#attempted coup trial

[tomorrowusa]

When Trump tells you that crime is rampant, he's talking about his own personal ongoing crime wave.

[filosofablogger]

Foot-Stomping Furious!

In most countries, if you’re planning a coup to overthrow the government, you get one chance and only one chance.  You either succeed, or you fail, and if you fail you will either be dead by the end of the day, or you will spend the rest of your life in prison.  But in the United States, the land of opportunity, you get multiple chances.  If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again! I’m not…

[nodynasty4us]

The flaw is, he would have to testify and be cross-examined.

Read the article for more insights about the charges, and the author’s concerns about how the media have misunderstood some aspects of the case.

[dailyworldecho]

[contemplatingoutlander]

Trump's trial "is a fulfillment of his rights"

"That Trump will be tried for his coup attempt is not a violation of his rights. It is a fulfillment of his rights. It is the grace of the American republic. In other systems, when your coup attempt fails, what follows is not a trial."

--Timothy Snyder, PhD, Levin Professor of History, Yale University

[kp777]

By Jake Johnson

Common Dreams

July 1, 2024

A legal journalist described the liberal justice's dissent as "one of the most terrified and terrifying pieces of judicial writing I've ever encountered."

In her dissent against the U.S. Supreme Court's Monday ruling in Trump v. United States, liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor listed several acts that she argued the high court's right-wing supermajority has effectively sanctioned as unprosecutable exercises of presidential authority.

"Orders the Navy's SEAL Team 6 to assassinate a political rival? Immune," wrote Sotomayor. "Organizes a military coup to hold onto power? Immune. Takes a bribe in exchange for a pardon? Immune. Immune, immune, immune."

The high court's 6-3 decision along ideological lines granted former President Donald Trump "absolute immunity" for acts that fall within the scope of the "responsibilities of the executive branch under the Constitution," as Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the majority.

The new ruling leaves it to the lower courts to determine whether the election-subversion acts for which Trump was charged last year in a case led by Special Counsel Jack Smith were "official" or "unofficial." The Supreme Court took more than four months to decide the case after agreeing to hear it, meaning Trump is unlikely to face trial before the November presidential election.

The Associated Pressnoted that the Supreme Court "further restricted prosecutors by prohibiting them from using any official acts as evidence in trying to prove a president's unofficial actions violated the law"—a move that Sotomayor condemned as "nonsensical."

While Roberts acknowledged that "not everything the president does is official," Sotomayor argued that the majority's expansion of "the concept of core powers beyond any recognizable bounds" means that "a president's use of any official power for any purpose, even the most corrupt, is immune from prosecution."

"Whenever the president wields the enormous power of his office, the majority says, the criminal law (at least presumptively) cannot touch him," wrote Sotomayor. "Even if these nightmare scenarios never play out, and I pray they never do, the damage has been done. The relationship between the president and the people he serves has shifted irrevocably. In every use of official power, the president is now a king above the law."

Sotomayor expressed "fear for our democracy" as she closed her dissent against the ruling by the Supreme Court's majority, two members of which have recently faced intense scrutiny and calls to resign for accepting lavish gifts from right-wing billionaires.

"Justice Sotomayor's alarmed dissent was signed 'with fear for our democracy,'" U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) said in a statement Monday. "This is a blaring warning to voters of the anti-democratic forces pulling the strings both at the Supreme Court and in the Republican Party."

"Not only does this decision deprive the American people of knowing whether the former president is guilty of attempting to overturn the last election before they head to the polls in November, it also makes it much harder to hold a former president accountable for illegal acts committed while in office," said Whitehouse. "The far-right radicals on the court have essentially made the president a monarch above the law, the Founding Fathers' greatest fear."

Mark Joseph Stern, who covers the U.S. courts for Slate, called Sotomayor's dissent "one of the most terrified and terrifying pieces of judicial writing I've ever encountered."

Pointing to Sotomayor's dissent, U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) wrote Monday that "it is a dark day for democracy when presidents can commit any crime they want in their official capacity, and these justices are bribed for their decisions."

"Coup attempts are not 'official acts,'" she added.

Also writing in dissent was liberal Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, who warned that "in the majority's view, while all other citizens of the United States must do their jobs and live their lives within the confines of criminal prohibitions, the president cannot be made to do so; he must sometimes be exempt from the law's dictates depending on the character of his conduct."

"Indeed, the majority holds that the president, unlike anyone else in our country, is comparatively free to engage in criminal acts in furtherance of his official duties," wrote Jackson, who criticized the right-wing majority's "arbitrary and irrational" attempt to distinguish between official and unofficial acts.

"It suggests that the unofficial criminal acts of a president are the only ones worthy of prosecution," the justice continued. "Quite to the contrary, it is when the president commits crimes using his unparalleled official powers that the risks of abuse and autocracy will be most dire."

[reasonsforhope]

I keep seeing news about charges and what-not being piled onto Trump, and all I can keep saying to myself is "but is he going to experience one (1) single consequence of this?" So... is there any iota of a hope that something could come of this circus that will make the slightest ding in his capacity to run in 2024?

So, the answer to this is a bit complicated - partly because there are a lot of factors and a long time scale, and partly because it depends on how you define "consequences"

If you mean "any serious consequences at all," good news, that has already happened!

If you need to catch up on the whole "cases against Trump" situation, read this: The Cases Against Trump: A Guide. Via The Atlantic, November 1, 2023

1. The New York Fraud Case

A judge has ordered that the Trump Organization must be dissolved in a ruling that is being widely described as a "corporate death penalty." This is an incredibly rare ruling, and a huge deal.

The details will take a while to hash out - currently, Trump's kids are in the middle of testifying in a trial for this fraud case, but it's not to determine whether he's guilty - only the extent of the damages and the outline of how the org will be dissolved. It's extraordinarily unlikely Trump will be able to get out of this one. And high up on the list of things he's probably going to lose? Trump Tower itself.

Now, admittedly, this actually isn't because of, you know, the whole attempted coup thing. It's because the Trump Organization's finances were built on decades of absolutely massive fraud - including the very wealth that Trump lied about in order to explain why people should vote for him.

Oh, and let's not forget that in this case, Donald Trump spent weeks absolutely shit talking the judge to try to "poison the jury pool" (make sure that people on the jury would go in with a negative opinion of the judge already). ONLY TO FIND OUT THAT THERE IS NO JURY IN THIS CASE because his attorneys forgot to request one, so the sole arbiter of his fate is the judge he just spent weeks absolutely slandering in an attempt to win over the jury! And all else aside, judges very infamously do not like being insulted

Oh yeah, and the prosecutors are seeking a permanent ban on Trump doing business in the state of New York

Fraud trial explainer (New York Times, no paywall) Sources: x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x

2. 14th Amendment Lawsuit

Okay so I did all the other sections first, then came back and wrote this one. It's shorter because of that, and because this issue is a lot newer and doesn't have nearly as much legal stuff or investigations going on yet.

What's happening here is that several states have people who are filing petitions and lawsuits to try to get Trump taken off the ballot for the 2024 election, under the 14th Amendment, which was passed in the aftermath of the Civil War and bars anyone who has committed insurrection from holding office.

So far (as of the first week of November, there are cases to kick Trump off the ballot in about 20 states. Oral arguments have started in Colorado and Minnesota.

Basically, my take on the short version is that this could happen, but we'll have to wait at least a few more months to see how likely it is.

However, even if it does go through, Trump would only be kicked off the ballot on a state by state basis. So, if Colorado kicks him off the ballot, he'll still be on the ballot in the other 49 states, and the process would have to be repeated in each one. Still, even if it was just one state, that could be a big deal, voting-wise - and if he gets kicked off the ballot in more than a couple states, he might not end up being the Republican nominee anymore, given the size of that disadvantage.

Correction, 6 min after posting: It's expected that if Trump DOES get kicked off the ballot in any state, the Supreme Court will hear the case and weigh in. The decision would be binding for all states. Supreme Court probably unlikely to ban Trump from the ballot since they cheated their way into a conservative supermajority and 3 of them are Trump appointees

Explainer: Trial to kick Trump off the ballot in Colorado Explainer: Strengths and weaknesses of cases to kick Trump off the ballot Sources: x, x, x, x, x, x, x

3. The Classified Documents Case

So, the fraud case above is actually a civil case (that is, not a criminal case). The classified documents case, however, is a criminal case, and it's arguably the one most likely to lead to legal and political consequences for Trump, in large part because everything's very clear cut.

Like, Trump has literally admitted he retained classified documents on purpose - which is super against the law! Trump is just arguing a variety of nonexistent technicalities for why that law doesn't apply to him. But he did it! We know he did! We have photos of classified documents stored in the Mar-a-Lago bathroom! We have testimony from the employees he ordered to secretly move the boxes before the FBI probe. We have records proving he asked Mar-a-Lago's IT guy about erasing the surveillance footage of the move! We even have proof that a) he stole nuclear secrets, and b) a recording of him waving around the "plans of attack," bragging about them to other people!

All super damning.

(Post continues below, at length; sources at the end of each section.)

And another thing that's extremely key: Trump is charged in this case with violating the Espionage Act. And the Espionage Act explicitly does not give a single fuck about why you retained documents, or whether there's any proof you intended to show anyone. Any and all hoarding of national defense documents is illegal under the Espionage Act - EVEN if they're not classified, which is great since "I declassified them with my brain" (not how it works) is Trump's main defense here.

So, this case is basically the surest criminal conviction - and the most likely to have electoral consequences. Partly because Republicans, as few issues as they care about, generally are security hawks - "Trump stole nuclear secrets and showed them to people" is giving Repubs pause in a way that the insurrection just isn't, probably esp in the military and ex-military demographic.

Trump could also serve jail time if convicted in this case (which again he probably will be).

However, violating the Espionage Act doesn't ban you from running for or holding public office, which imho seems like a pretty major oversight.

Classified documents case explainer Sources: x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x

4. The Insurrection

So, this is where things get really complicated, because the case is complicated and so many things about it are so unprecedented.

There are two different cases here: a criminal case in the state of Georgia and a federal criminal case (that's the one run by Special Counsel Jack Smith, who is also running the classified documents case).

I definitely can't summarize all of this huge situation here, but here's some key points re: whether there will be legal consequences:

I actually have a pretty high level of trust in Jack Smith, in large part due to his record: he's serving as special prosecutor while on sabbatical from his normal job of prosecuting war crimes at the Hague. And he's specifically been prosecuting war crimes from the wars and genocides in former Yugoslavia in the 80s and 90s. That specifically gives me a lot of confidence because - as someone whose family is from the region - I think it's a really strong demonstration of his abilities. It means he has a lot of experience prosecuting high-level government and army officials, in a complicated, multi-year, multi-war conflict, where there were way more sides and factions than we have, along with way less documentary evidence (bc 90s), and a lot of history of political corruption and coverups. I find that really reassuring, especially the "experience prosecuting high-level government and army officials" thing in a situation with, shall we say, extremely contested and variable national leadership, during the course of multiple civil wars

"Schwendiman compared it to prosecuting Kosovo’s equivalent of Benjamin Franklin and Alexander Hamilton. “If you indict these people, you’re saying, ‘The founding fathers of Kosovo have committed atrocities, and I’m ready to prove it, in an independent court, with independent judges and rules that apply to everyone.’” And that was Kosovo's founding president. So yeah, I think Jack Smith can handle Trump. Source

Okay now to the points you might have actually heard of lol

The Georgia case is a state level case, which means that no matter what, Trump can't pardon himself in that case

The Georgia case is also charging Trump under the RICO act - aka the rackeeting act, usually used to prosecute organized crime. And convictions under the Georgia RICO Act come with MANDATORY jail time

I think the evidence here is pretty compelling, see: the congressional Jan 6 hearings

There is a pretty high chance that, in a massively unusual step, filming will be allowed inside the trial/hearings. This is HUGE, especially because Trump supporters would actually be watching it too (unlike, generally, the congressional hearings), and that evidence all laid out looks really goddamn bad

Also, if yesterday's fraud trial testimony is any indication, Trump is likely to end up yelling and screaming at the judge, etc. in the trial, which is going to look wildly unprofessional

The federal trial will be taking place in Washington DC, where it should be very doable to get a jury that isn't stuffed with Trump cronies (unlike, say, if the case was brought in Florida)

Trump has attempted witness tampering on a lot of occasions, and tried to poison the jury pool, and he got caught so now he's under a gag order that restricts what he can say re: both of those.

Important note: Jack Smith has brought the narrower of two possible cases against Trump. He's filed against Trump with several conspiracy charges, including "conspiracy against rights," which was historically created to prosecute the KKK for racial terrorism

However, Jack Smith did not actually charge Trump with inciting an insurrection. There are a lot of possible reasons for this, but it mostly boils down to the fact that "inciting an insurrection" is significantly less objectively provable, in this case, esp since "insurrection" isn't actually defined in the relevant law

So, Jack Smith has traded a broader case (the one including insurrection charges) for a case that is much simpler and quicker to argue, and that he's sure he can prove

Jack Smith absolutely knows that he has an effective deadline of November 2024 (aka the next election, because a Republican president would shut down the investigation immediately), and he's planning accordingly

Look. Federal prosecutors - and the prosecutors in Georgia and the other NY case, for bribery of porn star Stormy Daniels - would not be bringing these charges if they did not feel sure they would win. Democracy aside, if any of them lose their cases? That is almost guaranteed to end their careers. So they have a very vested self-interest in only taking on what they are absolutely sure they can prove

The judge in the federal Jan 6 trial is the judge who has given the harshest sentences against any of the Jan 6 rioters, and she is the only judge to have sentenced rioters to more time than the prosecutors asked for

Jan 6 charges against Trump, explainer Sources: x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x

A Very Hot Take: It might not be a bad thing that Trump is still allowed to run

So, this is my personal take on the situation - I acknowledge that it's a very hot take on the Left, and that I might well be wrong about this. I might be totally misreading the field here. But I genuinely do think that Trump being the Republican candidate for president could be a good thing, and in fact I'll genuinely worry significantly more if Trump isn't the Republican nominee for president.

The why all basically comes down to this: I think Trump will be easier to defeat in the 2024 general election.

Again, look, I may totally be misreading this, and that would be really bad, but here are my thoughts:

Trump is super popular with the far right base - but that same strength makes him a huge liability in the general election. You CAN'T WIN a presidential election without the support of independents and moderates (including "moderates"). This is a really common problem for Republican candidates, actually: the more they move to the right to win the core Republican base, the more they risk hurting their chances in the general election

Independents and moderate Republicans - again, who Trump needs to win with to get the presidency - are significantly more likely to care about, you know, all the stealing classified documents and committing treason things

I can't think of anything that will guarantee people on the left get their asses to the polls better than "Vote or Trump is president again." A lot of the time, with someone who hasn't been president before, voters can lie to themselves and go "Oh it won't be that bad once he's in office," esp among moderates. But now we have proof that isn't the case!

Look, I don't know if Trump is getting dementia or what, but his faculties really do appear to be declining. They'll likely be significantly worse in another year - his speeches are already way worse than there were in 2016. He just can't track what he's saying well enough anymore. This makes it harder for him to make his case to the electorate

He's also the only actual Repub candidate that's about the same age as Biden - which will do a lot to stop the Right from using Biden's age as an effective weapon to get a Repub in office

Honestly, my biggest worry is that DeSantis will be the Republican nominee. I am way more scared of Biden vs. DeSantis than Biden vs. Trump.

Reasons I would absolutely rather Biden face Trump than DeSantis include: DeSantis is way younger and he has way less baggage. Because he hasn't been president yet, voters can do that self-delusion thing that he won't be that bad - that he'll be better than Trump - and that unlike Trump's, his plans will work. People on the left and in the center often don't know who he is yet, and there's not such a huge current of electoral energy to get them to the polls. And most of all - unlike Trump, DeSantis is actually smart. And as part of that, he is capable of a deep and absolutely premeditated cruelty that Trump just doesn't have the attention span or the patience for. Biggest example: actually literally kidnapping undocumented immigrants and sending them to Martha's Vineyard, and all the awfulness that went along with that, including the part where he started a goddamned trend.

Nikki Haley I'm less worried about because her core support base - conservatives - is also the country's core support base for misogyny. I hate to be glad about misogyny, but it genuinely would make it harder for her to turn out ultraconservative votes, especially evangelicals.

Sources: x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x, x

So, yeah, all told I don't actually have "Trump still gets to run for president" super high on the list of things I'm worried/mad about.

Also worth saying that we don't want just being indicted (aka charged with a crime) to disqualify people from running for office, because then all Republicans (or anyone) would have to do to disqualify an opposing candidate is find literally any excuse to charge them with something

But back to your original question! I genuinely DO think he'll face legal consequences, and I genuinely DO think he'll probably face jail time. Which obviously I am rooting for very hard

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Joan McCarter at Daily Kos:

The U.S. Supreme Court heard Donald Trump’s immunity claim in his federal criminal trial for trying to overturn the 2020 election Thursday, and the conservative majority is likely going to give Donald Trump what he wants: a delay of the trial until after the election. If Trump wins again, the conservatives have essentially signaled that they would be open to blanket immunity for him against any future criminal charges.   The fact that Supreme Court justices are suggesting that the president is above the law proves why the court must be reformed. Four of the justices—Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Brett Kavanaugh, and Neil Gorsuch—even went so far as to suggest that special counsel Jack Smith’s entire prosecution is unconstitutional, and they reinforced Trump’s argument that the president is immune. Kavanaugh even told Michael Dreeben, a lawyer from Smith’s office, that it’s a “serious constitutional question whether a criminal statute can apply to the president’s criminal acts.”

That would be the ultimate get-out-of-jail-free card for the chief executive, rubber stamped by the highest court of the land. It’s worth remembering that Thomas refused to recuse himself from this—and most of the Trump election interference cases—despite the fact that his wife, Ginni Thomas, was deeply involved in Trump’s coup attempt. When she testified to the Jan. 6 special congressional committee, she maintained that the election was stolen.  His failure to recuse himself comes after a new ethics code has supposedly been enforced, saying that “a Justice should disqualify himself or herself in a proceeding in which the Justice’s impartiality might reasonably be questioned, that is, where an unbiased and reasonable person who is aware of all relevant circumstances would doubt that the Justice could fairly discharge his or her duties.” So much for that suggestion from Chief Justice John Roberts. His code has no teeth, which is yet another reason why ethics reform—and indeed court reform and expansion—is essential. 

Joan McCarter writes in Daily Kos that the Trump v. United States "immunity" case is a good reason to reform and expand SCOTUS.

[mariacallous]

No one expects him to resign, not only because he lacks the decency and integrity to do so after arguably the worst day in Israel’s history. It's also because of the criminal charges he faces.

Resigning is counterproductive to his personal interests and they, not the State of Israel, are what counts. His trial, not Israel's security, is his priority. He has lost all legitimacy and can't be trusted, certainly at a time of war when such monumental decisions need to be made.

That he's the first prime minister in the history of democracies to wage war on his own country, on its institutions and foundations, is clear. For years, but especially since he launched his antidemocratic constitutional coup in January, he has declared war on Israel’s elites, the judicial system, the checks and balances and by extension the military he views as an elitist cabal undermining his political agenda.

The popular pushback to his attempted regime change now looks like distant history, because Saturday October 7 wasn't only a tragedy on an epic scale, it was a debacle and an inflection point. Netanyahu and his cabinet callously betrayed the sacred trust, the core of Israelis' compact with their government: security.

For this there is no redemption, no contrition, no salvation. He must go and he must go now. No excuses, no political deals, no mitigating circumstances. For all intents and purposes, he's incapacitated and can't discharge the duties of his office.

His government is extremist, messianic, hollow, inept and inherently kakistocratic – government of the worst. It buckled in the first moment of crisis. He and his dysfunctional ministers betrayed Israel, and effectively his government is no longer functional, except maybe for the defense minister.

He isn't Winston Churchill, to whom he likens himself, and he isn't Abraham Lincoln. No one looks up to him at the ultimate moment of tragedy and crisis; only sycophants trust him.

His record is one of incompetence and gung ho delusion – and there is a clear and present danger that all his wartime decisions will be polluted by personal, legal and petty political considerations. He can't be trusted, nor is he credible to manage the war that is only just beginning.

His constitutional coup has categorically harmed national security and taken a high toll on the military's preparedness. He was warned about this by the military's chief of staff and by former prime ministers, defense ministers, chiefs of staff and hundreds of former generals.

In fact, in March he casually fired Defense Minister Yoav Gallant because Gallant was expected to deliver a statement arguing that Netanyahu’s constitutional coup was endangering Israel’s security. He has shown arrogant recklessness, dereliction of duty and responsibility, as well as gross negligence in managing Israel’s national security.

Now look at his foreign policy and geopolitical record. It's nothing short of abysmal. Let’s go through the areas one by one, starting with his bogus claim to fame. How ludicrous does his decade-old bragging look – that only he can save Israel, and indeed Western civilization, from the regime of the messianic mullahs?

Iran. The Islamic Republic has accumulated enough fissile material to produce five nuclear bombs, according to the Pentagon. It has reached unprecedented levels of uranium enrichment. Meanwhile, it has further deepened its hold in Syria, Lebanon and Gaza while tightening relations with Russia and China.

Hezbollah in Lebanon. Thanks to Iranian material support and political mentorship, the Shi'ite organization is as strong as ever. After what has happened with Hamas in Gaza, the arrogant statement that “Hezbollah is deterred” should never be taken seriously again.

The Palestinians. Here the record is just as ominous. Hamas has launched the most lethal attack on Israel ever. Whatever the outcome of the current war, during Netanyahu’s reign Hamas has become as strong as ever, armed as ever, audacious and murderous as ever.

Netanyahu, the man who just a few years ago vainly pledged to “obliterate Hamas,” has done nothing. Absolutely nothing. He has effectively strengthened Hamas, allowed tens of millions of dollars from the Gulf to be funneled to the terror group to implode the Palestinian Authority so he can proceed with annexation.

Under Netanyahu, the PA's weakness and ineptness has brought Israel closer than ever to the unviability of the two-state model. Israel is dangerously close to a binational state where reality is binary: Either Israel ceases to be a Jewish state or becomes an apartheid state. A majority of Israelis want neither.

In the international arena Netanyahu boasted during the 2019 and 2020 election campaigns that he's “in a different league.” Those huge posters showed him with Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, but in this arena where he pretends to be a world leader, the record is strikingly unimpressive.

The United States. He has not been invited to the White House in the 10 months since his new term began. The Americans' criticism, including by President Joe Biden, of his constitutional coup is unprecedented.

Russia. His friendship and mutual admiration with Putin was so fruitful that Russia is now aligned with Iran, buying drones and other weapons. Even his morally depraved policy of not standing with Ukraine – to be fair, a policy he inherited from the previous government led by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid – hasn’t won him any points with Putin.

China. Two months ago, Netanyahu ostentatiously declared that he was invited by Xi Jinping to Beijing, while a “senior source” added that the idea was to signal to Biden that “Israel has options.” Not only is China expanding relations with Iran, it has also been condemned by Israel for its “balanced” stance on Hamas’ massacre of civilians.

Is Netanyahu's record so dismal? Of course not. He has forged a great friendship with Viktor Orbán, the towering intellect from Hungary. And he spent 25 minutes with French President Emmanuel Macron earlier this year. Plus he really likes Narendra Modi of India, and while Hamas was planning its attack he flew all the way to California to chat with Elon Musk about artificial intelligence. Stellar.

Netanyahu cannot and should not be trusted to manage Israel at this juncture. The mechanics for removing him are complicated and there is no clear path. But placing any trust in a man who got Israel here is far more irresponsible.

Netanyahu Must Go Now, Not After the Gaza War

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Jesse Duquette

* * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

July 11, 2024

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

JUL 12, 2024

Yesterday, Raw Story reported that Ivan Raiklin, Trump’s self-declared “Secretary of Retribution” has compiled a “Deep State target list” of 350 people he wants to see arrested and punished for “treason” if Trump is reelected. The list includes Democratic and Republican elected officials, journalists he considers to be Trump’s enemies, U.S. Capitol Police officers, and witnesses against Trump in his impeachment trials and the hearings concerning the events of January 6, 2021.

Representative Jamie Raskin (D-MD) told Raw Story: “His hit list is a vigilante death warrant for hundreds of Americans and a clear and present danger to the survival of American democracy and freedom.” The Trump campaign did not respond to requests for comment. Raiklin said the list was just the beginning. “This is the scratching of the surface of who is going to be criminalized for their treason, okay?” 

Former president Donald Trump, the presumptive 2024 Republican presidential nominee, has tried to distance himself from the radical extremist blueprint outlined in Project 2025, spearheaded by the Heritage Foundation. Today, videos surfaced of Trump cheering the project on from the start. At a Heritage Foundation dinner in 2022, Trump, slurring his words, said: “Our country is going to hell…. This is a great group and they’re going to lay the groundwork and detail plans for exactly what our movement will do...when the American people give us a colossal mandate to save America. And that’s coming.”

On a right-wing podcast yesterday, Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts said that Trump’s agenda and Project 2025 have “tremendous” overlap. “There are some quibbles and differences of opinion here and there, which not only is okay, but it's actually good,” Roberts said. “I mean, we're gonna be able to sort those out once the presidential administration declares what their priorities are.” He said that Trump’s attempt to distance himself from the project was “a political tactical decision.” Media Matters uncovered a video in which Project 2025 director Paul Dans said that Trump is “very bought in with this.” 

The Heritage Foundation, the key author of Project 2025, is a sponsor of the Republican National Convention. 

Today the Heritage Foundation preemptively accused the Biden administration of cheating in the 2024 election and warned that Biden might try to hold the White House “by force.” It said that Biden and his administration could “circumvent constitutional limits and disregard the will of the voters should they demand a new president.” 

There is no indication that Biden, who has repeatedly said he will accept the election results, will try to launch a coup against the United States government. In contrast, Trump, who has refused to say he will accept the election result unless he agrees with it, has already done exactly what Heritage is trying to pin on Biden: Trump tried to stay in office against the will of the voters in 2021. 

Trump is currently under criminal indictment for that attempt, although the Supreme Court’s eye-popping July 1 decision in Trump v. U.S. declaring that a president cannot be prosecuted for crimes committed as part of a president’s “official duties” means Trump can challenge those indictments. Indeed, in the wake of that decision, Trump’s lawyers have filed a motion to vacate the jury’s conviction of Trump on 24 felony counts related to the falsification of business records in his attempt to skew the 2016 election, and to dismiss the indictment. 

While the U.S. and our allies celebrated the seventy-fifth anniversary of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Erin Banco of Politico reported yesterday that Trump advisors have told foreign officials that Trump plans to scale back U.S. cooperation and support for NATO, including reducing the sharing of intelligence with NATO countries.

This seems likely to be related to the news that the U.S. intelligence discovered a series of Russian plots to assassinate executives from European defense companies that are supplying arms to Ukraine. Americans took that intelligence to Germany and foiled a Russian plot to kill the chief executive officer of a German arms manufacturer. 

Trump has stayed home playing golf for the past two weeks, but on Tuesday he held a rally at his Doral golf club outside of Miami, where he kept the audience waiting outside in 90-degree heat before he showed up an hour late. His 75-minute speech was, as The Guardian’s Richard Luscombe reported, “full of evidence-free claims that his 2020 election defeat was fraudulent; baseless accusations that overseas nations were sending to the US ‘most of their prisoners’; and a laughable assertion that a gathering of supporters numbering in the hundreds was really a crowd of 45,000.” He also claimed that Biden had quadrupled the price of bacon and said, “We don’t eat bacon any more.” 

Trump did not mention his vice presidential pick. For the first time since 1988, it appears the Republicans will go into their convention without knowing who that pick will be. 

Luscombe reported that the crowd “appeared mostly subdued,” yawning and playing on their phones. 

Today, the editorial board of the Los Angeles Times wrote that Trump is “the only candidate in the race who is patently unfit for office—any office—and an imminent threat to democracy.” “If the [Republicans] had any decency left,” it wrote, they would dump him. Voters, the board said, must see the election as “a referendum on our 248-year democracy, and a choice between a trustworthy public servant who upholds American values and a serial liar who wants to push the country into authoritarianism.”

Almost two weeks after calling for Biden to step out of the 2024 race for the presidency, the editorial board of the New York Times also said that Trump is unfit to lead the United States of America, and urged voters “to see the dangers of a second Trump term clearly and to reject it.”

There was continued good news today about the American economy. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen announced that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) had collected more than $1 billion in overdue tax bills from millionaires. That crackdown was possible thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, which funded an initiative to pursue high-income, high-wealth individuals who have an income of more than $1 million and owe more than $250,000 to the IRS. 

Republicans have repeatedly tried to cut the funding that made this enforcement possible. 

Today’s inflation report for June showed that inflation continues to cool, falling in June for the first time since the start of the pandemic. It declined in June by –0.1%, as gas and electricity prices dropped and as rent had its smallest monthly increase since August 2021. Statistics also show that workers’ wages continue to grow more quickly than prices. 

Yesterday, the AFL-CIO executive council voted unanimously to reaffirm its support for President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, saying: “Unions have never wavered in our support of them because they’ve never wavered in their commitment to working people.” The Bricklayers & Allied Craftworkers Union quoted that statement and added: “BAC is proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with our brothers and sisters across the labor movement in supporting the Biden-Harris re-election campaign.”

In a press conference this evening, Biden championed the economic boom his policies created for the middle class and reminded attending journalists that “none of you thought that would happen.” 

In that press conference, held after he presided over the three-day NATO summit and thus focused on foreign affairs, Biden answered press questions directly and fully, not only on his health but also on foreign affairs. He reiterated the importance of NATO and reminded reporters that he was key to reinforcing the alliance after Trump weakened it, then went on to talk about foreign affairs more broadly. He also noted that “I’ve spent more time with Xi Jinping than any other president,” adding: “And by the way I handed in my notes.” This was a reference to the fact that in an unprecedented move, Trump infamously refused to disclose the notes from one of his conversations with Russian president Vladimir Putin.

At the same time that Biden was holding a press conference that focused on NATO and foreign affairs, Trump was meeting at Mar-a-Lago with Putin ally Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán. On social media this evening, Trump indicated that he is trying to conduct his own foreign policy, although the Logan Act prohibits private citizens from negotiating with foreign governments, and reiterated his support for Putin’s call for “peace” in Ukraine. Their plan calls for giving Putin the western regions of Ukraine that were central to his 2016 support for Trump; Trump’s 2016 campaign manager promised Trump would look the other way as Putin absorbed them. 

Orbán, who has openly called for Trump’s reelection, posted: “Peace mission 5.0[.] It was an honour to visit President [Trump] at Mar-a-Lago today. We discussed ways to make [peace]. The good news of the day: he’s going to solve it!”

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[quitealotofsodapop]

Wukong may have not even meant to tell then about his pregnancy and the reason he had been seeking immortality. Like, he was probably not used to talking to people outside of his newfound family (something he and Sandy have been working on) and the last time he'd probably seen even half of these people was probably either when he was thrown in the Furnace, sealed under the mountain, or dealing eith some other negative event. Be had exactly 0 friendly memories with most of these people who now hold the fate of his long lost mate's soul in the palms of their hands. So he panicked when a bunch of the nobility started digging up his past crimes, all crimes he had been pardoned for by going onto that Journey mind you, and may have been trying to find a way to e plain it when he accidentally blurts out the truth.

Prosecution: Are wr really going to listen to a monkey who caused so much having and destruction!? Who stole the immortality peaches, and wine, and Lao Tzu's own elixir of immortality!? Who attempted to perform a coup!?

Wukong, bit really he was speaking aloud: It's not like I even wanted to actually perform the coup. That was Azure's crazy ass idea, I just wanted the fucking immortality so the cub would be born safely...

Prosecution: ...What cub?

Wukong *The most guilty and horrified look as he realizes the entire court had heard him*: Oh shit...

Referencing.

Wukong forgot from years of semi-isolation to keep his thoughts to himself. The gasps and loud arguing that erupted amongst the court was almost deafening.

Luckily the Monkey King's mate was too shocked to stay tight-lipped as he normally would;

Macaque, from the prisoner dock: "That's why you were collecting immortalities!? Peaches, why didn't you tell me?"

Wukong: "Because I knew you'd try stopping me if I told you!"

Macaque: "DAMN STRAIGHT I WOULD'VE! Having the cub could still kill you! I don't want to have to choose between you and our infant!"

Wukong, emotional: "I had already experienced half an eternity without you Plums... I thought if I could have this baby, I'd at least be able to tell them the stories of The Hero and the Warrior in your stead ."

Macaque: *stuttering with a deep blush* "Y-you remembered my plays...?"

Wukong, smiling fondly: "It was always the troops' favorite story. You tell it better than I ever could though."

Macaque: *too in-love to comment* ( *///•)

The Gods and Celestials: *surprised/aww'd telenovela noises*

Gold Star (judge): *has to quickly call for order less the arguing continues and derails the trial*

Everyone present in the court room is immediately fixated on the defence. It's literally the most interesting thing they've seen/heard in milennia.

[thelastharbinger]

Did not have the U.S. government holding hearings on previously classified information and lying making confirmations under oath that they are in possession of alien bodies and ufos in order to distract from the fact that covid-19 is still the leading cause of death in children, the cost of living is astronomical, cop city is well underway despite Atlanta residents overwhelmingly crying out against it, we are experiencing the hottest & deadliest temperatures on record, the state of Florida trying to rewrite history to say that slavery was just a mutually beneficial unpaid internship, trans lives and rights are under attack, anti drag laws, FLINT MICHIGAN STILL DOES NOT HAVE CLEAN DRINKING WATER, anti-discrimination laws being reversed, Supreme Court ruling against affirmative action, Roe v. Wade undone, universal free school lunches are on the ballot, ongoing mass shootings, climate change, big pharma killing off people by withholding live saving drugs at ungodly market prices, the erasure of separation of church and state, AI surveillance being implemented to detect fare evasion for increasingly costly public transport services, the rise of fascim, proud boys showing up with military grade weapons at libraries and day care centers, the permitted attempted coup of the capital, labor union strikes happening all over the country, people dying of heat in Texas because evil landlords want to cut off cooling over an unpaid $51 utility bill, train derailments causing toxic waste spills, corruption within the highest court in the land, homelessness rates the highest its ever been, migrants and asylum seekers being kicked out of temporary housing, the cost of food, book bans, Miranda Rights no longer being stated, mayors deciding to no longer publicly disclose how many people are dying pre-trial in detention facilities, federal minimum wage still $7.25, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, oil pipeline constructions on native lands, something like 30-50% of the nation's drinking water contaminated with forever chemicals, the rich remaining untaxed, biden going back on his campaign promises to forgive all student debt, still no free universal healthcare, ICE deportations increasing under biden admin, the u.s. yet maintaining colonies, teens and women getting jail time for miscarriages and abortions, 100 companies globally responsible for 70 or 80-something percent of all CO2 emissions, we are living in a police state, diseases resurfacing after years with no cases due to rising temps, death penalty, public services being defunded to increase military and police spending budgets, and abusers suing victims for defamation cases in court so that they legally cannot talk about it, and setting a dangerous precedent in the process in my 2023 bingo card but here we god damn are.

[qqueenofhades]

bless u for the comprehensive answer to my last question, it is much appreciated! And sincere apologies for coming off as defeatist - you're absolutely right that, at the end of the day, the most important thing is working as hard as we can to make sure trump loses the general election. What this really clarifies for me is that my focus should be on the elections, and that I should file the judicial process under "interesting, could be useful, but will never be a silver bullet". Thank you again!

You're welcome, and I think it's most useful to think of it like this: we need to do our job (defeating Trump in 2024) so Jack Smith's job (indicting the fucker up the wazoo) will stick. We hear endless punditry and hand-wringing about how Trump will just cancel the charges if he wins, and that's often presented as some kind of terrible foregone conclusion that we will only avert by dumb luck, if we do at all. And yet, for some funny reason, we never hear about the flip side: i.e. if Trump loses, he's fucked. He will have no more reason to delay, no last-minute Hail Mary play, nothing to stop him from standing trial, being convicted, and going to jail, and that's exactly why he and the rest of the fascist criminals are throwing everything at the election. It is his last shot.

Honestly, I don't want people complacently thinking that the indictments will do the work for them and get rid of Trump -- because they will, but only if we do our job first and pound that motherfucker into the ground in 2024. I don't want anything to take away from the importance of doing everything we can to help Biden win in 2024 -- voting, volunteering, donating, talking to friends and family, you name it. We NEED to do that work so that Trump is out of miraculous golden parachutes and is left to face the consequences. And if he does (again, please God) lose, at least this time he is not the sitting American president and does not have the full resources of the federal government to attempt a coup. In that sense, if you want to see Trump properly, completely brought to justice, it's so easy:

Support the indictments

Vote for Biden in 2024

Do everything to make sure Trump loses

The end.

It's really that easy. Because as noted, if we do our part and Trump loses the election, he is fucked. That's really all there is to it.

We are in uncharted territory here because the founding fathers were eighteenth-century Enlightenment rationalists, and while they obviously did not trust a king and built in all kinds of checks and balances to prevent the president from BEING a king, they also imagined that whoever held the job would at least make a good-faith effort to follow the rules. Besides, the best-designed political system in the world would still be vulnerable to someone like Trump, who gleefully and sociopathically wrecks all norms and precedents however he pleases. That's why there isn't technically a law on the books preventing someone in prison from running for president, because the founding fathers were operating under the idea that people in American government would at least try, however badly, to perform the functions of American government. Trump doesn't. He doesn't give a shit about that. He's willing to take the whole country down in flames if it saves him personally from consequences, and while our institutional guardrails (barely) held last time, they've already said that a second Trump term would involve wrecking all of those, because he is a tinpot narcissistic psychopath dictator wannabe. And yes, it's terrifying, and yes, too many people didn't learn from 2016, and all the rest, but still:

If you want to see the fucker go to jail and reap the consequences of his actions, make sure he loses the 2024 election. That's what you need to focus on. Do that, and the rest of it will come after. So yeah.

[melishade]

Ladies, Gentlemen, and the Technicolor Rainbow in-between! I now present to you the summary of Attack on Prime up until chapter 93, which will come out on July 4th. So spoilers ahead for everything thus far!

Main Story

GO!

At the end of Transformers Prime: Predacons Rising, Optimus has merged his spark with the Allspark to prevent it from being devoured by Unicron. Because he can't separate the Allspark from his body, he has to sacrifice himself and become one with Primus in order to ensure life can flourish on Cybertron again. However, instead of being reincarnated one again, he is sent to the world of Attack on Titan through the power of divine intervention.

During this, Megatron has left Cybertron while the Autobots have remained on Cybertron to rebuild. Keep an eye on both.

Optimus is alerted to the destruction that is happening in Trost and immediately goes to help the humans and protect them from being devoured by titans. He ends up saving Armin after the teen witnesses Eren being devoured by a pure titan. Armin, a few moments later, tells Optimus of the Titan’s weakness being the nape of the neck.

Armin and Optimus work together, a few other things happen, Optimus and the Rouge Titan work together, turns out to be Eren, and more things happen but the point is that Eren and Optimus are able to work together to seal the hole in Trost and protect humanity.

Eren and Optimus’ trials happen separately, and both are handed over to the Survey Corps, where Optimus gets familiar with Eren, Hanji, Levi, Erwin, and a few other people. Optimus helps get energon. Optimus and Eren begin bonding, Optimus starts training Eren at the titan shifter’s request, and Optimus is made aware of Erwin’s plans to lure out enemy forces.

The Survey Corps expedition happens. Female Titan vs Optimus Prime, and with Optimus’ interference, more lives are saved. The Female Titan tries to escape and fights Eren to capture him, but Optimus’ training helps Eren hold his own long enough for the Female Titan to be captured, aka Annie Leonhart.

After the expedition, Optimus is able to build trust with more humans by respecting the dead. He also tries to persuade Annie into joining humanity. But Annie refuses and destroys the courtroom that she and everyone else is in in Stohess. Annie tries to capture Eren and flee, but Optimus stops holding back and shoots off Annie’s titan arm with energon, which ends up destroying her human arm. During their fight, they learn of the Colossal Titans residing within the walls.

The Beast Titan launches an attack in Wall Rose with an army of titans at its disposal. The Survey Corps learn of Historia Reiss, Ymir being the Jaws Titan, and of the titans being created from humans. Optimus loses his sanity for a brief moment when learning that tidbit information and tries to kill the Beast Titan, but Optimus goes to aid his comrades before dealing the killing blow and the Beast Titan escapes.

The Beast Titan also encountered Megatron right outside of Trost.

Reiner and Bertholdt reveal their identities of being the Colossal and Armored Titan. Megatron finally makes himself known to the story by shooting Bertholdt in the hand with dark energon and punching Reiner directly in the face. Optimus and Megatron tag team to take out Reiner, but Bertholdt creates a diversion for them to escape with Ymir. The Survey Corps attempts to go after the three while everyone is trying to figure out who Megatron is. Armin and Jean know after talking with Optimus one night.

The Survey Corps manages to capture Bertholdt and Eren learns that he has an ability to control the titans. Reiner is left to fend for himself while Ymir chooses to go after him and save him.

The Survey Corps learn of their corrupted government and the kidnapping of Annie and decide to stage a coup with Optimus and Megatron’s help. The Survey Corps also learn of who Megatron is from Optimus, and there is now a reluctant alliance between them and the former warlord. Megatron ends up causing problems and blackmailing people in the Survey Corps. Eren and Historia are captured by Kenny Ackerman and Rod Reiss. Megatron is asked to find Annie per Optimus’ request while Optimus is guarding Hanji and Erwin. Megatron ends up going to find her, with help from Mikasa and Armin. They find Annie, but Rod had experimented on her and managed to create an energon serum that allows for immunity against energon and instant regeneration. Armin pleads with Megatron to keep her alive while also figuring out Megatron’s reasons for staying on their world. It’s Optimus. It’s always Optimus. So Annie is captured instead.

Meanwhile, Erwin turns himself into the government after revealing his own selfishness to Optimus because Megatron had blackmailed him about it. The government is prepared to execute him, but the rest of the military pulls off their plan while Optimus manages to draw the residents of Wall Rose to gain the attention of the government. The rest of the Survey Corps go into the underground cave discovered by Armin, Mikasa, and Megatron to deal with Rod and Kenny’s army. Megatron destroys the remaining energon serums, motivates Historia to kill her father as a human, and stalls for time so Levi can jump Kenny.

The coup was a success and Historia is put on the throne. But Annie and Bertholdt manage to escape. And Eren’s lack of self worth almost causes him to take his own life, but Megatron manages to stop him, but it completely messes with the former warlords head. Megatron has one of many psychological breaks in this story, this is number two. His first break was in the Purpose OVA.

Later, Eren, Mikasa, Optimus, and Megatron after his breakdown, go to Eren’s home and learn the truth about the basement, aka, humanity not being extinct. Optimus, Eren, and Mikasa, leave with this information while Megatron fights Annie, Bertholdt, and Reiner. The trio barely manage to escape with their lives, but Annie has managed to do actual damage to Megatron’s armor. Meanwhile, Megatron takes Ymir back to the Walls per Historia’s request.

The Survey Corps read the notebook and learn of the outside world, the power of the titans, and the curse of Ymir. Megatron destroys the port, revealing himself to Marley in the process, and has a heart to heart with Eren by the ocean.

Meanwhile, the Warriors return to their homeland in shame and Bertholdt and Annie are studied for the dark energon and energon in their bodies respectively. Meanwhile, Ymir and Historia get married while the titans are cleared from Paradis. Survey Corps also find an abandoned Cybertronian ship.

Months pass, and Megatron has infiltrated Marley and its military per Hanji’s request, under the human disguise of Matthew Hayes. He saves the Tybur family, gets arrested for protecting Colt and Falco, is employed by Marley Military, and is immediately found out by the Beast Titan, aka Zeke Jaeger, aka Eren’s half brother, because of the conversation they had way back when.

Zeke proposes and alliance with Paradis, which they hesitantly accept. Megatron employs an insurance plan by recruiting former Commander Erwin Smith, current commander is Hanji Zoe, and said Commander breaks Kenny out of prison to get his help, which Megatron is not happy about. Kenny leaves an energon serum he swiped from Rod's bag behind so the Survey Corps would be less inclined to run after him. They inject that serum into Eren and Eren starts seeing glimpses of the future. Meanwhile, Nile ends up getting involved in Megatron's insurance group by complete accident.

Technological advancements are made, Marley starts injecting Titan shifters with the energon serum they had replicated from Annie. Megatron steals energon serums and ships them over to Paradis so Eren and Ymir can get injected with the serum and get a powerup. Bertholdt has been corrupted by the power of dark energon and is eaten by Porco Galliard, leading both side to grieve over the titan shifter. Eren also starts seeing more future memories because he asked Historia if the two of them could make contact with each other, and he also sees Optimus’ death at his hands.

What?

Later, Eren has a memory of a fourth notebook that was in his father’s possession, and they later surmise that it is now in Keith Shadi’s’ possession. Keith gives them the notebook excluding the last page, and the Survey Corps learn about Eren Kruger’s life and how some shadow that’s following him around is suppose to end the power of the titans. Megatron finds out about Keith and finds the last page that he’s been hiding.

Keep an eye on that shadow.

Zeke then tells Paradis of the Azumabito clan and Hizuru, and the clan comes to the island after some persuasion from Zeke and Megatron. Kiyomi explains Zeke’s plan, but Optimus interjects with his own plan of contacting Cybertron to prevent the use of the Rumbling, which they accept. Optimus and Eren get into an argument about using the Rumbling, and Mikasa decides to go to Hizuru with Megatron as her bodyguard to build alliances, and she learns about her homeland and makes a new friend in the prince, Kenshin.

When Mikasa returns, two new Autobots have arrived, Arcee and Wheeljack, and they’re here because they’ve been investigating other planets to tell Cybertronians that the war is over and picked up a single from the ship that they found, guiding them to the island. The main reason they left Cybertron; however, was because they couldn’t handle a life of peace there. The Autobots agree to help Paradis and get more acquainted with the island and it’s people, slowly becoming friends with them over time. Meanwhile, Marley has finished injecting energon serums into the Titan shifters and Pieck is somehow able to see the same dark entity Kruger was able to see.

Remember to keep an eye on it!

Eren is able to get stronger and is also seeing memories of the future come to fruition, the Ackermans learn that they have power ups due to the integration of energon in the power of the titans, Hanji and Levi learn of Mike’s death when going to Hizuru, Colt gets sick from energon poisoning from the Colossal Titan and Megatron finds a cure for him, slipping up in the process and exposing his identity to Annie, who he blackmails into silence before proposing she help them in exchange for a chance for a new life on Earth with her father included, which she accepts.

Character dynamics and character growth happens during these moments, Megatron slowly becomes a better person, blah, blah, blah. Megatron learns of the dark energon in Porco and orders Zeke to kill him or face something worse being Unicron. Zeke doesn’t believe him, but starts to when he comes to the island for a few hours which puts everyone on edge and Optimus is warning him of the exact same thing. Zeke agrees to get Porco killed but only if he’s allowed to meet Eren.

Megatron’s secondary team is able to find out about the infected wine with Wheeljack’s help, and all outsiders to Paradis have been arrested. With tensions running high on the island, Arcee and Megatron have a verbal confrontation with one another which nearly gets violent, but this leads to Megatron’s third psychological breakdown where he takes out a group of Middle Easterners that invaded the Marley compound to kill Porco because of Zeke’s tip off. They do succeed in killing him, but Megatron’s destruction can’t be overlooked. One the Warrior Cadets also dies during this.

Things are still tense on the island, Megatron has a heart to heart with Hanji, Armin, and Mikasa, and agrees to go back to Cybertron to face criminal prosecution, much to Optimus’ confusion and denial. Wheeljack decides to do something nice for the Survey Corps and takes them to space. Eren has an existential crisis while up there about nothing really mattering in the grand scheme of things. They come back down, Eren and Optimus have a heart to heart moment with Optimus calling Eren his son. Totally not going to bite him in the ass later.

Eren then talks to Yelena with Floch’s help and learns of Zeke’s plan of euthanization, which pisses Eren off and makes him decide to be selfish and go with his own plan of a full scale Rumbling. Survey Corps go to the mainland, Eren goes rouge, Floch and Louise are interrogated by Megaltron’s secondary team, and with Kenny’s help and the last piece of the fourth notebook from Keith which is supposed to be a drawing of Optimus, Megatron is able to deduce that the Attack Titan can see into the future.

The Marley-Middle Eastern War is over, ending Megatron’s reconnaissance mission and forcing him to leave. Eren sneaks in to Liberio when Megatron heads out. Annie is still kept in the loop, helps out with getting supplies from another Cybertronian ship to help contact Cybertron, and is forced to confess what happened to Marco to the 104th. Eren still uses Falco to send correspondence letter to the Survey Corps.

The Liberio festival happens, Willy declares war, but Megatron as Matthew saves him from getting eaten by Eren and has the holoform get eaten instead. The battle breaks out, Eren isn’t able to get the War Hammer Titan, Annie and Zeke are able to escape with Paradis but Zeke is arrested, Gabi and Falco jump onto the Jackhammer and Falco gets shot instead of Sasha because Arcee protected Sasha and indirectly hurt Falco. Oh and Porco is alive because the dark energon brought him back from the dead and now he’s an unstable Titan shifter who’s Titan form resembles that of a flaming ghost rider skull, expelling steam laced with dark energon.

There is still infighting on the island, but the Jaegerists aren’t that strong since Megatron got to Floch first and Floch is now a double agent for him. Gabi breaks out of prison and Optimus finds her and takes care of her. Pieck infiltrates the island, and encounters Optimus before deciding to follow him, because the shadow that had been following both her and Kruger told her to put her faith in Optimus and that he will end the power of the titans. Optimus, Pieck, and Gabi end up going on the run for a bit, and Gabi’s brainwashing has become undone in the process.

Eren tries to get the future back on course, but Megatron’s secondary team uses the Jackhammer to get the Survey Corps out of Eren’s hands. Wheeljack is finally able to set up communications to Cybertron and tells Hanji and Onyankopon to send an S.O.S while he goes to get Levi with Kenny and Erwin. By the way how’s Levi doing?

Zeke killing most of the Survey Corps in an ambush, leaving Levi the only survivor.

Marley still invades, Megatron and Reiner have a heart to heart, Porco’s Titan form is unleashed, Wheeljack ends up fighting Zeke and almost kills him, but Eren ambushes him and makes contact with Zeke just as Wheeljack detonates a grenade to kill them both.

Now remember that shadow that has been following Pieck and Kruger, and that picture of Optimus’ human form from the fourth notebook, yeah that’s not Optimus. That’s his creator, Primus, who had felt the integration of energon in the Paths, and heard Founder Ymir’s cry of help, prompting him to go and rescue her.

IM SORRY WHAT?!

He learns of Optimus and Megatron being on this world and Eren supposedly killing Optimus and Primus gets angry. He takes away Zeke’s connection with his royal blood, and nearly kills Eren but learns that Eren caused too much damage to the world that killing him in that moment would do nothing to change it. Primus frees Ymir from the burden of the power of the titans, turns the tree into a field of flowers. Primus gives Eren a choice, Eren chooses violence and gets control of the Founding Titan, going to Shinganshina and leaving Wheeljack to die. Thankfully Optimus, Erwin, Levi, Kenny, Pieck, and Gabi are able to find him, and Optimus leaves Gabi with Wheeljack while the rest follow Eren.

Meanwhile, Arcee, Lara, Reiner, Annie, and Megatron work together to take down and kill Porco Galliard, which ultimately completes Megatron’s redemption arc. During this, Magath protects Colt from getting infected with dark energon, but gets infected himself. Eren ambushed Reiner and eats him, gaining his power. He fights Megatron and Arcee, uses the Founder to steal Lara’s power and cuts off Arcee’s arm, creates puppet titans to fight against Megatron, attacks his friends, taking out Hanji’s eye and killing Floch and Louise. Eren traps Megatron, nearly activated the Rumbling, and Optimus tries to persuade him to stop. Eren doesn’t listen, Magath shoots off his head with a weapon that was created from the piece of armor that Annie cut off of Megatron four years ago. The power of the titans emerges and reconnects with Eren’s head, turning him into an armored up version of the form his has in the anime, and then Eren activates the Rumbling.

(Am I missing things here? Probably, but I got the major points down! You are more than welcome to read all 92 chapters of this if you haven't already~!)

[kp777]

By Jake Johnson

Common Dreams

July 1, 2024

"In every use of official power, the president is now a king above the law," warned Justice Sonia Sotomayor. "With fear for our democracy, I dissent."

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled along ideological lines on Monday that former President Donald Trump is entitled to "absolute immunity" for "official acts" taken while he was in office, a decision that liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor warned makes any occupant of the Oval Office "a king above the law."

Writing for the majority in the 6-3 decision, Chief Justice John Roberts declared that Trump "may not be prosecuted for exercising his core constitutional powers, and he is entitled, at a minimum, to a presumptive immunity from prosecution for all his official acts."

But Sotomayor countered in her dissent that the majority distorted the concept of core constitutional powers "beyond any recognizable bounds," effectively granting Trump the sweeping immunity he demanded as he faces charges for attempting to subvert the 2020 presidential election in a failed last-ditch bid to remain in power.

"When he uses his official powers in any way, under the majority's reasoning, he now will be insulated from criminal prosecution," Sotomayor wrote. "Orders the Navy's SEAL Team 6 to assassinate a political rival? Immune. Organizes a military coup to hold onto power? Immune. Immune, immune, immune."

"In every use of official power, the president is now a king above the law," the justice added. "With fear for our democracy, I dissent."

The New York Timesnoted that the high court "has remanded the case to the federal district court judge overseeing the matter, Tanya Chutkan, to determine the nature of the acts for which former President Trump has been charged—which are unofficial ones he undertook in his personal capacity and which are official ones he undertook as president."

The high court's ruling, which came after months of delays, all but forecloses the possibility of Trump facing trial for election subversion charges before the November presidential contest. The progressive advocacy group MoveOn said the conservative supermajority's decision to punt the case back to the lower court makes the justices "complicit in Trump's plan to delay any legal accountability until after the election."

Two of the court's right-wing justices— Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito—faced calls to recuse from the case but rejected them.

"Donald Trump incited the deadly January 6 insurrection and the MAGA Supreme Court continues to do everything in their power to stop him from facing accountability for attempting to overthrow our government," said Rahna Epting, executive director of MoveOn Political Action. "Nobody is above the law, especially not Trump. MAGA extremists in Congress and the courts have made it clear there will be no checks or balances on Trump and the only hope for American democracy is the people coming together to defeat him in November."

Lisa Gilbert, executive vice president at Public Citizen, added in a statement that "Trump versus the United States is a fitting name for this case."

"There is no better way to characterize Trump's attempt to upend the Constitution and rule of law as we know it," Gilbert said. "Today's ruling is a blow to U.S. democracy. But it's not a final blow by any means. Trump can and should still be held accountable for his role in the violence on January 6 in an attempt to overturn the 2020 election and stop a peaceful transfer of power."

In an amicus brief submitted in April, Public Citizen noted that the president "has no specific, constitutionally assigned role in the conduct of presidential elections," making "any assertion that a president's authority empowers him to conspire to overturn the result of a valid election and retain power beyond his term in office... absurd."

"Accepting a view of the outer limits of presidential authority that would sweep in a conspiracy to overturn an election and remain in office unlawfully would have exceptionally broad implications and threaten severe damage to our constitutional democracy," the group warned.

[akelafang]

Yellow Thread

Pairing: Mithian/Elena, slight side Merthur Word count: 2841

Inspired by this post by @arthursknight. It's a different pairing but the idea of the colored thread acting as a favor was so cute I had to use it! Might post to ao3 later, will link if I do.

~~~

Nemeth was abuzz with activity. Nobles and royalty from all her allied kingdoms were flocking to the citadel, a new group arriving almost every hour. Servants scurried around making preparations and aiding those who had already arrived. The reason for all this excitement? A celebratory feast was being held in Princess Mithian’s honor.

See King Rodor knew he was getting on in his years. He was starting to slow down and it wouldn’t be long before his time came. He feared what kind of position his death would leave his daughter in. While he knew MIthian will be an excellent queen and was more than capable of taking over the kingdom when he was gone, not everyone agreed with him. More than a few had expressed concern over a woman taking the reins of power in Nemeth once Rodor was gone, some had even gone so far as to suggest he skip over Mithian and make one of his nephews his heir. There was no way he was going to do such a thing. Why would he pass over his brilliant daughter just because of her sex? 

Some had expressed their support of Mithian’s future rule, such as King Arthur of Camelot, but Rodor knew that it was not enough to make the transition of power an easy one for Mithian. If he could not bring more people to support Mithian and those who opposed her managed to come together then there could very well be a coup early on in his daughter’s reign. 

So after much discussion with Mithian over the matter they had agreed to make Mithian his regent, a trial run so to speak in order to demonstrate her abilities before she was granted full power. Thus the celebratory feast. A tournament is also to take place over the duration of the guests' stay. A perfect opportunity for Mithian to showcase her skills as a warrior against knights of the realm and any from visiting kingdoms who wish to join. King Arthur himself had already expressed interest in taking part in the event.

“It would be an honor to cross blades with such a fine swordswoman.” He said when the tournament was mentioned while welcoming him and his men to the kingdom.

Mithian smiled at the gesture before answering “I look forward to besting you on the battlefield.”

Merlin, standing just behind his king like the loyal manservant he was, failed to stifle a laugh. Arthur smacked him upside the head for it but he couldn’t fully keep a smile off his face. Mithian chuckled at the display. 

“It’s good to see you again Merlin.”

“And you, your highness.” He said with a cheeky grin and a bow.

Arthur huffed and was about to interject when trumpets sounded announcing new arrivals. The procession from Gawant.

“Well, we best not keep you from your other guests.” He said instead.

“Heather will show you and you men to your rooms,” Mithian said gesturing to the mentioned servant.

The King of Camelot and his men headed inside just as the Princess of Gawant and her father rode into sight. 

Mithian had heard about Princess Elena but this was the first time they’d met in person. Rumors abound of the unkempt, socially inept, wild child heir to the throne of Gawant who was unsuccessful in securing a marriage to then Prince Arthur a few years before her attempt. Mithian failed to see the resemblance to the woman gracefully dismounting her horse before her now. Yes her hair was a little messy but who’s wasn’t after a long journey? Besides, the look suited her.

“Rodor! Good to see you old friend!” Lord Godwyn called as he and Elena approached. 

“You as well Godwyn.” The two shook hands. “Allow me to introduce my daughter and regent, Princess Mithian.”

Mithian extended her hand and Godwyn kissed the back of it. “My lady, It’s a pleasure. I believe the last time I saw you you were still a young child clinging to your mother's skirt.”

Mithian gave a polite smile. “Yes well, that would have been many years ago my lord.”

“Indeed. Time waits for no one. Allow me to introduce my daughter Princess Elena.”

The two princesses curtsied to each other.

“Princess Mithian. I’ve heard much about you.”

“And I you Princess Elena.”

“Good things I hope” Elena forced an awkward smile.

Mithian returned it with what she hoped was a reassuring look.

“Anything less than that I’d say holds no water. You must be tired after your journey, Aisling will escort you to your rooms where you can rest and freshen up before dinner.”

Godwyn and Elena bowed and curtsied respectively before moving to follow Aisling. As she passed by Mithian Elena caught her foot on the stairs and tripped. Mithian’s reflexes kicked in and she swiftly caught her around the waist, pulling Elena against herself to keep her upright. 

“Are you alright?”

“Yes, thank you. I must not have raised my foot high enough.”

With their faces so close Mithian couldn’t help but notice Elena’s beautiful hazel eyes. She thinks she spotted a few flecks of blue in them. Realising she was still holding Elena she let her go and stepped back. Her throat felt tight all of a sudden and she cleared it before speaking again.

“Probably due to exhaustion. I know I’ve struggled to raise my feet after a long enough time traveling.”

“Indeed. Good thing you’re a good catch.”

Mithian looked surprised and Elena, realising what she said started to ramble.

“I mean, you’re a good catcher-uh, I mean you’re good at catching- I mean, thank you for catching me.”

Mithian pressed her lips together to keep herself from giggling. “You’re welcome.”

Elena curtsied again before hurrying up the rest of the stairs and following her father inside.

Once she was gone Mithian let the giggle escape her. She supposed the rumors weren’t completely unfounded. Though they still seem quite exaggerated. 

Mithian’s arm still felt warm from where it had been wrapped around Elena’s waist.

~~~

The feast went off without a hitch. It was a pleasant evening of good food and mostly good company. One nobleman, Lord Cilian from one of the oldest families in Nemeth tried to goad her into a debate on a woman’s place in political circles but she managed to evade the topic and steer the conversation away from that explosion waiting to happen. She was not going to win support by participating in an argument during the celebration feast of her regency.

She scanned around the banquet hall, what for she wasn’t entirely sure but she did spot Arthur just down the table bantering with Merlin as he poured him wine. She watched as the two seemed to forget everyone else around them as they looked at each other. She also watched as Sir Leon rolled his eyes and moved the wine jug out of Merlin’s hands. She pitied the poor fellow. From what she’d witnessed in her few days in Camelot she can only imagine the pain Sir Leon has experienced in his years of service having to watch those two flirt and pine.

While her ego had been bruised by Arthur calling off their engagement she certainly could not blame him for it whenever she saw him and Merlin together. She longed for someone to look at her the way he looked at Merlin. 

Rumors have been circling that Arthur was fighting with his council over law changes he wishes to make. The specifics regarding which laws vary, some say it’s about the magic ban, while others think it’s the law forbidding nobles and peasants from marrying, but in almost all versions Merlin’s name is mentioned. Whatever the truth it was obvious to Mithian that Arthur was putting things in place for him to finally make Merlin his consort. She hoped for his success and wished them both happiness.

A commotion from the other side of the hall caught her attention. She looked over to see Lord Cilian now speaking to Princess Elena. It seems he’d tried the same thing with her and she was not interested in changing the topic and ignoring him as Mithian had. 

“I don’t think I’m the one you want to have this discussion with sir. You’re clearly looking for a sympathetic ear and based on your tone I can tell you it won’t be mine or anyone from Gawant’s. Or have you forgotten that my mother was Queen Regnant and that I’m her heir? I already have more right to my throne than my father and have every intention of claiming it when I am ready. In fact, my father and I have been discussing ending his regency and officially crowning me in the near future. I’m sure it won't be too long before Gawant will be the one hosting many of the people here tonight.”

Lord Cilian huffed and moved away.

Mithian admired how she handled him. She managed to shut him down without outright insulting him or saying anything anyone could truly argue against. She was impressed. 

She caught Elena’s eye and raised her goblet to her. She ignored the flutter in her stomach when Elena smiled and returned the gesture. There was a familiar gleam in her eyes and a voice in the back of Mithian’s mind told her where she’d seen that look before. She ignored that too.

```

Mithian was in her tent preparing for the tournament. This was hardly the first tournament she’s participated in but the significance of it sent her nerves into overdrive. This was meant to be a show of strength, of her abilities as a warrior. How well she does in this tournament could help tip the scales in her favor in the eyes of the people. She needed to show them what she was capable of. 

She anxiously straightened out her chainmail where it lay on the table while she checked over the rest of her kit to make sure it was all there. 

“Shouldn’t your maid be helping you with that?” A voice asked from the tent entrance.

Mithian looked up to see Elena looking at her curiously.

“Sera’s skill is doing up tiny buttons on dresses, not armor buckles. Besides, I like doing it myself.”

Elena moved further into the tent until she stood across the table from Mithian looking over her armor. She fiddled a little bit with the handle of Mithian’s sword.

“Fair enough. I suppose it's similar to me saddling my horse. It’s meant to be the stable boy's job but I feel better doing it myself.”

“Exactly. Some things you need to do on your own even though you’re taught to let others do it.”

A somewhat awkward silence settled between them.

“So what brings you to my tent my lady?”

“Oh um, I just wanted to wish you well. Not that I think you need it of course! I’m sure you’re amazing with this thing.” She lifted the sword and the tip caught itself on Mithian’s sleeve, cutting a hole on its way up. Elena dropped the sword and hurried around the table.

“Oh gosh, I’m so sorry! I didn’t hurt you, did I?!”

She grabbed hold of Mithian’s arm and frantically searched it for any injuries.

“No it's alright, you didn’t even nick me.” Elena breathed a sigh of relief. “The only thing you got was…my tunic.”

Mithian looked down at her sleeve. Now that Elena had calmed down she fully registered that there was a large tear in her tunic sleeve. She clutched at the fabric.

“Oh shit no! I’m meant to be out there in 15 minutes!”

Elena looked surprised by her reaction, probably because she seemed to care more about her tunic getting cut than her own flesh. Mithian looked a bit embarrassed before she started to explain.

“It’s silly but, I always wear this tunic for tournaments for good luck. It was my mother’s and, I guess it makes me feel like she’s there cheering me on.”

“I don’t think that’s silly at all! It makes sense you’d want to have your mother close when doing something you love.” Elena said before a solemn, pensive look came over her face. 

No doubt she was thinking of her own mother who had passed when Elena was a baby. Mithian had been young herself when her mother had gotten terribly ill before passing. She treasured every memory she had of her and clung to any small trinket that was passed on to her. She could only imagine how much harder the loss must have been for Elena.

Suddenly the somber mood seemed to lift from Elena, quick as a lightning strike before she turned to Mithian with an excited look.

“I can mend it for you!”

The sudden shift threw Mithian off for a second but a flicker of hope began to burn in her chest. “Really?”

“You may have noticed but balance has never quite been my forte.” Elena gave a brief self-deprecating smile. “I’m well acquainted with tears and learned to mend them pretty quickly. I could have this sewn up before you’re needed for the tournament. I think I’ve even got some thread that will match!”

Elena pulled a small sewing kit from her dress pocket and, with a nod from Mithian, quickly got to work. Meanwhile, Mithian finished all the preparations she could in just her breeches and undershirt. As she strapped her greaves to her legs she couldn’t help glancing over at Elena, watching her as she worked. Clumsy she may be while on her feet but the way her hands moved with needle and thread between her fingers was nothing short of graceful. The practiced movements were smooth and fluid as the needle glided through the fabric. Mithian felt like she could watch her work for hours. She shook her head to dispel the thoughts and moved on to tie her hair back in a ponytail. She needed to focus on the tournament now and not on unkempt, awkward, pretty, princesses.

However, that was hard when said princess let out a triumphant “Ah ha! Done!” 

Elena hurried over to Mithian, stumbling slightly but quickly righting herself. She eagerly held out Mithian’s tunic with a look of pride. Mithian took it from her gratefully and looked over her handy work.

“Oh, it's lovely Elena! It looks as good as new!” Mithian smiled as she analyzed the craftsmanship, running her thumb along the mended seam. That is when she noticed it. Just at the end of the stitched-up hole, next to the thread that blended in perfectly with her off-white tunic, were 4 little stitches in yellow thread. The same yellow as Elena’s dress.

“It wouldn’t be proper for a princess to be seen carrying another princess's favor but…I thought this might do. Forgive me if I overstepped.”

Mithian glanced up at her but Elena had her head down, refusing to meet her gaze. She looked anxious and though she tried to hide behind her messy hair Mithian could see a rosy hue on her cheeks. Adorable.

Mithian tugged the tunic on, catching Elena’s attention. She caressed the little yellow stitched thread before smiling at the other princess. “I shall wear them with pride, my lady.”

Elena’s smile was like beaming sunshine and Mithian was captivated by the sight. Anyone who said the princess of Gawant was unattractive had clearly never seen her smile before.

Her gaze softened as the two smiled at each other, turning almost shy. Mithian quickly put on her chainmail and armor but she could feel Elena’s eyes on her the whole time. Hesitantly Elena moved closer to Mithian, reaching towards her neck. 

“Allow me.” She breathed, barely above a whisper. Gently she reached behind Mithin and lifted her hair up, releasing her ponytail from the tunic and chainmail. Her fingers skimmed along the base of her neck sending shivers down Mithian’s spine. Their eyes never strayed from one another. “Wouldn’t want your hair to get all tangled up”

“Thank you,” Mithian spoke softly, not wanting to ruin the moment they had found themselves in. 

Mithian’s eyes dropped down to Elena’s lips. She knew she shouldn’t but it was like there was a magnetic pull between her and Elena, one she was losing the fight against. She leaned forward. Just as her lips were about to brush Elena’s the trumpet sounded, announcing that the tournament was about to begin. 

Like that, the spell was broken. They jolted away from each other, avoiding the other's eyes. Mithian hurried to grab her sword and helmet and made her way towards the tent flap.

“Mithian!”

She stopped at Elena’s call.

“Good luck.”

“You’ll be watching from the stands right?”

Elena nodded.

“Then I’ll have all the luck I’ll need.”

Elena gave her another of those blinding sunny smiles. It quickly turned mischievous “Maybe if you win I’ll let you join me for a horse ride tomorrow. If you think you can keep up with me.”

“I look forward to it my lady.”