Trump bombs Vance and other GOP news
The degradation of the US and North Carolina continues under Republican rule.
Donald Trump gave new meaning to the Guy Clark line, “If I can just get off of this L.A. freeway without getting killed or caught” when he fired live ammunition over a major California freeway. Governor Gavin Newsom objected to the move and closed the highway. Despite assurances that the exercise was safe, artillery exploded prematurely, raining shrapnel down on the road and damaging vehicles in Vice-President JD Vance’s parked motorcade that was waiting for the road to re-open. In other words, Trump bombed Vance.
Trump also commuted the sentence of fraudster George Santos, proving that nobody in the GOP is held accountable for anything. Santos is a serial conman who bilked people donating to his campaign and stole tax dollars by fraudulently receiving unemployment benefits, among other crimes. On Truth Social, Trump said he commuted Santos’ sentence because, “Santos had the Courage, Conviction, and Intelligence to ALWAYS VOTE REPUBLICAN!”
Republican Congressman Cory Mills is still under a restraining order for threatening a former girlfriend. No Republicans are calling for him to step down, partly because Republicans don’t hold Republicans accountable for bad behavior and partly because Mills’ vote protects Trump from the Epstein files. Alleged Christian and House Speaker Mike Johnson refuses to address the issue. According to Politico, “Asked again about allegations of simple assault against Mills, along with previous charges that he misrepresented his military career, Johnson referred further questions to Mills and called him a ‘faithful colleague.’” Again with the loyal Republican stuff.
Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth have been bragging about blowing up boats in the Caribbean, claiming they are killing narco-terrorists. So far, they have offered no evidence that their victims were doing anything illegal. When two people survived the last attack, they were released back to their home countries instead of being charged with any crime.
The president of Colombia claims that an earlier attack killed an innocent Colombian fisherman. According to President Gustavo Petro, “The Colombian boat was adrift and had its distress signal up due to an engine failure.” Trump responded by calling Petro a drug dealer, cutting off aid to Columbia, and imposing tariffs on the country.
Legal experts say the extra-judicial killings are illegal. Trump and Hegseth have offered no evidence that the boats were smugglers and the US is not at war with any of the countries in whose waters the strikes are taking place. Republican Senator Rand Paul denounced the killings, posting on twitter, “What a despicable and thoughtless sentiment it is to glorify killing someone without a trial.”
For those keeping score, Trump is back on Putin’s side again in the war in Ukraine. On Friday, he told Zelensky to accept Russia’s terms for ending the war or be destroyed. Trump also declined to sell Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine despite dangling the prospect last week. Trump’s message to Zelensky came after a Thursday call with Putin. What’s that guy got on Trump?
Finally, a mid-level GOP strategist has abandoned the Republican Party and written a clear-eyed account of his time as political professional in the modern GOP. He writes, “My goal in quitting the party and writing this piece is twofold: first, to shed light on why someone would continue to work for an increasingly corrupt and authoritarian political party despite their divergent ethical and political beliefs; second, to convince any number of consultants, staffers, and former colleagues to follow their consciences and leave with their integrity still intact.” It’s worth your time to read the whole thing.
In North Carolina this week, the legislature is going back into session so Republicans can steal a Congressional seat. House Speaker Destin Hall made it clear he believes that Members of Congress and the state legislature should be beholden to the president, not the voters. He claims Trump has a “mandate” and that Republicans are going to defend it by “drawing an additional Republican Congressional seat.” The GOP has reached the point that they proudly proclaim they are rigging elections instead of denying it and making weak excuses.
That’s the round up. I’m sure there’s other GOP news that I’ve missed. I’ll try to get it next time.
Legal experts say that killing people is illegal? Common sense says killing people is illegal! It's murder. Even if the victims were engaged in drug trafficking, that is not a capital offense. It is NOT okay under any circumstances. The perpetrators -- trump and hegspath -- need to be held accountable in a court of law. Totally outrageous.
It is painfully obvious that members of the GOP are redrawing maps to win elections because they acknowledge that their policies are not attractive enough to appeal to the body politic!