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‘It’s scary’: Dem candidate speaks out after Trump admin’s ‘surreal’ prosecution of her
Progressive Democratic congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh spoke out against President Donald Trump's administration for prosecuting her after she participated in a protest against an immigration raid in her home state of Illinois.
The indictment, which was filed on Oct. 23, accuses Abughazaleh of one count of conspiracy and one count of forcibly impeding an officer. Abughazaleh told NBC News that she plans to self-surrender to authorities next Wednesday and described the incident as "political prosecution."
Abughazaleh joined Jon Lovett, a former Obama administration staffer, on a new episode of the "Pod Save America" podcast on Thursday, and further discussed the prosecution.
"It's scary. It's surreal, and it's also totally expected," she said. "This is what this administration does. They go after people who disagree with them, and this case is an attempt to criminalize protest, to criminalize freedom of speech, and to criminalize freedom of association."
"This is what authoritarians do," she added. "They try to find any excuse to punish their political enemies, to punish populations they deem as enemies. We've seen that a lot in how ICE is functioning."
Abughazaleh noted that the Trump administration has admitted to catching very few criminals during its immigration raids. She suggested that reveals something more sinister about the raids.
"That is one of the best examples to show that this has never been about crime," she said. "This has never even been about immigration. This is about securing and cementing power for the Trump administration."
Ex-GOP spokesperson rails that red states are suffering due to Trump’s cuts
Former Republican Tim Miller, who hosts a podcast for the conservative anti-Trump news outlet The Bulwark, discussed with MSNBC host and former Republican Nicolle Wallace that the GOP is stiffing its own voters with slashes to food stamp benefits.
"I know food stamps is like a 90s era right-wing racist smear, but SNAP, which is sort of the new EBT — this is food assistance. [It] knows no partisan affiliation. If anything, it disproportionately benefits households in Trump voting counties and districts," said Wallace. "And it feeds a whole lot of kids who don't have any responsibility for any of the political decisions that adults make."
Miller noted that the GOP's rhetoric has clearly shifted from the days of Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and Mitt Romney (R-UT).
"But the policies are harmful to them. And this ... the expiration of SNAP — or the fact that they're not going to continue funding SNAP during this shutdown, beginning this weekend, I think is the most acute example of this, where, you know, if the party had fully switched to being a multiracial, multiethnic, working class party like they pay lip service to, this would be an emergency right now," said Miller.
The situation would involve Republican lawmakers fearful "our own voters are literally going to go hungry beginning this weekend. You know, we need to serve to service them. And meanwhile, Donald Trump's in China or in Korea getting a, you know, Burger King happy meal crown from the head of South Korea. And Congress isn't even in session, right? Like they're not doing anything."
He called it a catastrophe and a tragedy if the problem isn't fixed in the coming days.
"But it's also a very stark demonstration of just how this kind of MAGA populism is a lot of lip service and not a lot of action," Miller continued. "And you're seeing it in real time also in the states where, you know, in Colorado, Jared Polis and some other states, governors, mostly Democratic governors, are working to try to patch this right now. And in some of the red states, it's not going to get patched."
‘Beyond parody’: Onlookers brutally mock Trump for ‘very stupid’ Putin statement
Donald Trump on Sunday stunned the world with a comment he made about Vladimir Putin.
Trump over the weekend changed his tone on Putin, first delivering some "very harsh words" to the Russian leader through the American press.
After that, Trump took to Truth Social, where he said he was shocked about how Putin has apparently changed.
EXCLUSIVE: Trump accused of new grift that puts Qatari plane in shade
"I’ve always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him," Trump wrote. "He has gone absolutely CRAZY! He is needlessly killing a lot of people, and I’m not just talking about soldiers. Missiles and drones are being shot into Cities in Ukraine, for no reason whatsoever. I’ve always said that he wants ALL of Ukraine, not just a piece of it, and maybe that’s proving to be right, but if he does, it will lead to the downfall of Russia!"
Writer Michael Freeman reposted Trump's statement and wrote, "This is a very bad time to have a very stupid president."
PatriotTakes, which says it is dedicated to "researching and monitoring" right-wing extremism "and other threats to democracy," responded with, "Trump now says Putin 'has gone absolutely crazy' bombing cities, blames Zelenskyy and Biden."
"Anyone else remember how Trump said he would end the war in 24 hours?" the group asked.
Ex-GOP strategist Jeff Timmer chimed in, saying, "Jesus H F------ Cream of Wheat for Brains Christ. Trump’s brain is a black hole singularity that sucks in stupidity and ignorance, crushes and distills them to their purest, unadulterated, and most potent form, then combines them with infinite avarice, cruelty, and sociopathy."
Former prosecutor Ron Filipkowski said, "In other words, he promised repeatedly during the campaign he had a secret plan to end the war in 24 hours and he was just bulls------- everyone because he doesn’t have the first clue what to do, he gave away all negotiating leverage months ago, and his special envoy is a dope."
Journalist Aaron Rupar called the comment, "Beyond parody."
Trump is ‘re-envisioning America’ in a way that resembles North Korea: analysis
Many critics of President Donald Trump have been attacking his immigration policies — from mass deportations to foreign students being detained in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities because of their political statements — as a blatant assault on due process and the rule of law.
One of those critics is attorney Dean Obeidallah, host of "The Dean Obeidallah Show" on SiriusXM and an opinion columnist for MSNBC's website. During a Saturday, May 24 appearance on MSNBC, Obeidallah warned that Trump's draconian immigration policies are not only a threat to immigrants — they also have disturbing implications for lifelong U.S. citizens.
The New Jersey native told MSNBC's Ali Velshi, "This is not about immigration. Regardless of (what) you feel on that issue, Democrat or Republican, it's something bigger than that…. And that word is freedom…. Donald Trump is going after everything, freedom of speech, in ways we've never seen. I mean, a judge just ruled on Friday protecting the law firms, saying you're going after dissent, going after universities. I had professor Stephen Levinsky on my show, co-author of 'How Democracies Die,' saying: Every autocrat goes after universities because they are independent centers of dissent."
READ MORE: Nicolle Wallace reveals what may finally convince Trump to 'back away from the people'
Obeidallah continued, "He's going after media outlets. He's going after Democrats. They're arresting judges, the mayor of Newark —they dropped the charges, they had no case…. They opened up an investigation into Act Blue because it's a platform to help Democrats raise money. There's now an investigation of Media Matters."
The SiriusXM host described the Trump Administration's policies as a "re-envisioning of what America is about."
Obeidallah told Velshi, "This really is a push and pull between two competing visions of America. One: that we believe in is freedom, the United States of America, with due process — and their vision, which is an autocracy. And that really is what we're dealing with — or easier than that, a dictatorship. They want Trump as the dictator of the United States, and we all have to bow down to him."
Velshi noted that when "due process is taken away…. that's where your freedoms disappear" — to which Obeidallah responded, "Absolutely. It's the only thing that keeps us (from)…. being North Korea."
READ MORE: 'America First': Far-right MAGA Catholics declaring war against 'globalist' Pope Leo
GOP congressman pinpoints ‘staggering statistic’ that led him to tackle Medicaid
A Republican lawmaker on Saturday gave a "staggering statistic" about Medicaid from his home state.
Appearing on CNN over the weekend, Rep. Greg Murphy (R-NC) was asked about the Medicaid cuts in Donald Trump's big budget bill.
Specifically, the host asked if Murphy was worried those cuts would disproportionately hit his own constituents harder, since North Carolina has more than the average number of residents on Medicaid.
EXCLUSIVE: Trump accused of new grift that puts Qatari plane in shade
Murphy acknowledged that was the case, but seemed to imply that is more of a reason to slow the growth of the program.He noted that "52% of the births in the state of North Carolina are born to women on Medicaid."
"That's a staggering statistic," he added. "If you think and you follow that down the road, there has to be something done fundamentally to stop this from occurring and growing at such a rate."
Ex-Trump insider drops ‘behind the scenes’ news that’s ‘bigger than a lawsuit’
A former Donald Trump insider on Saturday flagged what he says is "bigger than a lawsuit" news about the president.
Author and former Trump associate Lev Parnas, who earlier in the day accused Trump of causing a "massacre" that took the lives of many people, published a post called, "Shhh… Behind Closed Doors, Trump Is Dismantling Free Speech."
"You’re not going to hear this on CNN. You’re not going to read this on the front page of The New York Times. And you definitely won’t find it on 60 Minutes. But let me break it down for you, because what’s happening right now is bigger than a lawsuit — this is an all-out war on the First Amendment," he wrote.
EXCLUSIVE: Trump accused of new grift that puts Qatari plane in shade
The ex-insider then flagged the news:
"Trump is suing Paramount for $20 billion, accusing 60 Minutes of deceptively editing an interview with Kamala Harris to damage his 2024 campaign. That’s right — the guy who bragged about grabbing women and incited an insurrection is now claiming he’s the victim of a 'hit piece.' And here’s where it gets even more dangerous: Paramount is reportedly considering settling," Parnas wrote. "But the Freedom of the Press Foundation just blew the lid off what could be a backdoor deal with massive consequences. They sent a scathing legal letter to Paramount chief Shari Redstone demanding document preservation and warning that any payout to Trump might constitute a 'bribe' — a quid pro quo to secure Trump’s blessing for a pending Hollywood merger."
He then added, "You read that right: A potential billion-dollar media merger could hinge on Trump’s personal approval."
Parnas also reports, "Behind the scenes, he is quietly but aggressively working to dismantle the free press. Any outlet, any journalist, any creator who speaks up or dares to challenge him becomes a target."
New video shows Trump may have violated federal law at crypto event: attorney
A criminal law attorney warned late Friday that a new video appears to show President Donald Trump ran afoul of federal laws when he took the stage at a private dinner event for investors of his meme coin.
Trump hosted more than 200 top investors in his personal $TRUMP meme coin on Thursday night at an exclusive, high-profile dinner at his private golf club in Sterling, Virginia. The event rewarded the largest investors in his cryptocurrency venture, something that even ardent MAGA fans have raised concerns over.
A video surfaced late Friday, purportedly showing the president addressing attendees.
EXCLUSIVE: Trump accused of new grift that puts Qatari plane in shade
"The country is doing really well. We have no inflation. Costs are way down. Oil was just at $1.99, $1.98 a gallon, which we haven’t seen in years," he told guests in the video.
Tracey Beryl Gallagher, a public defender in California and former judge pro team, took to X to flag a small — yet important — detail in the video
"He is talking behind a podium bearing the Presidential Seal," she noted. "The Presidential Seal is governed by strict regulations under federal law, primarily 18 U.S.C. § 713 and Executive Order 11649."
Those rules, she said, limit its use to "official government purposes to preserve its symbolic integrity."
"Using the seal at a personal, for-profit event like a money-making speaking engagement or private fundraiser would likely violate these regulations, as it could imply official government endorsement of a private activity," she wrote. "The law prohibits using the seal in a manner that suggests government approval or affiliation for non-official events."
Gallagher pointed to cases including United States v. Sindel from 1995, where misuse of government insignia led to penalties. While some exceptions are allowed for certain ceremonial or educational uses, such as replicas at presidential libraries, "personal financial gain doesn’t qualify," she noted.
Jon Stewart fears Trump will ‘burn our country down for insurance money’
Comedian Jon Stewart had a grim outlook for what the endgame of President Donald Trump's second administration could be, in an interview on the Bill Simmons Podcast flagged by The Daily Beast on Friday evening.
The part that alarms Stewart most, in particular, is all the money that media outlets and tech companies are showering on the Trump family in the effort to curry favor.
"What you’re seeing now is, ‘All must pay tribute to the king.’ And the price of peace is different,” said Stewart. “ABC had to pay $15 million, Bezos had to pay $40 million for a documentary on Melania. Zuckerberg had to pay. They just put money into the pot."
He called it "protection money.”
“Ultimately at the end of this, does Trump burn our f------ country down for insurance money?" Stewart added. "Like, where are we headed?”
EXCLUSIVE: Trump accused of new grift that puts Qatari plane in shade
Media companies and tech are far from alone in coughing up money. Trump also struck a series of agreements with law firms to contribute millions of dollars in pro bono work and change their hiring and representation policies, to avoid getting slapped with executive orders locking them out of government contracts and even access to federal buildings. Judges have recently ruled several of those orders unconstitutional.
Stewart went on to discuss the internal turmoil at CBS News over whether to settle Trump's suit with them, widely considered frivolous by legal experts, and the parade of executives and editors who have left the network in protest of the intent to do so.
“The reason they all left is part of the deal is they have to apologize,” said Stewart. “And in that moment, these people who have built careers on their excellence and their integrity had to look and go like, ‘Alright, well I hope I’ve done well enough that I can weather this, but there’s no f------ way that I’m going to apologize for doing my job the way it’s supposed to be done, just because this one guy is offended by it.’”
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‘It’s scary’: Dem candidate speaks out after Trump admin’s ‘surreal’ prosecution of her
Progressive Democratic congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh spoke out against President Donald Trump's administration for prosecuting her after she participated in a protest against an immigration raid in her home state of Illinois.
The indictment, which was filed on Oct. 23, accuses Abughazaleh of one count of conspiracy and one count of forcibly impeding an officer. Abughazaleh told NBC News that she plans to self-surrender to authorities next Wednesday and described the incident as "political prosecution."
Abughazaleh joined Jon Lovett, a former Obama administration staffer, on a new episode of the "Pod Save America" podcast on Thursday, and further discussed the prosecution.
"It's scary. It's surreal, and it's also totally expected," she said. "This is what this administration does. They go after people who disagree with them, and this case is an attempt to criminalize protest, to criminalize freedom of speech, and to criminalize freedom of association."
"This is what authoritarians do," she added. "They try to find any excuse to punish their political enemies, to punish populations they deem as enemies. We've seen that a lot in how ICE is functioning."
Abughazaleh noted that the Trump administration has admitted to catching very few criminals during its immigration raids. She suggested that reveals something more sinister about the raids.
"That is one of the best examples to show that this has never been about crime," she said. "This has never even been about immigration. This is about securing and cementing power for the Trump administration."
Ex-GOP spokesperson rails that red states are suffering due to Trump’s cuts
Former Republican Tim Miller, who hosts a podcast for the conservative anti-Trump news outlet The Bulwark, discussed with MSNBC host and former Republican Nicolle Wallace that the GOP is stiffing its own voters with slashes to food stamp benefits.
"I know food stamps is like a 90s era right-wing racist smear, but SNAP, which is sort of the new EBT — this is food assistance. [It] knows no partisan affiliation. If anything, it disproportionately benefits households in Trump voting counties and districts," said Wallace. "And it feeds a whole lot of kids who don't have any responsibility for any of the political decisions that adults make."
Miller noted that the GOP's rhetoric has clearly shifted from the days of Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and Mitt Romney (R-UT).
"But the policies are harmful to them. And this ... the expiration of SNAP — or the fact that they're not going to continue funding SNAP during this shutdown, beginning this weekend, I think is the most acute example of this, where, you know, if the party had fully switched to being a multiracial, multiethnic, working class party like they pay lip service to, this would be an emergency right now," said Miller.
The situation would involve Republican lawmakers fearful "our own voters are literally going to go hungry beginning this weekend. You know, we need to serve to service them. And meanwhile, Donald Trump's in China or in Korea getting a, you know, Burger King happy meal crown from the head of South Korea. And Congress isn't even in session, right? Like they're not doing anything."
He called it a catastrophe and a tragedy if the problem isn't fixed in the coming days.
"But it's also a very stark demonstration of just how this kind of MAGA populism is a lot of lip service and not a lot of action," Miller continued. "And you're seeing it in real time also in the states where, you know, in Colorado, Jared Polis and some other states, governors, mostly Democratic governors, are working to try to patch this right now. And in some of the red states, it's not going to get patched."
ICE sent into frenzy to return longtime Trump golf employee mistakenly deported to Mexico
A longtime former employee at one of President Donald Trump's golf clubs was mistakenly deported to Mexico, The New York Times reported — sending U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement into a mad scramble to correct the error and bring him home.
"Alejandro Juarez stepped off a plane in Texas and stood on a bridge over the Rio Grande, staring at the same border that he had crossed illegally from Mexico 22 years earlier," reported Luis Ferré-Sadurní and Hamed Aleaziz. "As U.S. immigration officials unshackled restraints bound to his arms and legs, Mr. Juarez, 39, pleaded with them. He told them he was never given a chance to contest his deportation in front of an immigration judge after being detained in New York City five days before."
As it turned out, the Department of Homeland Security had mistakenly put him on a deportation flight instead of sending him to a detention facility in Arizona ahead of his immigration hearing, to which he was entitled.
"Their actions probably violated federal immigration laws, which entitle most immigrants facing deportation to a hearing before a judge — a hearing Mr. Juarez never had," said the report. "ICE officials raced to decipher his whereabouts, exchanging bewildered emails and contacting detention facilities to pinpoint his location, according to internal ICE documents obtained by The New York Times. It is unclear how many other immigrants like Mr. Juarez have been erroneously removed, in part because ICE has not in the past tracked such cases."
Juarez "had worked for more than a decade at a Trump Organization golf club in New York," noted the report, and suddenly found himself expelled from the United States.
Similar administrative mistakes have happened on other occasions, most notably with Salvadoran migrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was deported from his family in Maryland to the infamous CECOT megaprison in his home country, despite a court order prohibiting his removal there. After months of denying they had jurisdiction to repatriate him, the Trump administration finally did so, but then immediately hit him with flimsy gang charges, and started shopping around for any other country that would accept him, including several in Africa.
