July 12, 2026

The Romano Report: Will We Survive?

Jul 12, 2026

Can we save ourselves, or is it too late?

July 12, 2026

Brian Tyler Cohen: Heather Cox Richardson on Trump's failed promises and threats to America

Jul 11, 2026 Interviews

Interview: Heather Cox Richardson on Trump’s failed promises and threats to America

July 12, 2026

Marco Rubio is taking "far-left terror" crusade global

Marco Rubio is taking “far-left terror” crusade global
Often seen as the administration's sole adult, the secretary's actions are an alarming sign for the post-Trump GOP

By Heather Digby Parton
Columnist
Published July 12, 2026 9:00AM (EDT)


(Salon) In May, the Trump administration released a 16-page strategy memo outlining what it called the most significant terrorist threats facing the nation. Authored by the recently appointed senior director for counterterrorism, Sebastian Gorka, it drew a distinction between three categories: Narco-terrorism, Islamic terrorism and left-wing terrorism. Since Gorka himself has ties to a far-right group in Hungary, perhaps it was to be expected that the document neglected to mention the right-wing violence that has plagued the United States for the last decade or more.

....(snip)....

It’s not surprising that the report, if you want to call it that, would name narco-terrorists and Islamic terrorism. Those are perennial threats named in reports by both Democratic and Republican administrations. But the focus on left-wing terrorism is new. And now the Trump administration, led by Secretary of State — and likely 2028 presidential candidate — Marco Rubio is leading the charge to take the far-left terror crusade global.

Left-wing terrorism hasn’t been a focus until now for good reason. As TIME reported in September, “In the last five years, 81 people have been killed by political violence in the United States. Right-wing terrorists account for over half of those murders, some 54%, according to research by the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank. Islamists account for 21%, and left-wingers for 22%.” Going back to 1975, excluding the 9/11 attacks, right-wing terrorism has accounted for 63% of deaths from political violence, while only 10% came from the left.

Colin Clark, the director of the Soufan Center, a nonprofit that focuses on foreign policy and terrorism, pointed out in an interview with PBS that the term “narco-terrorism” is a misnomer. Cartels and drug gangs are motivated by profits, not ideology, which is what defines the term. Not that the groups aren’t a threat, but they require a different approach — although the report’s emphasis on “kinetic” (violent) response is currently being enacted in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, where the military is wantonly murdering people in small boats without evidence. ..................(more)

https://www.salon.com/2026/07/12/marco-rubio-is-taking-far-left-terror-crusade-global/

July 12, 2026

Trump's economic war on Black America

Trump’s economic war on Black America
The president says he loves “my African Americans." His policies tell a different story

By Chauncey DeVega
Senior Writer
Published July 12, 2026 6:45AM (EDT)


(Salon) Donald Trump claims he is a great friend to Black America. He loves “my African Americans,” he says, and claims to be the greatest president for Black people since Abraham Lincoln. He has pledged to protect “Black jobs” from “illegal aliens,” and that he will bring the factories back to America so that Black men can get good jobs working on assembly lines. Trump, of course, believes that Black Americans love him back: he won 15% of the Black vote in 2024, up from 8% in 2020.

Racism and white supremacy — not “working class” anxiety — lifted Trump to the White House twice. The president is fluent in crude racism and white racist conspiracy theories, and he has been explicit about his role as defender and champion of White America and MAGA.

But racism is much more than words, intent or what is in a person’s heart. It is also determined by outcomes and policies. By that standard, Donald Trump is engaging in economic warfare against Black America, and it will take generations to recover from the damage.

Trump’s policies have, both directly and indirectly, increased the unemployment rate for Black Americans, who are approximately 13% of the U.S. population and have long faced disproportionate levels of unemployment and lack of access to employment and high-wage jobs. While the national unemployment rate stands at approximately 4.3%, the Black unemployment rate is almost double. At 7.3%, it is approaching Covid-19 pandemic-era levels. The reality is far bleaker. Because of how the data is collected and analyzed, the true unemployment rate is usually (at least) twice the official unemployment rate.

In an interview with TheGrio, Trump was asked about the increase in Black unemployment since he took office. “We’re doing very well with the Black jobs, African-American jobs,” he said. “We saw some numbers that we’re doing really well.” ........................(more)

https://www.salon.com/2026/07/12/trumps-economic-war-on-black-america/

July 11, 2026

Jamie Raskin Destroys GOP's SPLC Attack With One Brutal Fact Check

Jul 10, 2026

House Republicans in the Judiciary Committee held a sham hearing to attack the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) on May 20, 2026. Representative Jamie Raskin (D-MD) called out his colleagues and addressed some of their attacks on the SPLC.

July 11, 2026

Florida man arrested after switching seats during traffic stop; car rolls into deputy's vehicle

Jul 10, 2026

A man was arrested Wednesday after he tried to switch seats with a passenger during a traffic stop and left his vehicle in reverse, sending it rolling into a deputy’s patrol car, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said.

July 11, 2026

Six-hour polygraphs, forced reassignments: inside homeland security's campaign of fear

(Guardian) Federal officials tasked with implementing the Trump administration’s “mass deportation” program faced an extraordinary campaign of intimidation inside the Department of Homeland Security during the final months of Kristi Noem’s tenure and the arrival of her successor, a Guardian investigation found.

Over the past four months, the Guardian spoke with more than three dozen current and former Department of Homeland Security officials who described a climate of fear driven by Trump loyalists in senior positions, who sidelined or removed career officials who raised concerns about possibly illegal acts, and threatened termination or arrest in order to stop dissent. Several have also claimed they were subjected to polygraph examinations conducted by US military personnel.

In the past year-and-a-half, entire offices were dismantled, and oversight bodies were stripped of staff and authority. The divisions responsible for refugee policy, asylum, humanitarian protections and family unity were among the hardest hit. The practices have continued during the leadership transition to Markwayne Mullin, the current and former officials said.

“I wanted to work with refugees,” said Harun Ahmed, a former deputy chief in the refugee affairs law division at US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in a phone interview from Texas. “I wanted to help. I believe in public service.” .............................(more)

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2026/jul/11/inside-homeland-security-campaign-of-fear

July 11, 2026

Minnesota is pulling troops early from D.C., as pressure grows on Michigan

(NPR) WASHINGTON, D.C. – Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is pulling his National Guard members from Washington, D.C. early, after they were seen on presence patrols in neighborhoods far from the National Mall, similar to what many of the troops assigned to President Trump's ongoing federal Joint Task Force have been doing in the city for nearly a year.

Gov. Walz sent his guard members to D.C. ahead of the official America 250 celebrations with specific orders that they would be used only to help with those events near the national monuments.

Democratic governors from Kentucky, North Carolina, Michigan, Maryland and Hawaii also sent troops with similar orders in recent weeks. It was the first time troops from Democratic-led states had been sent to Washington since Trump launched his task force.

....(snip)....

Michigan and Minnesota both sent more than 100 guard members to D.C. ahead of the America 250 celebrations. Within days, activists from the group Free D.C. had spotted guard members who identified themselves as from both those states far from the National Mall, armed with handguns. Free D.C. is also one of the organizations that signed the letter to Gov. Whitmer. ....................(more)

https://www.npr.org/2026/07/11/nx-s1-5887666/national-guard-dc-trump-michigan-minnesota

July 11, 2026

Jamelle Bouie: Graham Platner and Why Character Matters

Jul 10, 2026

A few last thoughts on this Graham Platner stuff, mostly on why it is important to look for people with character and integrity.

July 11, 2026

Kent State Killings, Narrated by Rosanne Cash

Jul 10, 2026 #WeAreAmerica250

Rosanne Cash is a Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and the author of four books, including the best-selling memoir Composed. Across 15 albums, her work has earned four Grammys and 12 additional nominations. She is one of the few women inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, the only woman to receive the Edward MacDowell Medal in Composition, and is an honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Cash recounts the 1970 Kent State killings, when National Guardsmen opened fire, leaving four students dead and forcing a national reckoning over protest and police violence.

250 to 250

From the time of our country’s founding 250 years ago, the story of America has been one of the constant efforts of Americans—from all races, ethnicities, genders, and abilities—to make real the belief that we are all created equal and have a right to have a say in our democracy. We will be telling their stories over the next several weeks because now, as ever, “We Are America.”