ceremony.
Arizona Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva, who is set to be sworn in on Wednesday, said she will confront House Speaker Mike Johnson after waiting nearly 50 days to be seated as a member of Congress.
“I won’t be able to like sort of move on if I don’t address it personally and we’ll see what kind of reaction he has,” Grijalva, a Democrat, told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on “The Source” Tuesday.

Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.)

“I’m not exactly sure what I’m going to say,” Grijalva added but said she will stress that Johnson refusing to swear her in for over a month is “undemocratic.”
“It’s unconstitutional. It’s illegal. Should never happen — this kind of obstruction cannot happen again,” Grijalva said.

Grijalva won a special election on September 23 to replace her father, longtime Rep. Raúl Grijalva, who died in March.
The House has been out of session since September 19 and Johnson refused to swear in Grijalva in the chamber’s absence amid the government shutdown.

One more on the Epstein story from Meredith Lee Hill, Hailey Fuchs and Nicholas Wu at Politico: Here’s how the House battle over the Epstein files will play out
The monthslong bipartisan effort to sidestep Speaker Mike Johnson and force the release of all Justice Department files on the late sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein is kicking into high gear this week, setting up a December floor battle that President Donald Trump has sought to avoid….

The process of doing so will begin around 4 p.m., when Johnson swears in Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva right before the House votes to end the government shutdown — ending a 50-day wait following the Arizona Democrat’s election. Shortly afterward, Grijalva says she will affix the 218th and final signature to the discharge petition led by Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) to force a vote on the full release of DOJ’s Epstein files.
That in itself will be the culmination of months of drama that blew up into a full crisis for Johnson this summer, with a GOP mutiny grinding the floor to a halt and forcing leaders to send the House home early for August recess. The uproar over a possible Epstein cover-up faded but never disappeared entirely.

The completion of the discharge petition, a rarely used mechanism to sidestep the majority party leadership, will trigger a countdown for the bill to hit the House floor. It will still take seven legislative days for the petition to ripen, after which Johnson will have two legislative days to schedule a vote. Senior Republican and Democratic aides estimate a floor vote will come the first week of December, after the Thanksgiving recess.
The discharge petition tees up a “rule,” a procedural measure setting the terms of debate for the Epstein bill’s consideration on the House floor. This gives the effort’s leaders greater control over the bill, which will still require Senate approval if it passes the House.
Senate Republican leaders haven’t publicly committed to bringing up the Epstein measure if the House passes it. Republicans expect it will die in the Senate, but not before a contentious House fight.
Could Johnson stop the petition from getting a vote in the House?
While Johnson has options to short-circuit the effort before it gets to the floor, he said in an interview last month he would not seek to do so. Republicans on the Rules Committee have also warned Johnson they will not help him kill the bill in the panel, and he’s in turn privately assured some of them the Epstein measure will get floor consideration if the petition reaches 218 signatures.
At that point, the speaker can only defeat it if he siphons away enough Republican votes — a tall order in a majority where Johnson has only a two-vote margin after Grijalva is sworn in. GOP leaders don’t plan to formally whip against the Epstein vote when it gets to the floor, according to three people granted anonymity to describe internal deliberations.
“I’m certain the House vote will succeed,” Massie said in an interview. “Some Republican members who are not signers of the petition have told me they will vote for the measure when the vote is called. I suspect there will be many more.”
Read about which members might end up voting for the release of the files at the link.
Next, did the Democrats really lose the shutdown?
Jonathan V. Last at The Bulwark: Give Chuck a Break. It Could Have Been Worse.
Like Dr. Strange, I have seen all six possible endgames from the shutdown fight and I’m here to tell you that yes, Democrats could have done better. They probably should have done better. But they exit this event in a stronger position than they entered. And also: They could have done much worse.
We’re going to rank the shutdown endgames from best to worst and then I’m going to make the case simultaneously that (a) Democrats played their hand poorly from the start, but that (b) they were ultimately bailed out by Trump’s obsession with dominance, and (c) we ought to appreciate the bad stuff that didn’t happen here.
You’ll need to go to the link to read the possible endgames; I can’t copy that much from the post. But here’s the final argument:
Here’s what Democrats should have said from the start:
Republicans control the White House, the House, and the Senate. They have the votes to pass this budget any time they want. They do not need a single Democratic vote.
All Republicans have to do is repeal the filibuster.
If Republicans are so inept that they can’t find the votes to repeal the filibuster or to pass their legislation, then they should feel free to come to the minority and ask for help.
But the Democrats have no offer. The voters gave Republicans unified control of government. If Republicans are incapable of governing, voters deserve to see that.
The problem isn’t that Democrats caved on the shutdown. Just objectively speaking, they emerge from this fight in a slightly better position than they entered it.
They prolonged the longest government shutdown in history.
This shutdown damaged Trump politically. (Just look at the polling.
They centered health care costs as a major issue for 2026.
The fake concession they got from Senate Republicans—a meaningless future vote on extending the ACA subsidies—will (a) put Republican senators on the spot and (b) create a point of vulnerability for House Republicans when they refuse to take up the bill.
They avoided the worst-case outcome. Which is not nothing.
Please read the whole thing at The Bulwark link.
Annie Karni at The New York Times: What if Democrats’ Big Shutdown Loss Turns Out to Be a Win?
At first blush, the deal that paved the way to end the government shutdown this week looked exactly like the kind of feeble outcome many Democrats have come to expect from their leaders in Washington.
After waging a 40-day fight to protect Americans’ access to health care — one they framed as existential — their side folded after eight defectors struck a deal that would allow President Trump and Republicans to reopen the government this week without doing anything about health coverage or costs, enraging all corners of the party.
But even some of the Democrats most outraged by the outcome are not so certain that their party’s aborted fight was all for naught.
They assert that in hammering away at the extension of health care subsidies that are slated to expire at the end of next month, they managed to thrust Mr. Trump and Republicans onto the defensive, elevating a political issue that has long been a major weakness for them….
It may turn out that the long-term outcome of the longest government shutdown in history will be a grand-scale political and policy defeat for Democrats. The head-scratching end to a fight they were not willing to see through to victory deflated the party and deepened long-simmering divisions ahead of next year’s critical midterm elections. But in the shorter term, there could be benefits.
Senate Democrats believe that they held together long enough for Mr. Trump to reveal a new level of callousness in his refusal to fund food stamps for 42 million Americans who rely on the nation’s largest anti-hunger program. And they believe all of that helped contribute to a mini-blue wave last week, one that could continue if Democrats can keep the right issues at the forefront.
In my opinion, the shutdown fight demonstrated to many voters who don’t usually pay attention to politics that Trump doesn’t care one bit about their concerns.
Kash Patel’s Reign at the FBI
The Wall Street Journal has a piece by Sadie Gurman, Aruna Viswanatha, Josh Dawsey, and Jack Gillum about Trump’s FBI director: Kash Patel’s ‘Effin Wild’ Ride as FBI Director.
On Halloween morning, FBI Director Kash Patel had a big announcement to make: “The FBI thwarted a potential terrorist attack,” he said in a 7:32 a.m. social-media post that referenced arrests in Michigan.
There was one problem: No criminal charges had yet been filed and local police weren’t aware of the details. Two friends of the alleged terrorists in New Jersey and Washington state caught wind of the arrests and moved up plans to leave the country, according to court documents and law-enforcement officials familiar with the investigation.
Justice Department leaders complained to the White House about Patel’s premature post, saying it had disrupted the investigation, administration officials said.
In his nine months on the job, Patel has drawn flak from his bosses in the Justice Department and from his underlings at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, where he has fired dozens of agents deemed hostile to Donald Trump or to conservative ideals.
But the Halloween announcement wasn’t the biggest controversy to envelop the director that week. Patel hit the news for taking an FBI plane to attend a wrestling event where his girlfriend, a country western singer, performed, and then to her home in Nashville. A former FBI agent, Kyle Seraphin, publicized the trip and called the taxpayer funded travel in the middle of a shutdown “pathetic.”
After that, Patel visited a Texas hunting resort called the Boondoggle Ranch, according to flight records and people familiar with the trip, which hasn’t been previously reported.
Patel’s travel has frustrated both Justice Department officials, who complained to the White House about it, and the White House itself, which had told cabinet officials months ago in writing to limit their travel, particularly if it was overseas or unrelated to Trump’s agenda, according to an administration official. Details about Patel’s trips to visit his girlfriend and an August trip to Scotland have been passed around the White House in recent days, officials said.
The FBI director is required by law to take the bureau’s private plane instead of commercial flights in order to have access to secure communications. If the travel is personal, the director is required to reimburse the government for the cost of a commercial flight—typically far less than the actual costs of private-jet use.
A bit more:
Last month, Patel gave Trump an unusual public presentation in the Oval Office, where he credited the president for the bureau’s successes on everything from drug seizures to the arrests of several most-wanted fugitives.
“We are absolutely crushing violent crime like never before and defending this homeland, sir,” Patel said, gesturing toward large poster boards showing a surge in arrests this summer.
Patel’s presence at the bureau has been something of a culture shock for a buttoned-up workforce, used to wearing suits and ties. Instead, Patel has appeared at events in hooded sweatshirts, jeans or hunting vests, and often speaks colloquially, calling agents “cops,” and telling podcaster Joe Rogan that the job of FBI director was “effin wild.”
He has also handed out an oversize commemorative coin to colleagues resembling the logo of the Marvel “Punisher” character, who came to embody a general distrust of the U.S. justice system. The coin also has a large number nine on it, in a reference to himself as the FBI’s ninth director.
Patel’s supporters say he is trying to present himself as down-to-earth and accessible to the workforce. He “wants the Bureau to get back to focusing on field and agent work vs. an elitist D.C. culture,” FBI spokesman Ben Williamson said. The FBI declined to discuss Patel’s plane travel, citing safety concerns. Justice Department and FBI representatives said the two agencies closely coordinated plans for the terrorism operation in advance.
The story is behind a paywall, but I was able to get through by clicking the link at Memeorandum.
The New York Times (gift link): F.B.I. Director Is Said to Have Made a Pledge to Head of MI5, Then Broken It.
At a secret gathering in May, south of London, the head of Britain’s domestic security service asked Kash Patel, the F.B.I. director, for help.
British security officials rely on the bureau for high-tech surveillance tools — the kind they might need to monitor a new embassy that China wants to build near the Tower of London. The head of MI5, Ken McCallum, asked Mr. Patel to protect the job of an F.B.I. agent based in London who dealt with that technology, according to several current and former U.S. officials with knowledge of the episode.

Kash Patel and girlfriend Alexis Wilkins

Mr. Patel agreed to find funding to keep the posting, the officials said. But the job had already been slated to disappear as the White House moved to slash the F.B.I. budget. The agent moved to a different job back in the United States, saving the F.B.I. money but leaving MI5 officials incredulous.
It was a jarring introduction to Mr. Patel’s leadership style for British officials. They had long forged personal ties with their U.S. counterparts, as well as with three other close allies, in an intelligence partnership known as the Five Eyes.
The relationships among the organizations matter because many top national security officials view trust and reliability as paramount to sharing critical information with allies — vital for communication between agency directors, and hard to restore once lost.
On the same day in 1946 that Winston Churchill delivered his Iron Curtain speech in the United States, Britain and the United States secretly signed the pact that formed the basis for their intelligence alliance. It was an outgrowth of their collaboration during World War II. The partnership expanded during the advent of the Cold War to include other countries — Australia, Canada and New Zealand — earning it the name Five Eyes.
All rely heavily on American intelligence to help keep their countries safe. Though the F.B.I. is a criminal investigation agency, it is also a major part of the Western intelligence-gathering community. Alongside other U.S. agencies like the C.I.A., the F.B.I. has offices in embassies around the globe.
Mr. Patel’s inexperience, his dismissals of top F.B.I. officials and his shift of bureau resources from thwarting spies and terrorism have heightened concerns among the other Five Eyes nations that the bureau is adrift, according to the former U.S. officials and other people familiar with allies’ reactions to the bureau changes.
Five Eyes officials have watched with alarm as Mr. Patel has fired agents who investigated President Trump and invoked his powers to investigate the president’s perceived enemies. The officials and others spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution.
Use the gift article to read the rest.
A few more interesting stories:
The Guardian: UK pauses intelligence-sharing with US on suspected drug vessels in Caribbean.
The Guardian: Venezuelans sent by Trump to El Salvador endured systematic torture, report finds.
The New Republic: Damning Video Shows DHS Agents Pepper-Spray a Baby.
Politico Magazine: ‘He’s Actually Weakening the Economy’: Why Trump’s Strategy May Fail. A top economist says Trump is doing industrial policy all wrong.
NBC News: Trump’s Pentagon name change could cost up to $2 billion.
Those are my recommended reads for today. What’s on your mind?
#ChuckSchumer #DonaldTrump #EpsteinFiles #FBI #GhislaineMaxwell #governmentShutdown2025 #JeffreyEpstein #KashPatel #MichaelWolff #RepAdelitaGrijalva #RepRobertGarcia
#reprobertgarcia #repadelitagrijalva #michaelwolff #kashpatel #jeffreyepstein #governmentshutdown2025
Sky Dancing @[email protected] · 2026-04-11 · 17:08 UTC

Lazy Caturday Reads: Scandals Galore!

Good Afternoon!!

By Mary Cassatt, 1883-84

The negotiations about the proposed cease fire in the Iran war are expected to begin soon, but meanwhile the news in the U.S. is suddenly filled with scandalous stories.
Yesterday, Dakinikat wrote about Melania Trump’s mysterious announcement to the White House press; I have a bit more context to add to that. Then last night the news about serious accusations of sexual misconduct by Eric Swalwell broke. There’s also news about Kristy Noem’s husband and his identity crisis.
I’ll get to those items, but I want to begin with a feel-good story for once.
Marcia Dunn at AP: Artemis II’s record-breaking journey around the moon ends with dramatic splashdown.
HOUSTON (AP) — Artemis II’s astronauts closed out humanity’s first lunar voyage in more than half a century with a Pacific splashdown on Friday, blazing new records near the moon with grace and joy.
It was a dramatic grand finale to a mission that revealed not only swaths of the lunar far side never seen before by human eyes, but a total solar eclipse and a parade of planets, most notably our own shimmering Earth against the endless black void of space.
With their flight now complete, the four astronauts have set NASA up for a moon landing by another crew in just two years and a full-blown moon base within the decade.
The triumphant moon-farers — commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canada’s Jeremy Hansen — emerged from their bobbing capsule into the sunlight off the coast of San Diego.
In a scene reminiscent of NASA’s Apollo moonshots of yesteryear, military helicopters hoisted the astronauts one by one from an inflatable raft docked to the capsule, hauling them aboard for the short trip to the Navy’s awaiting recovery ship, the USS John P. Murtha.
“These were the ambassadors from humanity to the stars that we sent out there right now, and I can’t imagine a better crew,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said from the recovery ship.
NASA’s Mission Control erupted in celebration, with hundreds pouring in from the back support rooms. “We did it,” NASA’s Lori Glaze rejoiced at a news conference. “Welcome to our moonshot.”
Read more at the AP link.
Now for the feel-disgusted news about Eric Swalwell. Based on what I’ve read, it’s surprising that this didn’t come out sooner. Apparently, he’s been DM young women, sending dick picks, and sexually assaulting women for years.
CNN: Exclusive: Four women describe sexual misconduct by Rep. Eric Swalwell, including a former staffer who says he raped her.
A former staffer of Rep. Eric Swalwell, a leading Democratic candidate for California governor, says that the congressman raped her when she was heavily intoxicated and left her bruised and bleeding, an allegation Swalwell strongly denies.
“I was pushing him off of me, saying no,” the woman told CNN of the incident, which she said happened in 2024 after she had stopped working in Swalwell’s office. “He didn’t stop.”

By Francesca Strino

She said it was the second time Swalwell had nonconsensual sexual contact with her while she was drunk. In 2019, when she was still working for him, she said she woke up naked with him in a hotel room after a night of heavy drinking. She said she had no memory of what happened but could feel physically that they’d had sexual contact.
Three other women who spoke with CNN also alleged various kinds of sexual misconduct by the Democratic congressman – including Swalwell sending them unsolicited explicit messages or nude photos.

One woman who connected online with Swalwell over her interest in Democratic politics says she ended up extremely drunk inside his hotel room after a night out with the congressman, with little memory of what occurred. Earlier in the night at a bar, he kissed her and touched her leg without her consent, she said.
Another woman, who described receiving unsolicited nude messages from Swalwell, was social media creator Ally Sammarco. She said she initially reached out to the congressman on Twitter to discuss politics. “I truly never thought he would respond – I had like 1,000 followers at the time,” she said. “And he actually responded.”
Swalwell denied the women’s allegations.
“These allegations are false and come on the eve of an election against the front-runner for governor,” Swalwell said in a statement to CNN. “For nearly 20 years, I have served the public – as a prosecutor and a congressman and have always protected women. I will defend myself with the facts and where necessary bring legal action. My focus in the coming days is to be with my wife and children and defend our decades of service against these lies.”

I don’t think that’s going to work. These are not subtle accusations, and the women told others about their experiences at the time. Sammarco saved the messages she got from Swallwell. A bit more from CNN:
One member of Swalwell’s staff said they quit immediately after receiving CNN’s detailed list of questions about the allegations.
CNN found corroboration for key elements of each of the women’s claims, including the former staffer who said she was sexually assaulted. Two family members and a friend said in interviews with CNN that she told them about the alleged 2024 assault in the following days, and CNN also reviewed text messages she sent two friends describing her allegations at the same time. “I was sexually assaulted on Thursday,” she wrote to one of her friends, adding: “By Eric.”
The woman also shared medical records related to her receiving STD and pregnancy testing after the alleged assault.
For the woman who connected online with Swalwell over Democratic politics, a family member and two friends confirmed she told them last year about the incident where she ended up intoxicated in his hotel room. CNN also reviewed messages between her and Swalwell, including a photo he sent her that matches footage of him during a CNN interview in her city on the night they met in person.
There’s still more at the link.
Politico: Jeffries, Pelosi and other Democrats call on Eric Swalwell to end governor campaign.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi headlined a growing list of Democratic lawmakers called on Rep. Eric Swalwell Friday to withdraw his campaign for California governor amid allegations of sexual misconduct.

Lily Walton with Raminou, 1922, by Suzanne Valadon

“This extremely sensitive matter must be appropriately investigated with full transparency and accountability,” Pelosi said in a statement. “As I discussed with Congressman Swalwell, it is clear that is best done outside of a gubernatorial campaign.”

In a joint statement with other elected House Democratic leaders, Jeffries called for a “swift investigation” as well as the end of his pending campaign.
“This is unacceptable of anyone — certainly not an elected official — and must be taken seriously,” the leaders said.
The San Francisco Chronicle reported Friday that a former congressional aide accused the congressman of two sexual encounters without her consent, beginning in 2019. CNN later reported that four women allege that Swalwell has committed sexual misconduct, including one former staffer who accuses Swalwell of rape….
Key backers of Swalwell’s governor bid swiftly revoked their support after the Chronicle’s story was published, including Reps. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.) and Adam Gray (D-Calif.), who served as campaign co-chairs.
“Today’s reports about Eric Swalwell’s conduct while in office are deeply disturbing,” Gray said in a statement. “Harassment, abuse, and violence of any sort are unacceptable. Given these serious allegations, I am withdrawing my support and Eric Swalwell should end his campaign immediately.”
But nothing underscored the peril for Swalwell’s nearly two-decade political career as vividly as Pelosi’s statement. The former speaker included Swalwell in her inner circle of favored Democratic members for years, tapping him for junior leadership roles and to serve as a manager in Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial in 2021.

Read the rest at the link.
The Melania Trump story might have stayed on social media if she hadn’t decided to make a public statement at the lectern that is supposed to be reserved for the POTUS. But it’s out there now, and she will have to deal with it.
It began with a disturbing story in The New York Times on March 20: Trump Friend Asked ICE to Detain the Mother of His Child.
Last June, the man credited with introducing President Trump to his wife asked the administration for a favor.
Paolo Zampolli, a former modeling agent turned presidential special envoy, had learned that his Brazilian ex-girlfriend was in a Miami jail, arrested on charges of fraud at her workplace. They had been in a custody battle over their teenage son. Now he saw an opportunity.

Eduard Manet, Woman with a Cat, 1880

He reached out to a top official at Immigration and Customs Enforcement, explaining that his ex was in the country illegally, according to records obtained by The New York Times and a person familiar with the communications. Could she be put in ICE detention? That could help him get his son back.
The official, David Venturella, promptly called the agency’s Miami office to ensure that ICE agents would pick up the woman from the jail before she was released on bail, according to the records and a person with knowledge of the conversation who requested anonymity to discuss it. During the call, Mr. Venturella noted that the case was important to someone close to the White House.
The woman, Amanda Ungaro, was placed in ICE custody and ultimately deported, an outcome that may well have happened regardless of Mr. Zampolli’s meddling. But the ICE official’s willingness to spring into action for a Trump ally — even one in a low-level, largely ceremonial role — reflects a recurring theme of the second Trump administration: The levers of the federal government can be pulled to settle a personal score.
I read this story when it was published, but I didn’t make the connections I should have.
Amanda Ungaro is on X AKA Twitter, and she is fighting back. If you have access, you can read the many tweets she has been sending to Melania.
Melania is apparently sensitive about how she came to the U.S. In fact Zampolli is the one who brought her here and got her an H1-B visa. When she first arrived, she moved into a building occupied by other models who worked for Zampolli’s agency. It looks like Melania has really stepped in it. The Epstein files are back in the news.
From Julie K. Brown, the journalist who originally wrote about Epstein in The Miami Herald, at her Substack The Epstein Files: Could a former Brazilian model be the whistleblower Melania Trump is afraid of?
The First Lady’s unprecedented public statement about Jeffrey Epstein yesterday raised a lot of questions about what, if anything, is about to be revealed about Donald and Melania Trump’s relationship with the late sex trafficker.
The Epstein case had quieted down in the wake of Trump’s decision to attack Iran — some critics allege that was one of Trump’s goals in launching a war in the first place — to cool the MAGA furor over DOJ’s inept release of the Epstein files.
Now it seems that plan, if true, has led to a Jack-In-The-Beanstalk effect — as in trading a cow for beans and climbing into danger without really thinking it through.
Because there is another story that I admit I missed when it ran in the New York Times a few weeks ago.
It appears that the Trump administration may have targeted Zampolli’s ex-girlfriend, a former Brazilian model named Amanda Ungaro, deporting her back to Brazil amid her custody battle with Zampolli over their teenage son.
As the NYT’s story notes: “The levers of the federal government can be pulled to settle a personal score.”

Self-Portrait with a Cat, created by Frida Konstantin

In this case, the score involved Paolo Zampolli, a former modeling agent who was appointed last year by Trump as special envoy for “global partnerships,” which allows him to travel the world to advance trade and other partnerships with the U.S.
Just days ago, he was in Hungary with Vice President Vance, supporting the re-election of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, an effort to publicly back the right-wing leader in the days running up to the election.
Zampolli, 56, was in Epstein’s orbit around the time that Trump met Melania in 1998. He was also friends with Epstein, as the two entertained a business deal over buying a modeling agency.
And Zampolli’s name is in the Epstein Files, with Epstein noting in one email that he was “trouble.”
Still all the drama surrounding Zampolli’s custody battle with his estranged girlfriend didn’t connect any dots, at least not for me, until the First Lady’s speech yesterday.
Read the rest at the link.
The New York Times has another piece about Melania’s statement today: Trump Says First Lady ‘Had a Right’ to Talk About Epstein.
President Trump said Friday that he had known his wife wanted to speak about Jeffrey Epstein at some point, and that he “thought she had a right to talk about it,” even if he had not known what exactly she planned to say.
“It doesn’t bother me,” Mr. Trump said in a brief telephone interview, referring to the remarks Melania Trump made from the entrance hall of the White House a day earlier.
“I didn’t know what the statement was,” he said, “but I knew she was going to make a statement.”
The first lady’s comments certainly came as a surprise to many other people who work in the White House, according to two officials familiar with the situation who asked for anonymity to discuss the matter. It was not clear why she had chosen that moment to talk about Mr. Epstein. Absent any explanation, questions and feverish conspiracy theories swirled.
The president said his wife had been agonizing for a long time over her press coverage and rumors connecting her to Mr. Epstein. What was particularly upsetting to her, Mr. Trump explained, was one theory positing that it was Mr. Epstein who introduced her to her future husband. In her remarks on Thursday, Mrs. Trump recounted the story of meeting Mr. Trump “by chance at a New York City party in 1998.” She said she did not encounter Mr. Epstein for the first time until two years after that.
“She finds it very insulting,” Mr. Trump said of the rumors. “And I said, ‘If you want to do that, you can do that.’ I said if she wants to do it — I didn’t recommend it, but I said, I let it be her, I said, if you want to do it. …”
He added, “She didn’t meet me through Jeffrey Epstein. And I could understand her feelings. But I said, ‘If you want to do it, do it.’”
He would not say when exactly he had this discussion with the first lady, but said that “it wasn’t a big discussion. I’d say it lasted for about two minutes. I had no problem. I thought she actually did a good job.”
He’s lying, obviously. I doubt if she told him. Now she has revived interest in the Epstein files and Trump can’t be happy about that.

The Black Cat, by Carl Wilhelm Wilhelmson , 1922, Swedish, 1866-1928

The last scandal for today–the Kristi Noem story. The story was originally in the Daily Mail, but it’s behind a paywall.
The Independent: Kristi Noem’s husband offers cryptic three-word answer to report that he talked about leaving wife and becoming a woman.
Kristi Noem’s husband, Bryon Noem, has pushed back on a report that he insulted his wife in phone calls and online messages with a dominatrix and expressed a desire to become a woman.
Bryon Noem told The Independent the claims in the report were “not all true.” He did not elaborate when asked for more information.
The 56-year-old was reported to have been in an on-off relationship online with Shy Sotomayor, a 30-year-old sex worker known as Raelynn Riley, since 2016, she claimed in an interview with the Daily Mail, published Friday.
It is the latest in a series of exposés on the husband of the recently ousted Homeland Security Secretary, who has been keeping a low profile since the story broke last week.
Sotomayor shared recordings of phone calls and screenshots of messages she said she exchanged with Bryon Noem, where he said she was “so much better” than his wife. He also expressed wanting to transition to become a woman, the messages showed.
In one recent message, the South Dakota insurance boss said he wanted to change his name to Crystal “so bad,” and that he wanted plastic surgery. “I want to be your trans bimbo b****,” the messages showed.
The outlet linked Bryon Noem’s telephone number to the messages with Sotomayor, and it also corresponded to an email address under the pseudonym “Chrystalballz666.”
The messages reportedly from Bryon Noem appear in stark contrast to Kristi Noem’s opposition to transgender rights. As South Dakota governor, she signed an exclusionary bill to ban surgical and non-surgical gender-affirming treatments for children in the state, and barred transgender girls and women from playing on women’s sports teams.
Read the rest at The Independent.
There’s no news on the Iran talks yet, so I’ll end this with two disturbing Iran stories:
The New York Times: Iran Unable to Find Mines It Planted in Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Says.
Iran has been unable to open the Strait of Hormuz to more shipping traffic because it cannot locate all of the mines it laid in the waterway and lacks the capability to remove them, according to U.S. officials.
The development is one reason Iran has not been able to quickly comply with the Trump administration’s admonitions to let more traffic pass through the strait. It is also potentially a complicating factor as Iranian negotiators and a U.S. delegation led by Vice President JD Vance meet in Pakistan this weekend for peace talks.

Woman with a cat, Pierre Bonnard

Iran used small boats to mine the strait last month, soon after the United States and Israel began their war against the country. The mines, plus the threat of Iranian drone and missile attacks, slowed the number of oil tankers and other vessels passing through the strait to a trickle, driving up energy prices and providing Iran with its best leverage in the war.
Iran left a path through the strait open, allowing ships that pay a toll to pass through.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps has issued warnings that ships could collide with sea mines, and semiofficial news organizations have published charts showing safe routes.
Those routes are limited in large part because Iran mined the strait haphazardly, U.S. officials said. It is not clear that Iran recorded where it put every mine. And even when the location was recorded, some mines were placed in a way that allowed them to drift or move, according to the officials.
As with land mines, removing nautical mines is far more difficult than placing them. The U.S. military lacks robust mine removal capabilities, relying on littoral combat ships equipped with mine sweeping capabilities. Iran also does not have the capability of quickly removing mines, even the ones it planted.
Raw Story: Hegseth’s key Iran claim collapses as US intel finds Iran has thousands of missiles.
One of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s main defenses of the U.S. decision to negotiate a controversial ceasefire with Iran is that its ballistic missile program has been “functionally destroyed.”
But that claim has now been shot down by U.S. intelligence assessments, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.
“Iran still has thousands of ballistic missiles in its arsenal that it could use by retrieving launchers from underground storage areas, according to American officials familiar with U.S. intelligence assessments,” said the report. “The assessments come as the U.S. is working to cement a cease-fire that would fully open the Strait of Hormuz and also insulate Iran, American troops and states in the region from further attacks. Some American officials said they are concerned that Iran will use the break in fighting to reconstitute some of its missile arsenal.”
The conflict has taken a toll on Iran, with around half of its missile stockpile lost, the assessment found — but “it retains thousands of medium- and short-range ballistic missiles that could be pulled out of hiding or retrieved from underground sites, said U.S. and Israeli officials.”
This comes as even a number of Republican and conservative analysts are crying foul about the terms of the ceasefire, which appear one-sidedly in favor of Iran.
That’s it for me today. I guess it’s okay to focus on salacious stuff on the weekend. Happy Caturday!
#AmandaUngaro #ArtemisII #BryonNoem #catArt #caturday #DonaldTrump #EpsteinFiles #EricSwalwell #IranWar #IranSBallisticMissles #JeffreyEpstein #KristiNoem #MelaniaTrump #mines #NASA #PaoloZampolli #politicalScandals #rape #sexualAssault #StraitOfHormuz

#amandaungaro #artemisii #bryonnoem #catart #caturday #donaldtrump
Sky Dancing @[email protected] · 2026-04-11 · 17:08 UTC

Lazy Caturday Reads: Scandals Galore!

Good Afternoon!!

By Mary Cassatt, 1883-84

The negotiations about the proposed cease fire in the Iran war are expected to begin soon, but meanwhile the news in the U.S. is suddenly filled with scandalous stories.
Yesterday, Dakinikat wrote about Melania Trump’s mysterious announcement to the White House press; I have a bit more context to add to that. Then last night the news about serious accusations of sexual misconduct by Eric Swalwell broke. There’s also news about Kristy Noem’s husband and his identity crisis.
I’ll get to those items, but I want to begin with a feel-good story for once.
Marcia Dunn at AP: Artemis II’s record-breaking journey around the moon ends with dramatic splashdown.
HOUSTON (AP) — Artemis II’s astronauts closed out humanity’s first lunar voyage in more than half a century with a Pacific splashdown on Friday, blazing new records near the moon with grace and joy.
It was a dramatic grand finale to a mission that revealed not only swaths of the lunar far side never seen before by human eyes, but a total solar eclipse and a parade of planets, most notably our own shimmering Earth against the endless black void of space.
With their flight now complete, the four astronauts have set NASA up for a moon landing by another crew in just two years and a full-blown moon base within the decade.
The triumphant moon-farers — commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canada’s Jeremy Hansen — emerged from their bobbing capsule into the sunlight off the coast of San Diego.
In a scene reminiscent of NASA’s Apollo moonshots of yesteryear, military helicopters hoisted the astronauts one by one from an inflatable raft docked to the capsule, hauling them aboard for the short trip to the Navy’s awaiting recovery ship, the USS John P. Murtha.
“These were the ambassadors from humanity to the stars that we sent out there right now, and I can’t imagine a better crew,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said from the recovery ship.
NASA’s Mission Control erupted in celebration, with hundreds pouring in from the back support rooms. “We did it,” NASA’s Lori Glaze rejoiced at a news conference. “Welcome to our moonshot.”
Read more at the AP link.
Now for the feel-disgusted news about Eric Swalwell. Based on what I’ve read, it’s surprising that this didn’t come out sooner. Apparently, he’s been DM young women, sending dick picks, and sexually assaulting women for years.
CNN: Exclusive: Four women describe sexual misconduct by Rep. Eric Swalwell, including a former staffer who says he raped her.
A former staffer of Rep. Eric Swalwell, a leading Democratic candidate for California governor, says that the congressman raped her when she was heavily intoxicated and left her bruised and bleeding, an allegation Swalwell strongly denies.
“I was pushing him off of me, saying no,” the woman told CNN of the incident, which she said happened in 2024 after she had stopped working in Swalwell’s office. “He didn’t stop.”

By Francesca Strino

She said it was the second time Swalwell had nonconsensual sexual contact with her while she was drunk. In 2019, when she was still working for him, she said she woke up naked with him in a hotel room after a night of heavy drinking. She said she had no memory of what happened but could feel physically that they’d had sexual contact.
Three other women who spoke with CNN also alleged various kinds of sexual misconduct by the Democratic congressman – including Swalwell sending them unsolicited explicit messages or nude photos.

One woman who connected online with Swalwell over her interest in Democratic politics says she ended up extremely drunk inside his hotel room after a night out with the congressman, with little memory of what occurred. Earlier in the night at a bar, he kissed her and touched her leg without her consent, she said.
Another woman, who described receiving unsolicited nude messages from Swalwell, was social media creator Ally Sammarco. She said she initially reached out to the congressman on Twitter to discuss politics. “I truly never thought he would respond – I had like 1,000 followers at the time,” she said. “And he actually responded.”
Swalwell denied the women’s allegations.
“These allegations are false and come on the eve of an election against the front-runner for governor,” Swalwell said in a statement to CNN. “For nearly 20 years, I have served the public – as a prosecutor and a congressman and have always protected women. I will defend myself with the facts and where necessary bring legal action. My focus in the coming days is to be with my wife and children and defend our decades of service against these lies.”

I don’t think that’s going to work. These are not subtle accusations, and the women told others about their experiences at the time. Sammarco saved the messages she got from Swallwell. A bit more from CNN:
One member of Swalwell’s staff said they quit immediately after receiving CNN’s detailed list of questions about the allegations.
CNN found corroboration for key elements of each of the women’s claims, including the former staffer who said she was sexually assaulted. Two family members and a friend said in interviews with CNN that she told them about the alleged 2024 assault in the following days, and CNN also reviewed text messages she sent two friends describing her allegations at the same time. “I was sexually assaulted on Thursday,” she wrote to one of her friends, adding: “By Eric.”
The woman also shared medical records related to her receiving STD and pregnancy testing after the alleged assault.
For the woman who connected online with Swalwell over Democratic politics, a family member and two friends confirmed she told them last year about the incident where she ended up intoxicated in his hotel room. CNN also reviewed messages between her and Swalwell, including a photo he sent her that matches footage of him during a CNN interview in her city on the night they met in person.
There’s still more at the link.
Politico: Jeffries, Pelosi and other Democrats call on Eric Swalwell to end governor campaign.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi headlined a growing list of Democratic lawmakers called on Rep. Eric Swalwell Friday to withdraw his campaign for California governor amid allegations of sexual misconduct.

Lily Walton with Raminou, 1922, by Suzanne Valadon

“This extremely sensitive matter must be appropriately investigated with full transparency and accountability,” Pelosi said in a statement. “As I discussed with Congressman Swalwell, it is clear that is best done outside of a gubernatorial campaign.”

In a joint statement with other elected House Democratic leaders, Jeffries called for a “swift investigation” as well as the end of his pending campaign.
“This is unacceptable of anyone — certainly not an elected official — and must be taken seriously,” the leaders said.
The San Francisco Chronicle reported Friday that a former congressional aide accused the congressman of two sexual encounters without her consent, beginning in 2019. CNN later reported that four women allege that Swalwell has committed sexual misconduct, including one former staffer who accuses Swalwell of rape….
Key backers of Swalwell’s governor bid swiftly revoked their support after the Chronicle’s story was published, including Reps. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.) and Adam Gray (D-Calif.), who served as campaign co-chairs.
“Today’s reports about Eric Swalwell’s conduct while in office are deeply disturbing,” Gray said in a statement. “Harassment, abuse, and violence of any sort are unacceptable. Given these serious allegations, I am withdrawing my support and Eric Swalwell should end his campaign immediately.”
But nothing underscored the peril for Swalwell’s nearly two-decade political career as vividly as Pelosi’s statement. The former speaker included Swalwell in her inner circle of favored Democratic members for years, tapping him for junior leadership roles and to serve as a manager in Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial in 2021.

Read the rest at the link.
The Melania Trump story might have stayed on social media if she hadn’t decided to make a public statement at the lectern that is supposed to be reserved for the POTUS. But it’s out there now, and she will have to deal with it.
It began with a disturbing story in The New York Times on March 20: Trump Friend Asked ICE to Detain the Mother of His Child.
Last June, the man credited with introducing President Trump to his wife asked the administration for a favor.
Paolo Zampolli, a former modeling agent turned presidential special envoy, had learned that his Brazilian ex-girlfriend was in a Miami jail, arrested on charges of fraud at her workplace. They had been in a custody battle over their teenage son. Now he saw an opportunity.

Eduard Manet, Woman with a Cat, 1880

He reached out to a top official at Immigration and Customs Enforcement, explaining that his ex was in the country illegally, according to records obtained by The New York Times and a person familiar with the communications. Could she be put in ICE detention? That could help him get his son back.
The official, David Venturella, promptly called the agency’s Miami office to ensure that ICE agents would pick up the woman from the jail before she was released on bail, according to the records and a person with knowledge of the conversation who requested anonymity to discuss it. During the call, Mr. Venturella noted that the case was important to someone close to the White House.
The woman, Amanda Ungaro, was placed in ICE custody and ultimately deported, an outcome that may well have happened regardless of Mr. Zampolli’s meddling. But the ICE official’s willingness to spring into action for a Trump ally — even one in a low-level, largely ceremonial role — reflects a recurring theme of the second Trump administration: The levers of the federal government can be pulled to settle a personal score.
I read this story when it was published, but I didn’t make the connections I should have.
Amanda Ungaro is on X AKA Twitter, and she is fighting back. If you have access, you can read the many tweets she has been sending to Melania.
Melania is apparently sensitive about how she came to the U.S. In fact Zampolli is the one who brought her here and got her an H1-B visa. When she first arrived, she moved into a building occupied by other models who worked for Zampolli’s agency. It looks like Melania has really stepped in it. The Epstein files are back in the news.
From Julie K. Brown, the journalist who originally wrote about Epstein in The Miami Herald, at her Substack The Epstein Files: Could a former Brazilian model be the whistleblower Melania Trump is afraid of?
The First Lady’s unprecedented public statement about Jeffrey Epstein yesterday raised a lot of questions about what, if anything, is about to be revealed about Donald and Melania Trump’s relationship with the late sex trafficker.
The Epstein case had quieted down in the wake of Trump’s decision to attack Iran — some critics allege that was one of Trump’s goals in launching a war in the first place — to cool the MAGA furor over DOJ’s inept release of the Epstein files.
Now it seems that plan, if true, has led to a Jack-In-The-Beanstalk effect — as in trading a cow for beans and climbing into danger without really thinking it through.
Because there is another story that I admit I missed when it ran in the New York Times a few weeks ago.
It appears that the Trump administration may have targeted Zampolli’s ex-girlfriend, a former Brazilian model named Amanda Ungaro, deporting her back to Brazil amid her custody battle with Zampolli over their teenage son.
As the NYT’s story notes: “The levers of the federal government can be pulled to settle a personal score.”

Self-Portrait with a Cat, created by Frida Konstantin

In this case, the score involved Paolo Zampolli, a former modeling agent who was appointed last year by Trump as special envoy for “global partnerships,” which allows him to travel the world to advance trade and other partnerships with the U.S.
Just days ago, he was in Hungary with Vice President Vance, supporting the re-election of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, an effort to publicly back the right-wing leader in the days running up to the election.
Zampolli, 56, was in Epstein’s orbit around the time that Trump met Melania in 1998. He was also friends with Epstein, as the two entertained a business deal over buying a modeling agency.
And Zampolli’s name is in the Epstein Files, with Epstein noting in one email that he was “trouble.”
Still all the drama surrounding Zampolli’s custody battle with his estranged girlfriend didn’t connect any dots, at least not for me, until the First Lady’s speech yesterday.
Read the rest at the link.
The New York Times has another piece about Melania’s statement today: Trump Says First Lady ‘Had a Right’ to Talk About Epstein.
President Trump said Friday that he had known his wife wanted to speak about Jeffrey Epstein at some point, and that he “thought she had a right to talk about it,” even if he had not known what exactly she planned to say.
“It doesn’t bother me,” Mr. Trump said in a brief telephone interview, referring to the remarks Melania Trump made from the entrance hall of the White House a day earlier.
“I didn’t know what the statement was,” he said, “but I knew she was going to make a statement.”
The first lady’s comments certainly came as a surprise to many other people who work in the White House, according to two officials familiar with the situation who asked for anonymity to discuss the matter. It was not clear why she had chosen that moment to talk about Mr. Epstein. Absent any explanation, questions and feverish conspiracy theories swirled.
The president said his wife had been agonizing for a long time over her press coverage and rumors connecting her to Mr. Epstein. What was particularly upsetting to her, Mr. Trump explained, was one theory positing that it was Mr. Epstein who introduced her to her future husband. In her remarks on Thursday, Mrs. Trump recounted the story of meeting Mr. Trump “by chance at a New York City party in 1998.” She said she did not encounter Mr. Epstein for the first time until two years after that.
“She finds it very insulting,” Mr. Trump said of the rumors. “And I said, ‘If you want to do that, you can do that.’ I said if she wants to do it — I didn’t recommend it, but I said, I let it be her, I said, if you want to do it. …”
He added, “She didn’t meet me through Jeffrey Epstein. And I could understand her feelings. But I said, ‘If you want to do it, do it.’”
He would not say when exactly he had this discussion with the first lady, but said that “it wasn’t a big discussion. I’d say it lasted for about two minutes. I had no problem. I thought she actually did a good job.”
He’s lying, obviously. I doubt if she told him. Now she has revived interest in the Epstein files and Trump can’t be happy about that.

The Black Cat, by Carl Wilhelm Wilhelmson , 1922, Swedish, 1866-1928

The last scandal for today–the Kristi Noem story. The story was originally in the Daily Mail, but it’s behind a paywall.
The Independent: Kristi Noem’s husband offers cryptic three-word answer to report that he talked about leaving wife and becoming a woman.
Kristi Noem’s husband, Bryon Noem, has pushed back on a report that he insulted his wife in phone calls and online messages with a dominatrix and expressed a desire to become a woman.
Bryon Noem told The Independent the claims in the report were “not all true.” He did not elaborate when asked for more information.
The 56-year-old was reported to have been in an on-off relationship online with Shy Sotomayor, a 30-year-old sex worker known as Raelynn Riley, since 2016, she claimed in an interview with the Daily Mail, published Friday.
It is the latest in a series of exposés on the husband of the recently ousted Homeland Security Secretary, who has been keeping a low profile since the story broke last week.
Sotomayor shared recordings of phone calls and screenshots of messages she said she exchanged with Bryon Noem, where he said she was “so much better” than his wife. He also expressed wanting to transition to become a woman, the messages showed.
In one recent message, the South Dakota insurance boss said he wanted to change his name to Crystal “so bad,” and that he wanted plastic surgery. “I want to be your trans bimbo b****,” the messages showed.
The outlet linked Bryon Noem’s telephone number to the messages with Sotomayor, and it also corresponded to an email address under the pseudonym “Chrystalballz666.”
The messages reportedly from Bryon Noem appear in stark contrast to Kristi Noem’s opposition to transgender rights. As South Dakota governor, she signed an exclusionary bill to ban surgical and non-surgical gender-affirming treatments for children in the state, and barred transgender girls and women from playing on women’s sports teams.
Read the rest at The Independent.
There’s no news on the Iran talks yet, so I’ll end this with two disturbing Iran stories:
The New York Times: Iran Unable to Find Mines It Planted in Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Says.
Iran has been unable to open the Strait of Hormuz to more shipping traffic because it cannot locate all of the mines it laid in the waterway and lacks the capability to remove them, according to U.S. officials.
The development is one reason Iran has not been able to quickly comply with the Trump administration’s admonitions to let more traffic pass through the strait. It is also potentially a complicating factor as Iranian negotiators and a U.S. delegation led by Vice President JD Vance meet in Pakistan this weekend for peace talks.

Woman with a cat, Pierre Bonnard

Iran used small boats to mine the strait last month, soon after the United States and Israel began their war against the country. The mines, plus the threat of Iranian drone and missile attacks, slowed the number of oil tankers and other vessels passing through the strait to a trickle, driving up energy prices and providing Iran with its best leverage in the war.
Iran left a path through the strait open, allowing ships that pay a toll to pass through.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps has issued warnings that ships could collide with sea mines, and semiofficial news organizations have published charts showing safe routes.
Those routes are limited in large part because Iran mined the strait haphazardly, U.S. officials said. It is not clear that Iran recorded where it put every mine. And even when the location was recorded, some mines were placed in a way that allowed them to drift or move, according to the officials.
As with land mines, removing nautical mines is far more difficult than placing them. The U.S. military lacks robust mine removal capabilities, relying on littoral combat ships equipped with mine sweeping capabilities. Iran also does not have the capability of quickly removing mines, even the ones it planted.
Raw Story: Hegseth’s key Iran claim collapses as US intel finds Iran has thousands of missiles.
One of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s main defenses of the U.S. decision to negotiate a controversial ceasefire with Iran is that its ballistic missile program has been “functionally destroyed.”
But that claim has now been shot down by U.S. intelligence assessments, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.
“Iran still has thousands of ballistic missiles in its arsenal that it could use by retrieving launchers from underground storage areas, according to American officials familiar with U.S. intelligence assessments,” said the report. “The assessments come as the U.S. is working to cement a cease-fire that would fully open the Strait of Hormuz and also insulate Iran, American troops and states in the region from further attacks. Some American officials said they are concerned that Iran will use the break in fighting to reconstitute some of its missile arsenal.”
The conflict has taken a toll on Iran, with around half of its missile stockpile lost, the assessment found — but “it retains thousands of medium- and short-range ballistic missiles that could be pulled out of hiding or retrieved from underground sites, said U.S. and Israeli officials.”
This comes as even a number of Republican and conservative analysts are crying foul about the terms of the ceasefire, which appear one-sidedly in favor of Iran.
That’s it for me today. I guess it’s okay to focus on salacious stuff on the weekend. Happy Caturday!
#AmandaUngaro #ArtemisII #BryonNoem #catArt #caturday #DonaldTrump #EpsteinFiles #EricSwalwell #IranWar #IranSBallisticMissles #JeffreyEpstein #KristiNoem #MelaniaTrump #mines #NASA #PaoloZampolli #politicalScandals #rape #sexualAssault #StraitOfHormuz

#amandaungaro #artemisii #bryonnoem #catart #caturday #donaldtrump
Sky Dancing @[email protected] · 2026-04-11 · 17:08 UTC

Lazy Caturday Reads: Scandals Galore!

Good Afternoon!!

By Mary Cassatt, 1883-84

The negotiations about the proposed cease fire in the Iran war are expected to begin soon, but meanwhile the news in the U.S. is suddenly filled with scandalous stories.
Yesterday, Dakinikat wrote about Melania Trump’s mysterious announcement to the White House press; I have a bit more context to add to that. Then last night the news about serious accusations of sexual misconduct by Eric Swalwell broke. There’s also news about Kristy Noem’s husband and his identity crisis.
I’ll get to those items, but I want to begin with a feel-good story for once.
Marcia Dunn at AP: Artemis II’s record-breaking journey around the moon ends with dramatic splashdown.
HOUSTON (AP) — Artemis II’s astronauts closed out humanity’s first lunar voyage in more than half a century with a Pacific splashdown on Friday, blazing new records near the moon with grace and joy.
It was a dramatic grand finale to a mission that revealed not only swaths of the lunar far side never seen before by human eyes, but a total solar eclipse and a parade of planets, most notably our own shimmering Earth against the endless black void of space.
With their flight now complete, the four astronauts have set NASA up for a moon landing by another crew in just two years and a full-blown moon base within the decade.
The triumphant moon-farers — commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canada’s Jeremy Hansen — emerged from their bobbing capsule into the sunlight off the coast of San Diego.
In a scene reminiscent of NASA’s Apollo moonshots of yesteryear, military helicopters hoisted the astronauts one by one from an inflatable raft docked to the capsule, hauling them aboard for the short trip to the Navy’s awaiting recovery ship, the USS John P. Murtha.
“These were the ambassadors from humanity to the stars that we sent out there right now, and I can’t imagine a better crew,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said from the recovery ship.
NASA’s Mission Control erupted in celebration, with hundreds pouring in from the back support rooms. “We did it,” NASA’s Lori Glaze rejoiced at a news conference. “Welcome to our moonshot.”
Read more at the AP link.
Now for the feel-disgusted news about Eric Swalwell. Based on what I’ve read, it’s surprising that this didn’t come out sooner. Apparently, he’s been DM young women, sending dick picks, and sexually assaulting women for years.
CNN: Exclusive: Four women describe sexual misconduct by Rep. Eric Swalwell, including a former staffer who says he raped her.
A former staffer of Rep. Eric Swalwell, a leading Democratic candidate for California governor, says that the congressman raped her when she was heavily intoxicated and left her bruised and bleeding, an allegation Swalwell strongly denies.
“I was pushing him off of me, saying no,” the woman told CNN of the incident, which she said happened in 2024 after she had stopped working in Swalwell’s office. “He didn’t stop.”

By Francesca Strino

She said it was the second time Swalwell had nonconsensual sexual contact with her while she was drunk. In 2019, when she was still working for him, she said she woke up naked with him in a hotel room after a night of heavy drinking. She said she had no memory of what happened but could feel physically that they’d had sexual contact.
Three other women who spoke with CNN also alleged various kinds of sexual misconduct by the Democratic congressman – including Swalwell sending them unsolicited explicit messages or nude photos.

One woman who connected online with Swalwell over her interest in Democratic politics says she ended up extremely drunk inside his hotel room after a night out with the congressman, with little memory of what occurred. Earlier in the night at a bar, he kissed her and touched her leg without her consent, she said.
Another woman, who described receiving unsolicited nude messages from Swalwell, was social media creator Ally Sammarco. She said she initially reached out to the congressman on Twitter to discuss politics. “I truly never thought he would respond – I had like 1,000 followers at the time,” she said. “And he actually responded.”
Swalwell denied the women’s allegations.
“These allegations are false and come on the eve of an election against the front-runner for governor,” Swalwell said in a statement to CNN. “For nearly 20 years, I have served the public – as a prosecutor and a congressman and have always protected women. I will defend myself with the facts and where necessary bring legal action. My focus in the coming days is to be with my wife and children and defend our decades of service against these lies.”

I don’t think that’s going to work. These are not subtle accusations, and the women told others about their experiences at the time. Sammarco saved the messages she got from Swallwell. A bit more from CNN:
One member of Swalwell’s staff said they quit immediately after receiving CNN’s detailed list of questions about the allegations.
CNN found corroboration for key elements of each of the women’s claims, including the former staffer who said she was sexually assaulted. Two family members and a friend said in interviews with CNN that she told them about the alleged 2024 assault in the following days, and CNN also reviewed text messages she sent two friends describing her allegations at the same time. “I was sexually assaulted on Thursday,” she wrote to one of her friends, adding: “By Eric.”
The woman also shared medical records related to her receiving STD and pregnancy testing after the alleged assault.
For the woman who connected online with Swalwell over Democratic politics, a family member and two friends confirmed she told them last year about the incident where she ended up intoxicated in his hotel room. CNN also reviewed messages between her and Swalwell, including a photo he sent her that matches footage of him during a CNN interview in her city on the night they met in person.
There’s still more at the link.
Politico: Jeffries, Pelosi and other Democrats call on Eric Swalwell to end governor campaign.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi headlined a growing list of Democratic lawmakers called on Rep. Eric Swalwell Friday to withdraw his campaign for California governor amid allegations of sexual misconduct.

Lily Walton with Raminou, 1922, by Suzanne Valadon

“This extremely sensitive matter must be appropriately investigated with full transparency and accountability,” Pelosi said in a statement. “As I discussed with Congressman Swalwell, it is clear that is best done outside of a gubernatorial campaign.”

In a joint statement with other elected House Democratic leaders, Jeffries called for a “swift investigation” as well as the end of his pending campaign.
“This is unacceptable of anyone — certainly not an elected official — and must be taken seriously,” the leaders said.
The San Francisco Chronicle reported Friday that a former congressional aide accused the congressman of two sexual encounters without her consent, beginning in 2019. CNN later reported that four women allege that Swalwell has committed sexual misconduct, including one former staffer who accuses Swalwell of rape….
Key backers of Swalwell’s governor bid swiftly revoked their support after the Chronicle’s story was published, including Reps. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.) and Adam Gray (D-Calif.), who served as campaign co-chairs.
“Today’s reports about Eric Swalwell’s conduct while in office are deeply disturbing,” Gray said in a statement. “Harassment, abuse, and violence of any sort are unacceptable. Given these serious allegations, I am withdrawing my support and Eric Swalwell should end his campaign immediately.”
But nothing underscored the peril for Swalwell’s nearly two-decade political career as vividly as Pelosi’s statement. The former speaker included Swalwell in her inner circle of favored Democratic members for years, tapping him for junior leadership roles and to serve as a manager in Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial in 2021.

Read the rest at the link.
The Melania Trump story might have stayed on social media if she hadn’t decided to make a public statement at the lectern that is supposed to be reserved for the POTUS. But it’s out there now, and she will have to deal with it.
It began with a disturbing story in The New York Times on March 20: Trump Friend Asked ICE to Detain the Mother of His Child.
Last June, the man credited with introducing President Trump to his wife asked the administration for a favor.
Paolo Zampolli, a former modeling agent turned presidential special envoy, had learned that his Brazilian ex-girlfriend was in a Miami jail, arrested on charges of fraud at her workplace. They had been in a custody battle over their teenage son. Now he saw an opportunity.

Eduard Manet, Woman with a Cat, 1880

He reached out to a top official at Immigration and Customs Enforcement, explaining that his ex was in the country illegally, according to records obtained by The New York Times and a person familiar with the communications. Could she be put in ICE detention? That could help him get his son back.
The official, David Venturella, promptly called the agency’s Miami office to ensure that ICE agents would pick up the woman from the jail before she was released on bail, according to the records and a person with knowledge of the conversation who requested anonymity to discuss it. During the call, Mr. Venturella noted that the case was important to someone close to the White House.
The woman, Amanda Ungaro, was placed in ICE custody and ultimately deported, an outcome that may well have happened regardless of Mr. Zampolli’s meddling. But the ICE official’s willingness to spring into action for a Trump ally — even one in a low-level, largely ceremonial role — reflects a recurring theme of the second Trump administration: The levers of the federal government can be pulled to settle a personal score.
I read this story when it was published, but I didn’t make the connections I should have.
Amanda Ungaro is on X AKA Twitter, and she is fighting back. If you have access, you can read the many tweets she has been sending to Melania.
Melania is apparently sensitive about how she came to the U.S. In fact Zampolli is the one who brought her here and got her an H1-B visa. When she first arrived, she moved into a building occupied by other models who worked for Zampolli’s agency. It looks like Melania has really stepped in it. The Epstein files are back in the news.
From Julie K. Brown, the journalist who originally wrote about Epstein in The Miami Herald, at her Substack The Epstein Files: Could a former Brazilian model be the whistleblower Melania Trump is afraid of?
The First Lady’s unprecedented public statement about Jeffrey Epstein yesterday raised a lot of questions about what, if anything, is about to be revealed about Donald and Melania Trump’s relationship with the late sex trafficker.
The Epstein case had quieted down in the wake of Trump’s decision to attack Iran — some critics allege that was one of Trump’s goals in launching a war in the first place — to cool the MAGA furor over DOJ’s inept release of the Epstein files.
Now it seems that plan, if true, has led to a Jack-In-The-Beanstalk effect — as in trading a cow for beans and climbing into danger without really thinking it through.
Because there is another story that I admit I missed when it ran in the New York Times a few weeks ago.
It appears that the Trump administration may have targeted Zampolli’s ex-girlfriend, a former Brazilian model named Amanda Ungaro, deporting her back to Brazil amid her custody battle with Zampolli over their teenage son.
As the NYT’s story notes: “The levers of the federal government can be pulled to settle a personal score.”

Self-Portrait with a Cat, created by Frida Konstantin

In this case, the score involved Paolo Zampolli, a former modeling agent who was appointed last year by Trump as special envoy for “global partnerships,” which allows him to travel the world to advance trade and other partnerships with the U.S.
Just days ago, he was in Hungary with Vice President Vance, supporting the re-election of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, an effort to publicly back the right-wing leader in the days running up to the election.
Zampolli, 56, was in Epstein’s orbit around the time that Trump met Melania in 1998. He was also friends with Epstein, as the two entertained a business deal over buying a modeling agency.
And Zampolli’s name is in the Epstein Files, with Epstein noting in one email that he was “trouble.”
Still all the drama surrounding Zampolli’s custody battle with his estranged girlfriend didn’t connect any dots, at least not for me, until the First Lady’s speech yesterday.
Read the rest at the link.
The New York Times has another piece about Melania’s statement today: Trump Says First Lady ‘Had a Right’ to Talk About Epstein.
President Trump said Friday that he had known his wife wanted to speak about Jeffrey Epstein at some point, and that he “thought she had a right to talk about it,” even if he had not known what exactly she planned to say.
“It doesn’t bother me,” Mr. Trump said in a brief telephone interview, referring to the remarks Melania Trump made from the entrance hall of the White House a day earlier.
“I didn’t know what the statement was,” he said, “but I knew she was going to make a statement.”
The first lady’s comments certainly came as a surprise to many other people who work in the White House, according to two officials familiar with the situation who asked for anonymity to discuss the matter. It was not clear why she had chosen that moment to talk about Mr. Epstein. Absent any explanation, questions and feverish conspiracy theories swirled.
The president said his wife had been agonizing for a long time over her press coverage and rumors connecting her to Mr. Epstein. What was particularly upsetting to her, Mr. Trump explained, was one theory positing that it was Mr. Epstein who introduced her to her future husband. In her remarks on Thursday, Mrs. Trump recounted the story of meeting Mr. Trump “by chance at a New York City party in 1998.” She said she did not encounter Mr. Epstein for the first time until two years after that.
“She finds it very insulting,” Mr. Trump said of the rumors. “And I said, ‘If you want to do that, you can do that.’ I said if she wants to do it — I didn’t recommend it, but I said, I let it be her, I said, if you want to do it. …”
He added, “She didn’t meet me through Jeffrey Epstein. And I could understand her feelings. But I said, ‘If you want to do it, do it.’”
He would not say when exactly he had this discussion with the first lady, but said that “it wasn’t a big discussion. I’d say it lasted for about two minutes. I had no problem. I thought she actually did a good job.”
He’s lying, obviously. I doubt if she told him. Now she has revived interest in the Epstein files and Trump can’t be happy about that.

The Black Cat, by Carl Wilhelm Wilhelmson , 1922, Swedish, 1866-1928

The last scandal for today–the Kristi Noem story. The story was originally in the Daily Mail, but it’s behind a paywall.
The Independent: Kristi Noem’s husband offers cryptic three-word answer to report that he talked about leaving wife and becoming a woman.
Kristi Noem’s husband, Bryon Noem, has pushed back on a report that he insulted his wife in phone calls and online messages with a dominatrix and expressed a desire to become a woman.
Bryon Noem told The Independent the claims in the report were “not all true.” He did not elaborate when asked for more information.
The 56-year-old was reported to have been in an on-off relationship online with Shy Sotomayor, a 30-year-old sex worker known as Raelynn Riley, since 2016, she claimed in an interview with the Daily Mail, published Friday.
It is the latest in a series of exposés on the husband of the recently ousted Homeland Security Secretary, who has been keeping a low profile since the story broke last week.
Sotomayor shared recordings of phone calls and screenshots of messages she said she exchanged with Bryon Noem, where he said she was “so much better” than his wife. He also expressed wanting to transition to become a woman, the messages showed.
In one recent message, the South Dakota insurance boss said he wanted to change his name to Crystal “so bad,” and that he wanted plastic surgery. “I want to be your trans bimbo b****,” the messages showed.
The outlet linked Bryon Noem’s telephone number to the messages with Sotomayor, and it also corresponded to an email address under the pseudonym “Chrystalballz666.”
The messages reportedly from Bryon Noem appear in stark contrast to Kristi Noem’s opposition to transgender rights. As South Dakota governor, she signed an exclusionary bill to ban surgical and non-surgical gender-affirming treatments for children in the state, and barred transgender girls and women from playing on women’s sports teams.
Read the rest at The Independent.
There’s no news on the Iran talks yet, so I’ll end this with two disturbing Iran stories:
The New York Times: Iran Unable to Find Mines It Planted in Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Says.
Iran has been unable to open the Strait of Hormuz to more shipping traffic because it cannot locate all of the mines it laid in the waterway and lacks the capability to remove them, according to U.S. officials.
The development is one reason Iran has not been able to quickly comply with the Trump administration’s admonitions to let more traffic pass through the strait. It is also potentially a complicating factor as Iranian negotiators and a U.S. delegation led by Vice President JD Vance meet in Pakistan this weekend for peace talks.

Woman with a cat, Pierre Bonnard

Iran used small boats to mine the strait last month, soon after the United States and Israel began their war against the country. The mines, plus the threat of Iranian drone and missile attacks, slowed the number of oil tankers and other vessels passing through the strait to a trickle, driving up energy prices and providing Iran with its best leverage in the war.
Iran left a path through the strait open, allowing ships that pay a toll to pass through.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps has issued warnings that ships could collide with sea mines, and semiofficial news organizations have published charts showing safe routes.
Those routes are limited in large part because Iran mined the strait haphazardly, U.S. officials said. It is not clear that Iran recorded where it put every mine. And even when the location was recorded, some mines were placed in a way that allowed them to drift or move, according to the officials.
As with land mines, removing nautical mines is far more difficult than placing them. The U.S. military lacks robust mine removal capabilities, relying on littoral combat ships equipped with mine sweeping capabilities. Iran also does not have the capability of quickly removing mines, even the ones it planted.
Raw Story: Hegseth’s key Iran claim collapses as US intel finds Iran has thousands of missiles.
One of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s main defenses of the U.S. decision to negotiate a controversial ceasefire with Iran is that its ballistic missile program has been “functionally destroyed.”
But that claim has now been shot down by U.S. intelligence assessments, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.
“Iran still has thousands of ballistic missiles in its arsenal that it could use by retrieving launchers from underground storage areas, according to American officials familiar with U.S. intelligence assessments,” said the report. “The assessments come as the U.S. is working to cement a cease-fire that would fully open the Strait of Hormuz and also insulate Iran, American troops and states in the region from further attacks. Some American officials said they are concerned that Iran will use the break in fighting to reconstitute some of its missile arsenal.”
The conflict has taken a toll on Iran, with around half of its missile stockpile lost, the assessment found — but “it retains thousands of medium- and short-range ballistic missiles that could be pulled out of hiding or retrieved from underground sites, said U.S. and Israeli officials.”
This comes as even a number of Republican and conservative analysts are crying foul about the terms of the ceasefire, which appear one-sidedly in favor of Iran.
That’s it for me today. I guess it’s okay to focus on salacious stuff on the weekend. Happy Caturday!
#AmandaUngaro #ArtemisII #BryonNoem #catArt #caturday #DonaldTrump #EpsteinFiles #EricSwalwell #IranWar #IranSBallisticMissles #JeffreyEpstein #KristiNoem #MelaniaTrump #mines #NASA #PaoloZampolli #politicalScandals #rape #sexualAssault #StraitOfHormuz

#ericswalwell #iranwar #iransballisticmissles #jeffreyepstein #kristinoem #melaniatrump
Sky Dancing @[email protected] · 2026-04-11 · 17:08 UTC

Lazy Caturday Reads: Scandals Galore!

Good Afternoon!!

By Mary Cassatt, 1883-84

The negotiations about the proposed cease fire in the Iran war are expected to begin soon, but meanwhile the news in the U.S. is suddenly filled with scandalous stories.
Yesterday, Dakinikat wrote about Melania Trump’s mysterious announcement to the White House press; I have a bit more context to add to that. Then last night the news about serious accusations of sexual misconduct by Eric Swalwell broke. There’s also news about Kristy Noem’s husband and his identity crisis.
I’ll get to those items, but I want to begin with a feel-good story for once.
Marcia Dunn at AP: Artemis II’s record-breaking journey around the moon ends with dramatic splashdown.
HOUSTON (AP) — Artemis II’s astronauts closed out humanity’s first lunar voyage in more than half a century with a Pacific splashdown on Friday, blazing new records near the moon with grace and joy.
It was a dramatic grand finale to a mission that revealed not only swaths of the lunar far side never seen before by human eyes, but a total solar eclipse and a parade of planets, most notably our own shimmering Earth against the endless black void of space.
With their flight now complete, the four astronauts have set NASA up for a moon landing by another crew in just two years and a full-blown moon base within the decade.
The triumphant moon-farers — commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canada’s Jeremy Hansen — emerged from their bobbing capsule into the sunlight off the coast of San Diego.
In a scene reminiscent of NASA’s Apollo moonshots of yesteryear, military helicopters hoisted the astronauts one by one from an inflatable raft docked to the capsule, hauling them aboard for the short trip to the Navy’s awaiting recovery ship, the USS John P. Murtha.
“These were the ambassadors from humanity to the stars that we sent out there right now, and I can’t imagine a better crew,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said from the recovery ship.
NASA’s Mission Control erupted in celebration, with hundreds pouring in from the back support rooms. “We did it,” NASA’s Lori Glaze rejoiced at a news conference. “Welcome to our moonshot.”
Read more at the AP link.
Now for the feel-disgusted news about Eric Swalwell. Based on what I’ve read, it’s surprising that this didn’t come out sooner. Apparently, he’s been DM young women, sending dick picks, and sexually assaulting women for years.
CNN: Exclusive: Four women describe sexual misconduct by Rep. Eric Swalwell, including a former staffer who says he raped her.
A former staffer of Rep. Eric Swalwell, a leading Democratic candidate for California governor, says that the congressman raped her when she was heavily intoxicated and left her bruised and bleeding, an allegation Swalwell strongly denies.
“I was pushing him off of me, saying no,” the woman told CNN of the incident, which she said happened in 2024 after she had stopped working in Swalwell’s office. “He didn’t stop.”

By Francesca Strino

She said it was the second time Swalwell had nonconsensual sexual contact with her while she was drunk. In 2019, when she was still working for him, she said she woke up naked with him in a hotel room after a night of heavy drinking. She said she had no memory of what happened but could feel physically that they’d had sexual contact.
Three other women who spoke with CNN also alleged various kinds of sexual misconduct by the Democratic congressman – including Swalwell sending them unsolicited explicit messages or nude photos.

One woman who connected online with Swalwell over her interest in Democratic politics says she ended up extremely drunk inside his hotel room after a night out with the congressman, with little memory of what occurred. Earlier in the night at a bar, he kissed her and touched her leg without her consent, she said.
Another woman, who described receiving unsolicited nude messages from Swalwell, was social media creator Ally Sammarco. She said she initially reached out to the congressman on Twitter to discuss politics. “I truly never thought he would respond – I had like 1,000 followers at the time,” she said. “And he actually responded.”
Swalwell denied the women’s allegations.
“These allegations are false and come on the eve of an election against the front-runner for governor,” Swalwell said in a statement to CNN. “For nearly 20 years, I have served the public – as a prosecutor and a congressman and have always protected women. I will defend myself with the facts and where necessary bring legal action. My focus in the coming days is to be with my wife and children and defend our decades of service against these lies.”

I don’t think that’s going to work. These are not subtle accusations, and the women told others about their experiences at the time. Sammarco saved the messages she got from Swallwell. A bit more from CNN:
One member of Swalwell’s staff said they quit immediately after receiving CNN’s detailed list of questions about the allegations.
CNN found corroboration for key elements of each of the women’s claims, including the former staffer who said she was sexually assaulted. Two family members and a friend said in interviews with CNN that she told them about the alleged 2024 assault in the following days, and CNN also reviewed text messages she sent two friends describing her allegations at the same time. “I was sexually assaulted on Thursday,” she wrote to one of her friends, adding: “By Eric.”
The woman also shared medical records related to her receiving STD and pregnancy testing after the alleged assault.
For the woman who connected online with Swalwell over Democratic politics, a family member and two friends confirmed she told them last year about the incident where she ended up intoxicated in his hotel room. CNN also reviewed messages between her and Swalwell, including a photo he sent her that matches footage of him during a CNN interview in her city on the night they met in person.
There’s still more at the link.
Politico: Jeffries, Pelosi and other Democrats call on Eric Swalwell to end governor campaign.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi headlined a growing list of Democratic lawmakers called on Rep. Eric Swalwell Friday to withdraw his campaign for California governor amid allegations of sexual misconduct.

Lily Walton with Raminou, 1922, by Suzanne Valadon

“This extremely sensitive matter must be appropriately investigated with full transparency and accountability,” Pelosi said in a statement. “As I discussed with Congressman Swalwell, it is clear that is best done outside of a gubernatorial campaign.”

In a joint statement with other elected House Democratic leaders, Jeffries called for a “swift investigation” as well as the end of his pending campaign.
“This is unacceptable of anyone — certainly not an elected official — and must be taken seriously,” the leaders said.
The San Francisco Chronicle reported Friday that a former congressional aide accused the congressman of two sexual encounters without her consent, beginning in 2019. CNN later reported that four women allege that Swalwell has committed sexual misconduct, including one former staffer who accuses Swalwell of rape….
Key backers of Swalwell’s governor bid swiftly revoked their support after the Chronicle’s story was published, including Reps. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.) and Adam Gray (D-Calif.), who served as campaign co-chairs.
“Today’s reports about Eric Swalwell’s conduct while in office are deeply disturbing,” Gray said in a statement. “Harassment, abuse, and violence of any sort are unacceptable. Given these serious allegations, I am withdrawing my support and Eric Swalwell should end his campaign immediately.”
But nothing underscored the peril for Swalwell’s nearly two-decade political career as vividly as Pelosi’s statement. The former speaker included Swalwell in her inner circle of favored Democratic members for years, tapping him for junior leadership roles and to serve as a manager in Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial in 2021.

Read the rest at the link.
The Melania Trump story might have stayed on social media if she hadn’t decided to make a public statement at the lectern that is supposed to be reserved for the POTUS. But it’s out there now, and she will have to deal with it.
It began with a disturbing story in The New York Times on March 20: Trump Friend Asked ICE to Detain the Mother of His Child.
Last June, the man credited with introducing President Trump to his wife asked the administration for a favor.
Paolo Zampolli, a former modeling agent turned presidential special envoy, had learned that his Brazilian ex-girlfriend was in a Miami jail, arrested on charges of fraud at her workplace. They had been in a custody battle over their teenage son. Now he saw an opportunity.

Eduard Manet, Woman with a Cat, 1880

He reached out to a top official at Immigration and Customs Enforcement, explaining that his ex was in the country illegally, according to records obtained by The New York Times and a person familiar with the communications. Could she be put in ICE detention? That could help him get his son back.
The official, David Venturella, promptly called the agency’s Miami office to ensure that ICE agents would pick up the woman from the jail before she was released on bail, according to the records and a person with knowledge of the conversation who requested anonymity to discuss it. During the call, Mr. Venturella noted that the case was important to someone close to the White House.
The woman, Amanda Ungaro, was placed in ICE custody and ultimately deported, an outcome that may well have happened regardless of Mr. Zampolli’s meddling. But the ICE official’s willingness to spring into action for a Trump ally — even one in a low-level, largely ceremonial role — reflects a recurring theme of the second Trump administration: The levers of the federal government can be pulled to settle a personal score.
I read this story when it was published, but I didn’t make the connections I should have.
Amanda Ungaro is on X AKA Twitter, and she is fighting back. If you have access, you can read the many tweets she has been sending to Melania.
Melania is apparently sensitive about how she came to the U.S. In fact Zampolli is the one who brought her here and got her an H1-B visa. When she first arrived, she moved into a building occupied by other models who worked for Zampolli’s agency. It looks like Melania has really stepped in it. The Epstein files are back in the news.
From Julie K. Brown, the journalist who originally wrote about Epstein in The Miami Herald, at her Substack The Epstein Files: Could a former Brazilian model be the whistleblower Melania Trump is afraid of?
The First Lady’s unprecedented public statement about Jeffrey Epstein yesterday raised a lot of questions about what, if anything, is about to be revealed about Donald and Melania Trump’s relationship with the late sex trafficker.
The Epstein case had quieted down in the wake of Trump’s decision to attack Iran — some critics allege that was one of Trump’s goals in launching a war in the first place — to cool the MAGA furor over DOJ’s inept release of the Epstein files.
Now it seems that plan, if true, has led to a Jack-In-The-Beanstalk effect — as in trading a cow for beans and climbing into danger without really thinking it through.
Because there is another story that I admit I missed when it ran in the New York Times a few weeks ago.
It appears that the Trump administration may have targeted Zampolli’s ex-girlfriend, a former Brazilian model named Amanda Ungaro, deporting her back to Brazil amid her custody battle with Zampolli over their teenage son.
As the NYT’s story notes: “The levers of the federal government can be pulled to settle a personal score.”

Self-Portrait with a Cat, created by Frida Konstantin

In this case, the score involved Paolo Zampolli, a former modeling agent who was appointed last year by Trump as special envoy for “global partnerships,” which allows him to travel the world to advance trade and other partnerships with the U.S.
Just days ago, he was in Hungary with Vice President Vance, supporting the re-election of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, an effort to publicly back the right-wing leader in the days running up to the election.
Zampolli, 56, was in Epstein’s orbit around the time that Trump met Melania in 1998. He was also friends with Epstein, as the two entertained a business deal over buying a modeling agency.
And Zampolli’s name is in the Epstein Files, with Epstein noting in one email that he was “trouble.”
Still all the drama surrounding Zampolli’s custody battle with his estranged girlfriend didn’t connect any dots, at least not for me, until the First Lady’s speech yesterday.
Read the rest at the link.
The New York Times has another piece about Melania’s statement today: Trump Says First Lady ‘Had a Right’ to Talk About Epstein.
President Trump said Friday that he had known his wife wanted to speak about Jeffrey Epstein at some point, and that he “thought she had a right to talk about it,” even if he had not known what exactly she planned to say.
“It doesn’t bother me,” Mr. Trump said in a brief telephone interview, referring to the remarks Melania Trump made from the entrance hall of the White House a day earlier.
“I didn’t know what the statement was,” he said, “but I knew she was going to make a statement.”
The first lady’s comments certainly came as a surprise to many other people who work in the White House, according to two officials familiar with the situation who asked for anonymity to discuss the matter. It was not clear why she had chosen that moment to talk about Mr. Epstein. Absent any explanation, questions and feverish conspiracy theories swirled.
The president said his wife had been agonizing for a long time over her press coverage and rumors connecting her to Mr. Epstein. What was particularly upsetting to her, Mr. Trump explained, was one theory positing that it was Mr. Epstein who introduced her to her future husband. In her remarks on Thursday, Mrs. Trump recounted the story of meeting Mr. Trump “by chance at a New York City party in 1998.” She said she did not encounter Mr. Epstein for the first time until two years after that.
“She finds it very insulting,” Mr. Trump said of the rumors. “And I said, ‘If you want to do that, you can do that.’ I said if she wants to do it — I didn’t recommend it, but I said, I let it be her, I said, if you want to do it. …”
He added, “She didn’t meet me through Jeffrey Epstein. And I could understand her feelings. But I said, ‘If you want to do it, do it.’”
He would not say when exactly he had this discussion with the first lady, but said that “it wasn’t a big discussion. I’d say it lasted for about two minutes. I had no problem. I thought she actually did a good job.”
He’s lying, obviously. I doubt if she told him. Now she has revived interest in the Epstein files and Trump can’t be happy about that.

The Black Cat, by Carl Wilhelm Wilhelmson , 1922, Swedish, 1866-1928

The last scandal for today–the Kristi Noem story. The story was originally in the Daily Mail, but it’s behind a paywall.
The Independent: Kristi Noem’s husband offers cryptic three-word answer to report that he talked about leaving wife and becoming a woman.
Kristi Noem’s husband, Bryon Noem, has pushed back on a report that he insulted his wife in phone calls and online messages with a dominatrix and expressed a desire to become a woman.
Bryon Noem told The Independent the claims in the report were “not all true.” He did not elaborate when asked for more information.
The 56-year-old was reported to have been in an on-off relationship online with Shy Sotomayor, a 30-year-old sex worker known as Raelynn Riley, since 2016, she claimed in an interview with the Daily Mail, published Friday.
It is the latest in a series of exposés on the husband of the recently ousted Homeland Security Secretary, who has been keeping a low profile since the story broke last week.
Sotomayor shared recordings of phone calls and screenshots of messages she said she exchanged with Bryon Noem, where he said she was “so much better” than his wife. He also expressed wanting to transition to become a woman, the messages showed.
In one recent message, the South Dakota insurance boss said he wanted to change his name to Crystal “so bad,” and that he wanted plastic surgery. “I want to be your trans bimbo b****,” the messages showed.
The outlet linked Bryon Noem’s telephone number to the messages with Sotomayor, and it also corresponded to an email address under the pseudonym “Chrystalballz666.”
The messages reportedly from Bryon Noem appear in stark contrast to Kristi Noem’s opposition to transgender rights. As South Dakota governor, she signed an exclusionary bill to ban surgical and non-surgical gender-affirming treatments for children in the state, and barred transgender girls and women from playing on women’s sports teams.
Read the rest at The Independent.
There’s no news on the Iran talks yet, so I’ll end this with two disturbing Iran stories:
The New York Times: Iran Unable to Find Mines It Planted in Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Says.
Iran has been unable to open the Strait of Hormuz to more shipping traffic because it cannot locate all of the mines it laid in the waterway and lacks the capability to remove them, according to U.S. officials.
The development is one reason Iran has not been able to quickly comply with the Trump administration’s admonitions to let more traffic pass through the strait. It is also potentially a complicating factor as Iranian negotiators and a U.S. delegation led by Vice President JD Vance meet in Pakistan this weekend for peace talks.

Woman with a cat, Pierre Bonnard

Iran used small boats to mine the strait last month, soon after the United States and Israel began their war against the country. The mines, plus the threat of Iranian drone and missile attacks, slowed the number of oil tankers and other vessels passing through the strait to a trickle, driving up energy prices and providing Iran with its best leverage in the war.
Iran left a path through the strait open, allowing ships that pay a toll to pass through.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps has issued warnings that ships could collide with sea mines, and semiofficial news organizations have published charts showing safe routes.
Those routes are limited in large part because Iran mined the strait haphazardly, U.S. officials said. It is not clear that Iran recorded where it put every mine. And even when the location was recorded, some mines were placed in a way that allowed them to drift or move, according to the officials.
As with land mines, removing nautical mines is far more difficult than placing them. The U.S. military lacks robust mine removal capabilities, relying on littoral combat ships equipped with mine sweeping capabilities. Iran also does not have the capability of quickly removing mines, even the ones it planted.
Raw Story: Hegseth’s key Iran claim collapses as US intel finds Iran has thousands of missiles.
One of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s main defenses of the U.S. decision to negotiate a controversial ceasefire with Iran is that its ballistic missile program has been “functionally destroyed.”
But that claim has now been shot down by U.S. intelligence assessments, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.
“Iran still has thousands of ballistic missiles in its arsenal that it could use by retrieving launchers from underground storage areas, according to American officials familiar with U.S. intelligence assessments,” said the report. “The assessments come as the U.S. is working to cement a cease-fire that would fully open the Strait of Hormuz and also insulate Iran, American troops and states in the region from further attacks. Some American officials said they are concerned that Iran will use the break in fighting to reconstitute some of its missile arsenal.”
The conflict has taken a toll on Iran, with around half of its missile stockpile lost, the assessment found — but “it retains thousands of medium- and short-range ballistic missiles that could be pulled out of hiding or retrieved from underground sites, said U.S. and Israeli officials.”
This comes as even a number of Republican and conservative analysts are crying foul about the terms of the ceasefire, which appear one-sidedly in favor of Iran.
That’s it for me today. I guess it’s okay to focus on salacious stuff on the weekend. Happy Caturday!
#AmandaUngaro #ArtemisII #BryonNoem #catArt #caturday #DonaldTrump #EpsteinFiles #EricSwalwell #IranWar #IranSBallisticMissles #JeffreyEpstein #KristiNoem #MelaniaTrump #mines #NASA #PaoloZampolli #politicalScandals #rape #sexualAssault #StraitOfHormuz

#straitofhormuz #sexualassault #rape #politicalscandals #paolozampolli #nasa
Sky Dancing @[email protected] · 2026-04-11 · 17:08 UTC

Lazy Caturday Reads: Scandals Galore!

Good Afternoon!!

By Mary Cassatt, 1883-84

The negotiations about the proposed cease fire in the Iran war are expected to begin soon, but meanwhile the news in the U.S. is suddenly filled with scandalous stories.
Yesterday, Dakinikat wrote about Melania Trump’s mysterious announcement to the White House press; I have a bit more context to add to that. Then last night the news about serious accusations of sexual misconduct by Eric Swalwell broke. There’s also news about Kristy Noem’s husband and his identity crisis.
I’ll get to those items, but I want to begin with a feel-good story for once.
Marcia Dunn at AP: Artemis II’s record-breaking journey around the moon ends with dramatic splashdown.
HOUSTON (AP) — Artemis II’s astronauts closed out humanity’s first lunar voyage in more than half a century with a Pacific splashdown on Friday, blazing new records near the moon with grace and joy.
It was a dramatic grand finale to a mission that revealed not only swaths of the lunar far side never seen before by human eyes, but a total solar eclipse and a parade of planets, most notably our own shimmering Earth against the endless black void of space.
With their flight now complete, the four astronauts have set NASA up for a moon landing by another crew in just two years and a full-blown moon base within the decade.
The triumphant moon-farers — commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canada’s Jeremy Hansen — emerged from their bobbing capsule into the sunlight off the coast of San Diego.
In a scene reminiscent of NASA’s Apollo moonshots of yesteryear, military helicopters hoisted the astronauts one by one from an inflatable raft docked to the capsule, hauling them aboard for the short trip to the Navy’s awaiting recovery ship, the USS John P. Murtha.
“These were the ambassadors from humanity to the stars that we sent out there right now, and I can’t imagine a better crew,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said from the recovery ship.
NASA’s Mission Control erupted in celebration, with hundreds pouring in from the back support rooms. “We did it,” NASA’s Lori Glaze rejoiced at a news conference. “Welcome to our moonshot.”
Read more at the AP link.
Now for the feel-disgusted news about Eric Swalwell. Based on what I’ve read, it’s surprising that this didn’t come out sooner. Apparently, he’s been DM young women, sending dick picks, and sexually assaulting women for years.
CNN: Exclusive: Four women describe sexual misconduct by Rep. Eric Swalwell, including a former staffer who says he raped her.
A former staffer of Rep. Eric Swalwell, a leading Democratic candidate for California governor, says that the congressman raped her when she was heavily intoxicated and left her bruised and bleeding, an allegation Swalwell strongly denies.
“I was pushing him off of me, saying no,” the woman told CNN of the incident, which she said happened in 2024 after she had stopped working in Swalwell’s office. “He didn’t stop.”

By Francesca Strino

She said it was the second time Swalwell had nonconsensual sexual contact with her while she was drunk. In 2019, when she was still working for him, she said she woke up naked with him in a hotel room after a night of heavy drinking. She said she had no memory of what happened but could feel physically that they’d had sexual contact.
Three other women who spoke with CNN also alleged various kinds of sexual misconduct by the Democratic congressman – including Swalwell sending them unsolicited explicit messages or nude photos.

One woman who connected online with Swalwell over her interest in Democratic politics says she ended up extremely drunk inside his hotel room after a night out with the congressman, with little memory of what occurred. Earlier in the night at a bar, he kissed her and touched her leg without her consent, she said.
Another woman, who described receiving unsolicited nude messages from Swalwell, was social media creator Ally Sammarco. She said she initially reached out to the congressman on Twitter to discuss politics. “I truly never thought he would respond – I had like 1,000 followers at the time,” she said. “And he actually responded.”
Swalwell denied the women’s allegations.
“These allegations are false and come on the eve of an election against the front-runner for governor,” Swalwell said in a statement to CNN. “For nearly 20 years, I have served the public – as a prosecutor and a congressman and have always protected women. I will defend myself with the facts and where necessary bring legal action. My focus in the coming days is to be with my wife and children and defend our decades of service against these lies.”

I don’t think that’s going to work. These are not subtle accusations, and the women told others about their experiences at the time. Sammarco saved the messages she got from Swallwell. A bit more from CNN:
One member of Swalwell’s staff said they quit immediately after receiving CNN’s detailed list of questions about the allegations.
CNN found corroboration for key elements of each of the women’s claims, including the former staffer who said she was sexually assaulted. Two family members and a friend said in interviews with CNN that she told them about the alleged 2024 assault in the following days, and CNN also reviewed text messages she sent two friends describing her allegations at the same time. “I was sexually assaulted on Thursday,” she wrote to one of her friends, adding: “By Eric.”
The woman also shared medical records related to her receiving STD and pregnancy testing after the alleged assault.
For the woman who connected online with Swalwell over Democratic politics, a family member and two friends confirmed she told them last year about the incident where she ended up intoxicated in his hotel room. CNN also reviewed messages between her and Swalwell, including a photo he sent her that matches footage of him during a CNN interview in her city on the night they met in person.
There’s still more at the link.
Politico: Jeffries, Pelosi and other Democrats call on Eric Swalwell to end governor campaign.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi headlined a growing list of Democratic lawmakers called on Rep. Eric Swalwell Friday to withdraw his campaign for California governor amid allegations of sexual misconduct.

Lily Walton with Raminou, 1922, by Suzanne Valadon

“This extremely sensitive matter must be appropriately investigated with full transparency and accountability,” Pelosi said in a statement. “As I discussed with Congressman Swalwell, it is clear that is best done outside of a gubernatorial campaign.”

In a joint statement with other elected House Democratic leaders, Jeffries called for a “swift investigation” as well as the end of his pending campaign.
“This is unacceptable of anyone — certainly not an elected official — and must be taken seriously,” the leaders said.
The San Francisco Chronicle reported Friday that a former congressional aide accused the congressman of two sexual encounters without her consent, beginning in 2019. CNN later reported that four women allege that Swalwell has committed sexual misconduct, including one former staffer who accuses Swalwell of rape….
Key backers of Swalwell’s governor bid swiftly revoked their support after the Chronicle’s story was published, including Reps. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.) and Adam Gray (D-Calif.), who served as campaign co-chairs.
“Today’s reports about Eric Swalwell’s conduct while in office are deeply disturbing,” Gray said in a statement. “Harassment, abuse, and violence of any sort are unacceptable. Given these serious allegations, I am withdrawing my support and Eric Swalwell should end his campaign immediately.”
But nothing underscored the peril for Swalwell’s nearly two-decade political career as vividly as Pelosi’s statement. The former speaker included Swalwell in her inner circle of favored Democratic members for years, tapping him for junior leadership roles and to serve as a manager in Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial in 2021.

Read the rest at the link.
The Melania Trump story might have stayed on social media if she hadn’t decided to make a public statement at the lectern that is supposed to be reserved for the POTUS. But it’s out there now, and she will have to deal with it.
It began with a disturbing story in The New York Times on March 20: Trump Friend Asked ICE to Detain the Mother of His Child.
Last June, the man credited with introducing President Trump to his wife asked the administration for a favor.
Paolo Zampolli, a former modeling agent turned presidential special envoy, had learned that his Brazilian ex-girlfriend was in a Miami jail, arrested on charges of fraud at her workplace. They had been in a custody battle over their teenage son. Now he saw an opportunity.

Eduard Manet, Woman with a Cat, 1880

He reached out to a top official at Immigration and Customs Enforcement, explaining that his ex was in the country illegally, according to records obtained by The New York Times and a person familiar with the communications. Could she be put in ICE detention? That could help him get his son back.
The official, David Venturella, promptly called the agency’s Miami office to ensure that ICE agents would pick up the woman from the jail before she was released on bail, according to the records and a person with knowledge of the conversation who requested anonymity to discuss it. During the call, Mr. Venturella noted that the case was important to someone close to the White House.
The woman, Amanda Ungaro, was placed in ICE custody and ultimately deported, an outcome that may well have happened regardless of Mr. Zampolli’s meddling. But the ICE official’s willingness to spring into action for a Trump ally — even one in a low-level, largely ceremonial role — reflects a recurring theme of the second Trump administration: The levers of the federal government can be pulled to settle a personal score.
I read this story when it was published, but I didn’t make the connections I should have.
Amanda Ungaro is on X AKA Twitter, and she is fighting back. If you have access, you can read the many tweets she has been sending to Melania.
Melania is apparently sensitive about how she came to the U.S. In fact Zampolli is the one who brought her here and got her an H1-B visa. When she first arrived, she moved into a building occupied by other models who worked for Zampolli’s agency. It looks like Melania has really stepped in it. The Epstein files are back in the news.
From Julie K. Brown, the journalist who originally wrote about Epstein in The Miami Herald, at her Substack The Epstein Files: Could a former Brazilian model be the whistleblower Melania Trump is afraid of?
The First Lady’s unprecedented public statement about Jeffrey Epstein yesterday raised a lot of questions about what, if anything, is about to be revealed about Donald and Melania Trump’s relationship with the late sex trafficker.
The Epstein case had quieted down in the wake of Trump’s decision to attack Iran — some critics allege that was one of Trump’s goals in launching a war in the first place — to cool the MAGA furor over DOJ’s inept release of the Epstein files.
Now it seems that plan, if true, has led to a Jack-In-The-Beanstalk effect — as in trading a cow for beans and climbing into danger without really thinking it through.
Because there is another story that I admit I missed when it ran in the New York Times a few weeks ago.
It appears that the Trump administration may have targeted Zampolli’s ex-girlfriend, a former Brazilian model named Amanda Ungaro, deporting her back to Brazil amid her custody battle with Zampolli over their teenage son.
As the NYT’s story notes: “The levers of the federal government can be pulled to settle a personal score.”

Self-Portrait with a Cat, created by Frida Konstantin

In this case, the score involved Paolo Zampolli, a former modeling agent who was appointed last year by Trump as special envoy for “global partnerships,” which allows him to travel the world to advance trade and other partnerships with the U.S.
Just days ago, he was in Hungary with Vice President Vance, supporting the re-election of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, an effort to publicly back the right-wing leader in the days running up to the election.
Zampolli, 56, was in Epstein’s orbit around the time that Trump met Melania in 1998. He was also friends with Epstein, as the two entertained a business deal over buying a modeling agency.
And Zampolli’s name is in the Epstein Files, with Epstein noting in one email that he was “trouble.”
Still all the drama surrounding Zampolli’s custody battle with his estranged girlfriend didn’t connect any dots, at least not for me, until the First Lady’s speech yesterday.
Read the rest at the link.
The New York Times has another piece about Melania’s statement today: Trump Says First Lady ‘Had a Right’ to Talk About Epstein.
President Trump said Friday that he had known his wife wanted to speak about Jeffrey Epstein at some point, and that he “thought she had a right to talk about it,” even if he had not known what exactly she planned to say.
“It doesn’t bother me,” Mr. Trump said in a brief telephone interview, referring to the remarks Melania Trump made from the entrance hall of the White House a day earlier.
“I didn’t know what the statement was,” he said, “but I knew she was going to make a statement.”
The first lady’s comments certainly came as a surprise to many other people who work in the White House, according to two officials familiar with the situation who asked for anonymity to discuss the matter. It was not clear why she had chosen that moment to talk about Mr. Epstein. Absent any explanation, questions and feverish conspiracy theories swirled.
The president said his wife had been agonizing for a long time over her press coverage and rumors connecting her to Mr. Epstein. What was particularly upsetting to her, Mr. Trump explained, was one theory positing that it was Mr. Epstein who introduced her to her future husband. In her remarks on Thursday, Mrs. Trump recounted the story of meeting Mr. Trump “by chance at a New York City party in 1998.” She said she did not encounter Mr. Epstein for the first time until two years after that.
“She finds it very insulting,” Mr. Trump said of the rumors. “And I said, ‘If you want to do that, you can do that.’ I said if she wants to do it — I didn’t recommend it, but I said, I let it be her, I said, if you want to do it. …”
He added, “She didn’t meet me through Jeffrey Epstein. And I could understand her feelings. But I said, ‘If you want to do it, do it.’”
He would not say when exactly he had this discussion with the first lady, but said that “it wasn’t a big discussion. I’d say it lasted for about two minutes. I had no problem. I thought she actually did a good job.”
He’s lying, obviously. I doubt if she told him. Now she has revived interest in the Epstein files and Trump can’t be happy about that.

The Black Cat, by Carl Wilhelm Wilhelmson , 1922, Swedish, 1866-1928

The last scandal for today–the Kristi Noem story. The story was originally in the Daily Mail, but it’s behind a paywall.
The Independent: Kristi Noem’s husband offers cryptic three-word answer to report that he talked about leaving wife and becoming a woman.
Kristi Noem’s husband, Bryon Noem, has pushed back on a report that he insulted his wife in phone calls and online messages with a dominatrix and expressed a desire to become a woman.
Bryon Noem told The Independent the claims in the report were “not all true.” He did not elaborate when asked for more information.
The 56-year-old was reported to have been in an on-off relationship online with Shy Sotomayor, a 30-year-old sex worker known as Raelynn Riley, since 2016, she claimed in an interview with the Daily Mail, published Friday.
It is the latest in a series of exposés on the husband of the recently ousted Homeland Security Secretary, who has been keeping a low profile since the story broke last week.
Sotomayor shared recordings of phone calls and screenshots of messages she said she exchanged with Bryon Noem, where he said she was “so much better” than his wife. He also expressed wanting to transition to become a woman, the messages showed.
In one recent message, the South Dakota insurance boss said he wanted to change his name to Crystal “so bad,” and that he wanted plastic surgery. “I want to be your trans bimbo b****,” the messages showed.
The outlet linked Bryon Noem’s telephone number to the messages with Sotomayor, and it also corresponded to an email address under the pseudonym “Chrystalballz666.”
The messages reportedly from Bryon Noem appear in stark contrast to Kristi Noem’s opposition to transgender rights. As South Dakota governor, she signed an exclusionary bill to ban surgical and non-surgical gender-affirming treatments for children in the state, and barred transgender girls and women from playing on women’s sports teams.
Read the rest at The Independent.
There’s no news on the Iran talks yet, so I’ll end this with two disturbing Iran stories:
The New York Times: Iran Unable to Find Mines It Planted in Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Says.
Iran has been unable to open the Strait of Hormuz to more shipping traffic because it cannot locate all of the mines it laid in the waterway and lacks the capability to remove them, according to U.S. officials.
The development is one reason Iran has not been able to quickly comply with the Trump administration’s admonitions to let more traffic pass through the strait. It is also potentially a complicating factor as Iranian negotiators and a U.S. delegation led by Vice President JD Vance meet in Pakistan this weekend for peace talks.

Woman with a cat, Pierre Bonnard

Iran used small boats to mine the strait last month, soon after the United States and Israel began their war against the country. The mines, plus the threat of Iranian drone and missile attacks, slowed the number of oil tankers and other vessels passing through the strait to a trickle, driving up energy prices and providing Iran with its best leverage in the war.
Iran left a path through the strait open, allowing ships that pay a toll to pass through.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps has issued warnings that ships could collide with sea mines, and semiofficial news organizations have published charts showing safe routes.
Those routes are limited in large part because Iran mined the strait haphazardly, U.S. officials said. It is not clear that Iran recorded where it put every mine. And even when the location was recorded, some mines were placed in a way that allowed them to drift or move, according to the officials.
As with land mines, removing nautical mines is far more difficult than placing them. The U.S. military lacks robust mine removal capabilities, relying on littoral combat ships equipped with mine sweeping capabilities. Iran also does not have the capability of quickly removing mines, even the ones it planted.
Raw Story: Hegseth’s key Iran claim collapses as US intel finds Iran has thousands of missiles.
One of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s main defenses of the U.S. decision to negotiate a controversial ceasefire with Iran is that its ballistic missile program has been “functionally destroyed.”
But that claim has now been shot down by U.S. intelligence assessments, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.
“Iran still has thousands of ballistic missiles in its arsenal that it could use by retrieving launchers from underground storage areas, according to American officials familiar with U.S. intelligence assessments,” said the report. “The assessments come as the U.S. is working to cement a cease-fire that would fully open the Strait of Hormuz and also insulate Iran, American troops and states in the region from further attacks. Some American officials said they are concerned that Iran will use the break in fighting to reconstitute some of its missile arsenal.”
The conflict has taken a toll on Iran, with around half of its missile stockpile lost, the assessment found — but “it retains thousands of medium- and short-range ballistic missiles that could be pulled out of hiding or retrieved from underground sites, said U.S. and Israeli officials.”
This comes as even a number of Republican and conservative analysts are crying foul about the terms of the ceasefire, which appear one-sidedly in favor of Iran.
That’s it for me today. I guess it’s okay to focus on salacious stuff on the weekend. Happy Caturday!
#AmandaUngaro #ArtemisII #BryonNoem #catArt #caturday #DonaldTrump #EpsteinFiles #EricSwalwell #IranWar #IranSBallisticMissles #JeffreyEpstein #KristiNoem #MelaniaTrump #mines #NASA #PaoloZampolli #politicalScandals #rape #sexualAssault #StraitOfHormuz

#amandaungaro #artemisii #bryonnoem #catart #caturday #donaldtrump
Pagan Essentials @[email protected] · 2025-12-24 · 21:51 UTC
The Ancient Secrets of Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit: A Witch’s Guide to Elemental Magic
The 5 Elements
Earth, air, fire, and water are the essential building blocks of magical practice that witches have worked with for thousands of years. These primal forces don’t just exist around us—they flow within us, shaping our connections to the natural world and enhancing our magical abilities.
Throughout history, practitioners of witchcraft have developed intricate systems of correspondence for each element, using them as foundations for powerful magick. Indeed, understanding these elemental energies and their unique properties allows witches to create balance in their practice and tap into specific energies for different magical purposes. From grounding rituals with earth to transformative spells with fire, each element offers distinct tools for spiritual growth.
In this guide, we’ll explore the ancient wisdom behind elemental magic, examining how these four fundamental forces can be harnessed in modern magical practice. Additionally, we’ll uncover practical ways to identify, connect with, and balance these energies in your everyday life and spell work. Whether you’re drawn to the stability of earth, the clarity of air, the passion of fire, or the intuition of water, this exploration will deepen your understanding of the elements that power our magical world.
The Origins of Elemental Magic
The concept of elemental magic traces back thousands of years, with its foundations firmly rooted in ancient philosophical thought. These primal energies have shaped magical practices across cultures and throughout time, creating a framework that continues to influence modern witchcraft.
Greek philosophy and the fourfold root
Ancient Greek philosophers were among the first to formally classify the universe into fundamental building blocks. In the fifth century BCE, Empedocles proposed that all matter consisted of four basic “roots” (rhizōmata) – earth, water, air, and fire. This revolutionary idea emerged as philosophers debated which substance was the primary element from which everything else originated. While Thales favored water and Anaximenes championed air, Empedocles concluded that no single element was supreme – rather, all four worked together.
Empedocles demonstrated air’s existence through a simple yet profound experiment: inverting a bucket in water and observing that it didn’t fill completely. He proposed that these elements never truly changed or disappeared but merely combined in different proportions to create everything in existence. Furthermore, he theorized that two opposing forces – love (attraction) and strife (repulsion) – governed how elements interacted.
Aristotle later refined this system, describing each element with specific qualities: earth was cold and dry, water cold and moist, air moist and warm, and fire warm and dry. These relationships created a complex network of interactions that explained natural phenomena and formed the backbone of magical correspondences.

Spirit or Aether
Element of Spirit or Aether
While the four terrestrial elements explained earthly matter, Aristotle introduced a fifth element – aether (αἰθήρ) – to account for celestial bodies. Unlike the four changeable earthly elements, aether was considered perfect and unchanging. It moved in circular patterns rather than linear ones and possessed none of the qualities of terrestrial elements – being neither hot nor cold, wet nor dry.
In Greek mythology, aether represented the pure essence breathed by gods, filling the heavenly spaces. Over time, this concept evolved in medieval alchemy, where quintessence (the Latinate name for the fifth element) was sought as a purifying substance with medicinal properties.
In modern witchcraft, this fifth element transformed into Spirit (also called Akasha), representing the connecting force that binds the other four elements togethe. Spirit embodies consciousness, divine energy, and the magical current that animates all things. As the “breath between worlds,” it transcends physical form while providing balance and coherence to magical workings.
How elements shaped magical traditions
Throughout history, elements have formed the foundation of numerous magical systems. The 16th-century alchemist Paracelsus made significant contributions by describing elements as energies linked to a person’s spirit, emotions, and thoughts. He personified these forces through elemental beings – gnomes (earth), undines (water), sylphs (air), and salamanders (fire).
Various cultures developed their own elemental systems. Chinese philosophy identified five phases: wood, earth, fire, water, and metal. Indian Ayurvedic traditions recognized earth, air, fire, water, and ether. These systems influenced healing practices based on balancing elemental energies within the body.
The elements eventually became central to modern witchcraft traditions. In Wicca and other nature-based spiritual practices, elements correspond to directions, tools, seasons, and magical operations. The pentagram, a prominent symbol in witchcraft, often represents the five elements with Spirit at the top position, unifying the other four.
From ancient philosophy to contemporary magical practice, the elements have provided a framework for understanding both the physical world and the unseen energies that witches work with in their craft.

Earth: The Foundation of Stability and Growth
The Earth Element
Mother Earth serves as the cornerstone element in magical practice, offering practitioners a foundation upon which all other elemental work can flourish. As the most tangible of the four elements, Earth provides us with stability, comfort, and strength—acting as the nurturing mother from which all life emerges.
Symbolism and magical correspondences
In witchcraft traditions, Earth is associated with the northern direction and represents receptive feminine energy. This element corresponds to the winter season and nighttime hours, when the world grows still and reflective. Earth primarily connects with the sense of touch and resonates deeply with the root chakra, grounding our energy and stabilizing our magical workings.
The symbolic colors of Earth include rich greens, blacks, browns, and occasionally gold—all reflecting the natural hues found in soil, plants, and minerals. Those working with Earth magick often utilize pentacles, platters, salt, soil, and various gemstones as magical tools. Zodiac signs ruled by Earth include Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn, with Saturn and Venus serving as Earth’s governing planets.
Earth energy finds representation in animals such as bears, wolves, bulls, foxes, and burrowing creatures—all beings that maintain strong connections to the land. Plant correspondences encompass oak, fern, ivy, patchouli, vetiver, myrrh, grains, and cypress. For crystal work, practitioners gravitate toward emerald, jade, hematite, malachite, jet, onyx, quartz, and amethyst.
Earth deities include goddesses like Demeter, Gaia, Rhiannon, and Cerridwen, alongside gods such as Pan, Cernunnos, and Adonis—all representing various aspects of fertility, abundance, and natural cycles.
Earth-based rituals and grounding practices
Connecting with Earth energy forms an essential practice for witches seeking balance. Grounding—the process of eliminating excess energy by transferring it into the Earth—serves a fundamental technique for both beginning and seasoned practitioners. This practice helps regulate personal energy and establish emotional stability.
A simple yet powerful grounding ritual involves:
1. Sitting or standing on the bare ground, preferably outdoors
1. Visualizing roots extending from your body into the Earth’s center
1. Directing excess and negative energy downward while receiving stable Earth energy
1. Expressing gratitude to Mother Earth for the exchange
Beyond ritual work, witches can incorporate Earth magic into daily life through gardening, cooking with seasonal ingredients, barefoot walking (earthing), collecting natural materials, and practicing seasonal living. These actions acknowledge Earth’s role as a provider and deepen our magical connection to this element.
Earth-centered rituals particularly excel for workings related to money, prosperity, abundance, confidence, career success, stability, fertility, and physical healing. Many practitioners perform specialized ceremonies at seasonal turning points to honor Earth’s cycles of growth, abundance, and rest.
Emotional and spiritual influence of Earth
At its core, Earth energy affects our emotional landscape by fostering stability, centeredness, and patience. Those with balanced Earth energy typically demonstrate dependability, thoroughness, and practical wisdom. Conversely, Earth imbalance might manifest as dullness, laziness, melancholy, or stagnation.
For the spiritual practitioner, Earth provides grounding that prevents “spaciness” during magical work. It helps establish boundaries while remaining open to connections—a balance essential for healthy spiritual development. Through Earth, we learn discernment, separating what nourishes us from what depletes us.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, Earth governs acquiring everything needed for life—not merely physical necessities but emotional fulfillment through love, support, and community. This element handles taking things in, processing them, and establishing healthy boundaries—skills crucial for magical practitioners.
By honoring Earth as more than mere soil but as a living, conscious entity with which we can communicate, witches establish reciprocal relationships that enhance both magical practice and everyday existence. Through this sacred connection, we find ourselves rooted in something greater—a foundation supporting our growth toward magical mastery.

Air: The Breath of Thought and Communication
The Air Element
Invisible yet ever-present, Air embodies the realm of thought, intellect, and communication in magical practice. This element flows through our very breath, connecting us to the unseen currents of knowledge and inspiration that shape our magical workings.
Air’s role in divination and clarity
Air governs the realm of the mind, making it particularly powerful for divination practices. Aeromancy—the ancient art of reading atmospheric phenomena—interprets clouds, wind patterns, thunder, and lightning as spiritual messages. Moreover, the related practice of augury reads bird flight patterns to identify omens.
In practical terms, air divination helps practitioners gain insight into questions or situations by observing wind currents. For instance, when performing divination, you might ask questions mentally rather than aloud, So, your breath doesn’t influence smoke patterns. The magical realm of air functions somewhat like a network, where thoughts travel as messages across invisible strands connecting us to others.
Air magic primarily supports mental clarity, effective communication, and the generation of new ideas Through visualization techniques, practitioners can envision scenarios that positively impact mental states—such as imagining golden light entering the mind, clearing distractions, and fostering focus.
Tools and herbs aligned with Air
The wand (sometimes athame, depending on tradition) serves as Air’s primary magical tool. Other air-associated implements include feathers, incense, censors, bells, and wind chimes. Feathers, especially, can direct energy into written spells or sweep away creative blocks.
Breath itself functions as one of the most potent forms of Air magic, containing your personal energy. Techniques like insufflation and exsufflation—ritual acts of blowing—symbolize the exhalation or inhalation of energies.
Air-aligned herbs and plants include lavender, sage, mugwort, yarrow, peppermint, dandelion, and lemongrass. Crystal correspondences encompass clear quartz, amethyst, yellow jasper, topaz, and lapis lazuli. Air connects with the throat chakra (communication) and crown chakra (spirituality).
Balancing Air energy in your practice
For those experiencing excess Air energy—manifesting as anxiety, racing thoughts, or feeling ungrounded—incorporating Earth-based practices helps restore balance. Consequently, grounding exercises become essential when air pulls you “out of your body” and into your head.
To increase Air influence, open windows, use feathers and wind chimes, burn sage or cedar incense, and wear loose-fitting clothing. Simple breathing exercises align you with air energy: sit quietly, inhale through your nose visualizing clarity filling your body, and exhale through your mouth releasing tension.
Air rituals work best at dawn, during spring, or on windy days—particularly effective for spells involving travel, knowledge, communication, mental clarity, and creativity.

Fire: The Spark of Passion and Transformation
The Fire Element
Of all the elemental forces, Fire stands as the most captivating yet paradoxical—the only element that creates and destroys simultaneously, consuming what it touches while birthing something new. Unlike its elemental siblings, Fire cannot exist without transformation, making it the perfect ally for magical change.
Fire in Spell work and Ritual
Fire magic shines in rituals involving transformation, protection, courage, energy, and banishing negativity. Different forms of fire serve distinct magical purposes. Balefires or bonfires excel at cleansing, protection, and burning spell ingredients while serving as gathering points for community rituals. Candle magic allows for personalization through color, carving, and anointing with oils for specific intents. Meanwhile, hearthfires connect to kitchen witchery, ancestral work, health, and creativity.
Many practitioners incorporate fire as a rite of passage. As one practitioner recalls, “I vividly remember the day I became an adult… my dad handed me a pack of matches… It was a mythic, life-changing moment!”
Simple fire rituals can be powerful tools for personal transformation. For instance, writing fears or unwanted situations on paper and safely burning them symbolizes their release. As one witch describes: “In ceremony, I place a small piece of wood in the fire, and I offer up, speaking aloud, my fear, my anxiety… Letting it all go.”
Common fire correspondences and tools
In the realm of magick, Fire is the element of pure transformation, passion, and the will to manifest. It is the spark of life that drives us forward and the heat that forges our intentions into reality. When we work with Fire, we are tapping into a primal force that represents both destruction and creation—clearing away the old to make fertile ground for the new. Whether you are performing a ritual for courage, creativity, or personal power, understanding the specific vibrations of Fire can help you direct its flickering energy with precision.
Sacred Timing and Alignment
To fully align your practice with this radiant element, look toward the South, where the sun reaches its peak strength. Fire finds its home in the vibrant heat of Summer and the clarity of Noon, making these the most potent times for solar-powered magick. Visually, you can draw Fire onto your altar using a palette of red, orange, yellow, and gold. These colors don’t just represent flames; they embody the life-giving energy of the Sun and the assertive, protective drive of Mars.
Celestial Heat and Ritual Tools
Astrologically, Fire is grounded in the bold spirits of Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius. These signs bring a sense of leadership, theatrical flair, and adventurous seeking to any spellwork. To physically ground this energy in your sacred space, you might reach for your Athame or Wand to direct your intent, or light candles and lamps to serve as a beacon for the spirits of the flame. By incorporating these tools, you create a tangible bridge between your inner spark and the cosmic fire that fuels the universe.
Fire-aligned crystals include carnelian, fire agate, sunstone, ruby, and obsidian (volcanic glass). Herbs associated with Fire include cinnamon, peppers, ginger, basil, sunflowers, and nettle. Fire deities encompass Brigid, Hestia, Pele, Prometheus, and Belenus, honored at fire festivals like Beltane.
When Fire energy is too much or too little
Balanced Fire energy manifests as confidence, motivation, passion, and healthy boundaries. Nevertheless, excess Fire may cause anxiety, insomnia, hyperactivity, irritability, and physical symptoms like inflammation or palpitations. Alternatively, deficient Fire results in low energy, lack of enthusiasm, emotional withdrawal, poor circulation, and feeling disconnected from others.
To harmonize overabundant Fire, try grounding practices that incorporate Earth energy. For those needing to ignite their inner flame, consider activities that spark passion—dancing, competitive sports, or creative projects. Above all, remember that Fire requires respect; it should be “treated with respect at all times. Otherwise, you’ll burn your face and trust me…that sucks.”

Water: The Flow of Emotion and Intuition
The Water Element
Throughout history, Water has been the most primal medicine, flowing through our bodies and souls as the element of emotions, intuition, and psychic connection. Before humans worked with plants or stones, they turned to water for healing—a practice that continues in magical traditions today.
Water’s connection to healing and dreams
Water embodies purification and spiritual restoration across diverse cultures. The deep connection between water and divine feminine energies has shaped magical practices worldwide, with rivers and springs often developing identities tied to goddesses or saints. In traditional healing, water’s temperature and purity determine its application—cold water for clearing ailments like scrofula, hot water for driving out sickness like pneumonia.
Dreams exist primarily within water’s domain, accessing our emotional depths and soul energies. Water witches often experience prophetic dreams and possess natural gifts for dream interpretation. Additionally, many demonstrate talent for soul energy healing and communicating with earth-bound spirits.
Using water in cleansing and scrying
Water rituals create powerful cleansing experiences. For a simple yet effective ritual bath, add Epsom salts, crystals, and herbs to bathwater while visualizing negativity washing away. Alternatively, program water with specific intentions, place it in a mist bottle, and spray it throughout your space to raise energetic vibrations.
Scrying—divination through gazing—finds its perfect medium in water. For effective water scrying:
1. Use a black bowl filled with water (or specialized Blk Water)
1. Create a comfortable environment with dim lighting
1. Clear your mind and enter a relaxed state
1. Ask spirits for guidance and let images form naturally
1. Record impressions to distinguish between ego and true messages
Signs of water imbalance and how to fix it
Balanced water energy manifests as emotional connection, intuitive guidance, and spiritual openness. Excess water may cause emotional overwhelm, moodiness, or getting lost in fantasy. Conversely, deficient water results in emotional distance, numbness, or creative blockages.
To rebalance overwhelming water energy, incorporate earth practices for grounding or fire elements for motivation. If water energy feels lacking, spend time near natural water sources, practice dreamwork, or engage in intuitive activities like scrying.

Conclusion
Throughout the ages, elemental magic has remained a cornerstone of witchcraft practice, offering practitioners powerful tools for spiritual growth and magical workings. Each element carries its unique energy signature – Earth grounds and stabilizes, Air clarifies and communicates, Fire transforms and energizes, while Water flows and heals. Together, they create a balanced framework for understanding both our inner landscape and the natural world around us.
Most importantly, these elements exist not just as abstract concepts but as living energies we can work with daily. After all, true magical mastery comes from recognizing which elemental energies need balancing in your life and practice. Therefore, observe when you might need Earth’s stability during chaotic periods or Fire’s passion when motivation wanes.
Ancient witches understood what modern practitioners continue to discover – elemental magic works because these forces flow within us as much as they surround us. Consequently, developing relationships with each element allows for more precise and effective magical workings. Additionally, these connections deepen your understanding of natural cycles and your place within them.
The magical journey always begins with awareness. Certainly, noticing which elements naturally call you reveals much about your magical strengths. Likewise, identifying which elements feel challenging points toward areas for growth and balance. Undoubtedly, this ancient system provides not just magical tools but a profound path for self-knowledge.
Whether you’re drawn to Earth’s abundant prosperity, Air’s intellectual clarity, Fire’s passionate transformation, or Water’s intuitive depths, these primal forces offer endless potential for spiritual exploration. Thus, by honoring all four elements while developing special relationships with each, you embrace the fullness of magical practice that witches have refined over millennia.
Union of the Elements
#Altar #Elements #Magick #Rituals #Spells
#spells #rituals #magick #elements #altar
Ivyjaded Wyldfyre @[email protected] · 2025-12-24 · 21:51 UTC
The Ancient Secrets of Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit: A Witch’s Guide to Elemental Magic
The 5 Elements
Earth, air, fire, and water are the essential building blocks of magical practice that witches have worked with for thousands of years. These primal forces don’t just exist around us—they flow within us, shaping our connections to the natural world and enhancing our magical abilities.
Throughout history, practitioners of witchcraft have developed intricate systems of correspondence for each element, using them as foundations for powerful magick. Indeed, understanding these elemental energies and their unique properties allows witches to create balance in their practice and tap into specific energies for different magical purposes. From grounding rituals with earth to transformative spells with fire, each element offers distinct tools for spiritual growth.
In this guide, we’ll explore the ancient wisdom behind elemental magic, examining how these four fundamental forces can be harnessed in modern magical practice. Additionally, we’ll uncover practical ways to identify, connect with, and balance these energies in your everyday life and spell work. Whether you’re drawn to the stability of earth, the clarity of air, the passion of fire, or the intuition of water, this exploration will deepen your understanding of the elements that power our magical world.
The Origins of Elemental Magic
The concept of elemental magic traces back thousands of years, with its foundations firmly rooted in ancient philosophical thought. These primal energies have shaped magical practices across cultures and throughout time, creating a framework that continues to influence modern witchcraft.
Greek philosophy and the fourfold root
Ancient Greek philosophers were among the first to formally classify the universe into fundamental building blocks. In the fifth century BCE, Empedocles proposed that all matter consisted of four basic “roots” (rhizōmata) – earth, water, air, and fire. This revolutionary idea emerged as philosophers debated which substance was the primary element from which everything else originated. While Thales favored water and Anaximenes championed air, Empedocles concluded that no single element was supreme – rather, all four worked together.
Empedocles demonstrated air’s existence through a simple yet profound experiment: inverting a bucket in water and observing that it didn’t fill completely. He proposed that these elements never truly changed or disappeared but merely combined in different proportions to create everything in existence. Furthermore, he theorized that two opposing forces – love (attraction) and strife (repulsion) – governed how elements interacted.
Aristotle later refined this system, describing each element with specific qualities: earth was cold and dry, water cold and moist, air moist and warm, and fire warm and dry. These relationships created a complex network of interactions that explained natural phenomena and formed the backbone of magical correspondences.

Spirit or Aether
Element of Spirit or Aether
While the four terrestrial elements explained earthly matter, Aristotle introduced a fifth element – aether (αἰθήρ) – to account for celestial bodies. Unlike the four changeable earthly elements, aether was considered perfect and unchanging. It moved in circular patterns rather than linear ones and possessed none of the qualities of terrestrial elements – being neither hot nor cold, wet nor dry.
In Greek mythology, aether represented the pure essence breathed by gods, filling the heavenly spaces. Over time, this concept evolved in medieval alchemy, where quintessence (the Latinate name for the fifth element) was sought as a purifying substance with medicinal properties.
In modern witchcraft, this fifth element transformed into Spirit (also called Akasha), representing the connecting force that binds the other four elements togethe. Spirit embodies consciousness, divine energy, and the magical current that animates all things. As the “breath between worlds,” it transcends physical form while providing balance and coherence to magical workings.
How elements shaped magical traditions
Throughout history, elements have formed the foundation of numerous magical systems. The 16th-century alchemist Paracelsus made significant contributions by describing elements as energies linked to a person’s spirit, emotions, and thoughts. He personified these forces through elemental beings – gnomes (earth), undines (water), sylphs (air), and salamanders (fire).
Various cultures developed their own elemental systems. Chinese philosophy identified five phases: wood, earth, fire, water, and metal. Indian Ayurvedic traditions recognized earth, air, fire, water, and ether. These systems influenced healing practices based on balancing elemental energies within the body.
The elements eventually became central to modern witchcraft traditions. In Wicca and other nature-based spiritual practices, elements correspond to directions, tools, seasons, and magical operations. The pentagram, a prominent symbol in witchcraft, often represents the five elements with Spirit at the top position, unifying the other four.
From ancient philosophy to contemporary magical practice, the elements have provided a framework for understanding both the physical world and the unseen energies that witches work with in their craft.

Earth: The Foundation of Stability and Growth
The Earth Element
Mother Earth serves as the cornerstone element in magical practice, offering practitioners a foundation upon which all other elemental work can flourish. As the most tangible of the four elements, Earth provides us with stability, comfort, and strength—acting as the nurturing mother from which all life emerges.
Symbolism and magical correspondences
In witchcraft traditions, Earth is associated with the northern direction and represents receptive feminine energy. This element corresponds to the winter season and nighttime hours, when the world grows still and reflective. Earth primarily connects with the sense of touch and resonates deeply with the root chakra, grounding our energy and stabilizing our magical workings.
The symbolic colors of Earth include rich greens, blacks, browns, and occasionally gold—all reflecting the natural hues found in soil, plants, and minerals. Those working with Earth magick often utilize pentacles, platters, salt, soil, and various gemstones as magical tools. Zodiac signs ruled by Earth include Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn, with Saturn and Venus serving as Earth’s governing planets.
Earth energy finds representation in animals such as bears, wolves, bulls, foxes, and burrowing creatures—all beings that maintain strong connections to the land. Plant correspondences encompass oak, fern, ivy, patchouli, vetiver, myrrh, grains, and cypress. For crystal work, practitioners gravitate toward emerald, jade, hematite, malachite, jet, onyx, quartz, and amethyst.
Earth deities include goddesses like Demeter, Gaia, Rhiannon, and Cerridwen, alongside gods such as Pan, Cernunnos, and Adonis—all representing various aspects of fertility, abundance, and natural cycles.
Earth-based rituals and grounding practices
Connecting with Earth energy forms an essential practice for witches seeking balance. Grounding—the process of eliminating excess energy by transferring it into the Earth—serves a fundamental technique for both beginning and seasoned practitioners. This practice helps regulate personal energy and establish emotional stability.
A simple yet powerful grounding ritual involves:
1. Sitting or standing on the bare ground, preferably outdoors
1. Visualizing roots extending from your body into the Earth’s center
1. Directing excess and negative energy downward while receiving stable Earth energy
1. Expressing gratitude to Mother Earth for the exchange
Beyond ritual work, witches can incorporate Earth magic into daily life through gardening, cooking with seasonal ingredients, barefoot walking (earthing), collecting natural materials, and practicing seasonal living. These actions acknowledge Earth’s role as a provider and deepen our magical connection to this element.
Earth-centered rituals particularly excel for workings related to money, prosperity, abundance, confidence, career success, stability, fertility, and physical healing. Many practitioners perform specialized ceremonies at seasonal turning points to honor Earth’s cycles of growth, abundance, and rest.
Emotional and spiritual influence of Earth
At its core, Earth energy affects our emotional landscape by fostering stability, centeredness, and patience. Those with balanced Earth energy typically demonstrate dependability, thoroughness, and practical wisdom. Conversely, Earth imbalance might manifest as dullness, laziness, melancholy, or stagnation.
For the spiritual practitioner, Earth provides grounding that prevents “spaciness” during magical work. It helps establish boundaries while remaining open to connections—a balance essential for healthy spiritual development. Through Earth, we learn discernment, separating what nourishes us from what depletes us.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, Earth governs acquiring everything needed for life—not merely physical necessities but emotional fulfillment through love, support, and community. This element handles taking things in, processing them, and establishing healthy boundaries—skills crucial for magical practitioners.
By honoring Earth as more than mere soil but as a living, conscious entity with which we can communicate, witches establish reciprocal relationships that enhance both magical practice and everyday existence. Through this sacred connection, we find ourselves rooted in something greater—a foundation supporting our growth toward magical mastery.

Air: The Breath of Thought and Communication
The Air Element
Invisible yet ever-present, Air embodies the realm of thought, intellect, and communication in magical practice. This element flows through our very breath, connecting us to the unseen currents of knowledge and inspiration that shape our magical workings.
Air’s role in divination and clarity
Air governs the realm of the mind, making it particularly powerful for divination practices. Aeromancy—the ancient art of reading atmospheric phenomena—interprets clouds, wind patterns, thunder, and lightning as spiritual messages. Moreover, the related practice of augury reads bird flight patterns to identify omens.
In practical terms, air divination helps practitioners gain insight into questions or situations by observing wind currents. For instance, when performing divination, you might ask questions mentally rather than aloud, So, your breath doesn’t influence smoke patterns. The magical realm of air functions somewhat like a network, where thoughts travel as messages across invisible strands connecting us to others.
Air magic primarily supports mental clarity, effective communication, and the generation of new ideas Through visualization techniques, practitioners can envision scenarios that positively impact mental states—such as imagining golden light entering the mind, clearing distractions, and fostering focus.
Tools and herbs aligned with Air
The wand (sometimes athame, depending on tradition) serves as Air’s primary magical tool. Other air-associated implements include feathers, incense, censors, bells, and wind chimes. Feathers, especially, can direct energy into written spells or sweep away creative blocks.
Breath itself functions as one of the most potent forms of Air magic, containing your personal energy. Techniques like insufflation and exsufflation—ritual acts of blowing—symbolize the exhalation or inhalation of energies.
Air-aligned herbs and plants include lavender, sage, mugwort, yarrow, peppermint, dandelion, and lemongrass. Crystal correspondences encompass clear quartz, amethyst, yellow jasper, topaz, and lapis lazuli. Air connects with the throat chakra (communication) and crown chakra (spirituality).
Balancing Air energy in your practice
For those experiencing excess Air energy—manifesting as anxiety, racing thoughts, or feeling ungrounded—incorporating Earth-based practices helps restore balance. Consequently, grounding exercises become essential when air pulls you “out of your body” and into your head.
To increase Air influence, open windows, use feathers and wind chimes, burn sage or cedar incense, and wear loose-fitting clothing. Simple breathing exercises align you with air energy: sit quietly, inhale through your nose visualizing clarity filling your body, and exhale through your mouth releasing tension.
Air rituals work best at dawn, during spring, or on windy days—particularly effective for spells involving travel, knowledge, communication, mental clarity, and creativity.

Fire: The Spark of Passion and Transformation
The Fire Element
Of all the elemental forces, Fire stands as the most captivating yet paradoxical—the only element that creates and destroys simultaneously, consuming what it touches while birthing something new. Unlike its elemental siblings, Fire cannot exist without transformation, making it the perfect ally for magical change.
Fire in Spell work and Ritual
Fire magic shines in rituals involving transformation, protection, courage, energy, and banishing negativity. Different forms of fire serve distinct magical purposes. Balefires or bonfires excel at cleansing, protection, and burning spell ingredients while serving as gathering points for community rituals. Candle magic allows for personalization through color, carving, and anointing with oils for specific intents. Meanwhile, hearthfires connect to kitchen witchery, ancestral work, health, and creativity.
Many practitioners incorporate fire as a rite of passage. As one practitioner recalls, “I vividly remember the day I became an adult… my dad handed me a pack of matches… It was a mythic, life-changing moment!”
Simple fire rituals can be powerful tools for personal transformation. For instance, writing fears or unwanted situations on paper and safely burning them symbolizes their release. As one witch describes: “In ceremony, I place a small piece of wood in the fire, and I offer up, speaking aloud, my fear, my anxiety… Letting it all go.”
Common fire correspondences and tools
In the realm of magick, Fire is the element of pure transformation, passion, and the will to manifest. It is the spark of life that drives us forward and the heat that forges our intentions into reality. When we work with Fire, we are tapping into a primal force that represents both destruction and creation—clearing away the old to make fertile ground for the new. Whether you are performing a ritual for courage, creativity, or personal power, understanding the specific vibrations of Fire can help you direct its flickering energy with precision.
Sacred Timing and Alignment
To fully align your practice with this radiant element, look toward the South, where the sun reaches its peak strength. Fire finds its home in the vibrant heat of Summer and the clarity of Noon, making these the most potent times for solar-powered magick. Visually, you can draw Fire onto your altar using a palette of red, orange, yellow, and gold. These colors don’t just represent flames; they embody the life-giving energy of the Sun and the assertive, protective drive of Mars.
Celestial Heat and Ritual Tools
Astrologically, Fire is grounded in the bold spirits of Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius. These signs bring a sense of leadership, theatrical flair, and adventurous seeking to any spellwork. To physically ground this energy in your sacred space, you might reach for your Athame or Wand to direct your intent, or light candles and lamps to serve as a beacon for the spirits of the flame. By incorporating these tools, you create a tangible bridge between your inner spark and the cosmic fire that fuels the universe.
Fire-aligned crystals include carnelian, fire agate, sunstone, ruby, and obsidian (volcanic glass). Herbs associated with Fire include cinnamon, peppers, ginger, basil, sunflowers, and nettle. Fire deities encompass Brigid, Hestia, Pele, Prometheus, and Belenus, honored at fire festivals like Beltane.
When Fire energy is too much or too little
Balanced Fire energy manifests as confidence, motivation, passion, and healthy boundaries. Nevertheless, excess Fire may cause anxiety, insomnia, hyperactivity, irritability, and physical symptoms like inflammation or palpitations. Alternatively, deficient Fire results in low energy, lack of enthusiasm, emotional withdrawal, poor circulation, and feeling disconnected from others.
To harmonize overabundant Fire, try grounding practices that incorporate Earth energy. For those needing to ignite their inner flame, consider activities that spark passion—dancing, competitive sports, or creative projects. Above all, remember that Fire requires respect; it should be “treated with respect at all times. Otherwise, you’ll burn your face and trust me…that sucks.”

Water: The Flow of Emotion and Intuition
The Water Element
Throughout history, Water has been the most primal medicine, flowing through our bodies and souls as the element of emotions, intuition, and psychic connection. Before humans worked with plants or stones, they turned to water for healing—a practice that continues in magical traditions today.
Water’s connection to healing and dreams
Water embodies purification and spiritual restoration across diverse cultures. The deep connection between water and divine feminine energies has shaped magical practices worldwide, with rivers and springs often developing identities tied to goddesses or saints. In traditional healing, water’s temperature and purity determine its application—cold water for clearing ailments like scrofula, hot water for driving out sickness like pneumonia.
Dreams exist primarily within water’s domain, accessing our emotional depths and soul energies. Water witches often experience prophetic dreams and possess natural gifts for dream interpretation. Additionally, many demonstrate talent for soul energy healing and communicating with earth-bound spirits.
Using water in cleansing and scrying
Water rituals create powerful cleansing experiences. For a simple yet effective ritual bath, add Epsom salts, crystals, and herbs to bathwater while visualizing negativity washing away. Alternatively, program water with specific intentions, place it in a mist bottle, and spray it throughout your space to raise energetic vibrations.
Scrying—divination through gazing—finds its perfect medium in water. For effective water scrying:
1. Use a black bowl filled with water (or specialized Blk Water)
1. Create a comfortable environment with dim lighting
1. Clear your mind and enter a relaxed state
1. Ask spirits for guidance and let images form naturally
1. Record impressions to distinguish between ego and true messages
Signs of water imbalance and how to fix it
Balanced water energy manifests as emotional connection, intuitive guidance, and spiritual openness. Excess water may cause emotional overwhelm, moodiness, or getting lost in fantasy. Conversely, deficient water results in emotional distance, numbness, or creative blockages.
To rebalance overwhelming water energy, incorporate earth practices for grounding or fire elements for motivation. If water energy feels lacking, spend time near natural water sources, practice dreamwork, or engage in intuitive activities like scrying.

Conclusion
Throughout the ages, elemental magic has remained a cornerstone of witchcraft practice, offering practitioners powerful tools for spiritual growth and magical workings. Each element carries its unique energy signature – Earth grounds and stabilizes, Air clarifies and communicates, Fire transforms and energizes, while Water flows and heals. Together, they create a balanced framework for understanding both our inner landscape and the natural world around us.
Most importantly, these elements exist not just as abstract concepts but as living energies we can work with daily. After all, true magical mastery comes from recognizing which elemental energies need balancing in your life and practice. Therefore, observe when you might need Earth’s stability during chaotic periods or Fire’s passion when motivation wanes.
Ancient witches understood what modern practitioners continue to discover – elemental magic works because these forces flow within us as much as they surround us. Consequently, developing relationships with each element allows for more precise and effective magical workings. Additionally, these connections deepen your understanding of natural cycles and your place within them.
The magical journey always begins with awareness. Certainly, noticing which elements naturally call you reveals much about your magical strengths. Likewise, identifying which elements feel challenging points toward areas for growth and balance. Undoubtedly, this ancient system provides not just magical tools but a profound path for self-knowledge.
Whether you’re drawn to Earth’s abundant prosperity, Air’s intellectual clarity, Fire’s passionate transformation, or Water’s intuitive depths, these primal forces offer endless potential for spiritual exploration. Thus, by honoring all four elements while developing special relationships with each, you embrace the fullness of magical practice that witches have refined over millennia.
Union of the Elements #Altar #Elements #Magick #Rituals #Spells
#spells #rituals #magick #elements #altar
Ivyjaded Wyldfyre @[email protected] · 2025-12-24 · 21:51 UTC
The Ancient Secrets of Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit: A Witch’s Guide to Elemental Magic
The 5 Elements
Earth, air, fire, and water are the essential building blocks of magical practice that witches have worked with for thousands of years. These primal forces don’t just exist around us—they flow within us, shaping our connections to the natural world and enhancing our magical abilities.
Throughout history, practitioners of witchcraft have developed intricate systems of correspondence for each element, using them as foundations for powerful magick. Indeed, understanding these elemental energies and their unique properties allows witches to create balance in their practice and tap into specific energies for different magical purposes. From grounding rituals with earth to transformative spells with fire, each element offers distinct tools for spiritual growth.
In this guide, we’ll explore the ancient wisdom behind elemental magic, examining how these four fundamental forces can be harnessed in modern magical practice. Additionally, we’ll uncover practical ways to identify, connect with, and balance these energies in your everyday life and spell work. Whether you’re drawn to the stability of earth, the clarity of air, the passion of fire, or the intuition of water, this exploration will deepen your understanding of the elements that power our magical world.
The Origins of Elemental Magic
The concept of elemental magic traces back thousands of years, with its foundations firmly rooted in ancient philosophical thought. These primal energies have shaped magical practices across cultures and throughout time, creating a framework that continues to influence modern witchcraft.
Greek philosophy and the fourfold root
Ancient Greek philosophers were among the first to formally classify the universe into fundamental building blocks. In the fifth century BCE, Empedocles proposed that all matter consisted of four basic “roots” (rhizōmata) – earth, water, air, and fire. This revolutionary idea emerged as philosophers debated which substance was the primary element from which everything else originated. While Thales favored water and Anaximenes championed air, Empedocles concluded that no single element was supreme – rather, all four worked together.
Empedocles demonstrated air’s existence through a simple yet profound experiment: inverting a bucket in water and observing that it didn’t fill completely. He proposed that these elements never truly changed or disappeared but merely combined in different proportions to create everything in existence. Furthermore, he theorized that two opposing forces – love (attraction) and strife (repulsion) – governed how elements interacted.
Aristotle later refined this system, describing each element with specific qualities: earth was cold and dry, water cold and moist, air moist and warm, and fire warm and dry. These relationships created a complex network of interactions that explained natural phenomena and formed the backbone of magical correspondences.

Spirit or Aether
Element of Spirit or Aether
While the four terrestrial elements explained earthly matter, Aristotle introduced a fifth element – aether (αἰθήρ) – to account for celestial bodies. Unlike the four changeable earthly elements, aether was considered perfect and unchanging. It moved in circular patterns rather than linear ones and possessed none of the qualities of terrestrial elements – being neither hot nor cold, wet nor dry.
In Greek mythology, aether represented the pure essence breathed by gods, filling the heavenly spaces. Over time, this concept evolved in medieval alchemy, where quintessence (the Latinate name for the fifth element) was sought as a purifying substance with medicinal properties.
In modern witchcraft, this fifth element transformed into Spirit (also called Akasha), representing the connecting force that binds the other four elements togethe. Spirit embodies consciousness, divine energy, and the magical current that animates all things. As the “breath between worlds,” it transcends physical form while providing balance and coherence to magical workings.
How elements shaped magical traditions
Throughout history, elements have formed the foundation of numerous magical systems. The 16th-century alchemist Paracelsus made significant contributions by describing elements as energies linked to a person’s spirit, emotions, and thoughts. He personified these forces through elemental beings – gnomes (earth), undines (water), sylphs (air), and salamanders (fire).
Various cultures developed their own elemental systems. Chinese philosophy identified five phases: wood, earth, fire, water, and metal. Indian Ayurvedic traditions recognized earth, air, fire, water, and ether. These systems influenced healing practices based on balancing elemental energies within the body.
The elements eventually became central to modern witchcraft traditions. In Wicca and other nature-based spiritual practices, elements correspond to directions, tools, seasons, and magical operations. The pentagram, a prominent symbol in witchcraft, often represents the five elements with Spirit at the top position, unifying the other four.
From ancient philosophy to contemporary magical practice, the elements have provided a framework for understanding both the physical world and the unseen energies that witches work with in their craft.

Earth: The Foundation of Stability and Growth
The Earth Element
Mother Earth serves as the cornerstone element in magical practice, offering practitioners a foundation upon which all other elemental work can flourish. As the most tangible of the four elements, Earth provides us with stability, comfort, and strength—acting as the nurturing mother from which all life emerges.
Symbolism and magical correspondences
In witchcraft traditions, Earth is associated with the northern direction and represents receptive feminine energy. This element corresponds to the winter season and nighttime hours, when the world grows still and reflective. Earth primarily connects with the sense of touch and resonates deeply with the root chakra, grounding our energy and stabilizing our magical workings.
The symbolic colors of Earth include rich greens, blacks, browns, and occasionally gold—all reflecting the natural hues found in soil, plants, and minerals. Those working with Earth magick often utilize pentacles, platters, salt, soil, and various gemstones as magical tools. Zodiac signs ruled by Earth include Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn, with Saturn and Venus serving as Earth’s governing planets.
Earth energy finds representation in animals such as bears, wolves, bulls, foxes, and burrowing creatures—all beings that maintain strong connections to the land. Plant correspondences encompass oak, fern, ivy, patchouli, vetiver, myrrh, grains, and cypress. For crystal work, practitioners gravitate toward emerald, jade, hematite, malachite, jet, onyx, quartz, and amethyst.
Earth deities include goddesses like Demeter, Gaia, Rhiannon, and Cerridwen, alongside gods such as Pan, Cernunnos, and Adonis—all representing various aspects of fertility, abundance, and natural cycles.
Earth-based rituals and grounding practices
Connecting with Earth energy forms an essential practice for witches seeking balance. Grounding—the process of eliminating excess energy by transferring it into the Earth—serves a fundamental technique for both beginning and seasoned practitioners. This practice helps regulate personal energy and establish emotional stability.
A simple yet powerful grounding ritual involves:
1. Sitting or standing on the bare ground, preferably outdoors
1. Visualizing roots extending from your body into the Earth’s center
1. Directing excess and negative energy downward while receiving stable Earth energy
1. Expressing gratitude to Mother Earth for the exchange
Beyond ritual work, witches can incorporate Earth magic into daily life through gardening, cooking with seasonal ingredients, barefoot walking (earthing), collecting natural materials, and practicing seasonal living. These actions acknowledge Earth’s role as a provider and deepen our magical connection to this element.
Earth-centered rituals particularly excel for workings related to money, prosperity, abundance, confidence, career success, stability, fertility, and physical healing. Many practitioners perform specialized ceremonies at seasonal turning points to honor Earth’s cycles of growth, abundance, and rest.
Emotional and spiritual influence of Earth
At its core, Earth energy affects our emotional landscape by fostering stability, centeredness, and patience. Those with balanced Earth energy typically demonstrate dependability, thoroughness, and practical wisdom. Conversely, Earth imbalance might manifest as dullness, laziness, melancholy, or stagnation.
For the spiritual practitioner, Earth provides grounding that prevents “spaciness” during magical work. It helps establish boundaries while remaining open to connections—a balance essential for healthy spiritual development. Through Earth, we learn discernment, separating what nourishes us from what depletes us.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, Earth governs acquiring everything needed for life—not merely physical necessities but emotional fulfillment through love, support, and community. This element handles taking things in, processing them, and establishing healthy boundaries—skills crucial for magical practitioners.
By honoring Earth as more than mere soil but as a living, conscious entity with which we can communicate, witches establish reciprocal relationships that enhance both magical practice and everyday existence. Through this sacred connection, we find ourselves rooted in something greater—a foundation supporting our growth toward magical mastery.

Air: The Breath of Thought and Communication
The Air Element
Invisible yet ever-present, Air embodies the realm of thought, intellect, and communication in magical practice. This element flows through our very breath, connecting us to the unseen currents of knowledge and inspiration that shape our magical workings.
Air’s role in divination and clarity
Air governs the realm of the mind, making it particularly powerful for divination practices. Aeromancy—the ancient art of reading atmospheric phenomena—interprets clouds, wind patterns, thunder, and lightning as spiritual messages. Moreover, the related practice of augury reads bird flight patterns to identify omens.
In practical terms, air divination helps practitioners gain insight into questions or situations by observing wind currents. For instance, when performing divination, you might ask questions mentally rather than aloud, So, your breath doesn’t influence smoke patterns. The magical realm of air functions somewhat like a network, where thoughts travel as messages across invisible strands connecting us to others.
Air magic primarily supports mental clarity, effective communication, and the generation of new ideas Through visualization techniques, practitioners can envision scenarios that positively impact mental states—such as imagining golden light entering the mind, clearing distractions, and fostering focus.
Tools and herbs aligned with Air
The wand (sometimes athame, depending on tradition) serves as Air’s primary magical tool. Other air-associated implements include feathers, incense, censors, bells, and wind chimes. Feathers, especially, can direct energy into written spells or sweep away creative blocks.
Breath itself functions as one of the most potent forms of Air magic, containing your personal energy. Techniques like insufflation and exsufflation—ritual acts of blowing—symbolize the exhalation or inhalation of energies.
Air-aligned herbs and plants include lavender, sage, mugwort, yarrow, peppermint, dandelion, and lemongrass. Crystal correspondences encompass clear quartz, amethyst, yellow jasper, topaz, and lapis lazuli. Air connects with the throat chakra (communication) and crown chakra (spirituality).
Balancing Air energy in your practice
For those experiencing excess Air energy—manifesting as anxiety, racing thoughts, or feeling ungrounded—incorporating Earth-based practices helps restore balance. Consequently, grounding exercises become essential when air pulls you “out of your body” and into your head.
To increase Air influence, open windows, use feathers and wind chimes, burn sage or cedar incense, and wear loose-fitting clothing. Simple breathing exercises align you with air energy: sit quietly, inhale through your nose visualizing clarity filling your body, and exhale through your mouth releasing tension.
Air rituals work best at dawn, during spring, or on windy days—particularly effective for spells involving travel, knowledge, communication, mental clarity, and creativity.

Fire: The Spark of Passion and Transformation
The Fire Element
Of all the elemental forces, Fire stands as the most captivating yet paradoxical—the only element that creates and destroys simultaneously, consuming what it touches while birthing something new. Unlike its elemental siblings, Fire cannot exist without transformation, making it the perfect ally for magical change.
Fire in Spell work and Ritual
Fire magic shines in rituals involving transformation, protection, courage, energy, and banishing negativity. Different forms of fire serve distinct magical purposes. Balefires or bonfires excel at cleansing, protection, and burning spell ingredients while serving as gathering points for community rituals. Candle magic allows for personalization through color, carving, and anointing with oils for specific intents. Meanwhile, hearthfires connect to kitchen witchery, ancestral work, health, and creativity.
Many practitioners incorporate fire as a rite of passage. As one practitioner recalls, “I vividly remember the day I became an adult… my dad handed me a pack of matches… It was a mythic, life-changing moment!”
Simple fire rituals can be powerful tools for personal transformation. For instance, writing fears or unwanted situations on paper and safely burning them symbolizes their release. As one witch describes: “In ceremony, I place a small piece of wood in the fire, and I offer up, speaking aloud, my fear, my anxiety… Letting it all go.”
Common fire correspondences and tools
In the realm of magick, Fire is the element of pure transformation, passion, and the will to manifest. It is the spark of life that drives us forward and the heat that forges our intentions into reality. When we work with Fire, we are tapping into a primal force that represents both destruction and creation—clearing away the old to make fertile ground for the new. Whether you are performing a ritual for courage, creativity, or personal power, understanding the specific vibrations of Fire can help you direct its flickering energy with precision.
Sacred Timing and Alignment
To fully align your practice with this radiant element, look toward the South, where the sun reaches its peak strength. Fire finds its home in the vibrant heat of Summer and the clarity of Noon, making these the most potent times for solar-powered magick. Visually, you can draw Fire onto your altar using a palette of red, orange, yellow, and gold. These colors don’t just represent flames; they embody the life-giving energy of the Sun and the assertive, protective drive of Mars.
Celestial Heat and Ritual Tools
Astrologically, Fire is grounded in the bold spirits of Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius. These signs bring a sense of leadership, theatrical flair, and adventurous seeking to any spellwork. To physically ground this energy in your sacred space, you might reach for your Athame or Wand to direct your intent, or light candles and lamps to serve as a beacon for the spirits of the flame. By incorporating these tools, you create a tangible bridge between your inner spark and the cosmic fire that fuels the universe.
Fire-aligned crystals include carnelian, fire agate, sunstone, ruby, and obsidian (volcanic glass). Herbs associated with Fire include cinnamon, peppers, ginger, basil, sunflowers, and nettle. Fire deities encompass Brigid, Hestia, Pele, Prometheus, and Belenus, honored at fire festivals like Beltane.
When Fire energy is too much or too little
Balanced Fire energy manifests as confidence, motivation, passion, and healthy boundaries. Nevertheless, excess Fire may cause anxiety, insomnia, hyperactivity, irritability, and physical symptoms like inflammation or palpitations. Alternatively, deficient Fire results in low energy, lack of enthusiasm, emotional withdrawal, poor circulation, and feeling disconnected from others.
To harmonize overabundant Fire, try grounding practices that incorporate Earth energy. For those needing to ignite their inner flame, consider activities that spark passion—dancing, competitive sports, or creative projects. Above all, remember that Fire requires respect; it should be “treated with respect at all times. Otherwise, you’ll burn your face and trust me…that sucks.”

Water: The Flow of Emotion and Intuition
The Water Element
Throughout history, Water has been the most primal medicine, flowing through our bodies and souls as the element of emotions, intuition, and psychic connection. Before humans worked with plants or stones, they turned to water for healing—a practice that continues in magical traditions today.
Water’s connection to healing and dreams
Water embodies purification and spiritual restoration across diverse cultures. The deep connection between water and divine feminine energies has shaped magical practices worldwide, with rivers and springs often developing identities tied to goddesses or saints. In traditional healing, water’s temperature and purity determine its application—cold water for clearing ailments like scrofula, hot water for driving out sickness like pneumonia.
Dreams exist primarily within water’s domain, accessing our emotional depths and soul energies. Water witches often experience prophetic dreams and possess natural gifts for dream interpretation. Additionally, many demonstrate talent for soul energy healing and communicating with earth-bound spirits.
Using water in cleansing and scrying
Water rituals create powerful cleansing experiences. For a simple yet effective ritual bath, add Epsom salts, crystals, and herbs to bathwater while visualizing negativity washing away. Alternatively, program water with specific intentions, place it in a mist bottle, and spray it throughout your space to raise energetic vibrations.
Scrying—divination through gazing—finds its perfect medium in water. For effective water scrying:
1. Use a black bowl filled with water (or specialized Blk Water)
1. Create a comfortable environment with dim lighting
1. Clear your mind and enter a relaxed state
1. Ask spirits for guidance and let images form naturally
1. Record impressions to distinguish between ego and true messages
Signs of water imbalance and how to fix it
Balanced water energy manifests as emotional connection, intuitive guidance, and spiritual openness. Excess water may cause emotional overwhelm, moodiness, or getting lost in fantasy. Conversely, deficient water results in emotional distance, numbness, or creative blockages.
To rebalance overwhelming water energy, incorporate earth practices for grounding or fire elements for motivation. If water energy feels lacking, spend time near natural water sources, practice dreamwork, or engage in intuitive activities like scrying.

Conclusion
Throughout the ages, elemental magic has remained a cornerstone of witchcraft practice, offering practitioners powerful tools for spiritual growth and magical workings. Each element carries its unique energy signature – Earth grounds and stabilizes, Air clarifies and communicates, Fire transforms and energizes, while Water flows and heals. Together, they create a balanced framework for understanding both our inner landscape and the natural world around us.
Most importantly, these elements exist not just as abstract concepts but as living energies we can work with daily. After all, true magical mastery comes from recognizing which elemental energies need balancing in your life and practice. Therefore, observe when you might need Earth’s stability during chaotic periods or Fire’s passion when motivation wanes.
Ancient witches understood what modern practitioners continue to discover – elemental magic works because these forces flow within us as much as they surround us. Consequently, developing relationships with each element allows for more precise and effective magical workings. Additionally, these connections deepen your understanding of natural cycles and your place within them.
The magical journey always begins with awareness. Certainly, noticing which elements naturally call you reveals much about your magical strengths. Likewise, identifying which elements feel challenging points toward areas for growth and balance. Undoubtedly, this ancient system provides not just magical tools but a profound path for self-knowledge.
Whether you’re drawn to Earth’s abundant prosperity, Air’s intellectual clarity, Fire’s passionate transformation, or Water’s intuitive depths, these primal forces offer endless potential for spiritual exploration. Thus, by honoring all four elements while developing special relationships with each, you embrace the fullness of magical practice that witches have refined over millennia.
Union of the Elements #Altar #Elements #Magick #Rituals #Spells
#altar #elements #magick #rituals #spells
Ivyjaded Wyldfyre @[email protected] · 2025-12-24 · 21:51 UTC
The Ancient Secrets of Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit: A Witch’s Guide to Elemental Magic
The 5 Elements
Earth, air, fire, and water are the essential building blocks of magical practice that witches have worked with for thousands of years. These primal forces don’t just exist around us—they flow within us, shaping our connections to the natural world and enhancing our magical abilities.
Throughout history, practitioners of witchcraft have developed intricate systems of correspondence for each element, using them as foundations for powerful magick. Indeed, understanding these elemental energies and their unique properties allows witches to create balance in their practice and tap into specific energies for different magical purposes. From grounding rituals with earth to transformative spells with fire, each element offers distinct tools for spiritual growth.
In this guide, we’ll explore the ancient wisdom behind elemental magic, examining how these four fundamental forces can be harnessed in modern magical practice. Additionally, we’ll uncover practical ways to identify, connect with, and balance these energies in your everyday life and spell work. Whether you’re drawn to the stability of earth, the clarity of air, the passion of fire, or the intuition of water, this exploration will deepen your understanding of the elements that power our magical world.
The Origins of Elemental Magic
The concept of elemental magic traces back thousands of years, with its foundations firmly rooted in ancient philosophical thought. These primal energies have shaped magical practices across cultures and throughout time, creating a framework that continues to influence modern witchcraft.
Greek philosophy and the fourfold root
Ancient Greek philosophers were among the first to formally classify the universe into fundamental building blocks. In the fifth century BCE, Empedocles proposed that all matter consisted of four basic “roots” (rhizōmata) – earth, water, air, and fire. This revolutionary idea emerged as philosophers debated which substance was the primary element from which everything else originated. While Thales favored water and Anaximenes championed air, Empedocles concluded that no single element was supreme – rather, all four worked together.
Empedocles demonstrated air’s existence through a simple yet profound experiment: inverting a bucket in water and observing that it didn’t fill completely. He proposed that these elements never truly changed or disappeared but merely combined in different proportions to create everything in existence. Furthermore, he theorized that two opposing forces – love (attraction) and strife (repulsion) – governed how elements interacted.
Aristotle later refined this system, describing each element with specific qualities: earth was cold and dry, water cold and moist, air moist and warm, and fire warm and dry. These relationships created a complex network of interactions that explained natural phenomena and formed the backbone of magical correspondences.

Spirit or Aether
Element of Spirit or Aether
While the four terrestrial elements explained earthly matter, Aristotle introduced a fifth element – aether (αἰθήρ) – to account for celestial bodies. Unlike the four changeable earthly elements, aether was considered perfect and unchanging. It moved in circular patterns rather than linear ones and possessed none of the qualities of terrestrial elements – being neither hot nor cold, wet nor dry.
In Greek mythology, aether represented the pure essence breathed by gods, filling the heavenly spaces. Over time, this concept evolved in medieval alchemy, where quintessence (the Latinate name for the fifth element) was sought as a purifying substance with medicinal properties.
In modern witchcraft, this fifth element transformed into Spirit (also called Akasha), representing the connecting force that binds the other four elements togethe. Spirit embodies consciousness, divine energy, and the magical current that animates all things. As the “breath between worlds,” it transcends physical form while providing balance and coherence to magical workings.
How elements shaped magical traditions
Throughout history, elements have formed the foundation of numerous magical systems. The 16th-century alchemist Paracelsus made significant contributions by describing elements as energies linked to a person’s spirit, emotions, and thoughts. He personified these forces through elemental beings – gnomes (earth), undines (water), sylphs (air), and salamanders (fire).
Various cultures developed their own elemental systems. Chinese philosophy identified five phases: wood, earth, fire, water, and metal. Indian Ayurvedic traditions recognized earth, air, fire, water, and ether. These systems influenced healing practices based on balancing elemental energies within the body.
The elements eventually became central to modern witchcraft traditions. In Wicca and other nature-based spiritual practices, elements correspond to directions, tools, seasons, and magical operations. The pentagram, a prominent symbol in witchcraft, often represents the five elements with Spirit at the top position, unifying the other four.
From ancient philosophy to contemporary magical practice, the elements have provided a framework for understanding both the physical world and the unseen energies that witches work with in their craft.

Earth: The Foundation of Stability and Growth
The Earth Element
Mother Earth serves as the cornerstone element in magical practice, offering practitioners a foundation upon which all other elemental work can flourish. As the most tangible of the four elements, Earth provides us with stability, comfort, and strength—acting as the nurturing mother from which all life emerges.
Symbolism and magical correspondences
In witchcraft traditions, Earth is associated with the northern direction and represents receptive feminine energy. This element corresponds to the winter season and nighttime hours, when the world grows still and reflective. Earth primarily connects with the sense of touch and resonates deeply with the root chakra, grounding our energy and stabilizing our magical workings.
The symbolic colors of Earth include rich greens, blacks, browns, and occasionally gold—all reflecting the natural hues found in soil, plants, and minerals. Those working with Earth magick often utilize pentacles, platters, salt, soil, and various gemstones as magical tools. Zodiac signs ruled by Earth include Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn, with Saturn and Venus serving as Earth’s governing planets.
Earth energy finds representation in animals such as bears, wolves, bulls, foxes, and burrowing creatures—all beings that maintain strong connections to the land. Plant correspondences encompass oak, fern, ivy, patchouli, vetiver, myrrh, grains, and cypress. For crystal work, practitioners gravitate toward emerald, jade, hematite, malachite, jet, onyx, quartz, and amethyst.
Earth deities include goddesses like Demeter, Gaia, Rhiannon, and Cerridwen, alongside gods such as Pan, Cernunnos, and Adonis—all representing various aspects of fertility, abundance, and natural cycles.
Earth-based rituals and grounding practices
Connecting with Earth energy forms an essential practice for witches seeking balance. Grounding—the process of eliminating excess energy by transferring it into the Earth—serves a fundamental technique for both beginning and seasoned practitioners. This practice helps regulate personal energy and establish emotional stability.
A simple yet powerful grounding ritual involves:
1. Sitting or standing on the bare ground, preferably outdoors
1. Visualizing roots extending from your body into the Earth’s center
1. Directing excess and negative energy downward while receiving stable Earth energy
1. Expressing gratitude to Mother Earth for the exchange
Beyond ritual work, witches can incorporate Earth magic into daily life through gardening, cooking with seasonal ingredients, barefoot walking (earthing), collecting natural materials, and practicing seasonal living. These actions acknowledge Earth’s role as a provider and deepen our magical connection to this element.
Earth-centered rituals particularly excel for workings related to money, prosperity, abundance, confidence, career success, stability, fertility, and physical healing. Many practitioners perform specialized ceremonies at seasonal turning points to honor Earth’s cycles of growth, abundance, and rest.
Emotional and spiritual influence of Earth
At its core, Earth energy affects our emotional landscape by fostering stability, centeredness, and patience. Those with balanced Earth energy typically demonstrate dependability, thoroughness, and practical wisdom. Conversely, Earth imbalance might manifest as dullness, laziness, melancholy, or stagnation.
For the spiritual practitioner, Earth provides grounding that prevents “spaciness” during magical work. It helps establish boundaries while remaining open to connections—a balance essential for healthy spiritual development. Through Earth, we learn discernment, separating what nourishes us from what depletes us.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, Earth governs acquiring everything needed for life—not merely physical necessities but emotional fulfillment through love, support, and community. This element handles taking things in, processing them, and establishing healthy boundaries—skills crucial for magical practitioners.
By honoring Earth as more than mere soil but as a living, conscious entity with which we can communicate, witches establish reciprocal relationships that enhance both magical practice and everyday existence. Through this sacred connection, we find ourselves rooted in something greater—a foundation supporting our growth toward magical mastery.

Air: The Breath of Thought and Communication
The Air Element
Invisible yet ever-present, Air embodies the realm of thought, intellect, and communication in magical practice. This element flows through our very breath, connecting us to the unseen currents of knowledge and inspiration that shape our magical workings.
Air’s role in divination and clarity
Air governs the realm of the mind, making it particularly powerful for divination practices. Aeromancy—the ancient art of reading atmospheric phenomena—interprets clouds, wind patterns, thunder, and lightning as spiritual messages. Moreover, the related practice of augury reads bird flight patterns to identify omens.
In practical terms, air divination helps practitioners gain insight into questions or situations by observing wind currents. For instance, when performing divination, you might ask questions mentally rather than aloud, So, your breath doesn’t influence smoke patterns. The magical realm of air functions somewhat like a network, where thoughts travel as messages across invisible strands connecting us to others.
Air magic primarily supports mental clarity, effective communication, and the generation of new ideas Through visualization techniques, practitioners can envision scenarios that positively impact mental states—such as imagining golden light entering the mind, clearing distractions, and fostering focus.
Tools and herbs aligned with Air
The wand (sometimes athame, depending on tradition) serves as Air’s primary magical tool. Other air-associated implements include feathers, incense, censors, bells, and wind chimes. Feathers, especially, can direct energy into written spells or sweep away creative blocks.
Breath itself functions as one of the most potent forms of Air magic, containing your personal energy. Techniques like insufflation and exsufflation—ritual acts of blowing—symbolize the exhalation or inhalation of energies.
Air-aligned herbs and plants include lavender, sage, mugwort, yarrow, peppermint, dandelion, and lemongrass. Crystal correspondences encompass clear quartz, amethyst, yellow jasper, topaz, and lapis lazuli. Air connects with the throat chakra (communication) and crown chakra (spirituality).
Balancing Air energy in your practice
For those experiencing excess Air energy—manifesting as anxiety, racing thoughts, or feeling ungrounded—incorporating Earth-based practices helps restore balance. Consequently, grounding exercises become essential when air pulls you “out of your body” and into your head.
To increase Air influence, open windows, use feathers and wind chimes, burn sage or cedar incense, and wear loose-fitting clothing. Simple breathing exercises align you with air energy: sit quietly, inhale through your nose visualizing clarity filling your body, and exhale through your mouth releasing tension.
Air rituals work best at dawn, during spring, or on windy days—particularly effective for spells involving travel, knowledge, communication, mental clarity, and creativity.

Fire: The Spark of Passion and Transformation
The Fire Element
Of all the elemental forces, Fire stands as the most captivating yet paradoxical—the only element that creates and destroys simultaneously, consuming what it touches while birthing something new. Unlike its elemental siblings, Fire cannot exist without transformation, making it the perfect ally for magical change.
Fire in Spell work and Ritual
Fire magic shines in rituals involving transformation, protection, courage, energy, and banishing negativity. Different forms of fire serve distinct magical purposes. Balefires or bonfires excel at cleansing, protection, and burning spell ingredients while serving as gathering points for community rituals. Candle magic allows for personalization through color, carving, and anointing with oils for specific intents. Meanwhile, hearthfires connect to kitchen witchery, ancestral work, health, and creativity.
Many practitioners incorporate fire as a rite of passage. As one practitioner recalls, “I vividly remember the day I became an adult… my dad handed me a pack of matches… It was a mythic, life-changing moment!”
Simple fire rituals can be powerful tools for personal transformation. For instance, writing fears or unwanted situations on paper and safely burning them symbolizes their release. As one witch describes: “In ceremony, I place a small piece of wood in the fire, and I offer up, speaking aloud, my fear, my anxiety… Letting it all go.”
Common fire correspondences and tools
In the realm of magick, Fire is the element of pure transformation, passion, and the will to manifest. It is the spark of life that drives us forward and the heat that forges our intentions into reality. When we work with Fire, we are tapping into a primal force that represents both destruction and creation—clearing away the old to make fertile ground for the new. Whether you are performing a ritual for courage, creativity, or personal power, understanding the specific vibrations of Fire can help you direct its flickering energy with precision.
Sacred Timing and Alignment
To fully align your practice with this radiant element, look toward the South, where the sun reaches its peak strength. Fire finds its home in the vibrant heat of Summer and the clarity of Noon, making these the most potent times for solar-powered magick. Visually, you can draw Fire onto your altar using a palette of red, orange, yellow, and gold. These colors don’t just represent flames; they embody the life-giving energy of the Sun and the assertive, protective drive of Mars.
Celestial Heat and Ritual Tools
Astrologically, Fire is grounded in the bold spirits of Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius. These signs bring a sense of leadership, theatrical flair, and adventurous seeking to any spellwork. To physically ground this energy in your sacred space, you might reach for your Athame or Wand to direct your intent, or light candles and lamps to serve as a beacon for the spirits of the flame. By incorporating these tools, you create a tangible bridge between your inner spark and the cosmic fire that fuels the universe.
Fire-aligned crystals include carnelian, fire agate, sunstone, ruby, and obsidian (volcanic glass). Herbs associated with Fire include cinnamon, peppers, ginger, basil, sunflowers, and nettle. Fire deities encompass Brigid, Hestia, Pele, Prometheus, and Belenus, honored at fire festivals like Beltane.
When Fire energy is too much or too little
Balanced Fire energy manifests as confidence, motivation, passion, and healthy boundaries. Nevertheless, excess Fire may cause anxiety, insomnia, hyperactivity, irritability, and physical symptoms like inflammation or palpitations. Alternatively, deficient Fire results in low energy, lack of enthusiasm, emotional withdrawal, poor circulation, and feeling disconnected from others.
To harmonize overabundant Fire, try grounding practices that incorporate Earth energy. For those needing to ignite their inner flame, consider activities that spark passion—dancing, competitive sports, or creative projects. Above all, remember that Fire requires respect; it should be “treated with respect at all times. Otherwise, you’ll burn your face and trust me…that sucks.”

Water: The Flow of Emotion and Intuition
The Water Element
Throughout history, Water has been the most primal medicine, flowing through our bodies and souls as the element of emotions, intuition, and psychic connection. Before humans worked with plants or stones, they turned to water for healing—a practice that continues in magical traditions today.
Water’s connection to healing and dreams
Water embodies purification and spiritual restoration across diverse cultures. The deep connection between water and divine feminine energies has shaped magical practices worldwide, with rivers and springs often developing identities tied to goddesses or saints. In traditional healing, water’s temperature and purity determine its application—cold water for clearing ailments like scrofula, hot water for driving out sickness like pneumonia.
Dreams exist primarily within water’s domain, accessing our emotional depths and soul energies. Water witches often experience prophetic dreams and possess natural gifts for dream interpretation. Additionally, many demonstrate talent for soul energy healing and communicating with earth-bound spirits.
Using water in cleansing and scrying
Water rituals create powerful cleansing experiences. For a simple yet effective ritual bath, add Epsom salts, crystals, and herbs to bathwater while visualizing negativity washing away. Alternatively, program water with specific intentions, place it in a mist bottle, and spray it throughout your space to raise energetic vibrations.
Scrying—divination through gazing—finds its perfect medium in water. For effective water scrying:
1. Use a black bowl filled with water (or specialized Blk Water)
1. Create a comfortable environment with dim lighting
1. Clear your mind and enter a relaxed state
1. Ask spirits for guidance and let images form naturally
1. Record impressions to distinguish between ego and true messages
Signs of water imbalance and how to fix it
Balanced water energy manifests as emotional connection, intuitive guidance, and spiritual openness. Excess water may cause emotional overwhelm, moodiness, or getting lost in fantasy. Conversely, deficient water results in emotional distance, numbness, or creative blockages.
To rebalance overwhelming water energy, incorporate earth practices for grounding or fire elements for motivation. If water energy feels lacking, spend time near natural water sources, practice dreamwork, or engage in intuitive activities like scrying.

Conclusion
Throughout the ages, elemental magic has remained a cornerstone of witchcraft practice, offering practitioners powerful tools for spiritual growth and magical workings. Each element carries its unique energy signature – Earth grounds and stabilizes, Air clarifies and communicates, Fire transforms and energizes, while Water flows and heals. Together, they create a balanced framework for understanding both our inner landscape and the natural world around us.
Most importantly, these elements exist not just as abstract concepts but as living energies we can work with daily. After all, true magical mastery comes from recognizing which elemental energies need balancing in your life and practice. Therefore, observe when you might need Earth’s stability during chaotic periods or Fire’s passion when motivation wanes.
Ancient witches understood what modern practitioners continue to discover – elemental magic works because these forces flow within us as much as they surround us. Consequently, developing relationships with each element allows for more precise and effective magical workings. Additionally, these connections deepen your understanding of natural cycles and your place within them.
The magical journey always begins with awareness. Certainly, noticing which elements naturally call you reveals much about your magical strengths. Likewise, identifying which elements feel challenging points toward areas for growth and balance. Undoubtedly, this ancient system provides not just magical tools but a profound path for self-knowledge.
Whether you’re drawn to Earth’s abundant prosperity, Air’s intellectual clarity, Fire’s passionate transformation, or Water’s intuitive depths, these primal forces offer endless potential for spiritual exploration. Thus, by honoring all four elements while developing special relationships with each, you embrace the fullness of magical practice that witches have refined over millennia.
Union of the Elements #Altar #Elements #Magick #Rituals #Spells
#altar #elements #magick #rituals #spells
47th Pennsylvania Volunteers @[email protected] · 2024-05-07 · 08:58 UTC
The Union’s Army of the Gulf marched into Alexandria, Louisiana, during the weekend of April 22, 1864 (Harper’s Weekly, public domain; click to enlarge).

Resupplied with ammunition and food by the Union Navy’s fleet of quartermaster ships after reaching Alexandria, Louisiana on April 26, 1864, the 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers and other Union infantry and artillery troops were placed temporarily under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Joseph Bailey and assigned to the hard labor of fortification work. Throwing their backs into erecting “Bailey’s Dam,” they helped to create a timber dam that was designed by Bailey to enable the Union Navy’s gunboats and other vessels to be able to travel along the Red River without fear of running aground. This construction was undertaken, according to C Company Musician Henry D. Wharton, because:
The water in the Red river had fallen so much that it prevented the gunboats from operating with us, and kept our transports from supplying the troops with rations, (and you know soldiers, like other people, will eat) so Banks was compelled to relinquish his designs on Shreveport and fall back to the Mississippi. To do this a large dam had to be built on the falls at Alexandria to get the ironclads down the river.

Brigadier-General Joseph Bailey, shonw here circa 1865, was responsible for designing and overseeing the construction of Bailey’s Dam nexr Alexandria, Louisiana during the spring of 1864 (public domain).

Historian Steven Clay notes that, by this point in the Red River Campaign, “The depth of the river was only between three and four feet; it took seven feet of water to get the gunboats over the rocky bottom at the rapids.” To make that happen, Lieutenant-Colonel Bailey had initially floated the idea to build a dam while also sinking “several stone-laden barges to block the passage of water and cause the river to pool up behind them.”
There would be three narrow chutes constructed in the middle to allow passage of the largest gunboats. Then when the depth was sufficient, the boats would steam over the rocks, through the passageways, and into safe and deep waters below the dam.
According to archaeologist and military historian Steven D. Smith, Ph.D. and staff of the Louisiana Archaeological Survey and Antiquities Commission, “Military engineer Joseph Bailey’s presence with the Red River expedition was, in a sense, one of those coincidences of history that sometimes result in turning the course of events.”
His knowledge of engineering was not acquired through formal study at West Point. Instead, he had learned practical engineering on the Wisconsin frontier, where damming was a skill perfected by lumbermen to float logs to their sawmills.
Born in Ashtabula County, Ohio on May 6, 1827, Bailey grew up in Illinois. In 1850 he moved to Wisconsin, where for the next 20 years he was involved in the construction of dams, mills, and bridges. At the beginning of the war, Bailey formed a company of lumbermen and became a captain. Soon, though, his construction genius was recognized and he was supervising various engineering projects for the North, including construction at Fort Dix in Washington D.C….
In 1863 Bailey won distinction at the battle of Port Hudson. There, despite the scoffs of formally trained military engineers, he constructed a gun emplacement in full sight of rebel fortifications and proceeded to silence the Confederate guns. He also built a dam during the siege to refloat two grounded steamboats.

Christened “Bailey’s Dam” in reference to the Union officer who designed and oversaw its construction, Lieutenant-Colonel Joseph Bailey, this timber dam was built by the Union Army on the Red River near Alexandria, Louisiana in May 1864 to facilitate Union gunboat passage (U.S. Library of Congress, public domain; click to enlarge).

The construction of Bailey’s Dam near Alexandria during the spring of 1864 was described by Lieutenant-Colonel Bailey in a post-construction report to his superiors as follows:
…. Immediately after our army received a check at Sabine Cross-Roads and the retreat commenced I learned through reliable sources that the Red River was rapidly falling. I became assured that by the time the fleet could reach Alexandria there would not be sufficient water to float the gun-boats over the falls. It was evident, therefore, that they were in imminent danger. Believing, as I did, that their capture or destruction would involve the destruction of our army, the blockade of the Mississippi, and even greater disasters to our cause, I proposed to Major-General Franklin on the 9th of April, previous to the battle of Pleasant Hill, to increase the depth of water by means of a dam, and submitted to him my plan of the same. In the course of the conversation he expressed a favorable opinion of it.
During the halt of the army at Grand Ecore on the 17th of April, General Franklin, having heard that the iron-clad gun-boat Eastport had struck a snag on the preceding day and sunk at a point 9 miles below, gave me a letter of introduction to Admiral Porter and directed me to do all in my power to assist in raising the Eastport, and to communicate to the admiral my plan of constructing a dam to relieve the fleet, with his belief in its practicability; also that he thought it advisable that the admiral should at once confer with General Banks and urge him to make the necessary preparations, send for tools, &c. Nothing further was done until after our arrival at Alexandria. On the 26th, the admiral reached the head of the falls. I examined the river and submitted additional details of the proposed dam. General Franklin approved of them and directed me to see the admiral and again urge upon him the necessity of prevailing upon General Banks to order the work to be commenced immediately. There was no doubt that the entire fleet then above the rapids would be lost unless the plan of raising the water by a dam was adopted and put into execution with all possible vigor. I represented that General Franklin had full confidence in the success of the undertaking, and that the admiral might rely upon him for all the assistance in his power. The only preliminary required was an order from General Banks. On the 29th, by order of General Franklin, I consulted with Generals Banks and Hunter, and explained to them the proposed plan in detail. The latter remarked that, although he had little confidence in its feasibility, he nevertheless thought it better to try the experiment, especially as General Franklin, who is an engineer, advised it. Upon this General Banks issued the necessary order for details, teams, &c., and I commenced the work on the morning of the 30th.
I presume it is sufficient in this report to say that the dam was constructed entirely on the plan first given to General Franklin, and approved by him.
During the first few days I had some difficulty in procuring details, &c., but the officers and men soon gained confidence and labored faithfully. The work progressed rapidly, without accident or interruption, except the breaking away of two coal barges which formed part of the dam. This afterward proved beneficial. In addition to the dam at the foot of the falls, I constructed two wing-dams on each side of the river at the head of the falls.
The width of the river at the point where the dam was built is 758 feet, and the depth of the water from 4 to 6 feet. The current is very rapid, running about 10 miles per hour. The increase of depth by the main dam was 5 feet 4 inches; by the wing-dams, 1 foot 2 inches; total, 6 feet 6 inches. On the completion of the dam, we had the gratification of seeing the entire fleet pass over the rapids to a place of safety below, and we found ample reward for our labors in witnessing their result. The army and navy were relieved from a painful suspense, and eight valuable gunboats saved from destruction. The cheers of the masses assembled on the shore when the boats passed down attested their joy and renewed confidence. To Major-General Franklin, who, previous to the commencement of the work, was the only supporter of my proposition to save the fleet by means of a dam, and whose persevering efforts caused its adoption, I desire to return my grateful thanks. I trust the country will join with the Army of the Gulf and the Mississippi Squadron in awarding to him due praise for his earnest and intelligent efforts in their behalf. Major-General Banks promptly issued all necessary orders and assisted me by his constant presence and co-operation. General Dwight, his chief of staff, Colonel Wilson and Lieutenant Sargent, aides-de-camp, also rendered valuable assistance by their personal attention to our wants. Admiral Porter furnished a detail from his ships’ crews, under command of an excellent officer, Captain Langthorne, of the Mound City. All his officers and men were constantly present, and to their extraordinary exertions and to the well-known energy and ability of the admiral much of the success of the undertaking is due….

The crib dam designed by Lieutenant-Colonel Joseph Bailey to improve the water levels of the Red River near Alexandria, Louisiana, spring 1864 (Joseph Bailey, “Report on the Construction of the Dam Across the Red River,” 1865, public domain).

According to Smith, “Historical documents indicate that Bailey first built his dam just above the lower, downstream rapids.”
By constructing the dam at that particular location, he hoped the water would rise enough behind the dam to allow the gunboats to float over the upper rapids. Then, with the built-up water pressure, the dam could be broken through at the proper time and the gunboats could rush over the lower rapids, carried by the force of the released water.
Following Bailey’s practical nature, the dam was built with any locally available material readily at hand. To do so, he used different methods of construction for each riverbank. On the west (Alexandria) bank, he built the dam of large wooden boxes called cribs. Bailey constructed a number of cribs which were placed side by side from the bank out into the river.
Historical accounts indicate that lumber from Alexandria mills, homes, and barns was quickly stripped for use in building the cribs. Bricks, stone, and even machinery were used to fill and anchor the cribs. Additionally, historical illustrations show that iron bars were placed vertically in the four corners of each crib, to provide a supporting framework….
On the east (Pineville) bank, there were no town buildings to strip for lumber but there was, quite conveniently, a forest. With abundant trees available, Bailey constructed a ‘self-loading’ tree dam. According to historical diagrams, trees were stacked lengthwise with the flow of the stream. The upstream treetops were anchored to the river bottom with stones. The downstream trunks were raised higher than the upstream tops by alternating layers of other logs running perpendicular to, or across, the stream. This technique presented a dam face of logs angled upward with the stream flow. As the river was held back by the log face, the water pressure actually made the dam stronger or ‘self-loading.’

The tree dam designed by Lieutenant-Colonel Joseph Bailey for the Red River near Alexandria, Louisiana, spring 1864 (Joseph Bailey, “Report on the Construction of the Dam Across the Red River,” 1865, public domain).

Putting readers into the shoes of the Union Army troops on the ground during those days, the 1868 publication, The Rebellion Record: A Diary of American Events, noted that:
Oak, elm, and pine trees … were falling to the ground under the blows of the stalwart pioneers of Maine, bearing with them in their fall trees of lesser growth; mules and oxen were dragging the trees, denuded of their branches, to the river’s bank; wagons heavily loaded were moving in every direction; flat-boats carrying stone were floating with the current, while others were being drawn up the stream in the manner of canal boats. Meanwhile hundreds of men were at work at each end of the dam, moving heavy logs to the outer end of the tree-dam, … wheeling brick out to the cribs, carrying bars of railway iron to the barges, … while on each bank of the river were to be seen thousands of spectators, consisting of officers of both services, groups of sailors, soldiers, camp-followers, and citizens of Alexandria, all eagerly watching our progress and discussing the chances of success.
Initially, according to Smith, the “dam complex” worked well. “By May 6, the water held by the dam had risen 4 feet. By May 8, the water level was up 5 feet 4 inches.” But then the water levels continued to increase to such an extent that “the pressure against the dam became tremendous,” causing the dam to burst.
Two of the barges used in the dam had broken loose, and the water was gushing through. Porter, seeing the crisis, quickly ordered the gunboat Lexington to run the gap….
The Lexington’s run was followed by the three gunboats waiting behind the dam. Had the rest of the fleet been prepared, all of the boats might have escaped at that time. However … valuable time was wasted as the fleet gathered steam to attempt the run. Eventually, the water behind the dam fell and six gunboats still remained trapped.
But the Lexington’s adventure had proven that the dam could work, and troops confidently went back to work. Bailey worried that the dam would break again and decided to leave the 70-foot gap in the dam as it was. But this time he added smaller, lighter dams near the upper rapids. Like the dam sections at the lower rapids, both crib and tree dam methods were employed. These dams helped channel the water while reducing the pressure on the main dam. Thus, instead of relying on one dam to hold back the water until another run could be made, a series of dams were built to create a deep channel of water along the whole course of the shoals in that part of the Red River.
And, at that point, “Bailey’s Dam” became “Bailey’s Dams.”

“Passage of the Fleet of Gunboats Over the Falls at Alexandria, Louisiana, May 1864 (Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, July 16, 1864, U.S. Library of Congress, public domain; click to enlarge).

“While the army labored to build the upper dam, the navy … worked to lighten the loads on the trapped gunboats,” according to Smith.
From May 10 through 12, the remaining gunboats above the rapids struggled through the upper shoals to the pool behind the main dam. Yet another dam had to be built to refloat a gunboat that got stuck during this passage. Then on the twelfth of May, the Mound City, the largest gunboat of the fleet, ran for the gap in the main dam. The previous scene was repeated, with thousands lining the banks to watch the excitement. Marching bands played the ‘Star Spangled Banner’ and the ‘Battle Cry for Freedom [sic, ‘Battle Cry of Freedom’].’ Like the Lexington before it, as the Mound City hit the gap, it ground against the rocky river bottom, and then shot through. The next day all of the trapped vessels lay safely below the rapids.
Through it all, members of the 47th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry put their backs into their work, along with multiple other Union Army soldiers, including men from the 16th and 23rd Ohio Volunteers, the 19th Kentucky, the 23rd and 29th Wisconsin Volunteers, the 24th Iowa, the 24th and 27th Indiana, the 29th Maine, the 77th and 130th Illinois Volunteers, and the 97th and 99th U.S. Colored Infantry.
Lieutenant-Colonel Bailey later stated that his “details labored patiently and enthusiastically by day and night, standing waist deep in the water, under a broiling sun,” adding:
Their reward is the consciousness of having performed their duty as true soldiers, and they deserve the gratitude of their countrymen.
The massive construction project lasted roughly two weeks, according to 47th Pennsylvanian Henry Wharton, but proved to be worth it.
After a great deal of labor this was accomplished and by the morning of May 13th the last one was through the shute [sic], when we bade adieu to Alexandria, marching through the town with banners flying and keeping step to the music of ‘Rally around the flag,’ and ‘When this cruel war is over.’
The Army of the Gulf’s departure, however, also brought shock and heartache; according to Major-General Banks:
Rumors were circulated freely throughout the camp at Alexandria that upon the evacuation of the town it would be burned. To prevent this destruction of property – part of which belonged to loyal citizens – General Grover, commanding the post, was instructed to organize a thorough police, and to provide for its occupation by an armed force until the army had marched for Simmsport [sic, Simmesport]. The measures taken were sufficient to prevent a conflagration in the manner in which it had been anticipated. But on the morning of the evacuation, while the army was in full possession of the town, a fire broke out in a building on the levee, which had been occupied by refugees or soldiers, in such a manner as to make it impossible to prevent a general conflagration. I saw the fire when it was first discovered. The ammunition and ordnance transports and the depot of ammunition on the levee were within a few yards of the fire. The boats were floated into the river and the ammunition moved from the levee with all possible dispatch [sic]. The troops labored with alacrity and vigor to suppress the conflagration, but owing to a high wind and the combustible material of the buildings it was found impossible to limit its progress, and a considerable portion of the town was destroyed.
According to Smith, “It is unclear who started the fires, as some accounts describe soldiers looting and setting fires, while other accounts note that army guards shot looters.” What is known for certain is that the 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers could not possibly have taken part in Alexandria’s destruction because they had actually left the city before the fire had even begun. According to Henry Wharton:
The next morning, at our camping place, the fleet of boats passed us, when we were informed that Alexandria had been destroyed by fire – the act of a dissatisfied citizen and several negroes. Incendiary acts were strictly forbidden in a general order the day before we left the place, and a cavalry guard was left in the rear to see the order enforced.
Injured or Sick:

Private Abraham Wolf, Company B, 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers, circa 1861 (public domain).

Wolf, Abraham: Private, Company B; developed first signs of rheumatism, a condition that would last for the remainder of his life; also fell ill with chronic diarrhea during the construction of Bailey’s Dam due to poor water quality; subsequently developed hemorrhoids as a direct result of that illness.
Captured and Held as Prisoner of War (POW):
Maul, Adam (alternate spellings: Moll, Moul): Private, Company C; captured by Confederate forces at the Cane River on May 3, 1864 while assigned to duties away from the regiment’s Alexandria, Louisiana encampment—possibly during the construction of Bailey’s Dam; held as a prisoner of war (POW) at Camp Ford, a Confederate Army prison camp near Tyler, Texas until being released as part of a prisoner exchange between the Union and Confederate armies on July 22, 1864; received medical treatment, recovered from his experience, and returned to duty with Company C.
Smith, Frederick: Private, Company D; possibly wounded in action during the Battle of Pleasant Hill, Louisiana on April 9, 1864; captured by Confederate States Army troops during that battle and marched one hundred and twenty-five miles to Camp Ford near Tyler, Texas, where he was held captive as a prisoner of war (POW) until his death on May 4, 1864.

Sources:
1. Bailey, Joseph. “Report on the construction of the dam across the Red River,” in Report of the Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War, at the Second Session Thirty-Eighth Congress, Red River Expedition, Fort Fisher Expedition, Heavy Ordnance. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1865.
2. “Bailey’s Dam.” Washington, D.C.: American Battlefield Trust, retrieved online May 6, 2024.
3. “Bailey’s Dam,” in Anthropological Study No. 8. Baton Rouge, Louisiana: Archaeological Survey and Antiquities Commission, Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, March 1986.
4. Bates, Samuel P. History of Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-5, vol. 1. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: B. Singerly, State Printer, 1869.
5. Clay, Steven E. The Staff Ride Handbook for the Red River Campaign, 7 March-19 May 1864. Fort Leavenworth, Kansas: Combat Studies Institute Press, U.S. Army Combined Arms Centers, 2023.
6. Dollar, Susan E. “The Red River Campaign, Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana: A Case of Equal Opportunity Destruction,” in Louisiana History: The Journal of the Louisiana Historical Association, vol. 43, no. 4 (Autumn 2002), pp. 411-432, accessed April 22, 2024. Baton Rouge, Louisiana: Louisiana Historical Association.
7. Moore, Frank, editor. “The Red River Dam,” in The Rebellion Record: A Diary of American Events, vol. 11, pp. 11-12. New York, New York: D. Van Nostrand, 1868.
8. Prisoner of War Records, Camp Ford and Camp Groce (47th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry). Tyler Texas: Smith County Historical Society, 2010.
9. “Report of Maj. Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks, U. S. Army, Commanding Expedition and Department of the Gulf” (to Edwin M. Stanton, Secretary of War), in Annual Report of the Secretary of War, in Message of the President of the United States, and Accompanying Documents, to the Two Houses of Congress, at the Commencement of the First Session of the Thirty-Ninth Congress. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1866.
10. Schmidt, Lewis G. A Civil War History of the 47th Regiment of Pennsylvania Veteran Volunteers. Allentown, Pennsylvania: Self-published, 1986.
11. The History of the Forty-Seventh Regt. P. V.” Allentown, Pennsylvania: The Lehigh Register, July 20, 1870.
https://47thpennsylvaniavolunteers.com/2024/05/07/building-baileys-dam-on-the-red-river-alexandria-louisiana-late-april-to-mid-may-1863/
#1864 #47thPennsylvaniaInfantry #47thPennsylvaniaVolunteers #Alexandria #America #AmericanCivilWar #AmericanHistory #Army #BaileySDam #CivilWar #CommonwealthOfPennsylvania #Engineering #History #Infantry #JosephBailey #Louisiana #PennsylvaniaHistory #RedRiver #RedRiverCampaign #TheUnionArmy #USMilitaryAndTheUnionArmy
#47thpennsylvaniainfantry #47thpennsylvaniavolunteers #alexandria #america #americancivilwar #americanhistory
Sky Dancing @[email protected] · 2025-07-11 · 18:48 UTC
Frantic Friday Reads: More Fresh Hells

“What is wrong with you people?” John Buss, @repeat1968

Good Day, Sky Dancers!
I can’t decide which is worse. The distractions created to avoid the constant bad news or the events themselves. What I really can’t believe is the number of news outlets that can’t manage to stay on the real headlines. They’ve been bad this week. ICE continues to be the jackbooted thugs: omnipresent and well-funded, as with all fascist-loving monsters. Deportations continue to rock families and communities. The number of deaths from floods and tropical storms is rising while Homeland Security has managed to make Heckuva Job Brownie official. No one has seen the head of FEMA in days now. The only thing we see of Kristi Noem is more trashy outfits. Drunk Pete Hegseth has gone rogue. The attack on the Federal Reserve continues as Yam Tits puts illegal tariffs on Brazil. Evidently, tariff policy is based on the relationship between a country and our dotard FARTUS. Oh, and if your local groups of White Evangelical Christians weren’t annoying enough, they are now allowed by the IRS to fully promote candidates. I can assure that was something they’ve been doing since the 1980s with pulpit talk, egging folks to harass their neighbors. I can’t even imagine the grief local candidates will get with this move.
So, since I’ve been the victim of politicized White Christian Nationalists, I’ll just start with that story. Salon‘s Amanda Marcotte has this analysis. “Trump’s IRS payola for churches will backfire on evangelicals. Millions have already left right-wing Christianity because of politics.” It’s nice to know some are fleeing the alternative facts universe for churches that take all of Jesus’ teachings to heart. I see this battle daily in a lot of Christian friends on Facebook besieged by the ones that I could throw any number of gospel admonitions at that they never seem to hear or read about. They must never cover anything in Matthew or James. Jimmy Swaggert just died, but his dreadful influence lives on.
For liberals living outside the world of the Christian right, it may not seem like a major change. On Monday, the IRS revoked a long-standing rule that stripped tax-exempt status from churches that endorse political candidates. From a horse-race view of elections, this may not make a difference. While conservative pastors may have technically avoided the words “vote for Donald Trump” or “vote for Republicans” in the past, the expectation was transmitted to followers in ways that weren’t exactly subtle: Calling for the reinstatement of prayer in public schools, for “a time of national repentance” in America and even for Supreme Court vacancies to allow for the appointment of “righteous” judges.
Nor was it just that right-wing ministers were expressing Republican-shaped views about everything from LGBTQ rights to tax laws from the pulpit. Outside church walls, the massive ecosphere of Christian media hammered the message day in and day out: Democrats are demonic, and voting for them will send you to hell.
Predictably, many on the Christian right rejoiced over the decision. Robert Jeffress, a Texas megachurch pastor who claimed the IRS investigated him for supporting Donald Trump, told ABC News, “The IRS has no business dictating what can be said from the pulpit.” Craig DeRoche of the Christian Post argued, falsely, that the rule existed “not to protect democracy, but to silence opposition.”
It’s not a surprise that right-wing ministers are salivating at the chance to cater to powerful politicians while simultaneously keeping more money in their pockets. But this decision is shortsighted, particularly if they want to stymie the already significant losses in membership rolls that Christian churches have seen in the past couple of decades. They may come to rue the day they took what amounts to payola to champion Trump ahead of Jesus Christ.
Frankly, it’s hard to imagine that Trump will benefit from this politically, even if he, as he clearly hopes, gets the go-ahead from the Supreme Court for an illegal campaign for a third term. He has already captured the white evangelical vote to the tune of 80 percent in 2024, and although his approval numbers have slipped with most other demographics, these supporters have remained steadfast. Even if ministers had been allowed to endorse in the last presidential election cycle, it’s unlikely Trump would have done better among white evangelicals.
But Trump has an insatiable need for praise, and he has long been fixated on repealing the Johnson Amendment, which is the rule that prevented ministers from open endorsement. For Republicans in state and local races, this is a big deal. Campaign finance spending will go much further if directed to churches, where donors get a tax deduction, instead of to political parties and action groups, which cannot offer that benefit.
If they want the benefit of overt political action, then the IRS should drop their tax exemptions. As a long-time member of both Presbyterian and Methodist denominations at one time, I’ve participated eagerly in Social Justice Actions. These benefit a particular group of people and not one politician or party, and allow you to work for a principal. It’s a big difference. There’s no reason they can’t do their traditional callings without being servile to the likes of Yam Tits. But, then this has become a whole ‘nother country. The lessening of support for ICE Actions against legal immigrants and people in the process of becoming legal has turned the page on the popularity of Trump’s actions. I heard the Good Samaritan parable a lot, and when I was a Sunday School teacher, it was still central to Methodist theology. Perhaps, the lessons stuck with many.
Here’s how it’s going on the frontline. This is from NBC News. “ICE handcuffs 71-year-old grandmother, a U.S. citizen, at San Diego immigration court. Barbara Stone was handcuffed and held by federal agents for hours, according to her family; she was accused of pushing an ICE officer, which she denies.
A grandmother planning to document Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests at the San Diego courthouse instead became herself the story on Tuesday, after video of her arrest began circulating online.
The 71-year-old woman, U.S. citizen Barbara Stone, was accused of pushing an ICE agent and was placed in custody for several hours. Stone denied the allegation to NBC 7 on Wednesday.
Stone was handcuffed and held by federal agents for eight hours, according to her family.
“I have a large bruise there,” Stone said on Wednesday. “I feel mentally and physically traumatized.”
A video of the incident shared with NBC 7 shows the moment tensions started to boil over.
NBC 7 made several attempts to contact ICE about the incident but was referred to the Federal Protective Service, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security. FPS has not responded to a request for comment.
It takes some real men to be threated by a 71 year-old grandmother with a clipboard and pen. Gallup Poll reports that the “Surge in U.S. Concern About Immigration Has Abated.” This is reported by Lydia Saad.
Americans have grown markedly more positive toward immigration over the past year, with the share wanting immigration reduced dropping from 55% in 2024 to 30% today. At the same time, a record-high 79% of U.S. adults say immigration is a good thing for the country.
These shifts reverse a four-year trend of rising concern about immigration that began in 2021 and reflect changes among all major party groups.
With illegal border crossings down sharply this year, fewer Americans than in June 2024 back hard-line border enforcement measures, while more favor offering pathways to citizenship for undocumented immigrants already in the U.S.
These findings are based on a June 2-26 Gallup poll of 1,402 U.S. adults, including oversamples of Hispanic and Black Americans, weighted to match national demographics.
The same poll finds many more Americans disapproving than approving of President Donald Trump’s handling of immigration. Trump’s 21% approval rating on the issue among Hispanic adults is below his 35% rating nationally, with the deficit likely reflecting that group’s low support for some of the administration’s signature immigration policies.
After climbing to 55% in 2024, the percentage of Americans who say immigration should be reduced has dropped by nearly half to 30%. Sentiment is thus back to the level measured in 2021, before the desire for less immigration started to mount. Meanwhile, 38% now want immigration kept at its current level, and 26% say it should be increased.
I guess they finally got the message that their food and many items will be hard to find and expensive to buy if this continues. Just a little of me wants to say it because their mamas taught them a few things about loving their neighbors. Fortunately, and with the help of Congressman Steve Scalise, hundreds of letters written by neighbors brought Mandonna Kashanian back to her home in the Lake Front area of New Orleans and to her American husband of 35 years and daughter. This is from local TV station WDSU. I can’t tell you the ugly, nasty letters filled with misinformation that accompanied news about Mrs. Kashanian. It seems people feel the need to be downright hateful these days.
The worst headline I’ve seen on how we treat folks trying to immigrate here is the ones about spiriting them off to hellholes from which they will not return. Many of them are abroad. “‘We find another country’: Homan says Trump administration looking to make deals with several countries to accept deportees.The border czar also said he was unsure of the status of the eight men recently sent to South Sudan — or whether they are detained there — saying that they are no longer in U.S. custody. The border czar also said he was unsure of the status of the eight men recently sent to South Sudan — or whether they are detained there — saying that they are no longer in U.S. custody.” The so-called border czar is the gatekeeper to hell. This headline is from Politico as reported by Myah Ward and Kyle Cheney.
Border czar Tom Homan said the Trump administration hopes to forge deals with “many countries” to accept deported migrants from the United States — when their home countries can’t, or won’t, take them back.
Homan spoke with POLITICO’s Dasha Burns for The Conversation in the wake of a recent Supreme Court ruling that cleared the way for eight men to be deported to South Sudan, a nation that the State Department has warned Americans is too dangerous for all but essential personnel.
Homan said he was unsure of the status of the eight men — or whether they are detained there — saying that they are no longer in U.S. custody.
“They’re living in Sudan. And will they stay in Sudan? I don’t know,” he said. “When we sign these agreements with all these countries, we make arrangements to make sure these countries are receiving these people and there’s opportunities for these people. But I can’t tell if we remove somebody to Sudan — they can stay there a week and leave. I don’t know.”
The deportations to places like South Sudan and El Salvador where migrants have no connections have raised concerns among lawyers and immigrant advocates who fear for the men’s safety in countries with a history of human rights violations.
Past administrations have also deported foreigners to countries where they have no previous ties, but Trump’s deals have drawn more scrutiny — both with South Sudan, one of the most dangerous and war-torn nations on earth, and El Salvador, where migrants were sent to the country’s notorious mega-prison.
We all know now that we too are home to a hellhole not suprisingly placed in Florida. There are cages for everyone there. So-called Alligator Alcatraz has not allowed detainees to see their lawyers, nor will it allow Florida Congress members to see the facility, calling it “unsafe.” Local ABC News affiiate, Channel 7, has this headline. “DHS disputes dire conditions at Alligator Alcatraz.”
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is denying reports of improper living conditions for detainees at Alligator Alcatraz after reports of a hospitalization surfaced.
Reports this week have claimed that the detainees at the detention facility in the Florida Everglades are surrounded by toilets that don’t flush, temperatures ranging from freezing to sweltering, little to no access to showers, less confidential calls with an attorney, and even a hospitalization, according to the Miami Herald.
However, DHS took to X to debunk those claims, stating that the detainees are properly cared for.

Furthermore, the Assistant Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Tricia McLaughlin, said on X that no detainees at Alligator Alcatraz have been hospitalized. She continued to state that one was transported but was returned to the detention center in an hour and a half.
According to our news partners at CBS News Miami, one of the detainees living in poor conditions at the detention center is Cuban reggaeton artist Leamsy La Figura, who was arrested in Miami-Dade County for assault. He claims there’s no water to shower, the lights stay on all day, and the food is limited and sometimes spoiled.
In a phone call to CBS News Miami, La Figura described the conditions he and the other detainees are facing.
“I am Leamsy La Figura. We’ve been here at Alcatraz since Friday. There’s over 400 people here. There’s no water to take a bath, it’s been four days since I’ve taken a bath,” he said.
The facility is run by the state of Florida. CBS News Miami has reached out to the Florida Department of Emergency Management (FDEM) for comment on the alleged conditions.
Additionally, CBS News Miami said that Mayor Daniella Levine Cava of Miami-Dade is asking for access to the detention facility due to concerns over reported deaths and dangerous conditions at immigration centers across the state.
Mayor Levine Cava has said that a total of five people have died while in immigration custody in Florida so far.
As more information about Trump, Epstein, and underage girls comes to light. I’m sure we’re going to get more distractions as well as more bumbling of floods and their victims. Wired has this up today about Epstein’s death. Rumors are flying about like the flies and mosquitoes around Alligator Alcatraz. “Metadata Shows the FBI’s ‘Raw’ Jeffrey Epstein Prison Video Was Likely Modified. There is no evidence the footage was deceptively manipulated, but ambiguities around how the video was processed may further fuel conspiracy theories about Epstein’s death.” I’m sure MAGA will be excited about this.
The United States Department of Justice this week released nearly 11 hours of what it described as “full raw” surveillance footage from a camera positioned near Jeffrey Epstein’s prison cell the night before he was found dead. The release was intended to address conspiracy theories about Epstein’s apparent suicide in federal custody. But instead of putting those suspicions to rest, it may fuel them further.
Metadata embedded in the video and analyzed by WIRED and independent video forensics experts shows that rather than being a direct export from the prison’s surveillance system, the footage was modified, likely using the professional editing tool Adobe Premiere Pro. The file appears to have been assembled from at least two source clips, saved multiple times, exported, and then uploaded to the DOJ’s website, where it was presented as “raw” footage.
Experts caution that it’s unclear what exactly was changed, and that the metadata does not prove deceptive manipulation. The video may have simply been processed for public release using available software, with no modifications beyond stitching together two clips. But the absence of a clear explanation for the processing of the file using professional editing software complicates the Justice Department’s narrative. In a case already clouded by suspicion, the ambiguity surrounding how the file was processed is likely to provide fresh fodder for conspiracy theories.
Remember all this happened, under Trump’s first administration, albeit it was more competent than this one. There is a scoop at Axios that might light a fire under the entire Epstein affairs. This is reported by Marc Caputo. It feels like a mic drop. “Scoop: FBI’s Dan Bongino clashes with AG Bondi over handling of Epstein files.” We could have a new Agatha Christie adventure called Death by Rumor. Remind me, this is a Friday right? The traditional slow news day?
FBI deputy director Dan Bongino took a day off from work Friday after clashing at the White House with Attorney General Pam Bondi over their handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, four sources familiar with the conflict told Axios.
Why it matters: The dispute erupted Wednesday amid the fallout of the administration walking back its claims about Epstein by determining the convicted sex offender didn’t have a celebrity “client list,” and that he wasn’t murdered in his New York City prison cell in 2019.
Bongino didn’t come to work Friday, leading some insiders to believe he had quit. But administration officials say he’s still on the job, even as the internal tension over the Epstein case continues.
A source close to Bongino, though, said “he ain’t coming back.”
Zoom in: At the center of the argument: a surveillance video from outside Epstein’s cell that the administration released, saying it was proof no one had entered the room before he killed himself.
The 10-hour video had what has widely been called a “missing minute,” fueling conspiracy theories in MAGA’s online world about a cover-up involving Epstein’s death.
The “missing minute,” authorities say, stemmed from an old surveillance recording system that goes down each day at midnight to reset and record anew. It takes a minute for that process to occur, which effectively means that 60 seconds of every day aren’t recorded.
Bongino — who had pushed Epstein conspiracy theories as a MAGA-friendly podcast host before President Trump appointed him to help lead the FBI — had found the video and touted it publicly and privately as proof that Epstein hadn’t been murdered.
That conclusion — shared by FBI Director Kash Patel, another conspiracy theorist-turned-insider — angered many in Trump’s MAGA base, criticism that increased after Axios first reported the release of the video and a related memo.
After the video’s “missing minute” was discovered, Bongino was blamed internally for the oversight, according to three sources.
Two sources familiar with Bongino’s position say he was increasingly displeased with Bondi’s handling of the Epstein case because she had publicly overpromised and underdelivered disclosures about an Epstein “client list” that apparently never existed.
The intrigue: MAGA influencer Laura Loomer, a Bondi critic, first reported Friday on X that Bongino left work and that he and Patel were “furious” with the way Bondi had handled the case.
Some Trump advisers have criticized Bondi, but Trump “loves Pam and thinks she’s great,” a senior White House official said.
Those witnessing the Wednesday clash between Bondi and Bongino in the White House were Patel, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich.
Inside the room: During the meeting, Bongino was confronted about a NewsNation article that said he and Patel wanted more information released about Epstein earlier, but were held back. Bongino denied leaking that idea.
“Pam said her piece. Dan said his piece. It didn’t end on friendly terms,” said one person briefed on the heated discussion. Bongino left angry, the source said.
I’m only going to show the headline for this one from the WSJ. It just shows how much institutions are caving to presidential interference. “Harvard Explores New Center for Conservative Scholarship Amid Trump Attacks. The Ivy League school has discussed an effort to ‘support viewpoint diversity’ with potential donors, says it ‘will not be partisan’.” I suppose the devil is in the details here. Traditional American Conservatism is not what we generally see today.
Harvard leaders have discussed creating a program that people briefed on the talks described as a center for conservative scholarship, possibly modeled on Stanford’s Hoover Institution, as the school fights the Trump administration’s accusations that it is too liberal.
The idea has circulated at the university for several years but gained steam after pro-Palestinian protests began disrupting campus in late 2023. Harvard has discussed the effort with potential donors, people familiar with the matter said. The cost of creating such a center could run somewhere between $500 million and $1 billion, a person familiar with Harvard’s thinking estimated.
A spokesman for Harvard said an initiative under discussion “will ensure exposure to the broadest ranges of perspectives on issues, and will not be partisan, but rather will model the use of evidence-based, rigorous logic and a willingness to engage with opposing views.” He added that the school has been accelerating efforts to set up the initiative, which would “promote and support viewpoint diversity.”
A 2024 survey by Harvard found that only one-third of the college’s graduating class felt comfortable discussing controversial topics, and a 2023 survey by the student newspaper found that just 3% of faculty at Harvard College identified as politically conservative.
Harvard President Alan Garber helped promote an “intellectual vitality” program to reinvigorate debate on campus and ensure students engage in discussions free of self-censorship.
Okay, one last topic. It’s a big one. Trump is basically giving tariff exemptions to countries he likes. He’s throwing random tariffs at countries that do not please him. There’s a lot on this today, including some major analysis by Paul Krugman. Let me just list these reads so you my check them out. I’m glad to answer any questions regarding the application of tariffs in the comments. I’m not a lawyer, so I’ll leave the legal analysis to those who are.
Rebecca Ratcliffe / The Guardian: Shunned Myanmar leader thrilled at US contact after Trump tariff letter
Myanmar’s military leader has praised Donald Trump and asked him to lift sanctions, as the junta sought to capitalise on a tariff letter from the US president believed to be Washington’s first public recognition of its rule.
Min Aung Hlaing, who has been in power since a 2021 coup, expressed his “sincere appreciation” for Trump’s letter, which threatened a tariff of 40% on its goods, and commended the US president or his “strong leadership” and for guiding the US “toward national prosperity with the spirit of a true patriot”.
US diplomats do not officially engage with Min Aung Hlaing or the ruling junta, which seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. It was among a tranche of almost identical letters sent by Trump to world leaders on Monday.
Stephen Robinson / Public Notice: An embarrassing exercise in economic and diplomatic futility
Donald Trump just escalated his mindlessly self-destructive trade war against our (former) economic allies — again.
On Monday, Trump sent rambling letters informing 14 nations, including major trading partners Japan and South Korea, that the US government was slapping them with significantly higher tariffs as of August 1. These tariffs are separate from his previously announced sectoral tariffs on automobiles, steel, and aluminum. (This week, he also announced a 50 percent tariff on copper imports for August 1.) Trump sent more letters sporadically through the week, with an especially bonkers one to Brazil threatening a 50 percent tariff if the government proceeds with its prosecution of Trump’s partner in coups, Jair Bolsonaro.
Then, as this newsletter was being finalized yesterday, Trump announced a new 35 percent tariff on Canada, citing debunked claims about the country turning a blind eye to fentanyl flowing into the United States.
Trump’s new August 1 deadline is completely arbitrary, and his tariff numbers aren’t grounded in any rational economic policy. As everyone seems to understand but the president and his sycophants, these new tariffs will result in increased prices on goods Americans need and can’t magically produce ourselves. Other nations won’t shoulder the costs from tariffs. We will.
And hereis the link to Paul Krugman’s latest. “Trump’s Brazil Tariff Is Blatantly Illegal. Shouldn’t someone be suing?” And here I am still laughing over him writing to the Japanese PM Ishba as Mister Japan. Krugman writes at his SubStack.
I wrote the other day about Trump’s Brazil tariff, which is, as I said, evil and megalomaniacal. But I forgot to point out that it’s blatantly illegal. Maybe — probably — the Supreme Court is so corrupt at this point that it will ratify anything Trump does. But can’t we at least put them on the spot? Can’t we force Scott Bessent to explain why he supports such a grotesque abuse of presidential power?
Let’s be clear: U.S. law does give the executive branch a lot of discretion to impose tariffs without additional legislation. It does this for a reason: Temporary tariffs were intended to serve as a political pressure-release valve that would make low tariffs emerging from international agreements sustainable. This worked well as long as we had responsible presidents; it has been a disaster under Trump. Still, he does have a lot of legal authority to set tariffs.
But that authority is by no means open-ended. Tariffs can be imposed only for specific reasons:
Section 201: Market disruption Basically, if a sudden import surge puts a U.S. industry in danger, temporary tariffs can be imposed to give the industry time to adapt
Section 232: National security Tariffs can be used to sustain industries we might need during international confrontations
Section 301: Unfair practices Tariffs can be used to offset, say, foreign export subsidies
Anti-dumping duties Tariffs can be imposed when foreign companies are selling below cost
International Economic Emergency The president has broad tariff-setting powers during an economic crisis
Trump has hugely abused all these justifications, especially the last. There is no economic emergency. According to Trump himself, things are great …
And, remember it’s just a litttle rain and the average price of gas in New Orleans isn’t $2.76. It’s $1.98.
Okay, one more and I may hit a record of 5000 words in one post. The deal is that there is so much shit going on I’d need a magazine to publish just the excerpts. What Fresh Hell is this? This is from Sidney Blumenthal writing at The Guardian. “Donald Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ is the ultimate betrayal of his base. The measure exposes the most elaborate charade in recent US political history. But betrayal is Trump’s operating principle.”
Donald Trump’s so-called “big, beautiful bill”, which will eviscerate the living standards, healthcare and aspirations of his white, working-class base, conclusively draws the curtain down on his Maga populist conceit, the most elaborate charade in recent American political history.
The price will be staggering: $1tn in cuts to Medicaid; throwing 17 million people off health coverage closing rural hospitals and women’s health clinics; battering food assistance for families, children and veterans; the virtual destruction of US solar and wind energy manufacturing; limiting access to financial aid for college; and, according to the Yale Budget Lab, adding $3tn to the national debt over the next decade, inexorably leading to raised interest rates, which will depress the housing market. These are the harsh, brutal and undeniable realities of Trumpism in the glare of day as opposed to his carnival act about how he will never touch such benefits.
The president’s Maga populism has been a collection of oddities reminiscent of PT Barnum’s museum on lower Broadway before the civil war that exhibited a 10ft tall fake petrified man, the original bearded lady and the Fiji mermaid, the tail of a large fish sewn on to a bewigged mannequin. Trump attached plutocracy to populism to construct the Maga beast. But after the passage of the bill, the Fiji mermaid that is Maga has come apart at the seams, the head separated from the tail.
“I just want you to know,” Trump said as he signed the bill, “if you see anything negative put out by Democrats, it’s all a con job.” He claimed the law was the “single most popular bill ever signed”. It is, in fact, the most unpopular piece of legislation since George W Bush proposed partial privatization of social security, which he abandoned without a single congressional vote. A Quinnipiac poll showed 53% opposing Trump’s bill, with only 27% support – 26 points underwater.
At a meeting where Trump lobbied Republican House members to vote for his bill, he told them it would not cut Medicaid because that would damage their electoral prospects. “But we’re touching Medicaid in this bill,” one Republican member complained to the publication Notus. In response to the obvious contradiction, a White House spokesperson issued a statement that the bill would “protect Medicaid”. Problem solved.
Even if Trump didn’t actually know what was in his bill, too bored to pay attention to minute details or even if he was pulling a con, he coerced the Republicans into walking the plank. If he didn’t know, they certainly knew what was in the bill and they hated it. But they feared his retribution if they did not vote for it, even though it would severely harm their base and trample their own principles. The Freedom Caucus of far-right House members who boldly declared that the debt was the hill they would die on simply folded.
Hopefully, it will soon be the Winter of Discontent because this is the summer of rebranding Fresh Hells.
Well, not quite 5000 words, but very close. 4866
What’s on your reading and blogging list today?

I want an overkill button.
Here’s to Ozzy’s last concert. He made my first year of university in the land of Nebraska more meaningful. He’s struggling with Parkinson’s disease.

#TrumpCult #WeAreSoFucked #AlligatorAlcatraz #DanBongino #HarvardCaves #Hellraiser #IRSOksPulpitPolitics #KristiNoemSociopathAndCunt #LongLiveOzzy #lordOfTheLivingDead #PamBondiWeirdo #TariffsAreStillHigh #TomHomanDemonBringer #WhiteChristianNationalists
#trumpcult #wearesofucked #alligatoralcatraz #danbongino #harvardcaves #hellraiser
Sky Dancing @[email protected] · 2024-10-18 · 17:05 UTC
“Every single time he opens his mouth…” John Buss, @repeat1968

Good Day, Sky Dancers!
If you got to look into the sky last night, you got to see the Hunter’s supermoon. There certainly was a lot of Lunacy yesterday. That causation or even correlation doesn’t stand up to scientific scrutiny, but it has a literary tradition covering nearly all periods of history. DonOld’s Yesterday fits the adage neatly.
“It is the very error of the moon.She comes more near the earth than she was wont. And makes men mad.”
—William Shakespeare, Othello
Speaking of madness, “North Korea sends troops to support Russia in Ukraine war: NIS.” This was announced in The Korea Herald.
North Korea has dispatched special forces to support Russia in its war against Ukraine, with the first batch already having arrived in Russia and a second group of North Korean troops expected to follow soon, South Korea’s intelligence agency claimed on Friday.
The National Intelligence Service said it “confirmed that North Korea began its participation in the war by transporting special forces to Russia via Russian Navy transport ships from Oct. 8 to 13.”
However, the NIS provided no substantial evidence to support this claim, other than satellite imagery showing Russian vessels docked at the port of Chongjin in North Hamgyong Province.
Four amphibious ships and three escort ships from the Russian Pacific Fleet transported around 1,500 North Korean special forces to Vladivostok during this period, departing from areas near Chongjin and Musudan-ri in North Hamgyong Province, as well as Hamhung in South Hamgyong Province, according to the NIS.
The NIS further stated that a second operation to transport North Korean troops to Russia is “expected to take place soon.”
The North Korean soldiers deployed to Russia have been stationed at military bases in the Far East, spread across cities such as Vladivostok, Ussuriysk, Khabarovsk and Blagoveshchensk.
“They are expected to be sent to the battlefield once they complete their adaptation training,” the intelligence agency added.
According to the NIS, the North Korean soldiers were provided with Russian military uniforms and Russian-made weapons. They were also issued fake identification documents resembling residents of Siberian regions such as Yakutia and Buryatia, whose appearance is similar to North Koreans.
“This appears to be an attempt to disguise them as Russian soldiers and conceal their involvement in the war,” the NIS stated.
The NIS also reported that Kim Jong-sik, the first vice director of North Korea’s Munitions Industry Department and a key figure in the country’s missile development, was observed visiting a North Korean KN-23 missile launch site near the Russia-Ukraine front. He was accompanied by dozens of North Korean military officers to provide on-site guidance.

“It’s incomprehensible,” John Buss. @repeat1968. “More Full moon Madness!!!” me

American Madman DonOld is showing his age; finally, the legacy media have noticed and are reporting it. It only took 39 minutes of swaying to his playlist at a rally for them to start asking the real questions. He’s evidently tuckered out. “Trump cancels a streak of events with only days until election.” This is reported in AXIOS by Ivana Saric
Former President Trump’s planned appearance at a National Rifle Association event next week was cancelled Thursday, the latest in a slew of scuttled public appearances and interviews by the former president in recent weeks.
Why it matters: With only 17 days to go until Election Day, the spate of cancellations gives voters fewer chances to hear from Trump before heading to the polls in a coin toss race.
Vice President Kamala Harris, on the other hand, has been on a media blitz after enduring criticism from Republicans about a perceived lack of interviews.
And while Harris has ventured into the unfriendly territory of a Fox News interview, Trump has stuck to the safe spaces of conservative outlets.
In the appearances he has made, Trump’s rhetoric has grown more violent and nativist. In recent weeks, he has decried his critics as the “enemy from within” and fanned the flames of false conspiracy theories about migrants.
Driving the news: The NRA said Thursday it had cancelled its “Defend the 2nd” event with Trump in Savannah, Georgia, next week due to “campaign scheduling changes.”
Trump also pulled out of two mainstream media interviews this week, with NBC News and CNBC’s “Squawk Box.”
Earlier this month he backed out of a scheduled appearance on CBS’ “60 Minutes,” while Harris appeared on the program.
The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to Axios’ request for comment.
Between the lines: Several of the events and interviews Trump has appeared at in recent weeks have raised eyebrows.
Trump cut short a Pennsylvania town hall this week to listen and sway to music for more than half an hour. “Let’s make it into a music fest,” Trump said. “Who the hell wants to hear questions, right?”
In an interview with Bloomberg News at the Chicago Economic Club Tuesday, Trump downplayed the Capitol riot and struggled to respond when confronted about the costs of his economic plans
Trump later claimed he was “hoodwinked” into the interview.
During an all-women Fox News town hall that aired Wednesday, Trump declared himself the “father of IVF,” a decades-old fertility treatment that has come under threat since overturning Roe v. Wade — which Trump has repeatedly bragged about ending.
DonOld is asking for a sitdown with Rupert Murdoch. This is from MEDIAITE’s Isaac Schorr. “Donald Trump Outlines His Demands For Rupert Murdoch Live On Fox News Ahead of Private Meeting: ‘I Don’t Know If He’s Thrilled.’”
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump outlined his demands for conservative media mogul Rupert Murdoch live on Fox News Friday morning, musing that Murdoch should stop airing negative ads and allowing Democratic guests on the network in the run up to Election Day.
After Fox & Friends’ Lawrence Jones thanked Trump for appearing on the show Friday, the former president jumped back in to ask Jones and his co-hosts, “You know what the event I have now?”
“No,” said Brian Kilmeade.
“A very big event,” continued the former president. “I’m going to see Rupert Murdoch.”
A pensive Kilmeade replied, “Alright,” and Steve Doocy exclaimed, “Okay!” before Trump pressed on.
“That’s a big event. I don’t know if he’s thrilled that I say it. And I’m going to tell him, I’m gonna tell him something very simple because I can’t talk to anybody else about it: Don’t put on negative commercials for 21 days, don’t put them. And don’t put on the air their horrible people. They come and lie. I’m going to say, ‘Rupert, please do it this way.’”
“Right,” interjected Kilmeade.
“And then we’re going to have a victory, because I think everyone wants that,” concluded Trump.
Salon Fellow Griffin Eckstein reports that Faux News Reader Brett Baier is very sorry about his behavior during his interview with Vice President Harris. “”I did make a mistake”: Baier apologizes for playing edited Trump clip in Harris interview. The Fox News anchor’s deceptive video clip left out Trump’s remarks about “enemies from within.”
Fox News anchor Bret Baier is apologizing for playing a misleadingly edited clip in an interview with Vice President Kamala Harris.
Harris sat down with Baier on Wednesday for a tense interview, in which the “Special Report” host repeatedly cut off and chastised the Democratic candidate. One exchange in particular gave the game away.
When Harris admonished former President Trump over suggestions that he’d sic the military on his political opponents, Baier aired a portion of a Trump interview that omitted his comments against “the enemy from within.”
“I’m not threatening anybody,” Trump said in the clip Baier played. “They’re the ones doing the threatening.”
In a Thursday night episode of “Report,” Baier owned up his misdirection.
“I wanna say that I did make a mistake,” Baier admitted. “When I called for a soundbite, I was expecting a piece of the ‘enemy from within’ from Maria Bartiromo’s interview, to be tied to the piece from [Harris Faulkner’s ]town hall.”
Baier went on to play the intended clip for his audience, though Harris was still able to get her point across the previous night despite the misleading edit.
“You and I both know that he has talked about turning the American military on the American people,” the vice president said on Wednesday. “In a democracy, the president of the United States, in the United States of America, should be willing to be able to handle criticism without saying he would lock people up for doing it.”
Even the New York Times is noticing DonOld’s crazy demeanor and speech these days. “Trump’s Meandering Speeches Motivate His Critics and Worry His Allies. Some advisers and allies of former President Donald J. Trump are concerned about his scattershot style on the campaign trail as he continues to veer off script.” This is reported by Michael C. Bender.
Now, some Trump advisers and allies say privately they are concerned that the dynamic may be repeating itself four years later. They worry that Mr. Trump’s impetuousness and scattershot style on the campaign trail needlessly risk victory in battleground states where the margin for error is increasingly narrow.
At a time when his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, has stepped up her attacks on him as “unstable,” Mr. Trump has struggled to publicly hone his message by veering off script and ramping up personal attacks on Ms. Harris that allies have urged him to rein in.
“When he’s good, he’s great, and when he’s off message, he’s not so great,” said David Urban, a Trump adviser. “I don’t think anyone is really changing their mind at this point, but when he distracts from his biggest, broadest messaging, it’s counterproductive because the Harris campaign uses it to turn out their voters.”
During a speech on Saturday in California, he described mail-in ballots as “so corrupt,” reviving one of his false attacks on the 2020 election results, and did a play-by-play of his internal thoughts when he watched SpaceX, Elon Musk’s spaceflight company, fly a rocket back onto its launch site.
On Sunday, in response to a question on Fox News about the possibility of foreign adversaries’ meddling in the election, he reverted to autocratic language by saying “the bigger problem is the enemy from within.” On Monday, he halted a town-hall event in suburban Philadelphia after five questions when two people in the crowd needed medical attention. He spent roughly the next half-hour playing D.J., swaying and grooving in front of his crowd to a playlist he curated from the stage. “Let’s just listen to music,” he said.
Last week, he canceled a CBS interview on “60 Minutes,” in which he and Ms. Harris were both scheduled to appear — and has not stopped talking about it. He complained about it during events in Detroit and Reno, Nev., and again on Monday in a social media post at 1:12 a.m.
All of this makes me wonder if he doesn’t care about winning or if he’s just relying on a country-wide repeat J6 event and his cronies planted in positions to disrupt the voting process in many states. It might be he has other things on his rapidly disintegrating mind. Just a few hours ago, Judge Tanya Chutkin, keeper of the American Way and the U.S. Constitution, allowed the Special Counsel to open up the floodgates of evidence. This is from CNN. “Special counsel releases trove of redacted documents in 2020 election subversion case against Trump.” October Surprise, perhaps? Care to Dance in the Moonlight with me?
Special counsel Jack Smith on Friday released a massive trove of heavily redacted documents in his 2020 election subversion criminal case against former President Donald Trump.
There are nearly 2,000 pages in a massive trove of documents released Friday, but nearly all of the pages appear to be completely redacted.
The redacted appendices filed on the public docket in the case are related to Smith’s expansive filing from earlier this month that laid out his fullest picture yet of the case against Trump and Smith’s belief that his actions around the 2020 election should not be shielded by presidential immunity.
One volume is filled with sealed pages as well as tweets and other social media posts from Trump, his campaign and allies, including some posted during the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
One of the tweets include Trump’s post that day that Vice President Mike Pence “didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done” that day in supporting his effort to change the election results.
Others include a myriad of claims of voter fraud during the 2020 election.
Prosecutors have argued that these tweets from Trump should be allowed to be used in the trial because they were personal in nature or part of his campaigning efforts and not his official duties as president.
The documents were released a day after Judge Tanya Chutkan rejected a bid by Trump to pause the release. Trump argued that posting the documents now could be seen as election inference and had asked them to remain under seal until after Election Day.
“If the court withheld information that the public otherwise had a right to access solely because of the potential political consequences of releasing it, that withholding could itself constitute – or appear to be – election interference,” Chutkan wrote in a decision late Thursday.
Another volume contains memos from lawyer John Eastman with a plan for Pence to reject the congressional certification of the 2020 election. The volume also includes a public statement Trump released the night before January 6 claiming he and Pence were on the same page about the congressional certification, Trump’s prepared remarks for his speech on January 6, and fundraising emails sent out by his 2020 campaign in the days before January 6.
Pence’s letter to Congress on January 6 explaining why he could not reject certifying the election and a transcript of Trump’s 2023 CNN town hall are also included in the documents.
The redacted files were expected to include an array of materials, including grand jury transcripts and notes from FBI interviews conducted during the yearslong investigation.
This was a big news dump week. Hopefully, the death of Yahya Sinwar will lead to a peaceful conclusion to this latest Mid-Eastern War. I’m not sure that’s what Bibi wants, but I’m sure the return of the hostages and a ceasefire would be a good start to ending hostilities. This is from Reuters. “Yahya Sinwar threw stick at drone just before death, according to Israel video. “
Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was tracked by an Israeli mini drone as he lay dying in the ruins of a building in southern Gaza and filmed him slumped in a chair covered in dust, according to video released by Israeli authorities on Thursday. As the drone hovered nearby, the video showed him throwing a stick at it, in an apparent act of desperation or defiance. Not long afterwards, the military said, a tank shell was fired into the building. After an intensive manhunt that had lasted for more than a year, the Israeli troops that killed Sinwar were initially unaware that they had caught their country’s number one enemy after a gun battle on Wednesday, Israeli officials said. Dental records, fingerprints and DNA testing provided final confirmation of Sinwar’s death for Israel and on Friday, Hamas confirmed their leader had been killed. Intelligence services had been gradually restricting the area where Sinwar could operate, the military said. But unlike other militant leaders tracked down by Israel, including Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on July 13, the encounter which finally killed Sinwar was not a planned and targeted strike, or an operation carried out by elite commandos.
The seven days of Sukkot started last night. The Jewish Harvest Holiday lasts 7 days, and I’m sure there will be much celebration that there will be one less terrorist plotting another atrocity like October 7th. May all who observe find it in their hearts to search for peace and reconciliation with Israel’s innocent Palestinian neighbors. You would think eventually, we would all be way over all those who try to turn neighbors against each other. I know I’m hopeful we can get a better outcome here if we all just get out and vote for Kamala and Tim. What’s on your reading and blogging list today?
https://skydancingblog.com/2024/10/18/finally-friday-reads-full-on-full-moon-crazy/
#Repeat1968JohnBuss #FullMoonMadness #SpecialCounselJackSmith #TrumpSDementia
#repeat1968johnbuss #fullmoonmadness #specialcounseljacksmith #trumpsdementia
Sky Dancing @[email protected] · 2024-10-18 · 17:05 UTC
“Every single time he opens his mouth…” John Buss, @repeat1968

Good Day, Sky Dancers!
If you got to look into the sky last night, you got to see the Hunter’s supermoon. There certainly was a lot of Lunacy yesterday. That causation or even correlation doesn’t stand up to scientific scrutiny, but it has a literary tradition covering nearly all periods of history. DonOld’s Yesterday fits the adage neatly.
“It is the very error of the moon.She comes more near the earth than she was wont. And makes men mad.”
—William Shakespeare, Othello
Speaking of madness, “North Korea sends troops to support Russia in Ukraine war: NIS.” This was announced in The Korea Herald.
North Korea has dispatched special forces to support Russia in its war against Ukraine, with the first batch already having arrived in Russia and a second group of North Korean troops expected to follow soon, South Korea’s intelligence agency claimed on Friday.
The National Intelligence Service said it “confirmed that North Korea began its participation in the war by transporting special forces to Russia via Russian Navy transport ships from Oct. 8 to 13.”
However, the NIS provided no substantial evidence to support this claim, other than satellite imagery showing Russian vessels docked at the port of Chongjin in North Hamgyong Province.
Four amphibious ships and three escort ships from the Russian Pacific Fleet transported around 1,500 North Korean special forces to Vladivostok during this period, departing from areas near Chongjin and Musudan-ri in North Hamgyong Province, as well as Hamhung in South Hamgyong Province, according to the NIS.
The NIS further stated that a second operation to transport North Korean troops to Russia is “expected to take place soon.”
The North Korean soldiers deployed to Russia have been stationed at military bases in the Far East, spread across cities such as Vladivostok, Ussuriysk, Khabarovsk and Blagoveshchensk.
“They are expected to be sent to the battlefield once they complete their adaptation training,” the intelligence agency added.
According to the NIS, the North Korean soldiers were provided with Russian military uniforms and Russian-made weapons. They were also issued fake identification documents resembling residents of Siberian regions such as Yakutia and Buryatia, whose appearance is similar to North Koreans.
“This appears to be an attempt to disguise them as Russian soldiers and conceal their involvement in the war,” the NIS stated.
The NIS also reported that Kim Jong-sik, the first vice director of North Korea’s Munitions Industry Department and a key figure in the country’s missile development, was observed visiting a North Korean KN-23 missile launch site near the Russia-Ukraine front. He was accompanied by dozens of North Korean military officers to provide on-site guidance.

“It’s incomprehensible,” John Buss. @repeat1968. “More Full moon Madness!!!” me

American Madman DonOld is showing his age; finally, the legacy media have noticed and are reporting it. It only took 39 minutes of swaying to his playlist at a rally for them to start asking the real questions. He’s evidently tuckered out. “Trump cancels a streak of events with only days until election.” This is reported in AXIOS by Ivana Saric
Former President Trump’s planned appearance at a National Rifle Association event next week was cancelled Thursday, the latest in a slew of scuttled public appearances and interviews by the former president in recent weeks.
Why it matters: With only 17 days to go until Election Day, the spate of cancellations gives voters fewer chances to hear from Trump before heading to the polls in a coin toss race.
Vice President Kamala Harris, on the other hand, has been on a media blitz after enduring criticism from Republicans about a perceived lack of interviews.
And while Harris has ventured into the unfriendly territory of a Fox News interview, Trump has stuck to the safe spaces of conservative outlets.
In the appearances he has made, Trump’s rhetoric has grown more violent and nativist. In recent weeks, he has decried his critics as the “enemy from within” and fanned the flames of false conspiracy theories about migrants.
Driving the news: The NRA said Thursday it had cancelled its “Defend the 2nd” event with Trump in Savannah, Georgia, next week due to “campaign scheduling changes.”
Trump also pulled out of two mainstream media interviews this week, with NBC News and CNBC’s “Squawk Box.”
Earlier this month he backed out of a scheduled appearance on CBS’ “60 Minutes,” while Harris appeared on the program.
The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to Axios’ request for comment.
Between the lines: Several of the events and interviews Trump has appeared at in recent weeks have raised eyebrows.
Trump cut short a Pennsylvania town hall this week to listen and sway to music for more than half an hour. “Let’s make it into a music fest,” Trump said. “Who the hell wants to hear questions, right?”
In an interview with Bloomberg News at the Chicago Economic Club Tuesday, Trump downplayed the Capitol riot and struggled to respond when confronted about the costs of his economic plans
Trump later claimed he was “hoodwinked” into the interview.
During an all-women Fox News town hall that aired Wednesday, Trump declared himself the “father of IVF,” a decades-old fertility treatment that has come under threat since overturning Roe v. Wade — which Trump has repeatedly bragged about ending.
DonOld is asking for a sitdown with Rupert Murdoch. This is from MEDIAITE’s Isaac Schorr. “Donald Trump Outlines His Demands For Rupert Murdoch Live On Fox News Ahead of Private Meeting: ‘I Don’t Know If He’s Thrilled.’”
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump outlined his demands for conservative media mogul Rupert Murdoch live on Fox News Friday morning, musing that Murdoch should stop airing negative ads and allowing Democratic guests on the network in the run up to Election Day.
After Fox & Friends’ Lawrence Jones thanked Trump for appearing on the show Friday, the former president jumped back in to ask Jones and his co-hosts, “You know what the event I have now?”
“No,” said Brian Kilmeade.
“A very big event,” continued the former president. “I’m going to see Rupert Murdoch.”
A pensive Kilmeade replied, “Alright,” and Steve Doocy exclaimed, “Okay!” before Trump pressed on.
“That’s a big event. I don’t know if he’s thrilled that I say it. And I’m going to tell him, I’m gonna tell him something very simple because I can’t talk to anybody else about it: Don’t put on negative commercials for 21 days, don’t put them. And don’t put on the air their horrible people. They come and lie. I’m going to say, ‘Rupert, please do it this way.’”
“Right,” interjected Kilmeade.
“And then we’re going to have a victory, because I think everyone wants that,” concluded Trump.
Salon Fellow Griffin Eckstein reports that Faux News Reader Brett Baier is very sorry about his behavior during his interview with Vice President Harris. “”I did make a mistake”: Baier apologizes for playing edited Trump clip in Harris interview. The Fox News anchor’s deceptive video clip left out Trump’s remarks about “enemies from within.”
Fox News anchor Bret Baier is apologizing for playing a misleadingly edited clip in an interview with Vice President Kamala Harris.
Harris sat down with Baier on Wednesday for a tense interview, in which the “Special Report” host repeatedly cut off and chastised the Democratic candidate. One exchange in particular gave the game away.
When Harris admonished former President Trump over suggestions that he’d sic the military on his political opponents, Baier aired a portion of a Trump interview that omitted his comments against “the enemy from within.”
“I’m not threatening anybody,” Trump said in the clip Baier played. “They’re the ones doing the threatening.”
In a Thursday night episode of “Report,” Baier owned up his misdirection.
“I wanna say that I did make a mistake,” Baier admitted. “When I called for a soundbite, I was expecting a piece of the ‘enemy from within’ from Maria Bartiromo’s interview, to be tied to the piece from [Harris Faulkner’s ]town hall.”
Baier went on to play the intended clip for his audience, though Harris was still able to get her point across the previous night despite the misleading edit.
“You and I both know that he has talked about turning the American military on the American people,” the vice president said on Wednesday. “In a democracy, the president of the United States, in the United States of America, should be willing to be able to handle criticism without saying he would lock people up for doing it.”
Even the New York Times is noticing DonOld’s crazy demeanor and speech these days. “Trump’s Meandering Speeches Motivate His Critics and Worry His Allies. Some advisers and allies of former President Donald J. Trump are concerned about his scattershot style on the campaign trail as he continues to veer off script.” This is reported by Michael C. Bender.
Now, some Trump advisers and allies say privately they are concerned that the dynamic may be repeating itself four years later. They worry that Mr. Trump’s impetuousness and scattershot style on the campaign trail needlessly risk victory in battleground states where the margin for error is increasingly narrow.
At a time when his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, has stepped up her attacks on him as “unstable,” Mr. Trump has struggled to publicly hone his message by veering off script and ramping up personal attacks on Ms. Harris that allies have urged him to rein in.
“When he’s good, he’s great, and when he’s off message, he’s not so great,” said David Urban, a Trump adviser. “I don’t think anyone is really changing their mind at this point, but when he distracts from his biggest, broadest messaging, it’s counterproductive because the Harris campaign uses it to turn out their voters.”
During a speech on Saturday in California, he described mail-in ballots as “so corrupt,” reviving one of his false attacks on the 2020 election results, and did a play-by-play of his internal thoughts when he watched SpaceX, Elon Musk’s spaceflight company, fly a rocket back onto its launch site.
On Sunday, in response to a question on Fox News about the possibility of foreign adversaries’ meddling in the election, he reverted to autocratic language by saying “the bigger problem is the enemy from within.” On Monday, he halted a town-hall event in suburban Philadelphia after five questions when two people in the crowd needed medical attention. He spent roughly the next half-hour playing D.J., swaying and grooving in front of his crowd to a playlist he curated from the stage. “Let’s just listen to music,” he said.
Last week, he canceled a CBS interview on “60 Minutes,” in which he and Ms. Harris were both scheduled to appear — and has not stopped talking about it. He complained about it during events in Detroit and Reno, Nev., and again on Monday in a social media post at 1:12 a.m.
All of this makes me wonder if he doesn’t care about winning or if he’s just relying on a country-wide repeat J6 event and his cronies planted in positions to disrupt the voting process in many states. It might be he has other things on his rapidly disintegrating mind. Just a few hours ago, Judge Tanya Chutkin, keeper of the American Way and the U.S. Constitution, allowed the Special Counsel to open up the floodgates of evidence. This is from CNN. “Special counsel releases trove of redacted documents in 2020 election subversion case against Trump.” October Surprise, perhaps? Care to Dance in the Moonlight with me?
Special counsel Jack Smith on Friday released a massive trove of heavily redacted documents in his 2020 election subversion criminal case against former President Donald Trump.
There are nearly 2,000 pages in a massive trove of documents released Friday, but nearly all of the pages appear to be completely redacted.
The redacted appendices filed on the public docket in the case are related to Smith’s expansive filing from earlier this month that laid out his fullest picture yet of the case against Trump and Smith’s belief that his actions around the 2020 election should not be shielded by presidential immunity.
One volume is filled with sealed pages as well as tweets and other social media posts from Trump, his campaign and allies, including some posted during the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
One of the tweets include Trump’s post that day that Vice President Mike Pence “didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done” that day in supporting his effort to change the election results.
Others include a myriad of claims of voter fraud during the 2020 election.
Prosecutors have argued that these tweets from Trump should be allowed to be used in the trial because they were personal in nature or part of his campaigning efforts and not his official duties as president.
The documents were released a day after Judge Tanya Chutkan rejected a bid by Trump to pause the release. Trump argued that posting the documents now could be seen as election inference and had asked them to remain under seal until after Election Day.
“If the court withheld information that the public otherwise had a right to access solely because of the potential political consequences of releasing it, that withholding could itself constitute – or appear to be – election interference,” Chutkan wrote in a decision late Thursday.
Another volume contains memos from lawyer John Eastman with a plan for Pence to reject the congressional certification of the 2020 election. The volume also includes a public statement Trump released the night before January 6 claiming he and Pence were on the same page about the congressional certification, Trump’s prepared remarks for his speech on January 6, and fundraising emails sent out by his 2020 campaign in the days before January 6.
Pence’s letter to Congress on January 6 explaining why he could not reject certifying the election and a transcript of Trump’s 2023 CNN town hall are also included in the documents.
The redacted files were expected to include an array of materials, including grand jury transcripts and notes from FBI interviews conducted during the yearslong investigation.
This was a big news dump week. Hopefully, the death of Yahya Sinwar will lead to a peaceful conclusion to this latest Mid-Eastern War. I’m not sure that’s what Bibi wants, but I’m sure the return of the hostages and a ceasefire would be a good start to ending hostilities. This is from Reuters. “Yahya Sinwar threw stick at drone just before death, according to Israel video. “
Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was tracked by an Israeli mini drone as he lay dying in the ruins of a building in southern Gaza and filmed him slumped in a chair covered in dust, according to video released by Israeli authorities on Thursday. As the drone hovered nearby, the video showed him throwing a stick at it, in an apparent act of desperation or defiance. Not long afterwards, the military said, a tank shell was fired into the building. After an intensive manhunt that had lasted for more than a year, the Israeli troops that killed Sinwar were initially unaware that they had caught their country’s number one enemy after a gun battle on Wednesday, Israeli officials said. Dental records, fingerprints and DNA testing provided final confirmation of Sinwar’s death for Israel and on Friday, Hamas confirmed their leader had been killed. Intelligence services had been gradually restricting the area where Sinwar could operate, the military said. But unlike other militant leaders tracked down by Israel, including Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on July 13, the encounter which finally killed Sinwar was not a planned and targeted strike, or an operation carried out by elite commandos.
The seven days of Sukkot started last night. The Jewish Harvest Holiday lasts 7 days, and I’m sure there will be much celebration that there will be one less terrorist plotting another atrocity like October 7th. May all who observe find it in their hearts to search for peace and reconciliation with Israel’s innocent Palestinian neighbors. You would think eventually, we would all be way over all those who try to turn neighbors against each other. I know I’m hopeful we can get a better outcome here if we all just get out and vote for Kamala and Tim. What’s on your reading and blogging list today?
https://skydancingblog.com/2024/10/18/finally-friday-reads-full-on-full-moon-crazy/
#Repeat1968JohnBuss #FullMoonMadness #SpecialCounselJackSmith #TrumpSDementia
#trumpsdementia #specialcounseljacksmith #fullmoonmadness #repeat1968johnbuss
Sky Dancing @[email protected] · 2025-07-11 · 18:48 UTC
Frantic Friday Reads: More Fresh Hells

“What is wrong with you people?” John Buss, @repeat1968

Good Day, Sky Dancers!
I can’t decide which is worse. The distractions created to avoid the constant bad news or the events themselves. What I really can’t believe is the number of news outlets that can’t manage to stay on the real headlines. They’ve been bad this week. ICE continues to be the jackbooted thugs: omnipresent and well-funded, as with all fascist-loving monsters. Deportations continue to rock families and communities. The number of deaths from floods and tropical storms is rising while Homeland Security has managed to make Heckuva Job Brownie official. No one has seen the head of FEMA in days now. The only thing we see of Kristi Noem is more trashy outfits. Drunk Pete Hegseth has gone rogue. The attack on the Federal Reserve continues as Yam Tits puts illegal tariffs on Brazil. Evidently, tariff policy is based on the relationship between a country and our dotard FARTUS. Oh, and if your local groups of White Evangelical Christians weren’t annoying enough, they are now allowed by the IRS to fully promote candidates. I can assure that was something they’ve been doing since the 1980s with pulpit talk, egging folks to harass their neighbors. I can’t even imagine the grief local candidates will get with this move.
So, since I’ve been the victim of politicized White Christian Nationalists, I’ll just start with that story. Salon‘s Amanda Marcotte has this analysis. “Trump’s IRS payola for churches will backfire on evangelicals. Millions have already left right-wing Christianity because of politics.” It’s nice to know some are fleeing the alternative facts universe for churches that take all of Jesus’ teachings to heart. I see this battle daily in a lot of Christian friends on Facebook besieged by the ones that I could throw any number of gospel admonitions at that they never seem to hear or read about. They must never cover anything in Matthew or James. Jimmy Swaggert just died, but his dreadful influence lives on.
For liberals living outside the world of the Christian right, it may not seem like a major change. On Monday, the IRS revoked a long-standing rule that stripped tax-exempt status from churches that endorse political candidates. From a horse-race view of elections, this may not make a difference. While conservative pastors may have technically avoided the words “vote for Donald Trump” or “vote for Republicans” in the past, the expectation was transmitted to followers in ways that weren’t exactly subtle: Calling for the reinstatement of prayer in public schools, for “a time of national repentance” in America and even for Supreme Court vacancies to allow for the appointment of “righteous” judges.
Nor was it just that right-wing ministers were expressing Republican-shaped views about everything from LGBTQ rights to tax laws from the pulpit. Outside church walls, the massive ecosphere of Christian media hammered the message day in and day out: Democrats are demonic, and voting for them will send you to hell.
Predictably, many on the Christian right rejoiced over the decision. Robert Jeffress, a Texas megachurch pastor who claimed the IRS investigated him for supporting Donald Trump, told ABC News, “The IRS has no business dictating what can be said from the pulpit.” Craig DeRoche of the Christian Post argued, falsely, that the rule existed “not to protect democracy, but to silence opposition.”
It’s not a surprise that right-wing ministers are salivating at the chance to cater to powerful politicians while simultaneously keeping more money in their pockets. But this decision is shortsighted, particularly if they want to stymie the already significant losses in membership rolls that Christian churches have seen in the past couple of decades. They may come to rue the day they took what amounts to payola to champion Trump ahead of Jesus Christ.
Frankly, it’s hard to imagine that Trump will benefit from this politically, even if he, as he clearly hopes, gets the go-ahead from the Supreme Court for an illegal campaign for a third term. He has already captured the white evangelical vote to the tune of 80 percent in 2024, and although his approval numbers have slipped with most other demographics, these supporters have remained steadfast. Even if ministers had been allowed to endorse in the last presidential election cycle, it’s unlikely Trump would have done better among white evangelicals.
But Trump has an insatiable need for praise, and he has long been fixated on repealing the Johnson Amendment, which is the rule that prevented ministers from open endorsement. For Republicans in state and local races, this is a big deal. Campaign finance spending will go much further if directed to churches, where donors get a tax deduction, instead of to political parties and action groups, which cannot offer that benefit.
If they want the benefit of overt political action, then the IRS should drop their tax exemptions. As a long-time member of both Presbyterian and Methodist denominations at one time, I’ve participated eagerly in Social Justice Actions. These benefit a particular group of people and not one politician or party, and allow you to work for a principal. It’s a big difference. There’s no reason they can’t do their traditional callings without being servile to the likes of Yam Tits. But, then this has become a whole ‘nother country. The lessening of support for ICE Actions against legal immigrants and people in the process of becoming legal has turned the page on the popularity of Trump’s actions. I heard the Good Samaritan parable a lot, and when I was a Sunday School teacher, it was still central to Methodist theology. Perhaps, the lessons stuck with many.
Here’s how it’s going on the frontline. This is from NBC News. “ICE handcuffs 71-year-old grandmother, a U.S. citizen, at San Diego immigration court. Barbara Stone was handcuffed and held by federal agents for hours, according to her family; she was accused of pushing an ICE officer, which she denies.
A grandmother planning to document Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests at the San Diego courthouse instead became herself the story on Tuesday, after video of her arrest began circulating online.
The 71-year-old woman, U.S. citizen Barbara Stone, was accused of pushing an ICE agent and was placed in custody for several hours. Stone denied the allegation to NBC 7 on Wednesday.
Stone was handcuffed and held by federal agents for eight hours, according to her family.
“I have a large bruise there,” Stone said on Wednesday. “I feel mentally and physically traumatized.”
A video of the incident shared with NBC 7 shows the moment tensions started to boil over.
NBC 7 made several attempts to contact ICE about the incident but was referred to the Federal Protective Service, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security. FPS has not responded to a request for comment.
It takes some real men to be threated by a 71 year-old grandmother with a clipboard and pen. Gallup Poll reports that the “Surge in U.S. Concern About Immigration Has Abated.” This is reported by Lydia Saad.
Americans have grown markedly more positive toward immigration over the past year, with the share wanting immigration reduced dropping from 55% in 2024 to 30% today. At the same time, a record-high 79% of U.S. adults say immigration is a good thing for the country.
These shifts reverse a four-year trend of rising concern about immigration that began in 2021 and reflect changes among all major party groups.
With illegal border crossings down sharply this year, fewer Americans than in June 2024 back hard-line border enforcement measures, while more favor offering pathways to citizenship for undocumented immigrants already in the U.S.
These findings are based on a June 2-26 Gallup poll of 1,402 U.S. adults, including oversamples of Hispanic and Black Americans, weighted to match national demographics.
The same poll finds many more Americans disapproving than approving of President Donald Trump’s handling of immigration. Trump’s 21% approval rating on the issue among Hispanic adults is below his 35% rating nationally, with the deficit likely reflecting that group’s low support for some of the administration’s signature immigration policies.
After climbing to 55% in 2024, the percentage of Americans who say immigration should be reduced has dropped by nearly half to 30%. Sentiment is thus back to the level measured in 2021, before the desire for less immigration started to mount. Meanwhile, 38% now want immigration kept at its current level, and 26% say it should be increased.
I guess they finally got the message that their food and many items will be hard to find and expensive to buy if this continues. Just a little of me wants to say it because their mamas taught them a few things about loving their neighbors. Fortunately, and with the help of Congressman Steve Scalise, hundreds of letters written by neighbors brought Mandonna Kashanian back to her home in the Lake Front area of New Orleans and to her American husband of 35 years and daughter. This is from local TV station WDSU. I can’t tell you the ugly, nasty letters filled with misinformation that accompanied news about Mrs. Kashanian. It seems people feel the need to be downright hateful these days.
The worst headline I’ve seen on how we treat folks trying to immigrate here is the ones about spiriting them off to hellholes from which they will not return. Many of them are abroad. “‘We find another country’: Homan says Trump administration looking to make deals with several countries to accept deportees.The border czar also said he was unsure of the status of the eight men recently sent to South Sudan — or whether they are detained there — saying that they are no longer in U.S. custody. The border czar also said he was unsure of the status of the eight men recently sent to South Sudan — or whether they are detained there — saying that they are no longer in U.S. custody.” The so-called border czar is the gatekeeper to hell. This headline is from Politico as reported by Myah Ward and Kyle Cheney.
Border czar Tom Homan said the Trump administration hopes to forge deals with “many countries” to accept deported migrants from the United States — when their home countries can’t, or won’t, take them back.
Homan spoke with POLITICO’s Dasha Burns for The Conversation in the wake of a recent Supreme Court ruling that cleared the way for eight men to be deported to South Sudan, a nation that the State Department has warned Americans is too dangerous for all but essential personnel.
Homan said he was unsure of the status of the eight men — or whether they are detained there — saying that they are no longer in U.S. custody.
“They’re living in Sudan. And will they stay in Sudan? I don’t know,” he said. “When we sign these agreements with all these countries, we make arrangements to make sure these countries are receiving these people and there’s opportunities for these people. But I can’t tell if we remove somebody to Sudan — they can stay there a week and leave. I don’t know.”
The deportations to places like South Sudan and El Salvador where migrants have no connections have raised concerns among lawyers and immigrant advocates who fear for the men’s safety in countries with a history of human rights violations.
Past administrations have also deported foreigners to countries where they have no previous ties, but Trump’s deals have drawn more scrutiny — both with South Sudan, one of the most dangerous and war-torn nations on earth, and El Salvador, where migrants were sent to the country’s notorious mega-prison.
We all know now that we too are home to a hellhole not suprisingly placed in Florida. There are cages for everyone there. So-called Alligator Alcatraz has not allowed detainees to see their lawyers, nor will it allow Florida Congress members to see the facility, calling it “unsafe.” Local ABC News affiiate, Channel 7, has this headline. “DHS disputes dire conditions at Alligator Alcatraz.”
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is denying reports of improper living conditions for detainees at Alligator Alcatraz after reports of a hospitalization surfaced.
Reports this week have claimed that the detainees at the detention facility in the Florida Everglades are surrounded by toilets that don’t flush, temperatures ranging from freezing to sweltering, little to no access to showers, less confidential calls with an attorney, and even a hospitalization, according to the Miami Herald.
However, DHS took to X to debunk those claims, stating that the detainees are properly cared for.

Furthermore, the Assistant Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Tricia McLaughlin, said on X that no detainees at Alligator Alcatraz have been hospitalized. She continued to state that one was transported but was returned to the detention center in an hour and a half.
According to our news partners at CBS News Miami, one of the detainees living in poor conditions at the detention center is Cuban reggaeton artist Leamsy La Figura, who was arrested in Miami-Dade County for assault. He claims there’s no water to shower, the lights stay on all day, and the food is limited and sometimes spoiled.
In a phone call to CBS News Miami, La Figura described the conditions he and the other detainees are facing.
“I am Leamsy La Figura. We’ve been here at Alcatraz since Friday. There’s over 400 people here. There’s no water to take a bath, it’s been four days since I’ve taken a bath,” he said.
The facility is run by the state of Florida. CBS News Miami has reached out to the Florida Department of Emergency Management (FDEM) for comment on the alleged conditions.
Additionally, CBS News Miami said that Mayor Daniella Levine Cava of Miami-Dade is asking for access to the detention facility due to concerns over reported deaths and dangerous conditions at immigration centers across the state.
Mayor Levine Cava has said that a total of five people have died while in immigration custody in Florida so far.
As more information about Trump, Epstein, and underage girls comes to light. I’m sure we’re going to get more distractions as well as more bumbling of floods and their victims. Wired has this up today about Epstein’s death. Rumors are flying about like the flies and mosquitoes around Alligator Alcatraz. “Metadata Shows the FBI’s ‘Raw’ Jeffrey Epstein Prison Video Was Likely Modified. There is no evidence the footage was deceptively manipulated, but ambiguities around how the video was processed may further fuel conspiracy theories about Epstein’s death.” I’m sure MAGA will be excited about this.
The United States Department of Justice this week released nearly 11 hours of what it described as “full raw” surveillance footage from a camera positioned near Jeffrey Epstein’s prison cell the night before he was found dead. The release was intended to address conspiracy theories about Epstein’s apparent suicide in federal custody. But instead of putting those suspicions to rest, it may fuel them further.
Metadata embedded in the video and analyzed by WIRED and independent video forensics experts shows that rather than being a direct export from the prison’s surveillance system, the footage was modified, likely using the professional editing tool Adobe Premiere Pro. The file appears to have been assembled from at least two source clips, saved multiple times, exported, and then uploaded to the DOJ’s website, where it was presented as “raw” footage.
Experts caution that it’s unclear what exactly was changed, and that the metadata does not prove deceptive manipulation. The video may have simply been processed for public release using available software, with no modifications beyond stitching together two clips. But the absence of a clear explanation for the processing of the file using professional editing software complicates the Justice Department’s narrative. In a case already clouded by suspicion, the ambiguity surrounding how the file was processed is likely to provide fresh fodder for conspiracy theories.
Remember all this happened, under Trump’s first administration, albeit it was more competent than this one. There is a scoop at Axios that might light a fire under the entire Epstein affairs. This is reported by Marc Caputo. It feels like a mic drop. “Scoop: FBI’s Dan Bongino clashes with AG Bondi over handling of Epstein files.” We could have a new Agatha Christie adventure called Death by Rumor. Remind me, this is a Friday right? The traditional slow news day?
FBI deputy director Dan Bongino took a day off from work Friday after clashing at the White House with Attorney General Pam Bondi over their handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, four sources familiar with the conflict told Axios.
Why it matters: The dispute erupted Wednesday amid the fallout of the administration walking back its claims about Epstein by determining the convicted sex offender didn’t have a celebrity “client list,” and that he wasn’t murdered in his New York City prison cell in 2019.
Bongino didn’t come to work Friday, leading some insiders to believe he had quit. But administration officials say he’s still on the job, even as the internal tension over the Epstein case continues.
A source close to Bongino, though, said “he ain’t coming back.”
Zoom in: At the center of the argument: a surveillance video from outside Epstein’s cell that the administration released, saying it was proof no one had entered the room before he killed himself.
The 10-hour video had what has widely been called a “missing minute,” fueling conspiracy theories in MAGA’s online world about a cover-up involving Epstein’s death.
The “missing minute,” authorities say, stemmed from an old surveillance recording system that goes down each day at midnight to reset and record anew. It takes a minute for that process to occur, which effectively means that 60 seconds of every day aren’t recorded.
Bongino — who had pushed Epstein conspiracy theories as a MAGA-friendly podcast host before President Trump appointed him to help lead the FBI — had found the video and touted it publicly and privately as proof that Epstein hadn’t been murdered.
That conclusion — shared by FBI Director Kash Patel, another conspiracy theorist-turned-insider — angered many in Trump’s MAGA base, criticism that increased after Axios first reported the release of the video and a related memo.
After the video’s “missing minute” was discovered, Bongino was blamed internally for the oversight, according to three sources.
Two sources familiar with Bongino’s position say he was increasingly displeased with Bondi’s handling of the Epstein case because she had publicly overpromised and underdelivered disclosures about an Epstein “client list” that apparently never existed.
The intrigue: MAGA influencer Laura Loomer, a Bondi critic, first reported Friday on X that Bongino left work and that he and Patel were “furious” with the way Bondi had handled the case.
Some Trump advisers have criticized Bondi, but Trump “loves Pam and thinks she’s great,” a senior White House official said.
Those witnessing the Wednesday clash between Bondi and Bongino in the White House were Patel, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich.
Inside the room: During the meeting, Bongino was confronted about a NewsNation article that said he and Patel wanted more information released about Epstein earlier, but were held back. Bongino denied leaking that idea.
“Pam said her piece. Dan said his piece. It didn’t end on friendly terms,” said one person briefed on the heated discussion. Bongino left angry, the source said.
I’m only going to show the headline for this one from the WSJ. It just shows how much institutions are caving to presidential interference. “Harvard Explores New Center for Conservative Scholarship Amid Trump Attacks. The Ivy League school has discussed an effort to ‘support viewpoint diversity’ with potential donors, says it ‘will not be partisan’.” I suppose the devil is in the details here. Traditional American Conservatism is not what we generally see today.
Harvard leaders have discussed creating a program that people briefed on the talks described as a center for conservative scholarship, possibly modeled on Stanford’s Hoover Institution, as the school fights the Trump administration’s accusations that it is too liberal.
The idea has circulated at the university for several years but gained steam after pro-Palestinian protests began disrupting campus in late 2023. Harvard has discussed the effort with potential donors, people familiar with the matter said. The cost of creating such a center could run somewhere between $500 million and $1 billion, a person familiar with Harvard’s thinking estimated.
A spokesman for Harvard said an initiative under discussion “will ensure exposure to the broadest ranges of perspectives on issues, and will not be partisan, but rather will model the use of evidence-based, rigorous logic and a willingness to engage with opposing views.” He added that the school has been accelerating efforts to set up the initiative, which would “promote and support viewpoint diversity.”
A 2024 survey by Harvard found that only one-third of the college’s graduating class felt comfortable discussing controversial topics, and a 2023 survey by the student newspaper found that just 3% of faculty at Harvard College identified as politically conservative.
Harvard President Alan Garber helped promote an “intellectual vitality” program to reinvigorate debate on campus and ensure students engage in discussions free of self-censorship.
Okay, one last topic. It’s a big one. Trump is basically giving tariff exemptions to countries he likes. He’s throwing random tariffs at countries that do not please him. There’s a lot on this today, including some major analysis by Paul Krugman. Let me just list these reads so you my check them out. I’m glad to answer any questions regarding the application of tariffs in the comments. I’m not a lawyer, so I’ll leave the legal analysis to those who are.
Rebecca Ratcliffe / The Guardian: Shunned Myanmar leader thrilled at US contact after Trump tariff letter
Myanmar’s military leader has praised Donald Trump and asked him to lift sanctions, as the junta sought to capitalise on a tariff letter from the US president believed to be Washington’s first public recognition of its rule.
Min Aung Hlaing, who has been in power since a 2021 coup, expressed his “sincere appreciation” for Trump’s letter, which threatened a tariff of 40% on its goods, and commended the US president or his “strong leadership” and for guiding the US “toward national prosperity with the spirit of a true patriot”.
US diplomats do not officially engage with Min Aung Hlaing or the ruling junta, which seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. It was among a tranche of almost identical letters sent by Trump to world leaders on Monday.
Stephen Robinson / Public Notice: An embarrassing exercise in economic and diplomatic futility
Donald Trump just escalated his mindlessly self-destructive trade war against our (former) economic allies — again.
On Monday, Trump sent rambling letters informing 14 nations, including major trading partners Japan and South Korea, that the US government was slapping them with significantly higher tariffs as of August 1. These tariffs are separate from his previously announced sectoral tariffs on automobiles, steel, and aluminum. (This week, he also announced a 50 percent tariff on copper imports for August 1.) Trump sent more letters sporadically through the week, with an especially bonkers one to Brazil threatening a 50 percent tariff if the government proceeds with its prosecution of Trump’s partner in coups, Jair Bolsonaro.
Then, as this newsletter was being finalized yesterday, Trump announced a new 35 percent tariff on Canada, citing debunked claims about the country turning a blind eye to fentanyl flowing into the United States.
Trump’s new August 1 deadline is completely arbitrary, and his tariff numbers aren’t grounded in any rational economic policy. As everyone seems to understand but the president and his sycophants, these new tariffs will result in increased prices on goods Americans need and can’t magically produce ourselves. Other nations won’t shoulder the costs from tariffs. We will.
And hereis the link to Paul Krugman’s latest. “Trump’s Brazil Tariff Is Blatantly Illegal. Shouldn’t someone be suing?” And here I am still laughing over him writing to the Japanese PM Ishba as Mister Japan. Krugman writes at his SubStack.
I wrote the other day about Trump’s Brazil tariff, which is, as I said, evil and megalomaniacal. But I forgot to point out that it’s blatantly illegal. Maybe — probably — the Supreme Court is so corrupt at this point that it will ratify anything Trump does. But can’t we at least put them on the spot? Can’t we force Scott Bessent to explain why he supports such a grotesque abuse of presidential power?
Let’s be clear: U.S. law does give the executive branch a lot of discretion to impose tariffs without additional legislation. It does this for a reason: Temporary tariffs were intended to serve as a political pressure-release valve that would make low tariffs emerging from international agreements sustainable. This worked well as long as we had responsible presidents; it has been a disaster under Trump. Still, he does have a lot of legal authority to set tariffs.
But that authority is by no means open-ended. Tariffs can be imposed only for specific reasons:
Section 201: Market disruption Basically, if a sudden import surge puts a U.S. industry in danger, temporary tariffs can be imposed to give the industry time to adapt
Section 232: National security Tariffs can be used to sustain industries we might need during international confrontations
Section 301: Unfair practices Tariffs can be used to offset, say, foreign export subsidies
Anti-dumping duties Tariffs can be imposed when foreign companies are selling below cost
International Economic Emergency The president has broad tariff-setting powers during an economic crisis
Trump has hugely abused all these justifications, especially the last. There is no economic emergency. According to Trump himself, things are great …
And, remember it’s just a litttle rain and the average price of gas in New Orleans isn’t $2.76. It’s $1.98.
Okay, one more and I may hit a record of 5000 words in one post. The deal is that there is so much shit going on I’d need a magazine to publish just the excerpts. What Fresh Hell is this? This is from Sidney Blumenthal writing at The Guardian. “Donald Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ is the ultimate betrayal of his base. The measure exposes the most elaborate charade in recent US political history. But betrayal is Trump’s operating principle.”
Donald Trump’s so-called “big, beautiful bill”, which will eviscerate the living standards, healthcare and aspirations of his white, working-class base, conclusively draws the curtain down on his Maga populist conceit, the most elaborate charade in recent American political history.
The price will be staggering: $1tn in cuts to Medicaid; throwing 17 million people off health coverage closing rural hospitals and women’s health clinics; battering food assistance for families, children and veterans; the virtual destruction of US solar and wind energy manufacturing; limiting access to financial aid for college; and, according to the Yale Budget Lab, adding $3tn to the national debt over the next decade, inexorably leading to raised interest rates, which will depress the housing market. These are the harsh, brutal and undeniable realities of Trumpism in the glare of day as opposed to his carnival act about how he will never touch such benefits.
The president’s Maga populism has been a collection of oddities reminiscent of PT Barnum’s museum on lower Broadway before the civil war that exhibited a 10ft tall fake petrified man, the original bearded lady and the Fiji mermaid, the tail of a large fish sewn on to a bewigged mannequin. Trump attached plutocracy to populism to construct the Maga beast. But after the passage of the bill, the Fiji mermaid that is Maga has come apart at the seams, the head separated from the tail.
“I just want you to know,” Trump said as he signed the bill, “if you see anything negative put out by Democrats, it’s all a con job.” He claimed the law was the “single most popular bill ever signed”. It is, in fact, the most unpopular piece of legislation since George W Bush proposed partial privatization of social security, which he abandoned without a single congressional vote. A Quinnipiac poll showed 53% opposing Trump’s bill, with only 27% support – 26 points underwater.
At a meeting where Trump lobbied Republican House members to vote for his bill, he told them it would not cut Medicaid because that would damage their electoral prospects. “But we’re touching Medicaid in this bill,” one Republican member complained to the publication Notus. In response to the obvious contradiction, a White House spokesperson issued a statement that the bill would “protect Medicaid”. Problem solved.
Even if Trump didn’t actually know what was in his bill, too bored to pay attention to minute details or even if he was pulling a con, he coerced the Republicans into walking the plank. If he didn’t know, they certainly knew what was in the bill and they hated it. But they feared his retribution if they did not vote for it, even though it would severely harm their base and trample their own principles. The Freedom Caucus of far-right House members who boldly declared that the debt was the hill they would die on simply folded.
Hopefully, it will soon be the Winter of Discontent because this is the summer of rebranding Fresh Hells.
Well, not quite 5000 words, but very close. 4866
What’s on your reading and blogging list today?

I want an overkill button.
Here’s to Ozzy’s last concert. He made my first year of university in the land of Nebraska more meaningful. He’s struggling with Parkinson’s disease.

#TrumpCult #WeAreSoFucked #AlligatorAlcatraz #DanBongino #HarvardCaves #Hellraiser #IRSOksPulpitPolitics #KristiNoemSociopathAndCunt #LongLiveOzzy #lordOfTheLivingDead #PamBondiWeirdo #TariffsAreStillHigh #TomHomanDemonBringer #WhiteChristianNationalists
#trumpcult #wearesofucked #alligatoralcatraz #danbongino #harvardcaves #hellraiser
Sky Dancing @[email protected] · 2025-07-11 · 18:48 UTC
Frantic Friday Reads: More Fresh Hells

“What is wrong with you people?” John Buss, @repeat1968

Good Day, Sky Dancers!
I can’t decide which is worse. The distractions created to avoid the constant bad news or the events themselves. What I really can’t believe is the number of news outlets that can’t manage to stay on the real headlines. They’ve been bad this week. ICE continues to be the jackbooted thugs: omnipresent and well-funded, as with all fascist-loving monsters. Deportations continue to rock families and communities. The number of deaths from floods and tropical storms is rising while Homeland Security has managed to make Heckuva Job Brownie official. No one has seen the head of FEMA in days now. The only thing we see of Kristi Noem is more trashy outfits. Drunk Pete Hegseth has gone rogue. The attack on the Federal Reserve continues as Yam Tits puts illegal tariffs on Brazil. Evidently, tariff policy is based on the relationship between a country and our dotard FARTUS. Oh, and if your local groups of White Evangelical Christians weren’t annoying enough, they are now allowed by the IRS to fully promote candidates. I can assure that was something they’ve been doing since the 1980s with pulpit talk, egging folks to harass their neighbors. I can’t even imagine the grief local candidates will get with this move.
So, since I’ve been the victim of politicized White Christian Nationalists, I’ll just start with that story. Salon‘s Amanda Marcotte has this analysis. “Trump’s IRS payola for churches will backfire on evangelicals. Millions have already left right-wing Christianity because of politics.” It’s nice to know some are fleeing the alternative facts universe for churches that take all of Jesus’ teachings to heart. I see this battle daily in a lot of Christian friends on Facebook besieged by the ones that I could throw any number of gospel admonitions at that they never seem to hear or read about. They must never cover anything in Matthew or James. Jimmy Swaggert just died, but his dreadful influence lives on.
For liberals living outside the world of the Christian right, it may not seem like a major change. On Monday, the IRS revoked a long-standing rule that stripped tax-exempt status from churches that endorse political candidates. From a horse-race view of elections, this may not make a difference. While conservative pastors may have technically avoided the words “vote for Donald Trump” or “vote for Republicans” in the past, the expectation was transmitted to followers in ways that weren’t exactly subtle: Calling for the reinstatement of prayer in public schools, for “a time of national repentance” in America and even for Supreme Court vacancies to allow for the appointment of “righteous” judges.
Nor was it just that right-wing ministers were expressing Republican-shaped views about everything from LGBTQ rights to tax laws from the pulpit. Outside church walls, the massive ecosphere of Christian media hammered the message day in and day out: Democrats are demonic, and voting for them will send you to hell.
Predictably, many on the Christian right rejoiced over the decision. Robert Jeffress, a Texas megachurch pastor who claimed the IRS investigated him for supporting Donald Trump, told ABC News, “The IRS has no business dictating what can be said from the pulpit.” Craig DeRoche of the Christian Post argued, falsely, that the rule existed “not to protect democracy, but to silence opposition.”
It’s not a surprise that right-wing ministers are salivating at the chance to cater to powerful politicians while simultaneously keeping more money in their pockets. But this decision is shortsighted, particularly if they want to stymie the already significant losses in membership rolls that Christian churches have seen in the past couple of decades. They may come to rue the day they took what amounts to payola to champion Trump ahead of Jesus Christ.
Frankly, it’s hard to imagine that Trump will benefit from this politically, even if he, as he clearly hopes, gets the go-ahead from the Supreme Court for an illegal campaign for a third term. He has already captured the white evangelical vote to the tune of 80 percent in 2024, and although his approval numbers have slipped with most other demographics, these supporters have remained steadfast. Even if ministers had been allowed to endorse in the last presidential election cycle, it’s unlikely Trump would have done better among white evangelicals.
But Trump has an insatiable need for praise, and he has long been fixated on repealing the Johnson Amendment, which is the rule that prevented ministers from open endorsement. For Republicans in state and local races, this is a big deal. Campaign finance spending will go much further if directed to churches, where donors get a tax deduction, instead of to political parties and action groups, which cannot offer that benefit.
If they want the benefit of overt political action, then the IRS should drop their tax exemptions. As a long-time member of both Presbyterian and Methodist denominations at one time, I’ve participated eagerly in Social Justice Actions. These benefit a particular group of people and not one politician or party, and allow you to work for a principal. It’s a big difference. There’s no reason they can’t do their traditional callings without being servile to the likes of Yam Tits. But, then this has become a whole ‘nother country. The lessening of support for ICE Actions against legal immigrants and people in the process of becoming legal has turned the page on the popularity of Trump’s actions. I heard the Good Samaritan parable a lot, and when I was a Sunday School teacher, it was still central to Methodist theology. Perhaps, the lessons stuck with many.
Here’s how it’s going on the frontline. This is from NBC News. “ICE handcuffs 71-year-old grandmother, a U.S. citizen, at San Diego immigration court. Barbara Stone was handcuffed and held by federal agents for hours, according to her family; she was accused of pushing an ICE officer, which she denies.
A grandmother planning to document Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests at the San Diego courthouse instead became herself the story on Tuesday, after video of her arrest began circulating online.
The 71-year-old woman, U.S. citizen Barbara Stone, was accused of pushing an ICE agent and was placed in custody for several hours. Stone denied the allegation to NBC 7 on Wednesday.
Stone was handcuffed and held by federal agents for eight hours, according to her family.
“I have a large bruise there,” Stone said on Wednesday. “I feel mentally and physically traumatized.”
A video of the incident shared with NBC 7 shows the moment tensions started to boil over.
NBC 7 made several attempts to contact ICE about the incident but was referred to the Federal Protective Service, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security. FPS has not responded to a request for comment.
It takes some real men to be threated by a 71 year-old grandmother with a clipboard and pen. Gallup Poll reports that the “Surge in U.S. Concern About Immigration Has Abated.” This is reported by Lydia Saad.
Americans have grown markedly more positive toward immigration over the past year, with the share wanting immigration reduced dropping from 55% in 2024 to 30% today. At the same time, a record-high 79% of U.S. adults say immigration is a good thing for the country.
These shifts reverse a four-year trend of rising concern about immigration that began in 2021 and reflect changes among all major party groups.
With illegal border crossings down sharply this year, fewer Americans than in June 2024 back hard-line border enforcement measures, while more favor offering pathways to citizenship for undocumented immigrants already in the U.S.
These findings are based on a June 2-26 Gallup poll of 1,402 U.S. adults, including oversamples of Hispanic and Black Americans, weighted to match national demographics.
The same poll finds many more Americans disapproving than approving of President Donald Trump’s handling of immigration. Trump’s 21% approval rating on the issue among Hispanic adults is below his 35% rating nationally, with the deficit likely reflecting that group’s low support for some of the administration’s signature immigration policies.
After climbing to 55% in 2024, the percentage of Americans who say immigration should be reduced has dropped by nearly half to 30%. Sentiment is thus back to the level measured in 2021, before the desire for less immigration started to mount. Meanwhile, 38% now want immigration kept at its current level, and 26% say it should be increased.
I guess they finally got the message that their food and many items will be hard to find and expensive to buy if this continues. Just a little of me wants to say it because their mamas taught them a few things about loving their neighbors. Fortunately, and with the help of Congressman Steve Scalise, hundreds of letters written by neighbors brought Mandonna Kashanian back to her home in the Lake Front area of New Orleans and to her American husband of 35 years and daughter. This is from local TV station WDSU. I can’t tell you the ugly, nasty letters filled with misinformation that accompanied news about Mrs. Kashanian. It seems people feel the need to be downright hateful these days.
The worst headline I’ve seen on how we treat folks trying to immigrate here is the ones about spiriting them off to hellholes from which they will not return. Many of them are abroad. “‘We find another country’: Homan says Trump administration looking to make deals with several countries to accept deportees.The border czar also said he was unsure of the status of the eight men recently sent to South Sudan — or whether they are detained there — saying that they are no longer in U.S. custody. The border czar also said he was unsure of the status of the eight men recently sent to South Sudan — or whether they are detained there — saying that they are no longer in U.S. custody.” The so-called border czar is the gatekeeper to hell. This headline is from Politico as reported by Myah Ward and Kyle Cheney.
Border czar Tom Homan said the Trump administration hopes to forge deals with “many countries” to accept deported migrants from the United States — when their home countries can’t, or won’t, take them back.
Homan spoke with POLITICO’s Dasha Burns for The Conversation in the wake of a recent Supreme Court ruling that cleared the way for eight men to be deported to South Sudan, a nation that the State Department has warned Americans is too dangerous for all but essential personnel.
Homan said he was unsure of the status of the eight men — or whether they are detained there — saying that they are no longer in U.S. custody.
“They’re living in Sudan. And will they stay in Sudan? I don’t know,” he said. “When we sign these agreements with all these countries, we make arrangements to make sure these countries are receiving these people and there’s opportunities for these people. But I can’t tell if we remove somebody to Sudan — they can stay there a week and leave. I don’t know.”
The deportations to places like South Sudan and El Salvador where migrants have no connections have raised concerns among lawyers and immigrant advocates who fear for the men’s safety in countries with a history of human rights violations.
Past administrations have also deported foreigners to countries where they have no previous ties, but Trump’s deals have drawn more scrutiny — both with South Sudan, one of the most dangerous and war-torn nations on earth, and El Salvador, where migrants were sent to the country’s notorious mega-prison.
We all know now that we too are home to a hellhole not suprisingly placed in Florida. There are cages for everyone there. So-called Alligator Alcatraz has not allowed detainees to see their lawyers, nor will it allow Florida Congress members to see the facility, calling it “unsafe.” Local ABC News affiiate, Channel 7, has this headline. “DHS disputes dire conditions at Alligator Alcatraz.”
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is denying reports of improper living conditions for detainees at Alligator Alcatraz after reports of a hospitalization surfaced.
Reports this week have claimed that the detainees at the detention facility in the Florida Everglades are surrounded by toilets that don’t flush, temperatures ranging from freezing to sweltering, little to no access to showers, less confidential calls with an attorney, and even a hospitalization, according to the Miami Herald.
However, DHS took to X to debunk those claims, stating that the detainees are properly cared for.

Furthermore, the Assistant Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Tricia McLaughlin, said on X that no detainees at Alligator Alcatraz have been hospitalized. She continued to state that one was transported but was returned to the detention center in an hour and a half.
According to our news partners at CBS News Miami, one of the detainees living in poor conditions at the detention center is Cuban reggaeton artist Leamsy La Figura, who was arrested in Miami-Dade County for assault. He claims there’s no water to shower, the lights stay on all day, and the food is limited and sometimes spoiled.
In a phone call to CBS News Miami, La Figura described the conditions he and the other detainees are facing.
“I am Leamsy La Figura. We’ve been here at Alcatraz since Friday. There’s over 400 people here. There’s no water to take a bath, it’s been four days since I’ve taken a bath,” he said.
The facility is run by the state of Florida. CBS News Miami has reached out to the Florida Department of Emergency Management (FDEM) for comment on the alleged conditions.
Additionally, CBS News Miami said that Mayor Daniella Levine Cava of Miami-Dade is asking for access to the detention facility due to concerns over reported deaths and dangerous conditions at immigration centers across the state.
Mayor Levine Cava has said that a total of five people have died while in immigration custody in Florida so far.
As more information about Trump, Epstein, and underage girls comes to light. I’m sure we’re going to get more distractions as well as more bumbling of floods and their victims. Wired has this up today about Epstein’s death. Rumors are flying about like the flies and mosquitoes around Alligator Alcatraz. “Metadata Shows the FBI’s ‘Raw’ Jeffrey Epstein Prison Video Was Likely Modified. There is no evidence the footage was deceptively manipulated, but ambiguities around how the video was processed may further fuel conspiracy theories about Epstein’s death.” I’m sure MAGA will be excited about this.
The United States Department of Justice this week released nearly 11 hours of what it described as “full raw” surveillance footage from a camera positioned near Jeffrey Epstein’s prison cell the night before he was found dead. The release was intended to address conspiracy theories about Epstein’s apparent suicide in federal custody. But instead of putting those suspicions to rest, it may fuel them further.
Metadata embedded in the video and analyzed by WIRED and independent video forensics experts shows that rather than being a direct export from the prison’s surveillance system, the footage was modified, likely using the professional editing tool Adobe Premiere Pro. The file appears to have been assembled from at least two source clips, saved multiple times, exported, and then uploaded to the DOJ’s website, where it was presented as “raw” footage.
Experts caution that it’s unclear what exactly was changed, and that the metadata does not prove deceptive manipulation. The video may have simply been processed for public release using available software, with no modifications beyond stitching together two clips. But the absence of a clear explanation for the processing of the file using professional editing software complicates the Justice Department’s narrative. In a case already clouded by suspicion, the ambiguity surrounding how the file was processed is likely to provide fresh fodder for conspiracy theories.
Remember all this happened, under Trump’s first administration, albeit it was more competent than this one. There is a scoop at Axios that might light a fire under the entire Epstein affairs. This is reported by Marc Caputo. It feels like a mic drop. “Scoop: FBI’s Dan Bongino clashes with AG Bondi over handling of Epstein files.” We could have a new Agatha Christie adventure called Death by Rumor. Remind me, this is a Friday right? The traditional slow news day?
FBI deputy director Dan Bongino took a day off from work Friday after clashing at the White House with Attorney General Pam Bondi over their handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, four sources familiar with the conflict told Axios.
Why it matters: The dispute erupted Wednesday amid the fallout of the administration walking back its claims about Epstein by determining the convicted sex offender didn’t have a celebrity “client list,” and that he wasn’t murdered in his New York City prison cell in 2019.
Bongino didn’t come to work Friday, leading some insiders to believe he had quit. But administration officials say he’s still on the job, even as the internal tension over the Epstein case continues.
A source close to Bongino, though, said “he ain’t coming back.”
Zoom in: At the center of the argument: a surveillance video from outside Epstein’s cell that the administration released, saying it was proof no one had entered the room before he killed himself.
The 10-hour video had what has widely been called a “missing minute,” fueling conspiracy theories in MAGA’s online world about a cover-up involving Epstein’s death.
The “missing minute,” authorities say, stemmed from an old surveillance recording system that goes down each day at midnight to reset and record anew. It takes a minute for that process to occur, which effectively means that 60 seconds of every day aren’t recorded.
Bongino — who had pushed Epstein conspiracy theories as a MAGA-friendly podcast host before President Trump appointed him to help lead the FBI — had found the video and touted it publicly and privately as proof that Epstein hadn’t been murdered.
That conclusion — shared by FBI Director Kash Patel, another conspiracy theorist-turned-insider — angered many in Trump’s MAGA base, criticism that increased after Axios first reported the release of the video and a related memo.
After the video’s “missing minute” was discovered, Bongino was blamed internally for the oversight, according to three sources.
Two sources familiar with Bongino’s position say he was increasingly displeased with Bondi’s handling of the Epstein case because she had publicly overpromised and underdelivered disclosures about an Epstein “client list” that apparently never existed.
The intrigue: MAGA influencer Laura Loomer, a Bondi critic, first reported Friday on X that Bongino left work and that he and Patel were “furious” with the way Bondi had handled the case.
Some Trump advisers have criticized Bondi, but Trump “loves Pam and thinks she’s great,” a senior White House official said.
Those witnessing the Wednesday clash between Bondi and Bongino in the White House were Patel, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich.
Inside the room: During the meeting, Bongino was confronted about a NewsNation article that said he and Patel wanted more information released about Epstein earlier, but were held back. Bongino denied leaking that idea.
“Pam said her piece. Dan said his piece. It didn’t end on friendly terms,” said one person briefed on the heated discussion. Bongino left angry, the source said.
I’m only going to show the headline for this one from the WSJ. It just shows how much institutions are caving to presidential interference. “Harvard Explores New Center for Conservative Scholarship Amid Trump Attacks. The Ivy League school has discussed an effort to ‘support viewpoint diversity’ with potential donors, says it ‘will not be partisan’.” I suppose the devil is in the details here. Traditional American Conservatism is not what we generally see today.
Harvard leaders have discussed creating a program that people briefed on the talks described as a center for conservative scholarship, possibly modeled on Stanford’s Hoover Institution, as the school fights the Trump administration’s accusations that it is too liberal.
The idea has circulated at the university for several years but gained steam after pro-Palestinian protests began disrupting campus in late 2023. Harvard has discussed the effort with potential donors, people familiar with the matter said. The cost of creating such a center could run somewhere between $500 million and $1 billion, a person familiar with Harvard’s thinking estimated.
A spokesman for Harvard said an initiative under discussion “will ensure exposure to the broadest ranges of perspectives on issues, and will not be partisan, but rather will model the use of evidence-based, rigorous logic and a willingness to engage with opposing views.” He added that the school has been accelerating efforts to set up the initiative, which would “promote and support viewpoint diversity.”
A 2024 survey by Harvard found that only one-third of the college’s graduating class felt comfortable discussing controversial topics, and a 2023 survey by the student newspaper found that just 3% of faculty at Harvard College identified as politically conservative.
Harvard President Alan Garber helped promote an “intellectual vitality” program to reinvigorate debate on campus and ensure students engage in discussions free of self-censorship.
Okay, one last topic. It’s a big one. Trump is basically giving tariff exemptions to countries he likes. He’s throwing random tariffs at countries that do not please him. There’s a lot on this today, including some major analysis by Paul Krugman. Let me just list these reads so you my check them out. I’m glad to answer any questions regarding the application of tariffs in the comments. I’m not a lawyer, so I’ll leave the legal analysis to those who are.
Rebecca Ratcliffe / The Guardian: Shunned Myanmar leader thrilled at US contact after Trump tariff letter
Myanmar’s military leader has praised Donald Trump and asked him to lift sanctions, as the junta sought to capitalise on a tariff letter from the US president believed to be Washington’s first public recognition of its rule.
Min Aung Hlaing, who has been in power since a 2021 coup, expressed his “sincere appreciation” for Trump’s letter, which threatened a tariff of 40% on its goods, and commended the US president or his “strong leadership” and for guiding the US “toward national prosperity with the spirit of a true patriot”.
US diplomats do not officially engage with Min Aung Hlaing or the ruling junta, which seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. It was among a tranche of almost identical letters sent by Trump to world leaders on Monday.
Stephen Robinson / Public Notice: An embarrassing exercise in economic and diplomatic futility
Donald Trump just escalated his mindlessly self-destructive trade war against our (former) economic allies — again.
On Monday, Trump sent rambling letters informing 14 nations, including major trading partners Japan and South Korea, that the US government was slapping them with significantly higher tariffs as of August 1. These tariffs are separate from his previously announced sectoral tariffs on automobiles, steel, and aluminum. (This week, he also announced a 50 percent tariff on copper imports for August 1.) Trump sent more letters sporadically through the week, with an especially bonkers one to Brazil threatening a 50 percent tariff if the government proceeds with its prosecution of Trump’s partner in coups, Jair Bolsonaro.
Then, as this newsletter was being finalized yesterday, Trump announced a new 35 percent tariff on Canada, citing debunked claims about the country turning a blind eye to fentanyl flowing into the United States.
Trump’s new August 1 deadline is completely arbitrary, and his tariff numbers aren’t grounded in any rational economic policy. As everyone seems to understand but the president and his sycophants, these new tariffs will result in increased prices on goods Americans need and can’t magically produce ourselves. Other nations won’t shoulder the costs from tariffs. We will.
And hereis the link to Paul Krugman’s latest. “Trump’s Brazil Tariff Is Blatantly Illegal. Shouldn’t someone be suing?” And here I am still laughing over him writing to the Japanese PM Ishba as Mister Japan. Krugman writes at his SubStack.
I wrote the other day about Trump’s Brazil tariff, which is, as I said, evil and megalomaniacal. But I forgot to point out that it’s blatantly illegal. Maybe — probably — the Supreme Court is so corrupt at this point that it will ratify anything Trump does. But can’t we at least put them on the spot? Can’t we force Scott Bessent to explain why he supports such a grotesque abuse of presidential power?
Let’s be clear: U.S. law does give the executive branch a lot of discretion to impose tariffs without additional legislation. It does this for a reason: Temporary tariffs were intended to serve as a political pressure-release valve that would make low tariffs emerging from international agreements sustainable. This worked well as long as we had responsible presidents; it has been a disaster under Trump. Still, he does have a lot of legal authority to set tariffs.
But that authority is by no means open-ended. Tariffs can be imposed only for specific reasons:
Section 201: Market disruption Basically, if a sudden import surge puts a U.S. industry in danger, temporary tariffs can be imposed to give the industry time to adapt
Section 232: National security Tariffs can be used to sustain industries we might need during international confrontations
Section 301: Unfair practices Tariffs can be used to offset, say, foreign export subsidies
Anti-dumping duties Tariffs can be imposed when foreign companies are selling below cost
International Economic Emergency The president has broad tariff-setting powers during an economic crisis
Trump has hugely abused all these justifications, especially the last. There is no economic emergency. According to Trump himself, things are great …
And, remember it’s just a litttle rain and the average price of gas in New Orleans isn’t $2.76. It’s $1.98.
Okay, one more and I may hit a record of 5000 words in one post. The deal is that there is so much shit going on I’d need a magazine to publish just the excerpts. What Fresh Hell is this? This is from Sidney Blumenthal writing at The Guardian. “Donald Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ is the ultimate betrayal of his base. The measure exposes the most elaborate charade in recent US political history. But betrayal is Trump’s operating principle.”
Donald Trump’s so-called “big, beautiful bill”, which will eviscerate the living standards, healthcare and aspirations of his white, working-class base, conclusively draws the curtain down on his Maga populist conceit, the most elaborate charade in recent American political history.
The price will be staggering: $1tn in cuts to Medicaid; throwing 17 million people off health coverage closing rural hospitals and women’s health clinics; battering food assistance for families, children and veterans; the virtual destruction of US solar and wind energy manufacturing; limiting access to financial aid for college; and, according to the Yale Budget Lab, adding $3tn to the national debt over the next decade, inexorably leading to raised interest rates, which will depress the housing market. These are the harsh, brutal and undeniable realities of Trumpism in the glare of day as opposed to his carnival act about how he will never touch such benefits.
The president’s Maga populism has been a collection of oddities reminiscent of PT Barnum’s museum on lower Broadway before the civil war that exhibited a 10ft tall fake petrified man, the original bearded lady and the Fiji mermaid, the tail of a large fish sewn on to a bewigged mannequin. Trump attached plutocracy to populism to construct the Maga beast. But after the passage of the bill, the Fiji mermaid that is Maga has come apart at the seams, the head separated from the tail.
“I just want you to know,” Trump said as he signed the bill, “if you see anything negative put out by Democrats, it’s all a con job.” He claimed the law was the “single most popular bill ever signed”. It is, in fact, the most unpopular piece of legislation since George W Bush proposed partial privatization of social security, which he abandoned without a single congressional vote. A Quinnipiac poll showed 53% opposing Trump’s bill, with only 27% support – 26 points underwater.
At a meeting where Trump lobbied Republican House members to vote for his bill, he told them it would not cut Medicaid because that would damage their electoral prospects. “But we’re touching Medicaid in this bill,” one Republican member complained to the publication Notus. In response to the obvious contradiction, a White House spokesperson issued a statement that the bill would “protect Medicaid”. Problem solved.
Even if Trump didn’t actually know what was in his bill, too bored to pay attention to minute details or even if he was pulling a con, he coerced the Republicans into walking the plank. If he didn’t know, they certainly knew what was in the bill and they hated it. But they feared his retribution if they did not vote for it, even though it would severely harm their base and trample their own principles. The Freedom Caucus of far-right House members who boldly declared that the debt was the hill they would die on simply folded.
Hopefully, it will soon be the Winter of Discontent because this is the summer of rebranding Fresh Hells.
Well, not quite 5000 words, but very close. 4866
What’s on your reading and blogging list today?

I want an overkill button.
Here’s to Ozzy’s last concert. He made my first year of university in the land of Nebraska more meaningful. He’s struggling with Parkinson’s disease.

#TrumpCult #WeAreSoFucked #AlligatorAlcatraz #DanBongino #HarvardCaves #Hellraiser #IRSOksPulpitPolitics #KristiNoemSociopathAndCunt #LongLiveOzzy #lordOfTheLivingDead #PamBondiWeirdo #TariffsAreStillHigh #TomHomanDemonBringer #WhiteChristianNationalists
#whitechristiannationalists #tomhomandemonbringer #tariffsarestillhigh #pambondiweirdo #lordofthelivingdead #longliveozzy
Sky Dancing @[email protected] · 2025-07-11 · 18:48 UTC
Frantic Friday Reads: More Fresh Hells

“What is wrong with you people?” John Buss, @repeat1968

Good Day, Sky Dancers!
I can’t decide which is worse. The distractions created to avoid the constant bad news or the events themselves. What I really can’t believe is the number of news outlets that can’t manage to stay on the real headlines. They’ve been bad this week. ICE continues to be the jackbooted thugs: omnipresent and well-funded, as with all fascist-loving monsters. Deportations continue to rock families and communities. The number of deaths from floods and tropical storms is rising while Homeland Security has managed to make Heckuva Job Brownie official. No one has seen the head of FEMA in days now. The only thing we see of Kristi Noem is more trashy outfits. Drunk Pete Hegseth has gone rogue. The attack on the Federal Reserve continues as Yam Tits puts illegal tariffs on Brazil. Evidently, tariff policy is based on the relationship between a country and our dotard FARTUS. Oh, and if your local groups of White Evangelical Christians weren’t annoying enough, they are now allowed by the IRS to fully promote candidates. I can assure that was something they’ve been doing since the 1980s with pulpit talk, egging folks to harass their neighbors. I can’t even imagine the grief local candidates will get with this move.
So, since I’ve been the victim of politicized White Christian Nationalists, I’ll just start with that story. Salon‘s Amanda Marcotte has this analysis. “Trump’s IRS payola for churches will backfire on evangelicals. Millions have already left right-wing Christianity because of politics.” It’s nice to know some are fleeing the alternative facts universe for churches that take all of Jesus’ teachings to heart. I see this battle daily in a lot of Christian friends on Facebook besieged by the ones that I could throw any number of gospel admonitions at that they never seem to hear or read about. They must never cover anything in Matthew or James. Jimmy Swaggert just died, but his dreadful influence lives on.
For liberals living outside the world of the Christian right, it may not seem like a major change. On Monday, the IRS revoked a long-standing rule that stripped tax-exempt status from churches that endorse political candidates. From a horse-race view of elections, this may not make a difference. While conservative pastors may have technically avoided the words “vote for Donald Trump” or “vote for Republicans” in the past, the expectation was transmitted to followers in ways that weren’t exactly subtle: Calling for the reinstatement of prayer in public schools, for “a time of national repentance” in America and even for Supreme Court vacancies to allow for the appointment of “righteous” judges.
Nor was it just that right-wing ministers were expressing Republican-shaped views about everything from LGBTQ rights to tax laws from the pulpit. Outside church walls, the massive ecosphere of Christian media hammered the message day in and day out: Democrats are demonic, and voting for them will send you to hell.
Predictably, many on the Christian right rejoiced over the decision. Robert Jeffress, a Texas megachurch pastor who claimed the IRS investigated him for supporting Donald Trump, told ABC News, “The IRS has no business dictating what can be said from the pulpit.” Craig DeRoche of the Christian Post argued, falsely, that the rule existed “not to protect democracy, but to silence opposition.”
It’s not a surprise that right-wing ministers are salivating at the chance to cater to powerful politicians while simultaneously keeping more money in their pockets. But this decision is shortsighted, particularly if they want to stymie the already significant losses in membership rolls that Christian churches have seen in the past couple of decades. They may come to rue the day they took what amounts to payola to champion Trump ahead of Jesus Christ.
Frankly, it’s hard to imagine that Trump will benefit from this politically, even if he, as he clearly hopes, gets the go-ahead from the Supreme Court for an illegal campaign for a third term. He has already captured the white evangelical vote to the tune of 80 percent in 2024, and although his approval numbers have slipped with most other demographics, these supporters have remained steadfast. Even if ministers had been allowed to endorse in the last presidential election cycle, it’s unlikely Trump would have done better among white evangelicals.
But Trump has an insatiable need for praise, and he has long been fixated on repealing the Johnson Amendment, which is the rule that prevented ministers from open endorsement. For Republicans in state and local races, this is a big deal. Campaign finance spending will go much further if directed to churches, where donors get a tax deduction, instead of to political parties and action groups, which cannot offer that benefit.
If they want the benefit of overt political action, then the IRS should drop their tax exemptions. As a long-time member of both Presbyterian and Methodist denominations at one time, I’ve participated eagerly in Social Justice Actions. These benefit a particular group of people and not one politician or party, and allow you to work for a principal. It’s a big difference. There’s no reason they can’t do their traditional callings without being servile to the likes of Yam Tits. But, then this has become a whole ‘nother country. The lessening of support for ICE Actions against legal immigrants and people in the process of becoming legal has turned the page on the popularity of Trump’s actions. I heard the Good Samaritan parable a lot, and when I was a Sunday School teacher, it was still central to Methodist theology. Perhaps, the lessons stuck with many.
Here’s how it’s going on the frontline. This is from NBC News. “ICE handcuffs 71-year-old grandmother, a U.S. citizen, at San Diego immigration court. Barbara Stone was handcuffed and held by federal agents for hours, according to her family; she was accused of pushing an ICE officer, which she denies.
A grandmother planning to document Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests at the San Diego courthouse instead became herself the story on Tuesday, after video of her arrest began circulating online.
The 71-year-old woman, U.S. citizen Barbara Stone, was accused of pushing an ICE agent and was placed in custody for several hours. Stone denied the allegation to NBC 7 on Wednesday.
Stone was handcuffed and held by federal agents for eight hours, according to her family.
“I have a large bruise there,” Stone said on Wednesday. “I feel mentally and physically traumatized.”
A video of the incident shared with NBC 7 shows the moment tensions started to boil over.
NBC 7 made several attempts to contact ICE about the incident but was referred to the Federal Protective Service, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security. FPS has not responded to a request for comment.
It takes some real men to be threated by a 71 year-old grandmother with a clipboard and pen. Gallup Poll reports that the “Surge in U.S. Concern About Immigration Has Abated.” This is reported by Lydia Saad.
Americans have grown markedly more positive toward immigration over the past year, with the share wanting immigration reduced dropping from 55% in 2024 to 30% today. At the same time, a record-high 79% of U.S. adults say immigration is a good thing for the country.
These shifts reverse a four-year trend of rising concern about immigration that began in 2021 and reflect changes among all major party groups.
With illegal border crossings down sharply this year, fewer Americans than in June 2024 back hard-line border enforcement measures, while more favor offering pathways to citizenship for undocumented immigrants already in the U.S.
These findings are based on a June 2-26 Gallup poll of 1,402 U.S. adults, including oversamples of Hispanic and Black Americans, weighted to match national demographics.
The same poll finds many more Americans disapproving than approving of President Donald Trump’s handling of immigration. Trump’s 21% approval rating on the issue among Hispanic adults is below his 35% rating nationally, with the deficit likely reflecting that group’s low support for some of the administration’s signature immigration policies.
After climbing to 55% in 2024, the percentage of Americans who say immigration should be reduced has dropped by nearly half to 30%. Sentiment is thus back to the level measured in 2021, before the desire for less immigration started to mount. Meanwhile, 38% now want immigration kept at its current level, and 26% say it should be increased.
I guess they finally got the message that their food and many items will be hard to find and expensive to buy if this continues. Just a little of me wants to say it because their mamas taught them a few things about loving their neighbors. Fortunately, and with the help of Congressman Steve Scalise, hundreds of letters written by neighbors brought Mandonna Kashanian back to her home in the Lake Front area of New Orleans and to her American husband of 35 years and daughter. This is from local TV station WDSU. I can’t tell you the ugly, nasty letters filled with misinformation that accompanied news about Mrs. Kashanian. It seems people feel the need to be downright hateful these days.
The worst headline I’ve seen on how we treat folks trying to immigrate here is the ones about spiriting them off to hellholes from which they will not return. Many of them are abroad. “‘We find another country’: Homan says Trump administration looking to make deals with several countries to accept deportees.The border czar also said he was unsure of the status of the eight men recently sent to South Sudan — or whether they are detained there — saying that they are no longer in U.S. custody. The border czar also said he was unsure of the status of the eight men recently sent to South Sudan — or whether they are detained there — saying that they are no longer in U.S. custody.” The so-called border czar is the gatekeeper to hell. This headline is from Politico as reported by Myah Ward and Kyle Cheney.
Border czar Tom Homan said the Trump administration hopes to forge deals with “many countries” to accept deported migrants from the United States — when their home countries can’t, or won’t, take them back.
Homan spoke with POLITICO’s Dasha Burns for The Conversation in the wake of a recent Supreme Court ruling that cleared the way for eight men to be deported to South Sudan, a nation that the State Department has warned Americans is too dangerous for all but essential personnel.
Homan said he was unsure of the status of the eight men — or whether they are detained there — saying that they are no longer in U.S. custody.
“They’re living in Sudan. And will they stay in Sudan? I don’t know,” he said. “When we sign these agreements with all these countries, we make arrangements to make sure these countries are receiving these people and there’s opportunities for these people. But I can’t tell if we remove somebody to Sudan — they can stay there a week and leave. I don’t know.”
The deportations to places like South Sudan and El Salvador where migrants have no connections have raised concerns among lawyers and immigrant advocates who fear for the men’s safety in countries with a history of human rights violations.
Past administrations have also deported foreigners to countries where they have no previous ties, but Trump’s deals have drawn more scrutiny — both with South Sudan, one of the most dangerous and war-torn nations on earth, and El Salvador, where migrants were sent to the country’s notorious mega-prison.
We all know now that we too are home to a hellhole not suprisingly placed in Florida. There are cages for everyone there. So-called Alligator Alcatraz has not allowed detainees to see their lawyers, nor will it allow Florida Congress members to see the facility, calling it “unsafe.” Local ABC News affiiate, Channel 7, has this headline. “DHS disputes dire conditions at Alligator Alcatraz.”
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is denying reports of improper living conditions for detainees at Alligator Alcatraz after reports of a hospitalization surfaced.
Reports this week have claimed that the detainees at the detention facility in the Florida Everglades are surrounded by toilets that don’t flush, temperatures ranging from freezing to sweltering, little to no access to showers, less confidential calls with an attorney, and even a hospitalization, according to the Miami Herald.
However, DHS took to X to debunk those claims, stating that the detainees are properly cared for.

Furthermore, the Assistant Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Tricia McLaughlin, said on X that no detainees at Alligator Alcatraz have been hospitalized. She continued to state that one was transported but was returned to the detention center in an hour and a half.
According to our news partners at CBS News Miami, one of the detainees living in poor conditions at the detention center is Cuban reggaeton artist Leamsy La Figura, who was arrested in Miami-Dade County for assault. He claims there’s no water to shower, the lights stay on all day, and the food is limited and sometimes spoiled.
In a phone call to CBS News Miami, La Figura described the conditions he and the other detainees are facing.
“I am Leamsy La Figura. We’ve been here at Alcatraz since Friday. There’s over 400 people here. There’s no water to take a bath, it’s been four days since I’ve taken a bath,” he said.
The facility is run by the state of Florida. CBS News Miami has reached out to the Florida Department of Emergency Management (FDEM) for comment on the alleged conditions.
Additionally, CBS News Miami said that Mayor Daniella Levine Cava of Miami-Dade is asking for access to the detention facility due to concerns over reported deaths and dangerous conditions at immigration centers across the state.
Mayor Levine Cava has said that a total of five people have died while in immigration custody in Florida so far.
As more information about Trump, Epstein, and underage girls comes to light. I’m sure we’re going to get more distractions as well as more bumbling of floods and their victims. Wired has this up today about Epstein’s death. Rumors are flying about like the flies and mosquitoes around Alligator Alcatraz. “Metadata Shows the FBI’s ‘Raw’ Jeffrey Epstein Prison Video Was Likely Modified. There is no evidence the footage was deceptively manipulated, but ambiguities around how the video was processed may further fuel conspiracy theories about Epstein’s death.” I’m sure MAGA will be excited about this.
The United States Department of Justice this week released nearly 11 hours of what it described as “full raw” surveillance footage from a camera positioned near Jeffrey Epstein’s prison cell the night before he was found dead. The release was intended to address conspiracy theories about Epstein’s apparent suicide in federal custody. But instead of putting those suspicions to rest, it may fuel them further.
Metadata embedded in the video and analyzed by WIRED and independent video forensics experts shows that rather than being a direct export from the prison’s surveillance system, the footage was modified, likely using the professional editing tool Adobe Premiere Pro. The file appears to have been assembled from at least two source clips, saved multiple times, exported, and then uploaded to the DOJ’s website, where it was presented as “raw” footage.
Experts caution that it’s unclear what exactly was changed, and that the metadata does not prove deceptive manipulation. The video may have simply been processed for public release using available software, with no modifications beyond stitching together two clips. But the absence of a clear explanation for the processing of the file using professional editing software complicates the Justice Department’s narrative. In a case already clouded by suspicion, the ambiguity surrounding how the file was processed is likely to provide fresh fodder for conspiracy theories.
Remember all this happened, under Trump’s first administration, albeit it was more competent than this one. There is a scoop at Axios that might light a fire under the entire Epstein affairs. This is reported by Marc Caputo. It feels like a mic drop. “Scoop: FBI’s Dan Bongino clashes with AG Bondi over handling of Epstein files.” We could have a new Agatha Christie adventure called Death by Rumor. Remind me, this is a Friday right? The traditional slow news day?
FBI deputy director Dan Bongino took a day off from work Friday after clashing at the White House with Attorney General Pam Bondi over their handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, four sources familiar with the conflict told Axios.
Why it matters: The dispute erupted Wednesday amid the fallout of the administration walking back its claims about Epstein by determining the convicted sex offender didn’t have a celebrity “client list,” and that he wasn’t murdered in his New York City prison cell in 2019.
Bongino didn’t come to work Friday, leading some insiders to believe he had quit. But administration officials say he’s still on the job, even as the internal tension over the Epstein case continues.
A source close to Bongino, though, said “he ain’t coming back.”
Zoom in: At the center of the argument: a surveillance video from outside Epstein’s cell that the administration released, saying it was proof no one had entered the room before he killed himself.
The 10-hour video had what has widely been called a “missing minute,” fueling conspiracy theories in MAGA’s online world about a cover-up involving Epstein’s death.
The “missing minute,” authorities say, stemmed from an old surveillance recording system that goes down each day at midnight to reset and record anew. It takes a minute for that process to occur, which effectively means that 60 seconds of every day aren’t recorded.
Bongino — who had pushed Epstein conspiracy theories as a MAGA-friendly podcast host before President Trump appointed him to help lead the FBI — had found the video and touted it publicly and privately as proof that Epstein hadn’t been murdered.
That conclusion — shared by FBI Director Kash Patel, another conspiracy theorist-turned-insider — angered many in Trump’s MAGA base, criticism that increased after Axios first reported the release of the video and a related memo.
After the video’s “missing minute” was discovered, Bongino was blamed internally for the oversight, according to three sources.
Two sources familiar with Bongino’s position say he was increasingly displeased with Bondi’s handling of the Epstein case because she had publicly overpromised and underdelivered disclosures about an Epstein “client list” that apparently never existed.
The intrigue: MAGA influencer Laura Loomer, a Bondi critic, first reported Friday on X that Bongino left work and that he and Patel were “furious” with the way Bondi had handled the case.
Some Trump advisers have criticized Bondi, but Trump “loves Pam and thinks she’s great,” a senior White House official said.
Those witnessing the Wednesday clash between Bondi and Bongino in the White House were Patel, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Deputy Chief of Staff Taylor Budowich.
Inside the room: During the meeting, Bongino was confronted about a NewsNation article that said he and Patel wanted more information released about Epstein earlier, but were held back. Bongino denied leaking that idea.
“Pam said her piece. Dan said his piece. It didn’t end on friendly terms,” said one person briefed on the heated discussion. Bongino left angry, the source said.
I’m only going to show the headline for this one from the WSJ. It just shows how much institutions are caving to presidential interference. “Harvard Explores New Center for Conservative Scholarship Amid Trump Attacks. The Ivy League school has discussed an effort to ‘support viewpoint diversity’ with potential donors, says it ‘will not be partisan’.” I suppose the devil is in the details here. Traditional American Conservatism is not what we generally see today.
Harvard leaders have discussed creating a program that people briefed on the talks described as a center for conservative scholarship, possibly modeled on Stanford’s Hoover Institution, as the school fights the Trump administration’s accusations that it is too liberal.
The idea has circulated at the university for several years but gained steam after pro-Palestinian protests began disrupting campus in late 2023. Harvard has discussed the effort with potential donors, people familiar with the matter said. The cost of creating such a center could run somewhere between $500 million and $1 billion, a person familiar with Harvard’s thinking estimated.
A spokesman for Harvard said an initiative under discussion “will ensure exposure to the broadest ranges of perspectives on issues, and will not be partisan, but rather will model the use of evidence-based, rigorous logic and a willingness to engage with opposing views.” He added that the school has been accelerating efforts to set up the initiative, which would “promote and support viewpoint diversity.”
A 2024 survey by Harvard found that only one-third of the college’s graduating class felt comfortable discussing controversial topics, and a 2023 survey by the student newspaper found that just 3% of faculty at Harvard College identified as politically conservative.
Harvard President Alan Garber helped promote an “intellectual vitality” program to reinvigorate debate on campus and ensure students engage in discussions free of self-censorship.
Okay, one last topic. It’s a big one. Trump is basically giving tariff exemptions to countries he likes. He’s throwing random tariffs at countries that do not please him. There’s a lot on this today, including some major analysis by Paul Krugman. Let me just list these reads so you my check them out. I’m glad to answer any questions regarding the application of tariffs in the comments. I’m not a lawyer, so I’ll leave the legal analysis to those who are.
Rebecca Ratcliffe / The Guardian: Shunned Myanmar leader thrilled at US contact after Trump tariff letter
Myanmar’s military leader has praised Donald Trump and asked him to lift sanctions, as the junta sought to capitalise on a tariff letter from the US president believed to be Washington’s first public recognition of its rule.
Min Aung Hlaing, who has been in power since a 2021 coup, expressed his “sincere appreciation” for Trump’s letter, which threatened a tariff of 40% on its goods, and commended the US president or his “strong leadership” and for guiding the US “toward national prosperity with the spirit of a true patriot”.
US diplomats do not officially engage with Min Aung Hlaing or the ruling junta, which seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. It was among a tranche of almost identical letters sent by Trump to world leaders on Monday.
Stephen Robinson / Public Notice: An embarrassing exercise in economic and diplomatic futility
Donald Trump just escalated his mindlessly self-destructive trade war against our (former) economic allies — again.
On Monday, Trump sent rambling letters informing 14 nations, including major trading partners Japan and South Korea, that the US government was slapping them with significantly higher tariffs as of August 1. These tariffs are separate from his previously announced sectoral tariffs on automobiles, steel, and aluminum. (This week, he also announced a 50 percent tariff on copper imports for August 1.) Trump sent more letters sporadically through the week, with an especially bonkers one to Brazil threatening a 50 percent tariff if the government proceeds with its prosecution of Trump’s partner in coups, Jair Bolsonaro.
Then, as this newsletter was being finalized yesterday, Trump announced a new 35 percent tariff on Canada, citing debunked claims about the country turning a blind eye to fentanyl flowing into the United States.
Trump’s new August 1 deadline is completely arbitrary, and his tariff numbers aren’t grounded in any rational economic policy. As everyone seems to understand but the president and his sycophants, these new tariffs will result in increased prices on goods Americans need and can’t magically produce ourselves. Other nations won’t shoulder the costs from tariffs. We will.
And hereis the link to Paul Krugman’s latest. “Trump’s Brazil Tariff Is Blatantly Illegal. Shouldn’t someone be suing?” And here I am still laughing over him writing to the Japanese PM Ishba as Mister Japan. Krugman writes at his SubStack.
I wrote the other day about Trump’s Brazil tariff, which is, as I said, evil and megalomaniacal. But I forgot to point out that it’s blatantly illegal. Maybe — probably — the Supreme Court is so corrupt at this point that it will ratify anything Trump does. But can’t we at least put them on the spot? Can’t we force Scott Bessent to explain why he supports such a grotesque abuse of presidential power?
Let’s be clear: U.S. law does give the executive branch a lot of discretion to impose tariffs without additional legislation. It does this for a reason: Temporary tariffs were intended to serve as a political pressure-release valve that would make low tariffs emerging from international agreements sustainable. This worked well as long as we had responsible presidents; it has been a disaster under Trump. Still, he does have a lot of legal authority to set tariffs.
But that authority is by no means open-ended. Tariffs can be imposed only for specific reasons:
Section 201: Market disruption Basically, if a sudden import surge puts a U.S. industry in danger, temporary tariffs can be imposed to give the industry time to adapt
Section 232: National security Tariffs can be used to sustain industries we might need during international confrontations
Section 301: Unfair practices Tariffs can be used to offset, say, foreign export subsidies
Anti-dumping duties Tariffs can be imposed when foreign companies are selling below cost
International Economic Emergency The president has broad tariff-setting powers during an economic crisis
Trump has hugely abused all these justifications, especially the last. There is no economic emergency. According to Trump himself, things are great …
And, remember it’s just a litttle rain and the average price of gas in New Orleans isn’t $2.76. It’s $1.98.
Okay, one more and I may hit a record of 5000 words in one post. The deal is that there is so much shit going on I’d need a magazine to publish just the excerpts. What Fresh Hell is this? This is from Sidney Blumenthal writing at The Guardian. “Donald Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ is the ultimate betrayal of his base. The measure exposes the most elaborate charade in recent US political history. But betrayal is Trump’s operating principle.”
Donald Trump’s so-called “big, beautiful bill”, which will eviscerate the living standards, healthcare and aspirations of his white, working-class base, conclusively draws the curtain down on his Maga populist conceit, the most elaborate charade in recent American political history.
The price will be staggering: $1tn in cuts to Medicaid; throwing 17 million people off health coverage closing rural hospitals and women’s health clinics; battering food assistance for families, children and veterans; the virtual destruction of US solar and wind energy manufacturing; limiting access to financial aid for college; and, according to the Yale Budget Lab, adding $3tn to the national debt over the next decade, inexorably leading to raised interest rates, which will depress the housing market. These are the harsh, brutal and undeniable realities of Trumpism in the glare of day as opposed to his carnival act about how he will never touch such benefits.
The president’s Maga populism has been a collection of oddities reminiscent of PT Barnum’s museum on lower Broadway before the civil war that exhibited a 10ft tall fake petrified man, the original bearded lady and the Fiji mermaid, the tail of a large fish sewn on to a bewigged mannequin. Trump attached plutocracy to populism to construct the Maga beast. But after the passage of the bill, the Fiji mermaid that is Maga has come apart at the seams, the head separated from the tail.
“I just want you to know,” Trump said as he signed the bill, “if you see anything negative put out by Democrats, it’s all a con job.” He claimed the law was the “single most popular bill ever signed”. It is, in fact, the most unpopular piece of legislation since George W Bush proposed partial privatization of social security, which he abandoned without a single congressional vote. A Quinnipiac poll showed 53% opposing Trump’s bill, with only 27% support – 26 points underwater.
At a meeting where Trump lobbied Republican House members to vote for his bill, he told them it would not cut Medicaid because that would damage their electoral prospects. “But we’re touching Medicaid in this bill,” one Republican member complained to the publication Notus. In response to the obvious contradiction, a White House spokesperson issued a statement that the bill would “protect Medicaid”. Problem solved.
Even if Trump didn’t actually know what was in his bill, too bored to pay attention to minute details or even if he was pulling a con, he coerced the Republicans into walking the plank. If he didn’t know, they certainly knew what was in the bill and they hated it. But they feared his retribution if they did not vote for it, even though it would severely harm their base and trample their own principles. The Freedom Caucus of far-right House members who boldly declared that the debt was the hill they would die on simply folded.
Hopefully, it will soon be the Winter of Discontent because this is the summer of rebranding Fresh Hells.
Well, not quite 5000 words, but very close. 4866
What’s on your reading and blogging list today?

I want an overkill button.
Here’s to Ozzy’s last concert. He made my first year of university in the land of Nebraska more meaningful. He’s struggling with Parkinson’s disease.

#TrumpCult #WeAreSoFucked #AlligatorAlcatraz #DanBongino #HarvardCaves #Hellraiser #IRSOksPulpitPolitics #KristiNoemSociopathAndCunt #LongLiveOzzy #lordOfTheLivingDead #PamBondiWeirdo #TariffsAreStillHigh #TomHomanDemonBringer #WhiteChristianNationalists
#trumpcult #wearesofucked #alligatoralcatraz #danbongino #harvardcaves #hellraiser
Sky Dancing @[email protected] · 2026-01-14 · 17:52 UTC

Wednesday Reads: Minneapolis is Ground Zero for Trump’s Military Takeover
Good Day!!
Before I get going with today’s news, I want to share this disturbing, but absolutely essential piece by Robert Reich: You could be next. This is personal.
If agents of the federal government can murder a 37-year-old woman in broad daylight who, as videotapes show, was merely trying to get out of their way, they can murder you.
Even if Trump and his vice president and his secretary of homeland security all claim, contrary to the videotapes, that Renee Nicole Good was trying to kill an agent who acted in self-defense, they could make up the same about you.
Even if Trump describes her as a “professional agitator” and his goons call her a “domestic terrorist,” they could say the same about you regardless of your political views or activism. If you have left-wing political views and are an activist, you’re in greater danger.

Renee Good

How can we believe what the FBI turns up in its investigation, when the FBI is working for Trump and is headed by one of his goons, and is investigating possible connections between Renee Good and groups that have been protesting Trump’s immigration enforcement?
What credence can we give federal officials who are blocking local and state investigators from reviewing evidence they’re collecting?
You could be murdered because Trump’s attorney general has defined “domestic terrorism” to include impeding law enforcement officers. What if you’re merely standing in the way — in the wrong place at the wrong time? Or maybe you’re engaging in nonviolent civil disobedience?
In October, Marimar Martinez, a U.S. citizen in Chicago, was in her car trying to warn people about ICE when she collided with a Border Patrol vehicle. Federal officials say she “rammed” the car. Her lawyers say she was sideswiped by it.
The agent then got out of his car and shot her five times. She survived. The Justice Department then charged her with assaulting a federal officer.
You could be next. All of us need to realize this. The people who are being assaulted and murdered are abiding the law….
Trump could just as well arrest and expel permanent residents who voice support for, say, transgender people or DEI or “woke” or anything else the regime finds “anti-American” and offensive.
What’s to stop the Trump regime from arresting you for, say, advocating the replacement of Republicans in Congress in 2026 and electing a Democrat to the presidency in 2028? [….]
What’s at stake isn’t just American democracy. It’s also your safety and security and that of your friends and loved ones. This is personal — to every one of us.
A dictatorship knows no bounds.
These are the facts of life in the U.S. now. We are all at risk. Trump can order his goons to any city or state and they will run wild because Trump and Vance have told them they have “absolute immunity.” You can be dragged from your car and beaten–even killed and Trump will celebrate you for it.
Admittedly, those of us who are white are less at risk, but the murder of Renee Good shows that we are not immune from the ICE reign of terror. Trump now has his private army–comparable to Hitler’s SS. They report to him, not to Congress or the American people.
What’s happening in Minnesota now could happen to any of us, particularly those of us who live in blue states or cities. At The New York Times, Thomas Fuller and Jazmine Ulloa write (gift link): ‘Like a Military Occupation’: Clashes Rise With Federal Agents in Minneapolis.
The video shows a young employee in a reflective vest being hauled away by federal agents from the entrance of a Target store in a Minneapolis suburb.
“I’m a U.S. citizen!” the worker shouted as the armed agents shoved him into an S.U.V. after he had directed expletives at one. “U.S. citizen! U.S. citizen!”
In and around Minneapolis in recent days — in quiet residential neighborhoods and busy shopping districts, at gas station and big box store parking lots — similar chaotic scenes are unfolding, an escalation of tensions between residents and federal agents as the Trump administration intensifies its immigration crackdown in Minnesota after the killing of Renee Good by an immigration officer last week.
“It feels like our community is under siege by our own federal government,” said State Representative Michael Howard, a Democrat whose district includes Richfield, where the Target employee and another colleague were seized on Thursday.
Mr. Howard said both workers were U.S. citizens and were later released. The Department of Homeland Security said the Target worker seen in the video was arrested in connection with “assaulting, resisting or impeding federal officers.” It was unclear on Tuesday if the employee had been charged.
Federal officers are descending on streets in what they say is an effort to find undocumented immigrants with criminal and dangerous backgrounds. They are displaying a show of force they argue is necessary in cities and states where local governments and law enforcement agencies have refused to help them. But many residents, business owners and immigrant workers have denounced the tactics, saying the agents are indiscriminately sweeping up hard-working friends and neighbors based on racial and ethnic profiling, and are increasingly organizing to push back.
The skirmishes between residents and the heavily armed federal agents have been especially nerve-racking for residents of Minneapolis, where the memories of the 2020 murder of George Floyd — and the protests and rioting that followed — are still raw. This time, residents and elected officials say, the fear is not abuses by law enforcement but an encroaching federal government.
Video of the Target arrests:

ICE kidnapping two U.S. citizens from a Target in Richfield, Minnesota. I recognize their head dickhead, Greg Bovino, showed up for the festivities. I’m grateful that there were people there that spoke up and got their names before they could be disappeared. #FuckICE #FuckGregBovino #Minnesota
— SaltyBitchables (@saltybitchables.bsky.social) 2026-01-09T00:41:52.931Z

Back to the NYT story:
Mr. Howard said both workers were U.S. citizens and were later released. The Department of Homeland Security said the Target worker seen in the video was arrested in connection with “assaulting, resisting or impeding federal officers.” It was unclear on Tuesday if the employee had been charged.
Federal officers are descending on streets in what they say is an effort to find undocumented immigrants with criminal and dangerous backgrounds. They are displaying a show of force they argue is necessary in cities and states where local governments and law enforcement agencies have refused to help them. But many residents, business owners and immigrant workers have denounced the tactics, saying the agents are indiscriminately sweeping up hard-working friends and neighbors based on racial and ethnic profiling, and are increasingly organizing to push back.
The skirmishes between residents and the heavily armed federal agents have been especially nerve-racking for residents of Minneapolis, where the memories of the 2020 murder of George Floyd — and the protests and rioting that followed — are still raw. This time, residents and elected officials say, the fear is not abuses by law enforcement but an encroaching federal government.
Local concerns over the federal government grew on Tuesday when six federal prosecutors in Minnesota resigned over the Justice Department’s push to investigate the widow of Ms. Good and questions over whether the shooter would be investigated.
Use the gift link to read more. There are lots of photos too.
Also from The New York Times, by Ernesto Londoño: Six Prosecutors Quit Over Push to Investigate ICE Shooting Victim’s Widow.
Six federal prosecutors in Minnesota resigned on Tuesday over the Justice Department’s push to investigate the widow of a woman killed by an ICE agent and the department’s reluctance to investigate the shooter, according to people with knowledge of their decision.
Joseph H. Thompson, who was second in command at the U.S. attorney’s office and oversaw a sprawling fraud investigation that has roiled Minnesota’s political landscape, was among those who quit on Tuesday, according to three people with knowledge of the decision.

Joseph H. Thompson

Mr. Thompson’s resignation came after senior Justice Department officials pressed for a criminal investigation into the actions of the widow of Renee Nicole Good, the Minneapolis woman killed by an ICE agent on Wednesday.
Mr. Thompson, 47, a career prosecutor, objected to that approach, as well as to the Justice Department’s refusal to include state officials in investigating whether the shooting itself was lawful, the people familiar with his decision said.
The Minneapolis police chief, Brian O’Hara, said in an interview that Mr. Thompson’s resignation dealt a major blow to efforts to root out rampant theft from state agencies. The fraud cases, which involve schemes to cheat safety net programs, were the chief reason the Trump administration cited for its immigration crackdown in the state. The vast majority of defendants charged in the cases are American citizens of Somali origin.
“When you lose the leader responsible for making the fraud cases, it tells you this isn’t really about prosecuting fraud,” Mr. O’Hara said.
The other senior career prosecutors who resigned include Harry Jacobs, Melinda Williams and Thomas Calhoun-Lopez. Mr. Jacobs had been Mr. Thompson’s deputy overseeing the fraud investigation, which began in 2022. Mr. Calhoun-Lopez was the chief of the violent and major crimes unit.
A bit more:
Tuesday’s resignations followed tumultuous days at the U.S. attorney’s office in Minnesota as prosecutors there and in Washington struggled to manage the outrage over Ms. Good’s killing, which set off angry protests in Minnesota and across the nation.
After Ms. Good was shot, Harmeet Dhillon, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, told her staff that she would not consider opening an investigation into whether the agent had violated federal law, according to three current and former department officials who asked for anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the situation. At least four prosecutors who had already intended to quit or retire signaled they would accelerate their departures, those officials said.

Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general, said in a statement that “there is currently no basis for a criminal civil rights investigation” into the ICE agent.
Instead, the Justice Department launched an investigation to examine ties between Ms. Good and her wife, Becca, and several groups that have been monitoring and protesting the conduct of immigration agents in recent weeks. Shortly after Wednesday’s fatal shooting, Kristi Noem, the secretary of homeland security, referred to Ms. Good as a “domestic terrorist.”

Molly Hennessy-Fiske and Justine McDaniel at The Washington Post: George Floyd family lawyer will represent relatives of ICE shooting victim.
A week after37-year old Renée Good was fatally shot by an ICE officer near her Minneapolis home, her partner, parents and four siblings have hired an attorney who represented the family of George Floyd to file a claim against federal officials.

“What happened to Renée is wrong, contrary to established policing practices and procedures, and should never happen in today’s America,” Chicago-based law firm Romanucci & Blandin said in a statement to The Washington Post. The statement said Good’s family wants “to honor her life with progress toward a kinder and more civil America. They do not want her used as a political pawn, but rather as an agent of peace for all.”

One of the firm’s founding partners, Antonio M. Romanucci, a civil rights lawyer, was among those who represented relatives of George Floyd after he was killed in 2020 by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. That legal team’s lawsuit against the city and the four officers involved resulted in a record $27 million settlement for Floyd’s family in 2021, the largest of its kind involving police misconduct.

The case involved Floyd’s relatives challenging law enforcement’s portrayal of him and even commissioning an independent autopsy. Chauvin was ultimately convicted of murdering Floyd the same year, sentenced to 22½ years in prison and later pleaded guilty to a separate federal charge that he violated Floyd’s federal civil rights.

Becca and Renee Good

Good’s shooting, on a residential street where neighbors were monitoring and protesting immigration enforcement activity, has similarly stirred national outrage on the left and the right. Since the fatal encounter on Wednesday, federal officials have sent additional ICE officers to the city, leading to a number of violent encounters publicized on social media and accusations that the operation to detainundocumented immigrants has become more ofan armed occupation.

“It absolutely is escalating considerably over the last week here and it was already quite intense before that,” said State Rep. Mike Howard (D), who represents the suburb of Richfield. “We’ve seen many many examples of an escalating level of violence from federal immigrant officials, in particular targeting citizens, not just immigrants.”
“We’ve seen agents break windows of cars and pull observers out of vehicles, pepper spraying cars and individuals who are literally just exercising their constitutional rights to observe or protest. We had an incident outside of one of our high schools … where chemical irritants were utilized right as school was getting out,” Howard said. “It’s really honestly an hour-by-hour type of incursion, if you will, in a lot of our communities.”

More significant news stories:
Pete Hegseth is trying to crack down on reporters who receive leaks from the DOD.
The Guardian: FBI raids home of Washington Post reporter in ‘highly unusual and aggressive’ move.
The FBI raided the home of a Washington Post reporter early Wednesday in what the newspaper called a “highly unusual and aggressive” move by law enforcement, and press freedom groups condemned as a “tremendous intrusion” by the Trump administration.
Agents descended on the Virginia home of Hannah Natanson as part of an investigation into a government contractor accused of illegally retaining classified government materials. The Post is “reviewing and monitoring the situation”, a source at the newspaper said.
“It’s a clear and appalling sign that this administration will set no limits on its acts of aggression against an independent press,” Marty Baron, the Post’s former executive editor, told the Guardian.
Pam Bondi, the attorney general, said in a post on X that the raid was conducted by the justice department and FBI at the request of the “department of war”, the Trump administration’s informal name for the department of defense.

Hannah Natanson

The warrant, she said, was executed “at the home of a Washington Post journalist who was obtaining and reporting classified and illegally leaked information from a Pentagon contractor. The leaker is currently behind bars.”
The statement gave no further details of the raid or investigation. Bondi added: “The Trump administration will not tolerate illegal leaks of classified information that, when reported, pose a grave risk to our nation’s national security and the brave men and women who are serving our country.”
The reporter’s home and devices were searched, and her Garmin watch, phone, and two laptop computers, one belonging to her employer, were seized, the newspaper said. It added that agents told Natanson she was not the focus of the probe, and was not accused of any wrongdoing.
A warrant obtained by the Post cited an investigation into Aurelio Perez-Lugones, a system administrator in Maryland with a top secret security clearance who has been accused of accessing and taking home classified intelligence reports.
Natanson, the Post said, covers the federal workforce and has been a part of the newspaper’s “most high-profile and sensitive coverage” during the first year of the second Trump administration.
Democrats are hoping to flip an Alaska Senate seat.
Politico: Peltola raises $1.5M in first 24 hours of Alaska Senate bid.
Former Rep. Mary Peltola raked in $1.5 million in the first 24 hours of her bid to unseat GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan in Alaska, a sizable haul to kick off what will likely be a costly battle for Democrats to flip a Senate seat squarely in Trump terrain.
Peltola’s day-one haul was fueled by small-dollar donors from across Alaska, including fisherman, silversmiths and train conductors, according to information her campaign shared first with POLITICO. Ninety-six percent of those contributions were $100 or less.

“In just 24 hours, Alaskans made it clear that we’re ready to put Alaska first,” Peltola said in a statement. “I’m grateful and honored for this incredible support from people who are ready to take on the special interests and DC people and focus on what matters: fish, family, and freedom.”

Former Rep. Mary Petola

Peltola raised more in one day than the roughly $1.2 million that Sullivan brought in over the third quarter of last year, according to federal campaign finance filings. Sullivan had yet to post his fourth-quarter fundraising report as of Tuesday night, but the Republican was sitting on nearly $4.8 million in cash on hand to start the last three months of the year.

Her total was likely padded by messages from prominent Democrats including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), former Vice President Kamala Harris and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), who blasted out emails Monday asking their supporters to split donations between their political arms and Peltola.
Her campaign said it also recruited more than 500 volunteers in its first day.

The New York Times: Senator Says Prosecutors Are Investigating Her After Video About Illegal Orders.
Senator Elissa Slotkin of Michigan says she has learned that federal prosecutors are investigating her after she took part in a video urging military service members to resist illegal orders.

Senator Elissa Slotkin

Ms. Slotkin, a Democrat, said in an interview on Monday that she found out about the inquiry from the office of Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia and a longtime ally of President Trump’s. In an email sent to the Senate’s sergeant-at-arms, Ms. Pirro’s office requested an interview with the senator or her private counsel.
A spokesman for Ms. Pirro’s office declined to confirm or deny any investigation, and it is unclear exactly what officials have identified as a possible crime related to the video.
Ms. Slotkin organized the video, which Mr. Trump and other administration officials have described as “seditious,” along with five other Democratic lawmakers who are also military veterans. Its message that military officers are obligated to ignore illegal orders is a fundamental principle of military law.
The investigation by Ms. Pirro’s office is the latest escalation in a campaign by Mr. Trump and his allies to exact retribution on those he views as enemies seeking to undermine his administration or his authority as commander in chief.
Tom Tillis isn’t running for reelection, so now he feels free to criticize Trump.
Paul Kane at The Washington Post: Thom Tillis wants you to know something: ‘I’m sick of stupid.’

Sen. Thom Tillis is getting some things off his political chest.
The North Carolina Republican, who decided to oppose President Donald Trump’s massive policy bill last summer and not run for reelection this year, has stepped up his criticism of White House advisers and other Republicans whom he accuses of not serving Trump’s best interests.

Senator Tom Tillis

On Sunday night, Tillis leaped out as the first Republican to bash the Justice Department’s investigation of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell. He declared he won’t support any Fed nominees until the central bank’s long-standing independence is fully restored.

That came after Thursday’s significant symbolic victory in getting unanimous Senate support to display a plaque honoring the police who defended the Capitol during the 2021 insurrection, overriding the efforts of House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) to keep the plaque hidden.

And last Wednesday, Tillis delivered a more-than-1,500-word stem-winder on the Senate floor denouncing Trump’s advisers for egging him on with the idea that the U.S. military could take over Greenland.

“I am sick of stupid,” Tillis said.

Early Tuesday afternoon, facing questions about the fallout from the Powell investigation, Tillis said his problems are with the Trump advisers who entertain these positions, not the president himself.

“Who on earth believes that the president could possibly have the depth of expertise to make some of these detailed decisions that he’s making? So, of course, it’s his advisers,” Tillis told a group of reporters in an interview just off the Senate floor.
It would have been nice if he’d spoken up sooner, but better late than never.
Those are my recommended read for today. What stories are you following?

#AlaskaSenateSeat #BeccaGood #BorderPatrol #DonaldTrump #ElissaSlotkin #GeorgeFloyd #GregBovino #HannahNatanson #ICEThugs #JosephHThompson #MaryPetola #Minneapolis #Minnesota #PeteHegseth #ReneeGood #TomTillis #TrumpSPersonalArmy #WashingtonPost

#alaskasenateseat #beccagood #borderpatrol #donaldtrump #elissaslotkin #georgefloyd
Sky Dancing @[email protected] · 2026-01-14 · 17:52 UTC

Wednesday Reads: Minneapolis is Ground Zero for Trump’s Military Takeover
Good Day!!
Before I get going with today’s news, I want to share this disturbing, but absolutely essential piece by Robert Reich: You could be next. This is personal.
If agents of the federal government can murder a 37-year-old woman in broad daylight who, as videotapes show, was merely trying to get out of their way, they can murder you.
Even if Trump and his vice president and his secretary of homeland security all claim, contrary to the videotapes, that Renee Nicole Good was trying to kill an agent who acted in self-defense, they could make up the same about you.
Even if Trump describes her as a “professional agitator” and his goons call her a “domestic terrorist,” they could say the same about you regardless of your political views or activism. If you have left-wing political views and are an activist, you’re in greater danger.

Renee Good

How can we believe what the FBI turns up in its investigation, when the FBI is working for Trump and is headed by one of his goons, and is investigating possible connections between Renee Good and groups that have been protesting Trump’s immigration enforcement?
What credence can we give federal officials who are blocking local and state investigators from reviewing evidence they’re collecting?
You could be murdered because Trump’s attorney general has defined “domestic terrorism” to include impeding law enforcement officers. What if you’re merely standing in the way — in the wrong place at the wrong time? Or maybe you’re engaging in nonviolent civil disobedience?
In October, Marimar Martinez, a U.S. citizen in Chicago, was in her car trying to warn people about ICE when she collided with a Border Patrol vehicle. Federal officials say she “rammed” the car. Her lawyers say she was sideswiped by it.
The agent then got out of his car and shot her five times. She survived. The Justice Department then charged her with assaulting a federal officer.
You could be next. All of us need to realize this. The people who are being assaulted and murdered are abiding the law….
Trump could just as well arrest and expel permanent residents who voice support for, say, transgender people or DEI or “woke” or anything else the regime finds “anti-American” and offensive.
What’s to stop the Trump regime from arresting you for, say, advocating the replacement of Republicans in Congress in 2026 and electing a Democrat to the presidency in 2028? [….]
What’s at stake isn’t just American democracy. It’s also your safety and security and that of your friends and loved ones. This is personal — to every one of us.
A dictatorship knows no bounds.
These are the facts of life in the U.S. now. We are all at risk. Trump can order his goons to any city or state and they will run wild because Trump and Vance have told them they have “absolute immunity.” You can be dragged from your car and beaten–even killed and Trump will celebrate you for it.
Admittedly, those of us who are white are less at risk, but the murder of Renee Good shows that we are not immune from the ICE reign of terror. Trump now has his private army–comparable to Hitler’s SS. They report to him, not to Congress or the American people.
What’s happening in Minnesota now could happen to any of us, particularly those of us who live in blue states or cities. At The New York Times, Thomas Fuller and Jazmine Ulloa write (gift link): ‘Like a Military Occupation’: Clashes Rise With Federal Agents in Minneapolis.
The video shows a young employee in a reflective vest being hauled away by federal agents from the entrance of a Target store in a Minneapolis suburb.
“I’m a U.S. citizen!” the worker shouted as the armed agents shoved him into an S.U.V. after he had directed expletives at one. “U.S. citizen! U.S. citizen!”
In and around Minneapolis in recent days — in quiet residential neighborhoods and busy shopping districts, at gas station and big box store parking lots — similar chaotic scenes are unfolding, an escalation of tensions between residents and federal agents as the Trump administration intensifies its immigration crackdown in Minnesota after the killing of Renee Good by an immigration officer last week.
“It feels like our community is under siege by our own federal government,” said State Representative Michael Howard, a Democrat whose district includes Richfield, where the Target employee and another colleague were seized on Thursday.
Mr. Howard said both workers were U.S. citizens and were later released. The Department of Homeland Security said the Target worker seen in the video was arrested in connection with “assaulting, resisting or impeding federal officers.” It was unclear on Tuesday if the employee had been charged.
Federal officers are descending on streets in what they say is an effort to find undocumented immigrants with criminal and dangerous backgrounds. They are displaying a show of force they argue is necessary in cities and states where local governments and law enforcement agencies have refused to help them. But many residents, business owners and immigrant workers have denounced the tactics, saying the agents are indiscriminately sweeping up hard-working friends and neighbors based on racial and ethnic profiling, and are increasingly organizing to push back.
The skirmishes between residents and the heavily armed federal agents have been especially nerve-racking for residents of Minneapolis, where the memories of the 2020 murder of George Floyd — and the protests and rioting that followed — are still raw. This time, residents and elected officials say, the fear is not abuses by law enforcement but an encroaching federal government.
Video of the Target arrests:

ICE kidnapping two U.S. citizens from a Target in Richfield, Minnesota. I recognize their head dickhead, Greg Bovino, showed up for the festivities. I’m grateful that there were people there that spoke up and got their names before they could be disappeared. #FuckICE #FuckGregBovino #Minnesota
— SaltyBitchables (@saltybitchables.bsky.social) 2026-01-09T00:41:52.931Z

Back to the NYT story:
Mr. Howard said both workers were U.S. citizens and were later released. The Department of Homeland Security said the Target worker seen in the video was arrested in connection with “assaulting, resisting or impeding federal officers.” It was unclear on Tuesday if the employee had been charged.
Federal officers are descending on streets in what they say is an effort to find undocumented immigrants with criminal and dangerous backgrounds. They are displaying a show of force they argue is necessary in cities and states where local governments and law enforcement agencies have refused to help them. But many residents, business owners and immigrant workers have denounced the tactics, saying the agents are indiscriminately sweeping up hard-working friends and neighbors based on racial and ethnic profiling, and are increasingly organizing to push back.
The skirmishes between residents and the heavily armed federal agents have been especially nerve-racking for residents of Minneapolis, where the memories of the 2020 murder of George Floyd — and the protests and rioting that followed — are still raw. This time, residents and elected officials say, the fear is not abuses by law enforcement but an encroaching federal government.
Local concerns over the federal government grew on Tuesday when six federal prosecutors in Minnesota resigned over the Justice Department’s push to investigate the widow of Ms. Good and questions over whether the shooter would be investigated.
Use the gift link to read more. There are lots of photos too.
Also from The New York Times, by Ernesto Londoño: Six Prosecutors Quit Over Push to Investigate ICE Shooting Victim’s Widow.
Six federal prosecutors in Minnesota resigned on Tuesday over the Justice Department’s push to investigate the widow of a woman killed by an ICE agent and the department’s reluctance to investigate the shooter, according to people with knowledge of their decision.
Joseph H. Thompson, who was second in command at the U.S. attorney’s office and oversaw a sprawling fraud investigation that has roiled Minnesota’s political landscape, was among those who quit on Tuesday, according to three people with knowledge of the decision.

Joseph H. Thompson

Mr. Thompson’s resignation came after senior Justice Department officials pressed for a criminal investigation into the actions of the widow of Renee Nicole Good, the Minneapolis woman killed by an ICE agent on Wednesday.
Mr. Thompson, 47, a career prosecutor, objected to that approach, as well as to the Justice Department’s refusal to include state officials in investigating whether the shooting itself was lawful, the people familiar with his decision said.
The Minneapolis police chief, Brian O’Hara, said in an interview that Mr. Thompson’s resignation dealt a major blow to efforts to root out rampant theft from state agencies. The fraud cases, which involve schemes to cheat safety net programs, were the chief reason the Trump administration cited for its immigration crackdown in the state. The vast majority of defendants charged in the cases are American citizens of Somali origin.
“When you lose the leader responsible for making the fraud cases, it tells you this isn’t really about prosecuting fraud,” Mr. O’Hara said.
The other senior career prosecutors who resigned include Harry Jacobs, Melinda Williams and Thomas Calhoun-Lopez. Mr. Jacobs had been Mr. Thompson’s deputy overseeing the fraud investigation, which began in 2022. Mr. Calhoun-Lopez was the chief of the violent and major crimes unit.
A bit more:
Tuesday’s resignations followed tumultuous days at the U.S. attorney’s office in Minnesota as prosecutors there and in Washington struggled to manage the outrage over Ms. Good’s killing, which set off angry protests in Minnesota and across the nation.
After Ms. Good was shot, Harmeet Dhillon, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, told her staff that she would not consider opening an investigation into whether the agent had violated federal law, according to three current and former department officials who asked for anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the situation. At least four prosecutors who had already intended to quit or retire signaled they would accelerate their departures, those officials said.

Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general, said in a statement that “there is currently no basis for a criminal civil rights investigation” into the ICE agent.
Instead, the Justice Department launched an investigation to examine ties between Ms. Good and her wife, Becca, and several groups that have been monitoring and protesting the conduct of immigration agents in recent weeks. Shortly after Wednesday’s fatal shooting, Kristi Noem, the secretary of homeland security, referred to Ms. Good as a “domestic terrorist.”

Molly Hennessy-Fiske and Justine McDaniel at The Washington Post: George Floyd family lawyer will represent relatives of ICE shooting victim.
A week after37-year old Renée Good was fatally shot by an ICE officer near her Minneapolis home, her partner, parents and four siblings have hired an attorney who represented the family of George Floyd to file a claim against federal officials.

“What happened to Renée is wrong, contrary to established policing practices and procedures, and should never happen in today’s America,” Chicago-based law firm Romanucci & Blandin said in a statement to The Washington Post. The statement said Good’s family wants “to honor her life with progress toward a kinder and more civil America. They do not want her used as a political pawn, but rather as an agent of peace for all.”

One of the firm’s founding partners, Antonio M. Romanucci, a civil rights lawyer, was among those who represented relatives of George Floyd after he was killed in 2020 by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. That legal team’s lawsuit against the city and the four officers involved resulted in a record $27 million settlement for Floyd’s family in 2021, the largest of its kind involving police misconduct.

The case involved Floyd’s relatives challenging law enforcement’s portrayal of him and even commissioning an independent autopsy. Chauvin was ultimately convicted of murdering Floyd the same year, sentenced to 22½ years in prison and later pleaded guilty to a separate federal charge that he violated Floyd’s federal civil rights.

Becca and Renee Good

Good’s shooting, on a residential street where neighbors were monitoring and protesting immigration enforcement activity, has similarly stirred national outrage on the left and the right. Since the fatal encounter on Wednesday, federal officials have sent additional ICE officers to the city, leading to a number of violent encounters publicized on social media and accusations that the operation to detainundocumented immigrants has become more ofan armed occupation.

“It absolutely is escalating considerably over the last week here and it was already quite intense before that,” said State Rep. Mike Howard (D), who represents the suburb of Richfield. “We’ve seen many many examples of an escalating level of violence from federal immigrant officials, in particular targeting citizens, not just immigrants.”
“We’ve seen agents break windows of cars and pull observers out of vehicles, pepper spraying cars and individuals who are literally just exercising their constitutional rights to observe or protest. We had an incident outside of one of our high schools … where chemical irritants were utilized right as school was getting out,” Howard said. “It’s really honestly an hour-by-hour type of incursion, if you will, in a lot of our communities.”

More significant news stories:
Pete Hegseth is trying to crack down on reporters who receive leaks from the DOD.
The Guardian: FBI raids home of Washington Post reporter in ‘highly unusual and aggressive’ move.
The FBI raided the home of a Washington Post reporter early Wednesday in what the newspaper called a “highly unusual and aggressive” move by law enforcement, and press freedom groups condemned as a “tremendous intrusion” by the Trump administration.
Agents descended on the Virginia home of Hannah Natanson as part of an investigation into a government contractor accused of illegally retaining classified government materials. The Post is “reviewing and monitoring the situation”, a source at the newspaper said.
“It’s a clear and appalling sign that this administration will set no limits on its acts of aggression against an independent press,” Marty Baron, the Post’s former executive editor, told the Guardian.
Pam Bondi, the attorney general, said in a post on X that the raid was conducted by the justice department and FBI at the request of the “department of war”, the Trump administration’s informal name for the department of defense.

Hannah Natanson

The warrant, she said, was executed “at the home of a Washington Post journalist who was obtaining and reporting classified and illegally leaked information from a Pentagon contractor. The leaker is currently behind bars.”
The statement gave no further details of the raid or investigation. Bondi added: “The Trump administration will not tolerate illegal leaks of classified information that, when reported, pose a grave risk to our nation’s national security and the brave men and women who are serving our country.”
The reporter’s home and devices were searched, and her Garmin watch, phone, and two laptop computers, one belonging to her employer, were seized, the newspaper said. It added that agents told Natanson she was not the focus of the probe, and was not accused of any wrongdoing.
A warrant obtained by the Post cited an investigation into Aurelio Perez-Lugones, a system administrator in Maryland with a top secret security clearance who has been accused of accessing and taking home classified intelligence reports.
Natanson, the Post said, covers the federal workforce and has been a part of the newspaper’s “most high-profile and sensitive coverage” during the first year of the second Trump administration.
Democrats are hoping to flip an Alaska Senate seat.
Politico: Peltola raises $1.5M in first 24 hours of Alaska Senate bid.
Former Rep. Mary Peltola raked in $1.5 million in the first 24 hours of her bid to unseat GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan in Alaska, a sizable haul to kick off what will likely be a costly battle for Democrats to flip a Senate seat squarely in Trump terrain.
Peltola’s day-one haul was fueled by small-dollar donors from across Alaska, including fisherman, silversmiths and train conductors, according to information her campaign shared first with POLITICO. Ninety-six percent of those contributions were $100 or less.

“In just 24 hours, Alaskans made it clear that we’re ready to put Alaska first,” Peltola said in a statement. “I’m grateful and honored for this incredible support from people who are ready to take on the special interests and DC people and focus on what matters: fish, family, and freedom.”

Former Rep. Mary Petola

Peltola raised more in one day than the roughly $1.2 million that Sullivan brought in over the third quarter of last year, according to federal campaign finance filings. Sullivan had yet to post his fourth-quarter fundraising report as of Tuesday night, but the Republican was sitting on nearly $4.8 million in cash on hand to start the last three months of the year.

Her total was likely padded by messages from prominent Democrats including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), former Vice President Kamala Harris and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), who blasted out emails Monday asking their supporters to split donations between their political arms and Peltola.
Her campaign said it also recruited more than 500 volunteers in its first day.

The New York Times: Senator Says Prosecutors Are Investigating Her After Video About Illegal Orders.
Senator Elissa Slotkin of Michigan says she has learned that federal prosecutors are investigating her after she took part in a video urging military service members to resist illegal orders.

Senator Elissa Slotkin

Ms. Slotkin, a Democrat, said in an interview on Monday that she found out about the inquiry from the office of Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia and a longtime ally of President Trump’s. In an email sent to the Senate’s sergeant-at-arms, Ms. Pirro’s office requested an interview with the senator or her private counsel.
A spokesman for Ms. Pirro’s office declined to confirm or deny any investigation, and it is unclear exactly what officials have identified as a possible crime related to the video.
Ms. Slotkin organized the video, which Mr. Trump and other administration officials have described as “seditious,” along with five other Democratic lawmakers who are also military veterans. Its message that military officers are obligated to ignore illegal orders is a fundamental principle of military law.
The investigation by Ms. Pirro’s office is the latest escalation in a campaign by Mr. Trump and his allies to exact retribution on those he views as enemies seeking to undermine his administration or his authority as commander in chief.
Tom Tillis isn’t running for reelection, so now he feels free to criticize Trump.
Paul Kane at The Washington Post: Thom Tillis wants you to know something: ‘I’m sick of stupid.’

Sen. Thom Tillis is getting some things off his political chest.
The North Carolina Republican, who decided to oppose President Donald Trump’s massive policy bill last summer and not run for reelection this year, has stepped up his criticism of White House advisers and other Republicans whom he accuses of not serving Trump’s best interests.

Senator Tom Tillis

On Sunday night, Tillis leaped out as the first Republican to bash the Justice Department’s investigation of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell. He declared he won’t support any Fed nominees until the central bank’s long-standing independence is fully restored.

That came after Thursday’s significant symbolic victory in getting unanimous Senate support to display a plaque honoring the police who defended the Capitol during the 2021 insurrection, overriding the efforts of House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) to keep the plaque hidden.

And last Wednesday, Tillis delivered a more-than-1,500-word stem-winder on the Senate floor denouncing Trump’s advisers for egging him on with the idea that the U.S. military could take over Greenland.

“I am sick of stupid,” Tillis said.

Early Tuesday afternoon, facing questions about the fallout from the Powell investigation, Tillis said his problems are with the Trump advisers who entertain these positions, not the president himself.

“Who on earth believes that the president could possibly have the depth of expertise to make some of these detailed decisions that he’s making? So, of course, it’s his advisers,” Tillis told a group of reporters in an interview just off the Senate floor.
It would have been nice if he’d spoken up sooner, but better late than never.
Those are my recommended read for today. What stories are you following?

#AlaskaSenateSeat #BeccaGood #BorderPatrol #DonaldTrump #ElissaSlotkin #GeorgeFloyd #GregBovino #HannahNatanson #ICEThugs #JosephHThompson #MaryPetola #Minneapolis #Minnesota #PeteHegseth #ReneeGood #TomTillis #TrumpSPersonalArmy #WashingtonPost

#washingtonpost #trumpspersonalarmy #tomtillis #reneegood #petehegseth #minnesota
sabotmedia @[email protected] · 2023-06-01 · 06:58 UTC
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S: This is Sprout
C: and this is Charyan, and we are the hosts of Molotov Now!, thank you for joining us on this episode of the podcast.
S: On this episode we will be Interviewing Dr. Aaron Goings about their presentation regarding the 100th year anniversary of the death of a local wobbly named William McKay at the May Day On The Harbor Celebration put on by the Blackflower Collective and doing a report back on the days festivities, but before we go on with our regularly scheduled Radical News Round Up we here at Molotov Now! have an announcement regarding the future of our podcast that we would like to share with our listeners.
C: That’s right as of now we are officially Co-Conspirators of the Channel Zero Network
S: Hold on Charyan, what is the Channel Zero Network?
C: I’m glad you asked,
Channel Zero is an English-based anarchist radio/podcast network run by radical media makers. We are here to present anarchist analysis & context to deepen peoples understanding of the situation and broaden the struggle. We share stories from the front-lines, lessons from history, and battle-tested ideas to spread revolutionary practices.
During these days of late capitalism & rising nationalism we are constantly bombarded with right wing radio and shallow liberal analysis with the threat of fascism. Everything in this framework falls within parameters set by the state and offers no way out. We present perspectives that exist outside of that paradigm through interviews, documentaries, panel discussions and audio-zines.
Fuck what you heard, this is resistance.
S: This is gonna be sick
C: For sure but along with a new platform that allows us the opportunity to bridge the divide between rural and urban radicals comes a fresh start with a new format for the podcast. We will be limiting our reporting for the time being to our radical news round up and stories specific to radical organizing within the Pacific Northwest and the Grays Harbor Area, as well as warning the people about those mischievous Sabot Cats.
S: We hope this in turn will allow us the time needed to sharpen the focus on the main content of our episodes, start planning for future episodes, and hopefully in the near future with your support and donations we may be able to begin to better fortify the defenses in our recording studio from the Sabot Cats in order to start posting on a bi weekly schedule as opposed to monthly and bring you twice the content .
C: So be sure to check us out on the Channel Zero Network as well as other great podcasts such as Its Going Down, The Final Straw, Indigenous Action, Grounded Futures, and many more. If you enjoy this content and would like to see more of it please consider donating to our sponsor the Blackflower Collective, you can find all the ways to donate them at linktr.ee/blackflowerllc.
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Blackflower’s mission is to learn together the ways in which to healthily relate to each other and our environment. They seek to sustain and nourish the collective through fulfilling work, personal empowerment and equitable compensation while providing a hub for political thought and culture in Grays Harbor County.
Their goal is to provide low income housing to people facing homelessness. Pairing this living experience with a social center that provides for the needs of the residents and wider community.
C: If you are interested in participating in or donating to this project for more information please visit linktr.ee/blackflowerllc.
S: We will return after these brief messages, when we come back we will kick this episode off with our regularly scheduled Radical News Roundup, but for now a word from our sponsors.

Local News:
Welcome back to Molotov Now! Time for the news.
In Local News:
The third annual May Day on the Harbor was held on the first of May, or International Worker’s Day, in Hoquiam this year. More on that later in the show.
Picking up on a story that we have been covering in Dayton Washington…
After years of harassment at the hands of her local law enforcement, we are please to announce that the charges against Katey Hussey have been dropped. After going to court the prosecutor has decided to drop all charges relating to her case. This is likely because if the case had gone to trial the police department would have ended up looking bad if not loosing the case outright. This is great news but Katey still faces a tough battle to regain what has been stolen from her. During and because of this ordeal she has lost her job and housing. The charges still show up on her record as of now and so none of her typical contract work will hire her at the moment. Her mental health has suffered because of this harassment and she said “The charges may be dismissed but that doesn’t bring my home back or my job or the people I had in my life who looked at me differently because of this whole thing now”. With no sense of closure or justice she has been thoroughly abused by this system and now has to work to get to where she was prior to all of this. When asked what justice would look like she said that having disciplinary charges brought against the sheriff and deputies involved would be a good place to start. Some measure of accountability so that this doesnt end up happening to anyone else. If any of our listeners have suggestions for getting Katey the justice she deserves please contact us at [email protected]. This situation has her feeling lost and she would appreciate any advice or direction so that she can help to make sure no one else has to go through this.
On a warm holiday Sunday in Southwest Washington State, dozens of local queers celebrated the unofficial start of summer by gathering from morning till afternoon for a ‘Big Gay Wedding’ — right outside of a Christian Nationalist hate church that preaches their eradication. On May 28th Vancouver residents came together in solidarity to protest the on going “King James Conference” that was being hosted by christian nationalist hate-preacher and Jack Chick reject Aaron Thompson. Thompson, of Washington’s Sure Foundation Baptist Church, who’s sermons openly call for the genocide of Queer folk received viral attention last November as a video of one of his sermons praising the Club Q mass shooter and calling the atrocity that left 5 dead and 17 injured a “Good Thing” began to make its rounds about the internet.
CONTENT WARNING genocidal content, slurs, anti LGBTQIA2S+ rhetoric, etc
[Video Clip] https://twitter.com/hemantmehta/status/1595622960731394048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1595622960731394048%7Ctwgr%5E9c82356d2ec8bd61c62cdec9319c4622c6dcad23%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fonlysky.media%2Fhemant-mehta%2Fchristian-hate-preacher-aaron-thompson-club-q-shooting-good-thing%2F
On the 4th Day of this christian nationalist conference, locals had organized a “Big Gay Wedding” in order to protest the ongoing genocidal rhetoric of the church, including 4 Queer Marriages, multiple musical performances including Gabe from 1876, Indigenous Spoken Word, Drag Show performances by Johnny Nuriel and Isiah, And speeches Kim Harliss from the Vancouver City Council and various local pastors of inclusive churches who came out to support the queer community and speak out against the genocidal rhetoric of the Sure Foundation Baptist Church.
In the face of rising christo-fascist violence in the United States, organizers did a wonderful job of doing everything in their power to maintain a protest environment that was safe for all members of the community to participate in, they provided free water and snacks for participants, maintained free and clear access to the entrance to the roadway while offering assistance to those pulling out who couldn’t see past the crowd, multiple medics stood near by with first aid and trauma kits, as well as a well armed local community defense group well trained in de escalation tactics who provided security for the event. The preparation taken on by the organizers and the commitment to take seriously the threats of fascism when they arise in their community are great examples of what we should see in our actions. There are many lessons that can be learned from such a wonderful action of queer resistance and militant joy.
In a Instagram post written by drag performer Johnny Nuriel stated that
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cs2cVj2OlZO/?igshid=MmJiY2I4NDBkZg%3D%3D
For more information about this action, keep a eye out for a report back from The Harbor Rat Report coming soon
The Everett City Council expanded its “no sit, no lie” law Wednesday, giving the mayor new authority to set buffers around social service providers and areas “highly impacted by street-level issues.”
The council in 2021 approved the law that created a buffer zone around the Everett Gospel Mission, which runs a homeless shelter on Smith Avenue. The ordinance made lying down and sitting on nearby public property — mainly sidewalks and streets — a misdemeanor with a fine up to $500 and 90 days in jail.
In April, city staff and Mayor Cassie Franklin proposed expanding that law with broad authority for the mayor to make similar buffer zones as she sees appropriate. It also would ban groups and people from giving food, supplies and water to someone on city property in the buffer zones, unless they have a permit.
On Wednesday, the same day Snohomish County published its annual homelessness snapshot that found an 8.5% growth from last year’s count, the council passed the law on a 4-3 vote.
Everett City Council President Brenda Stonecipher, who voted for the law, said the buffer zones are imperfect solutions to homelessness but can help persuade residents from opposing service facilities opening near them.
Council member Paula Rhyne, who voted against the law, said people should have somewhere they can go before being told they can’t be there. Her request to tie the law’s effective date to when the city opens a day shelter failed on a similar 4-3 vote.
Across the street from Everett City Hall, people who coordinate mutual aid groups and stock a free food pantry and refrigerator in north Everett rallied to decry the ordinance before and during the council meeting Wednesday.
In a response to this action by the city council, local mutual aid group Punks in the Park said on twitter that the City is already leaving people uninformed of the decisions being made and expressed that the permits mentioned do not exist in reality. They have held demonstrations in opposition to this ordinance and have a call for action currently around this issue.
Call to Action. Email City Council Members to let them know that we oppose EMC 9.54.000 and EMC 10.35.000 . EMAIL TEMPLATE & COUNCIL EMAILS NOW AVAILABLE IN THE LINKS! . Feel free to write your own thoughts! #homelessnessisnotacrime #housesnothandcuffs #stopthesweeps That linktr.ee is linktr.ee/PunksInThePark.
https://twitter.com/PunksEverett/status/1653853966126686208
For more information follow Punks In The Park, Medic Viv, and South Everett Mutual Aid on twitter.
As mentioned in our last show the Dual Power West Gathering is happening June 2 – 4 an hour outside of Portland, OR. This unconference is being organized by a temporary collective of autonomous organizers in an attempt to spread community, radical ideas, and action throughout the west coast and beyond. Come on out to help organize the event and learn from other participants how we can resist State power and build collective autonomous power outside the State. For more information and to RSVP for the event visit the website dualpowerwest.org

Monthly Radical News Roundup:
Its time for our radical news roundup from other autonomous media organizations that we follow. Unicorn Riot is a decentralized, educational 501(c)(3) non-profit media organization of journalists. Unicorn Riot engages and amplifies the stories of social and environmental struggles from the ground up. They seek to enrich the public by transforming the narrative with our accessible non-commercial independent content. You can find the following articles on their website at unicornriot.ninja April 27, 2023 Federal Agents Kill Man in North Minneapolis April 29, 2023 The Battle of Sainte-Soline May 1, 2023 Guilty Verdict in Saint Paul Murder Trial of White Vigilante Not Enough, Says Victim’s Family May 2, 2023 May Day Riots Against Pension Reform in Paris May 3, 2023 Fourth Killer of George Floyd Found Guilty May 4, 2023 One Granted Bond, Two Denied Pretrial Release: Forest Defenders Appear for Preliminary Hearings May 6, 2023 ‘Crimes On Humanity’: UN Visits Minneapolis to Investigate Human Rights After Pressure Campaign
May 8, 2023 Three Face Felonies for Allegedly Flyering Near Home of One Georgia Trooper Tied to Killing of Forest Defender
May 10, 2023 Ten Years After Terrance and Ivan Killed by Minneapolis Police May 11, 2023 Andrew Kearse Remembered: Widow Shares the Pain of Losing Her Husband to Police May 16, 2023 Defense Attorney Earl Gray Says Black Foreman is ‘Racist’ After Guilty Verdict, Judge Grants New Hearing May 16, 2023 ‘We Do Not Need a School for Assassins’: Hours of Public Comment Unanimously Against ‘Cop City’ May 17, 2023 The Battle at NagaWorld: The Longest Strike in Cambodian History PT. I May 18, 2023 Thousands Attend Vio.Me.’s Celebration of 10 Years of Factory Occupation in Greece May 18, 2023 ‘Cop City’ Panel Member Posted Slurs Online, Archived Tweets Indicate May 19, 2023 Rally Demands Marvin Haynes’ Release from 19 Years Wrongful Imprisonment May 20, 2023 Tale of the City: Gentrification in London – Part 1 May 23, 2023 Judge Rejects White Vigilante’s Defense Motions Against Black Foreman, Sets Sentencing Date
May 24, 2023 The Battle at NagaWorld: The Longest Strike in Cambodian History Rages On, PT. II
May 25, 2023 Revolution in Every Country Comic Series: Episode 3 – Lebanon: On the Necessity of Intersectionality May 26, 2023 Minneapolis Continues Encampment Evictions, Displacing Hundreds in May May 27, 2023 Palestinian Khader Adnan Dies on Hunger Strike in Israeli Prison May 30, 2023 Rave Against the Machine: How One Rave Promoter Stood Up to the DEA and Won May 30, 2023 ‘Don’t Forget Us’: Forest Defenders Confront Horrors of Life in DeKalb County Jail
It’s Going Down is a digital community center for anarchist, anti-fascist, autonomous anti-capitalist and anti-colonial movements across so-called North America. Their mission is to provide a resilient platform to publicize and promote revolutionary theory and action. You can find the following articles on their website at itsgoingdown.org:
Apr 28, 23 2023 Statement from Marius Mason Apr 28, 23 Report on March and Encampment at Georgia Tech to Stop Cop City Apr 29, 23 Solidarity Campaign With ‘Florida 4’ Underway Apr 30, 23 Patriot Front Leader Exposed in Flyers in Ann Arbor Apr 30, 23 In Contempt #28: Anti-Repression Campaigns Spread, Barton Jail Hunger Strike May 2, 23 TERF Rally in Trenton NJ, Shut Down by Antifascist Coalition May 2, 23 May Day 2023: Announcing Our Program – The Black Rose Anarchist Federation announces the publishing of the organization’s political program. May 3, 23 This Is America #186: May Day; Fight Against Cop City Continues; Cleveland Anarchist Killed in Ukraine May 4, 23 Remembering Cooper Andrews May 6, 23 People Take the Streets in Occupied Flagstaff to “Honor & Avenge” #MMIWG2ST May 8, 23 Judges Uphold Domestic Terrorism Charges Against Stop Cop City Activists May 8, 23 Final Straw: Trans Resilience in Texas May 8, 23 Anarchist Political Prisoner Dan Baker Needs Support! May 8, 23 Xenophobic Title 42 Ends, Biden’s Immigration Reform Nowhere to Be Found May 10, 23 Neither Condemned, nor Persecuted! Solidarity with Miguel Peralta May 12, 23 Indigenous Resistance in Mexico, Border Militarization, and the End of Title 42 May 13, 23 Betraying the White Race in the 21st Century May 13, 23 SM28 Dissolves: A Balance Sheet May 13, 23 Call for Solidarity from the #EkoniAci Movement! Blockade at KM 16! May 16, 23 Proud Boys Plan Unsuccessful Trap for Antifascists In the Inland Empire May 17, 23 Hitler Saluting “White Lives Matter” Neo-Nazis Chased Off by Locals in Templeton, CA May 18, 23 Urban Ore Workers in Berkeley Win IWW Union Election, Get Ready to Negotiate Contract May 18, 23 Autonomous Distros Give Away Thousands of Trees May 22, 23 Community Mobilizes and Defends Church Drag Event from Proud Boys in Portage, Michigan May 23, 23 System Fail: Rise of AI, Resistance Committees in Sudan, and Defending Squats in Barcelona May 23, 23 Final Straw: Mutual Aid At The Border in Tijuana with El Comedor May 24, 23 Zine Release: Creeker Vol 4 May 24, 23 Antifascists Shut Down Neo-Nazis and Proud Boys Throwing Up Hitler Salutes in Sacramento May 16, 23 Canadian Tire Fire #59: Drag Defense, Mining Shareholder Meeting Disrupted May 21, 23 Storming In: Struggle in Atlanta Against Cop City Continues Despite Repression May 22, 23 “States of Incarceration”: Abolition, Revolt, and Organization May 22, 23 Graffiti Writers Are Painting Over a Pro-Police “Street Art” Campaign Backed by a Tech Billionaire in San Francisco
May 27, 23 Independent Media in the Social Struggle: An Interview with Avispa Midia
Crimethought is everything that evades control:

CrimethInc. is a rebel alliance. CrimethInc. is a banner for anonymous collective action. CrimethInc. is an international network of aspiring revolutionaries. CrimethInc. is a desperate venture.

2023-04-27 Bash Back! Is Back:Reviving an Insurrectionary Queer Network: An Interview
2023-05-03 In Memory of Dmitry Petrov : An Incomplete Biography and Translation of His Work

2023-05-24 Recipes for Disaster: Asphalt Mosaics: A Hot Weather Activity for Lonely Asphalt Near You
We’re getting the cue thats its time for a short break, when we return we will read from The Harbor Rat Report on a report back on the May Day On The Harbor event presented by the Blackflower Collective titled Local Leftist Festivities Fall Flat? , in the meantime Here is Hoquiam’s Blues By the Window Smashing Job Creators. Hit it! https://sabotmedia.noblogs.org/files/2023/05/full-text-wsjc-1.mp4
Segment one:
Welcome back to Molotov Now! Let’s read this article and report back on the third annual May Day on the Harbor held here in Hoquiam.
Local Leftist Festivities Fall Flat?

Since 1886, May Day has been an important holiday for the global working class. This history is often repressed in this country, being one of a minority that doesn’t celebrate International Worker’s Day on May first, despite being the country which served as the catalyst that created the holiday after the Haymarket Massacre of 1886. In an attempt to rekindle the knowledge of and the respect for that forgotten history – local leftists have put on an annual May Day celebration for three years running.
Initiated by the Chehalis River Mutual Aid Network in 2021, the yearly celebration has grown exponentially since its grassroots beginning in Zelasko Park. An event which included performances by the Plank Island Theater Company. Growing with each passing year, public interest in the event has continued to steadily grow, as turnout has increased with each passing year and local business participation has taken off – including participation from ART HQX, The Blackflower Collective, and Events on Emerson who came together to put on a wonderful May Day On The Harbor for 2023.
This year had a full day of activities and events, including plenty of historical exhibitions. The third annual May Day on the Harbor event was held at the local event center Events on Emerson and was sponsored by the newest radical project on the Harbor, The Blackflower Collective. The Blackflower Collective has formed around the issues that have arisen from the continued organizing among the unhoused population in the Aberdeen area, such as lack of housing, work, food, and community.
In that effort of improving conditions for the working class in Grays Harbor and in the spirit of the working class holiday, they have taken on the role of leading a new affinity group on the Harbor called the May Day On The Harbor Planning Committee that we here at Sabot Media have had the pleasure of taking part in. Through our connections with The Blackflower Collective, we helped to develop historical displays, produce video shorts, zines, buttons, and more for the event. We were happy to donate the work to this worthwhile effort and join them in celebration as this years May Day marked the 1st birthday of Sabot Media.
We were not the only people that showed up to table at this event however. Quite a few guests had come to share in this celebration of working class history with us, other tables at the event included historical displays from our local area and local historian Connie Parsons. The zine distro ‘Historical Seditions’ came with literature and merchandise. One table even offered zines produced during The Center for Especifismo Studies’s Militant Kindergarten coursework. Blackflower Permaculture, an offshoot landscape design team, was there to demonstrate their design services and talk about permaculture in relation to the need for working class food sovereignty. Chehalis River Mutual Aid Network participated again in this years event hosting an info table and collecting signatures for volunteers looking to get involved in mutual aid and community outreach. Our local chapter of Food Not Bombs also arrived in tandem with the Chehalis River Mutual Aid Network and catered a community potluck where they served free food including burgers and hot dogs throughout the day. ART HQx also participated in the event by donating art supplies and helping to set up a kid’s corner filled with DIY art projects. Other activities included free face painting, an educational history scavenger hunt, and subsequent prize table.
A major draw for people seemed to be the live music portion of the day. Various bands from Olympia including Them Badgers, Virtual Bird, and The Window Smashing Job Creators came down to support our Harborite comrades and hosted a free benefit concert at the 3rd Annual May Day On The Harbor. Citizens and guests of all ages cheered on the guest performances and young and old alike sang along to these songs of freedom.

And of course the Blackflower Collective themselves were in attendance fundraising for their land projects, selling merchandise and auctioning off a library’s worth of radical literature and other items donated by the community. Their table also hosted a contest to win a brand new Nintendo Switch by entering to guess the correct number of jelly beans contained within a large glass jar. Many people generously bid on the slew of awesome items up for auction and the word is the event was a huge success for them bringing in somewhere between 150 and 200 attendees throughout the day. “Anytime we can get out into the community and talk to people about the stuff we are so passionate about is a good day.” said one member of the collective when reached for comment.
In a scene as wholesome as apple pie, the end of the announcements of the auction winners and at the declaration of the winner of the jelly bean count. A little girl in the audience, after having taken a savvy approach to the challenge by using math to approximate the number of jelly beans, was declared the winner and her response was comparable to the excitement of the classic “Nintendo 64 Kid” video.
The peak of the evenings events though was a moving lecture from labor historian Dr. Aaron Goings who gave a historical presentation about the radical working class history here on the Harbor as discussed in his books by the titles of “Port of Missing Men” & “The Red Coast”. During the duration of his talk Dr. Goings brought to attention the life of William McKay, an Aberdeen resident and member of the International Workers of The World who was murdered on the picket line 100 years ago in 1923 while protesting for the release of political prisoners captured by the state in a concentrated effort to demoralize the working class and the burgeoning labor movement.
The oration concluded with a final message written on the banner of William McKay’s funeral procession: “Fellow Worker William McKay, killed by a company gunman, a victim of capitalist greed, We Never Forget?” As 100 Years have passed since the death of William Mckay, as 100 years have passed since the their death was last spoken to the public ear, the question mark at the end of this banner has become less of a question, and more of a challenge, a challenge to remember, a challenge to preserve the history of the working class. What will the future histories told of today be? Will they be stories of workers lives and struggles, or will they be stories of the era’s capitalists? Who will be the victors that write the histories of tomorrow? Of the struggles facing the modern working class, will “We Never Forget?”
As we look back on the past and the many tragic and joyous things that have occurred on the first of May, it is wonderful to see how much our small community has grown over the years. Years of hard work, blood, sweat, and tears. But years of growth and community too, years of comradery and delicious meals. One local fascist once called out the communities very first May Day on the Harbor (since the collapse of the labor movement) for “falling flat”, in a post made to their now defunct blog site, despite having a decent turn out for the length of preparation and resources available for the first May Day Event.
We can only laugh at that short lived fascist blog and it’s attempts to undermine the work of Harborite radicals as we smile and look on towards the future. Though many trials and obstacles await, we will continue to out grow the fascist creep and continue to do everything we can to bring class consciousness to the Harbor. As we look forward to the fourth annual May Day On The Harbor in 2024 with the experience of our past successful events under our belts we wonder, “Will the local leftist festivities continue to fall flat?”
We hope so…
Were getting the cue its time for a musical break, when we come back we will be interviewing Dr Aaron Goings about his presentation at May Day on the Harbor 2023, but until then here is THem Badgers LIVE from May Day.
https://sabotmedia.noblogs.org/files/2023/05/untitled.mp3
Segment two:
Welcome back to Molotov Now!
Feature Dr. Aaron Goings interview.
Conclusion:
So in conclusion there are loads of lessons to be learned by studying the past. Lessons that are directly applicable to our current day struggles. We can learn that it is wrong to trust the ruling class will ever do anything but consolidate power and serve it’s own interest. We can learn that the police, courts, politicians, and major institutions will always side with the status quo and work together to organize against the interest of the working class. The history of the working class struggle is incredibly violent, and we can learn from that as we prepare our actions in the present. Power will never grant the demands of the workers, we must organize to take what we want without asking. It is not enough to go to the boss with demands, that has never worked. What we need to do is realize that we dont need the boss at all, worker co-ops can replace the union negotiations with the bosses.
We need to be organizing outside of our small circles, we need to be talking to and interacting with masses of people. People who may not be anarchists neccessarily, but who want to see a better, more liberated world. We need to road test our ideas in the real world, alongside people with diverse opinions and life experiences, not silo ourselves off into smaller and smaller designations. The core of our work needs to be rooted in joy, and the core joy of anarchy is that it is accessible to all. It is the spread of these ideals that we need to be concerned with. Not evangelizing about sacred texts but through living and practicing the very concepts in our daily lives for people to see and experience. Showing someone anarchy is going to go a lot further towards convinvcing them of its merits than merely telling them about it or having them read it in a book. Our actions are what is important, and it is by examining the actions of others in our region that we can find accomplices in our revolutionary work, not by listening to what people say, but by looking at what they do.
Outro:
Thanks for tuning in to this episode of Molotov Now! We hope you found it informative and inspiring. Our goal with the podcast is to reach out beyond our boundaries and connect the happenings in our small town with the struggles going on in major urban centers. We want to talk to you if your a big city organizer, we think we have a lot you can learn from, and we know you have much to teach us. If you would like to come on the show please email us at [email protected] with the header “Molotov Now!” and we will be in touch about setting up an interview and crafting an episode to feature you.
We want to give a shout out to our friends at:
- S: The South Florida Anti-Repression Committee who have launched a solidairty campaign for two individuals facing 12 years for an alleged graffiti attack on a fake Christian anti-choice clinic that does not provide any reproductive care. This Federal overreach and use of the FACE Act, an act meant to protect people visiting reproductive clinics from harassment, is unprecedented. To support this solidarity campaign please visit bit.ly/freeourfighters
- C: We want to thank The Blackflower Collective for their continued support and wish them luck in their fundraising efforts. To support them or learn more their website is blackflowercollective.noblogs.org.
- S: Kolektiva, the anarchist mastodon server, is growing faster than ever thanks to Elon Musk’s stupidity as many activists close their accounts for bluer skies as can be seen in the fluctuation of followers over on IGD’s socials, join at kolektiva.social (spell kolektiva) and follow us and other online activists on decentralized federated internet.
- C: Don’t forget to go to bit.ly/lakotalawicwa and sign the petition by the Lakota Peoples Law Project telling Joe Biden and attorneys for the Department of Justice to do everything in their power to protect the Indian Child Welfare Act and defend Secretary Deb Haaland.
- S: Chehalis River Mutual Aid Network is holding a fundraiser to purchase a brand new canopy tent for their weekly meals with Food Not Bombs. To donate visit linktr.ee/crmutualaidnet
- C: Don’t forget The Communique is looking for artist and author submissions, please write to [email protected] to submit your entry before June 7th for our Summer Solstice edition.
- S: As reported previously, Katey Hussey is still struggling in the wake of harrassment by Dayton Police that has cost her their employment and housing. Luckily it appears as though the charges against her have been dropped. But she has lost everything because of this and still faces an uphill battle getting back on her feet. Please send any donations to Venmo @katyHussey or Cashapp $KatyHussey to help them during this time.
- C: Thank you to Pixel Passionate for producing our soundtrack, please check out their website at www.radicalpraxisclothing.com and check out their portfolio in our show notes
- S: and finally we were recently featured on an episode of Live Like The World Is Dying, where we delved into the dichotomies between rural and urban organizing and the plans for the radical future of the Harbor. To check it out visit the new webpage blackflowercollective.noblogs.org/press/
Remember to check out Sabot Media’s website for new episodes, articles, comics, and columns. We have new content all the time. Make sure you follow, like, and subscribe on your favorite corporate data mining platform of choice and go ahead and make the switch to federated social media on the kolektiva mastodon server today @AberdeenLocal1312 for updates on Sabot Media projects such as The Harbor Rat Report, The Communique, The Saboteurs, our podcast Molotov Now! and many other upcoming projects.
That’s all for tonight. Please remember to spay and neuter your cats and don’t forget to vote.
Solidarity Comrades,
This is Molotov Now! Signing off

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#186 #28 #59 #ekoniaci #mmiwg2st
https://sabotmedia.noblogs.org/episode-7-interview-with-dr-aaron-goings/
#ekoniaci #mmiwg2st