Robert Reich asks why some Congressional Republicans are only now finding they have a spine. His response:

"Because the MAGA base that every congressional Republican is so afraid of and solicitous toward is falling apart.

They’re finally seeing Trump for what he is: a man without principle except getting richer and more powerful and engraving his name on buildings."

#Trump #MAGA #Republicans #Congress #polls #ApprovalRating #economy #affordability #ballroom
/1

https://robertreich.substack.com/p/sunday-thought-really-truly-the-end

"A lame-duck president who said he’d make life better for MAGA starting on 'day one' but has made life worse for MAGA by month 10.

He doesn’t even believe in lowering prices. He calls the affordability crisis a 'con' job."

#Trump #MAGA #Republicans #Congress #polls #ApprovalRating #economy #affordability #ballroom
/2

Robert Reich asks why some Congressional Republicans are only now finding they have a spine. His response:

"Because the MAGA base that every congressional Republican is so afraid of and solicitous toward is falling apart.

They’re finally seeing Trump for what he is: a man without principle except getting richer and more powerful and engraving his name on buildings."

#Trump #MAGA #Republicans #Congress #polls #ApprovalRating #economy #affordability #ballroom
/1

https://robertreich.substack.com/p/sunday-thought-really-truly-the-end

When there are no consequences, murderers just keep killing

#US strikes another boat in the Eastern #Pacific, killing 4, amid escalating questions about its purported “counter-drug” offensive [ #oil acquisition / US #supremacy of the Americas]

#Trump #Hegseth #law #criminal #murder #WarCrimes #ExtrajudicialKillings #Congress #Defense #DoD #InternationalLaw
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/04/politics/us-strike-eastern-pacific-drug-boat

At least 87 people have now been murdered in strikes on 23 *suspected* drug boats as part of a campaign, dubbed Operation Southern Spear, that the #Trump admin has claimed is aimed at curtailing narcotics trafficking [but is really about #oil & US #supremacy].

#Hegseth #law #criminal #murder #WarCrimes #ExtrajudicialKillings #Congress #Defense #DoD #InternationalLaw

Alongside the post is a 21-second-long #SnuffFilm showing the boat being struck.

Thursday’s strike comes as the #Pentagon is facing bipartisan criticism over a September attack on an *alleged* drug vessel in which the #military fired follow-up strikes, killing surviving crew members.

#Trump #Hegseth #law #criminal #murder #WarCrimes #ExtrajudicialKillings #Congress #Defense #DoD #InternationalLaw

When there are no consequences, murderers just keep killing

#US strikes another boat in the Eastern #Pacific, killing 4, amid escalating questions about its purported “counter-drug” offensive [ #oil acquisition / US #supremacy of the Americas]

#Trump #Hegseth #law #criminal #murder #WarCrimes #ExtrajudicialKillings #Congress #Defense #DoD #InternationalLaw
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/04/politics/us-strike-eastern-pacific-drug-boat

Rep #JimHines continued, “But what I saw in that room was one of the most troubling things I’ve seen in my time in public service. You have two individuals in clear distress without any means of locomotion, with a destroyed vessel were killed by the United States.”

#Hegseth #Trump #law #criminal #murder #WarCrimes #ExtrajudicialKillings #Congress #Defense #DoD #Pentagon #Carribean #Venezuela #InternationalLaw

Rep #JimHines continued, “But what I saw in that room was one of the most troubling things I’ve seen in my time in public service. You have two individuals in clear distress without any means of locomotion, with a destroyed vessel were killed by the United States.”

#Hegseth #Trump #law #criminal #murder #WarCrimes #ExtrajudicialKillings #Congress #Defense #DoD #Pentagon #Carribean #Venezuela #InternationalLaw

Rep #JimHimes of Connecticut, the top #Democrat on the #House #Intelligence Cmte, commented after seeing a video of two boat strike #survivors in what he said was “clear distress” at the #classified morning briefing.

“Admiral Bradley has a storied career, & he has my respect &…the respect of all of us,” Himes said on CNN.

#Hegseth #Trump #law #criminal #murder #WarCrimes #ExtrajudicialKillings #Congress #Defense #DoD #Pentagon #Carribean #Venezuela #InternationalLaw

The details about the strike on alleged drug smugglers are crucial as lawmakers question #Hegseth’s leadership at the #Pentagon amid concerns about the legality of the strike on #survivors in the waters off the coast of #Venezuela.

#Trump #law #criminal #murder #WarCrimes #ExtrajudicialKillings #Congress #Defense #DoD #Carribean #Venezuela #InternationalLaw

Now we know why #Trump called them suckers & losers, it was if they thought they could serve under his reign without blowback.

#JointChiefs chair Gen #DanCaine & #scapegoat US #Navy Adm #FrankBradley at Hill briefing on boat strike

Bradley & Caine are in the secure area at the Capitol where top lawmakers are gathered for the closed-door #classified morning briefing

#Hegseth #law #criminal #murder #WarCrimes #ExtrajudicialKillings #Congress #Defense #DoD #Carribean #Venezuela #InternationalLaw

The details of the contingency planning could raise more questions about who was responsible for the second strike — the commander who ordered it or the defense secretary who approved the overall operation. Many critics, including some lawmakers, have said the follow-up attack could be a #WarCrime.

#Trump #Hegseth #law #criminal #murder #WarCrimes #ExtrajudicialKillings #Congress #InternationalLaw

The men plan to present a vigorous defense, officials said, of what they will assert was a lawful follow-up strike on the #survivors. That moment is just a small part of #Trump’s legally disputed campaign of killing people suspected of smuggling drugs at sea as if they were combatants in a #war, but it is now the focus of intense congressional scrutiny.

#Trump #Hegseth #law #criminal #murder #WarCrimes #ExtrajudicialKillings #Congress #InternationalLaw

The #Trump admin claims to have authorized the use of #MilitaryLawyers as temporary #judges in an effort to streamline the millions-long backlog of #immigration cases in the #courts.

However, that backlog has only gotten worse as immigration courts, which are housed within the #DOJ, have seen efforts to restructure their workforce.

#law #immigration #ImmigrationLaw #civil #military #JAG #judiciary #Congress #Constitution #SeparationOfPowers

…Each judge who is terminated or resigns leaves behind thousands of cases, with those scheduled for this year now rescheduled to as far out as 2030. #Immigration advocates have warned the #layoffs contribute to the backlog.

#Trump #law #ImmigrationJudges #ImmigrationLaw #civil #military #MilitaryLawyers #JAG #judiciary #Congress #Constitution #SeparationOfPowers

NPR has tracked at least 140 #ImmigrationJudges who have been fired, quit or took an early retirement offer from the admin. At least 90 of them, including those who were supervisors, have received termination notices from the #Trump administration. Of the #judges fired between February & October this year, most had experience in #immigration defense, an NPR investigation found.

#law #ImmigrationLaw #civil #military #MilitaryLawyers #JAG #judiciary #Congress #Constitution #SeparationOfPowers

The #Trump admin claims to have authorized the use of #MilitaryLawyers as temporary #judges in an effort to streamline the millions-long backlog of #immigration cases in the #courts.

However, that backlog has only gotten worse as immigration courts, which are housed within the #DOJ, have seen efforts to restructure their workforce.

#law #immigration #ImmigrationLaw #civil #military #JAG #judiciary #Congress #Constitution #SeparationOfPowers

"Given the administration's unlawful terminations of qualified #judges, & their plan to leverage the power of temporary positions to speed up their mass deportation agenda, the risks of grave injury to families, fairness, & #DueProcess have expanded," he said.

#Trump #law #immigration #ImmigrationLaw #civil #military #MilitaryLawyers #JAG #judiciary #Congress #Constitution #SeparationOfPowers