On today’s “To the Contrary” Podcast, I’m joined by Olivia Troye, former Homeland Security advisor to Mike Pence.
She shares her firsthand experience observing immigration court and the chilling tactics now being employed by ICE. We discuss the erosion of due process, the rise of politically motivated enforcement, and the broader consequences of fear-based governance under Donald Trump. Troye offers a sobering warning about what happens when law enforcement becomes a weapon. and leadership thrives on chaos.
And we dive into the MAGA split over Iran as well as Trump’s dangerous “Madman Theory” of geopolitics.
Subscribers can listen to an ad-free version right here… or you can watch on YouTube / Listen (and subscribe) on Apple/ Spotify / iHeart / RSS Feed.
Nota Bene
This should be a much bigger story, don’t you think? “Social Security may run dry earlier than previously anticipated, trustees say.”
The trust funds for Social Security and Medicaid will run out of money in as little as 8 years, a shorter time frame than previously estimated, according to a report issued Wednesday by the programs’ trustees.
The Social Security fund will run dry in 2033, unless Congress combines the program’s old-age and disability funds, in which case insolvency would arrive in 2034, the report found. A finding last year predicted Social Security would become insolvent in 2035 or 2036.
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We've had presidents like FDR and Lincoln who led us into just wars. We've had presidents like LBJ and George W. Bush who led us into unjust wars. But we've never had a president who led us into war on social media, blustering and babbling like an insufferable barfly….
I'd like to think there is a method to his madness. Historians might reflect on Trump's rhetoric and conclude it led to a positive outcome. Stream-of-conscious social media posts may become a tool of all future commanders in chief. But none of this seems likely does it? Odds are his feral approach to this Middle East conflict will backfire.
Again, I conclude: God help us.
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It’s a cult. Republicans Trust Whatever Trump Decides on Farmworker Raids - NOTUS
Senate Republicans were broadly supportive of the Trump administration’s shift away from immigration raids on farm and hospitality workers. When the administration reversed course, they said they were OK with that, too.
President Donald Trump has shifted back and forth on deportation efforts over the past week. His administration carried out raids on farms and hotels, prompting backlash from the industries. He said he’d create a carve-out. Immigration agents largely paused those raids.
After a report Monday evening that the raids were back on, some Senate Republicans acknowledged the situation had been confusing. But overall they said they trusted the president and his deputies on immigration policy.
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Via Punchbowl: A Big, Beautiful Bust?
Republicans know they have a big, beautiful problem: The centerpiece of President Donald Trump’s agenda is polling like garbage.
Public surveys from this month paint a grim picture for the GOP’s most important legislative push of the 119th Congress.
A plurality of Americans oppose the GOP reconciliation bill, just 67% of Republicans support the package and 71% of independents have an unfavorable view of the effort. In other words, it’s not only Democrats that don’t like the bill. It’s independents and Republicans, too.
In case you aren’t great at math, this is bad.
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The cruelty is still the point. “Trump administration will shut LGBTQ youth-focused suicide prevention line.”
The Trump administration said it will shut down the national suicide prevention hotline’s LGBTQ youth-focused services, terminating a program designed to offer expert help to a group that is especially vulnerable to suicide.
The announcement sparked concern among LGBTQ advocates and some mental health professionals, as the Trump administration continues its efforts to roll back LGBTQ rights and dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The White House Office of Management and Budget characterized the service as an attempt to encourage children to embrace “radical gender ideology,” Reuters reported, a term the Trump administration has used repeatedly to target the LGBTQ community.
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Well played.
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Sick sh*t.
Thursday dogs
Cross-posted from my wife’s splendid Substack: “Dog Joy (Eli Version)”
And here’s “Dog Joy" (Auggie version):
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