You’re going to get the most, by far, from today’s BradCast, by listening to it. This briefest of summaries will not do it justice. Hopefully it suffices if only for a few links to a few of the stories and rulings cited throughout today’s program. [Audio link to full show follows below this summary.]
In short (very short), the Trump Administration is losing and losing and losing in court, in case after case after case. And they are not only losing, but being upbraided by judge after judge — those appointed by both Democrats and Republicans alike — in one ruling after another now. At least at the lower federal court level. It’s just one reason why the Administration is so desperate to get up to the final appeal phase at Donald Trump‘s corrupted, hand-picked Supreme Court.
The rulings from many of the U.S. District Court judges have been brutal for the Administration, as now coming in day after day. Just one example from yesterday is U.S. District Court Judge Ana C. Reyes‘ blistering ruling [PDF] in which she took DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to the metaphorical gravel pit over Noem’s barely disguised racist rhetoric as part of the Administration’s attempt to order the end of legal protected status for more than 350,000 Haitian refugees in this country. (Ya know, like the ones in Springfield, OH who don’t eat dogs or cats.)
The good guys aren’t winning every motion in every case. And, as noted, the corrupted SCOTUS may have the last word in some of them. But the increasingly dreadful record for the Government in these cases, for the moment, has essentially become the equivalent of legal trench warfare, forcing the Administration to step back or stand down, with the people largely holding off the attempted fascist federal takeover of the United States of America. Or, at least, preventing it from getting appreciably worse.
Russia was supposed to have taken over Ukraine in a week’s time after they initially invaded their smaller, weaker sovereign neighbor four years ago this month. Similarly, Trump was supposed to have brought the U.S. to fascist MAGA heel by now. He decidedly has not.
With each loss, of course, in both courts of law and public opinion, he and his Administration grow angrier, more out of control and more dangerous — but easier still to defeat in the bargain.
As his and his party’s approval ratings — and ability to win elections in even some of the “reddest” parts of the country — continue to erode, he is now desperately turning to an attempted takeover of American elections themselves.
“The Republicans should say, ‘We want to take over,'” Trump blathered to Dan Bongino, former conspiracy podcaster turned Deputy FBI Director turned conspiracy podcaster again, on Monday. “We should take over the voting, the voting in at least many — 15 places. The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting.”
Trump then went on to completely mischaracterize why former MAGA Mesa County, Colorado Clerk Tina Peters is currently serving nine years in state prison for her criminal efforts related to attempting to defraud the 2020 election while illicitly conspiring to make unlawful copies of sensitive, proprietary voting system software. Despite having issued a pointless pardon for Peters (federal crimes have no effect on convictions under state laws), it’s clear Trump knows absolutely nothing about her actual crimes.
But, as to the “nationalize the voting” thing, please know (as I explain in more detail on the show): Presidents have absolutely ZERO power to do any such thing. Elections are run by states and, to some extent, Congress may make laws that states must follow. He has no Constitutional or legislative or super-secret power to nationalize them, much less ordering “Republicans” to do so. It is, at best, a very empty threat. Whether he knows that or not is unclear. And, yes, as discussed, there are things that he can try to do, with the unlawful deployment of ICE forces, for example, to make things more difficult for voters to vote this year. But I suspect any such efforts will end up hurting his party’s chances more than they will help.
Tune in for the full argument, of course.
At the same time — as Saturday Night Live hilariously satirized over the weekend — more and more Trump supporters are (slowly, but surely!) finding their way back toward sanity, or at least away from Trump. I suggest we find ways to help them safely get there.
Finally, Desi Doyen joins us for our latest Green News Report, with, yes, still more humiliating legal losses for Trump and more deadly climate change-fueled weather across the nation….
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