03/26/25
Good morning! It’s Wednesday, March 25th.
Manatee Appreciation Day
Psh – that’s every day for me. They’re so weird looking… I love them.
And now, the news.
Yemen Group Chat
-via AP News
Surprise surprise… I know I said no episode today but I couldn’t stay away. I’m just too dedicated to the news. Too dedicated to YOU.
…Also my plans changed.
Anyway, starting with the continued fallout from the bombshell piece of news that top national security officials didn’t double-check the group chat before hitting full send on military strikes in Yemen that killed at least 53 people, including women and children.
And because of that, the editor-in-chief for The Atlantic was on the group chat with Stephen Miller, Marco Rubio, Tulsi Gabbard, and the Vice President of the United States!
Oof. Really really bad. Surely someone’s getting fired.
Well - computer, play “Stand By Your Man” because, although he initially said he didn’t know the massive, and wildly preventable, breach had taken place, Trump later said he still has the “utmost confidence” in the leader of this screwup, Mike Waltz, adding that Waltz “has learned a lesson, and he’s a good man.” Trump also called this truly dangerous and mortifying leak “the only glitch in two months” adding that it “turned out not to be a serious one.”
The only glitch in two months? Every moment is a glitch. We are living in “Glitch,” the song by Taylor Swift. No no… if we were living in a Taylor Swift song it would be “I Hate It Here.”
Though obviously if we’re living in any song, it’s “Trying My Best (Los Angeles).” Okay, I’m done. I’m sorry.
So massive security breach. Impossible to overstate how bad it is. Also impossible to overstate how preventable this all was.
Trump says it’s a glitch. Pete Hegseth, who was in the group chat, said, “Nobody was texting war plans, and that’s all I have to say about that.”
You may want to say a little more there Forrest Gump (that’s a reference to his “that’s all I have to say about that” quote. I’m not saying he’s like… a good runner or shrimp aficionado). In a statement, the National Security Council said they’re looking into how this all went down.
As Trump officials work on shifting blame while also trying to act like this isn’t the big deal it is, Democrats and some Republicans are working on next steps in the investigation that was surely take place.
I hate to contradict the President (jkjk lolol that’s my favorite thing! That’s my First Amendment right, baybee) but although he said this is not a serious leak, this is, in fact, a very serious leak. Don’t let them fool you.
It’s a big deal that it happened but, and this is just as big of a deal… it’s a big deal that it was able to happen.
Goldberg didn’t do some clandestine, sneaky sneaks to get into this group chat. He was added. A mistake was made and then a mistake continued to be made when no one did a double-check on who was in the group.
Not a great sign!
Trump v Venezuela
Just a quick update on the time that the Trump administration basically kidnapped about 250 Venezuelans and sent them to a horror show of a prison in a whole other country without giving them any sort of due process, including even publicizing who was sent to the prison or what charges they will eventually be charged with.
Probably because they don’t have evidence beyond “they have tattoos and are from Venezuela”
And that’s not a joke. None of this is funny. They are literally snatching up folks based on country of origin and tattoos.
On Monday, the Trump administration invoked a state secrets privilege and refused to give the judge additional information about why, and when, he sent three planes to El Salvador.
They also asked an appeals court to life the judge’s order and allow more deportations to continue. The court has not yet ruled but we definitely know how one of the judges will rule. Circuit Court Judge Patricia Millett said, "Nazis got better treatment under the Alien Enemies Act than has happened here.”
Obviously we’re going to keep a close eye on this case, but there is a new element we’re gonna need to watch because on Friday, while speaking to reporters, Trump said he didn’t know much about this order to send the planes because “I don’t know when it was signed, because I didn’t sign it.”
I. Didn’t. Sign. It.
To invoke the law that is basically kidnapping these folks, a president has to be the one to sign it. It’s already in a legally dubious position because it’s supposed to be a proclamation of war but now to hear he didn’t even sign the proclamation…
And another issue with that sentence is… the four-page document does, in fact, appear to have his signature. So is he signing things and forgetting he did it?
Is someone signing for him?
A couple weeks ago, I didn’t even cover it here because I was on vacation and because it’s so absurd, Trump took to Truth Social to say that all the pardons Biden signed were void because it was with an autopen and he probably didn’t even know he was signing it. Trump tried to make that seem like an official declaration but it was just a wannabe tweet on a website which is, somehow, even lamer than Twitter (I didn’t even know that was possible!)
He offered no proof that Biden didn’t know the pardons had been signed.
But now, weeks later, we’ve entered a territory where real things, real Constitution-breaking things are happening… and it’s not clear if Trump is signing things and forgetting he signed them or people are signing things for him.
No great option there.
Trump v Elections
-via PBS
On Tuesday, I guess in a move to make my head explode, flames break out on the side of my face, and overall infuriate me… Donald Trump signed an executive order that would disenfranchise voters as he lied and said it would make elections safer.
Elections are safe!
If we could hack elections, do you think your long-tie-wearing buffoonery would be in office?
Among the river of trash in this order, it now says that proof of citizenship is required to vote in federal elections.
Non-citizens aren’t allowed to vote. That’s already a thing!
This doesn’t protect anything… it makes our elections less free. Less fair.
Which is exactly what he wants. Obviously expect to see this order in courts because it’s absolutely anti-democratic and anti-democracy.
The order also notes that votes should be “cast and received” by Election Day. Votes aren’t cast after Election Day! However, some are received after because 18 states allow a window for votes mailed on Election Day to make it to the polling place. That way people for whom getting to a polling place on Election Day is difficult can still have their votes counted.
They don’t want you to have an education. They don’t want you to use your First Amendment right without fearing jail time. They don’t want you to easily be able to cast your ballot.
Because this is fascism.
The fascism is here.
This is how it starts.
And if you thought I was annoying about Ted Lasso season 4, just wait until you hear how annoying I’ll be about the fall of our democratic right to cast a ballot!
While each state decides its own election laws, for the most part, federal agencies provide support, including grant money and a voluntary certification program. Additionally, the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency helps keep our elections safe.
And they do a great job.
Because they are safe! Ya election-blocking dunkuses. Dinki!
Ooooh I’m getting heated! I’m getting real mad!
And that’s it. That’s the news.
I blacked out for a second. Started talking about elections, got real mad, next thing I knew it was the end of the episode.
One quick thing – I made a mistake in yesterday’s episode. Shocking, I know. Never been done before! When I talked about Jim Jordan, aka Jimmy Jords, moving to impeach the judge who is trying to stop Trump from shredding the Constitution with his little grubhands, I called him a Senator.
He is not a Senator. He is a House rep. As impeachments do, this would start in the House. If a simple majority votes to impeach, that judge is impeached. You know – like Trump was. Twice. Once for quid pro quo and once for insurrection.
After that, it goes to the Senate. If two-thirds of the Senate vote yes, that person is removed from office. Like Trump could have been, but Mitch McConnell thought he’d learned his lesson and they didn’t remove him from office and now I hope that’s the last thought he has every night before he goes to sleep and it makes him sad and gives him a tummy ache.
But it starts in the House. Jords is a House rep. As a reminder, Jim Jordan knowingly turned a blind eye to his college athletes coming to him about sexual abuse at the hands of the team doctor. That’s not part of this story, but it should also be included in any story that talks about Jim Jordan.
I’m proud of voters. I’ll never understand the ones that voted for this administration, but they did vote. And it was safe.
Also manatees. Their silly little faces always cheer me up.
But more than manatees… because your silly little face always cheers me up… I’m proud of you.