Like Hungarians, Americans, too, could say 'no' to a despot | Op-Ed Hungarians may have simply liked someone other than Viktor Orbán. But they turned out in huge numbers nonetheless to say "no" to what he stands for.

www.seattletimes.com/opinion/like...

How the first American pope is reclaiming Christian values from the Trump administration | CNN Flying to Algeria at the start of his landmark Africa tour on Monday, Pope Leo had a choice. He could ignore Donald Trump’s extraordinary overnight social media tirade against him, or he could tackle ...

www.cnn.com/2026/04/17/a...

Behind Trump’s Public Bravado on the War, He Grapples With His Own Fears The president’s impulsive style has never been tested in a sustained military conflict, and he’s been ruminating on Jimmy Carter’s failure in Iran.

6/6

Just hours later, Trump woke up and fired off his profanity-laced threat online, warning Iran it would be left “living in Hell.” 5/

Meanwhile, the operation itself nearly fell apart, with aircraft stuck in desert sand and U.S. forces scrambling to avoid Iranian detection. The airman was eventually rescued, but the chaos didn’t end there. 4/

Officials made the call to limit his access, only briefing him at “meaningful moments” instead of giving him real-time control. 3/

According to The Wall Street Journal, Trump was in such a volatile state after Iran shot down a U.S. jet that he spent hours screaming at aides in the West Wing, obsessing over the political fallout and invoking Jimmy Carter and the 1979 hostage crisis. 2/

WOW: A stunning new report in the WSJ reveals that military advisers intentionally excluded Donald Trump from the command room during the recent high-stakes operation to extract a downed U.S. airman in Iran, because they feared his erratic behavior could jeopardize the mission. 1/

A ‘Trump Madman Theory’ of . . . the Stock Market The world is 🤯. But the S&P is 🤑. Why?

A 'Trump Madman Theory' of the Stock Market

Read The Triad only @thebulwark.com: www.thebulwark.com/p/a-trump-ma...

Trump Voters Say 'Nope' to the Pope (with Jonathan V. Last) Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV are probably the two most prominent Americans in the world right now, and they're fighting.

@thebulwark.com: www.thebulwark.com/p/trump-vote...

Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/03ei...

Will JVL Survive These Focus Groups of Catholic Voters? | The Focus Group YouTube video by The Bulwark

@jvl.bsky.social makes his long-awaited return to The Focus Group Podcast this week and we listen to Catholics from across the political spectrum.

Were Catholic Trump voters more upset about Trump’s AI Jesus post or about the Pope criticizing the Iran War? Listen: www.youtube.com/watch?v=9k4V...

Another weekend of playing Deal or No Deal with our unhinged president.

go.bsky.app/SoBBLJL
Thank you so much, Robert, for adding me to your #52 pack!

More of this, less of bombing other countries

(From @acyn.bsky.social )

If journalists had any integrity and courage, they would boycott the White House Correspondents Dinner. It should be as empty as a TPUSA event.

"She’s been a court interpreter for over 20 years, the only one licensed in Texas for Hindi, Punjabi, or Urdu. Her language skills are requested nationwide..."

"One of her children recently enlisted in the military...

www.texasobserver.org/immigration-...

Seeing President Obama and Mayor Mamdani reading to kids and singing "The Wheels on the Bus," while doing all the hand gestures is a reminder that they are human.
Whatever is evil ruling us now is not. They would never...

Mike Waltz on Trump's war on Iran: "This is really a favor to the world in many ways"

Robert Reich 29K likes, 2.2K comments. "Could This Actually End Citizens United?"

Montana — yes, deep red Montana — has a plan to effectively neuter Citizens United.

No Supreme Court ruling or constitutional amendment needed.

Here's how it works. https://youtu.be/p1fPbGHe3xE?si=QZRQImV8KYD5Y90r

Georgia Supreme Court challengers vow to take on corporate power Jen Jordan and Miracle Rankin say the state’s highest court doesn’t serve the people’s interest

Flipping these two State Supreme Court seats in Georgia next month will be a crucial first step towards flipping the entire court and putting the state on the right path.

Georgia, please vote for both @jenjordanga.bsky.social and Miracle Rankin on May 19th.

atlantaciviccircle.org/2026/04/15/g...

The Doctor Will Seek Your Vote Now

'Dozens of Democratic doctors are running for office in the midterms, including some spurred by opposition to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his anti-vaccine stance.'

Good.

GIFT ARTICLE.

www.nytimes.com/2026/04/18/u...

One reason Democrats were so successful in 2006 was the flood of Democratic candidates with military experience in response to the Iraq War.

Trump and RFK Jr’s war on science and health might result in a similar outcome.

The Teapot Dome scandal (1921–1922) was a major bribery scandal during President Warren G. Harding’s administration. Secretary of the Interior Albert Fall secretly leased Navy oil reserves in Wyoming and California to private oil companies in exchange for roughly \(\$400,000\) in personal loans, cash, and cattle. It was a massive betrayal of public trust and the first time a US cabinet official went to prison.

Teapot Dome is considered to be the worst financially-incentivized corruption scandal in American history.

If someone in the Administration is profiting off of U.S. military/foreign policy - or worse *influencing* it for profit - it will make Teapot Dome look like a back alley card game.

Traders placed over $1bn in perfectly timed bets on the Iran war. What is going on? Suspicious wagers on the US-Israel war in Iran are creating huge windfalls and raising concerns among lawmakers

The next Democratic Congress and Administration must dedicate significant resources towards investigating what I think is shaping up to be the biggest corruption scandal in American history.

This is blatant market manipulation based on internal policy knowledge.
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...

Key GENERAL ELECTION dates coming up:

3/24 - 3 flippable Florida State Legislative Specials
4/7 - Wisconsin State Supreme Court
4/7 - #GA14 Special Runoff
4/16 - #NJ11 Special
4/21 - Virginia Redistricting Referendum
5/19 - Georgia State Supreme Court (2 seats)
6/2 - #CA01 Special

The FBI Director Is MIA Kash Patel has alarmed colleagues with episodes of excessive drinking and unexplained absences.

Blockbuster report about Kash Patel’s excessive drinking, erratic behavior, and dangerous incompetence.

It got so bad that they had to request SWAT Team ‘breaching equipment’ when he wasn’t reachable behind locked doors.

GIFT ARTICLE to read/share.
www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...