Valerie B 🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻

Retired RN, gardener,pet lover,friend of Nature, student of Science, star gazer Blue wave warrior with the Red ass #resist 🌊🌊🌊🌊 @valtex7b.bsky.social

[Elizabeth de la Vega 🇺🇸🦅 @Delavegalaw]

And let me point out, what Trump is doing is not "
grifting." He is not a "grifter." Grift is petty fraud and theft. Trump is a career criminal who is committing a massive, sprawling fraud and theft against the United States and its people -- right before our very eyes.

[Valerie B 🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻 @Valtex7B]

Another one

[Olena Rohoza @OlenaRohoza]

🇷🇺🧐 Marina Yankina, 58, head of the Finance Department of Russia’s Western Military District at the Ministry of Defense, fell from a window and damaged someone else's car.

[Adam Kinzinger (Slava Ukraini) 🇺🇸🇺🇦 @AdamKinzinger]

This is amazing. The Atlantic posts JD Vance’s oped from 2016.

“A few Saturdays ago, my wife and I spent the morning volunteering at a community garden in our San Francisco neighborhood. After a few hours of casual labor, we and the other volunteers dispersed to our respective destinations: tasty brunches, day trips to wine country, art-gallery tours. It was a perfectly normal day, by San Francisco standards.”

[Valerie B 🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻 @Valtex7B]

WOW 👀👇👇👇👏👏👏👏

[Love Music @khnh80044]

Good grief! She is astounding! Respect 👏👏❤️❤️

[Anton Gerashchenko @Gerashchenko_en]

For the second day in a row, everyone has been laughing at this video.

Yesterday, Putin, dressed in military uniform, allegedly made a rare visit to the front line, to one of the auxiliary command posts. In reality, it was a film set inside a bunker. As we can see, they have a lot of props in that bunker:

😅 A camouflage net was hung inside the building.
😅 The flooring, lighting, and acoustics all look like those of a studio.

I wonder how many times they rehearsed it?

[Moe Davis (U.S. Air Force, Retired) @ColMoeDavis]

Maureen Dowd has an op-ed in today’s New York Times entitled “Founding Father vs. Foundering Toddler” in which she compares and contrasts George Washington and Donald Trump. It includes quotes by author Ron Chernow who won a Pulitzer Prize for his biography of George Washington. Here are a few quotes (and a free link to the article is pasted below).

Ron Chernow: “I just can’t imagine two human beings who are more dissimilar than George Washington and Donald Trump. Washington was discreet, reserved, courteous — he avoided any kind of show or ostentation or self-promotion. With Donald Trump, it’s nonstop bragging and boasting and self-promotion that would have been, I think, completely alien to George Washington, and very much counter to his idea of the way that a public servant should behave.”

Maureen Dowd: “The hero who commanded the Continental Army was protective of the nascent democracy, realizing its fragility. Cadet Bone Spurs maliciously erodes it, seeing it as a hindrance to his lust for untrammeled power and cash grabs. . . One famously wouldn’t tell a lie. The other famously can’t stop telling lies.”

________

Trump spoke at Mt. Rushmore last night after buzzing over it twice in the 747 sky palace he got from Qatar and you paid to refurbish and he plans to keep. He said that those who aren’t loyal to him and supportive of his debasement of the presidency and his assault on our democratic republic are communists. “The Communist Party is made up of illegal immigrants, criminals and everybody that doesn’t want to work. . . It’s death, tyranny and the pursuit of evil.” That’s a hell of a way to describe the majority of Americans on the eve of America’s birthday who see Donald Trump for who he really is.

Lindsay Chervinsky, the executive director of the George Washington Presidential Library, said this about how she believed George Washington would feel about America’s 250th birthday: “I think the dominant feeling would be one of joy that the nation is still here, because most republics just don’t last that long, and he knew that.”

It’s up to us to prevent the demagogue the Founding Fathers feared from destroying the fragile democracy that George Washington entrusted to us.

https://t.co/sD7LUJxmyc

[Volcaholic 🌋 @volcaholic1]

A terrifying 'Firenado' in the Chernobyl exclusion zone in Ukraine....

Firefighters are continuing to battle forest fires in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone after they were sparked by falling Russian drones.

Crews are working to contain the flames by creating firebreaks and preventing the fire from spreading, while strong winds and hot weather continue to hamper efforts.

More than 260 rescuers, forest protection workers, and dozens of special equipment units are involved.

Radiation levels remain normal.

Via: ZoNews / Chernobyl Exclusion Zone News/ TG

[Mother Jones @MotherJones]

"Loitering is not permitted in this area," an audio recording sternly warns, as uniformed National Guard troops patrol Washington's iconic, algae-plagued reflecting pool. "Please proceed to a designated location."

Journalist Amanda Moore's dystopian video, shot last weekend just steps from the Lincoln Memorial, instantly went viral—a perfect 8-second encapsulation of American democracy under Donald Trump. Amanda has spent the past 18 months documenting the chaos and brutality of the administration's militarized takeovers and immigration raids in cities across the country. Her footage has been shocking, often horrifying. But it's never before been quite so absurd. (Well, maybe once.)

In her latest video report for Mother Jones, Amanda takes us on a tour of the Trumpified National Mall as the nation attempts to celebrate its 250th birthday. Not far from the reflecting pool's nanobubblers and security theater, there's a very different scene: Trump's Great America State Fair. When Amanda visited this marquee anniversary event, she found a dearth of visitors, a shortage of napkins, and a decaying model of the triumphal arch the president wants to build across the Potomac.

The symbolism here is about as subtle as a Jon McNaughton painting. If I hadn't seen Amanda's reporting, I never would have believed it was real.

[Valerie B 🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻 @Valtex7B]

Hello? DC? Could someone check if there are approvals for this from the historical society that oversees such things?
Please stop him

[MM  @adgirlMM]

Apparently a plan was proposed in March by a Trump bootlicker appointee to replace the 200-year-old columns on the White House with more "ornate" columns that match his style.

Scaffolding has gone up. The White House says it's "routine maintenance."

Congress is silent.

[Daniel Mayakovski @DaniMayakovski]

Así fue el recibimiento a la selección de Egipto en Dallas (EEUU), mientras un jugador se hacía una foto con un niño, la policia estadounidense se encaró y agredió a miembros del staff nacional egipcio.

El mundial en AmeriKKKa quedará para siempre manchado por el racismo en EEUU mientras los medios a sueldo dicen que está siendo perfecto.

[Valerie B 🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻 @Valtex7B]

@ClaudetteGGibs1 He’ll go to stinking pretty soon and they’ll have to tell the truth, meanwhile the democratic governor of his state can’t appoint his successor.

[Scott Dworkin @funder]

Tomorrow, millions will watch fireworks with no idea their government's 250th birthday got sold off inside a beloved charity. We read the 927 pages. We traced the shell company. We've got the whole story—days before the fireworks. Share it before the pageantry buries it: https://t.co/4MTDqsfY3d

[Acyn @Acyn]

Jack Smith: I'll give you an example from from my life. I resigned as special counsel. I know I need to get a lawyer because the president has said he wants to jail me for doing my job. And so I retain lawyers, as soon as that becomes public, the president and the justice department target that law firm, and they do it because they don't want me to have counsel. They don't want to have anyone represent me…

[Bill Madden @maddenifico]

JUST. FUCKING. WOW. The humility, decency, and integrity of Jack Smith came across loud and clear. This career prosecutor is an American hero. Jack Smith is the antithesis of the depravity, corruption, and moral bankruptcy of Trump, Todd Blanche, the DOJ, and Kash Patel.

Here is a synopsis of Jack Smith's first televised news interview since he criminally charged the most corrupt president in American history, Donald Trump.

Core Pillars of the Interview

ㆍ The Fragility of the Rule of Law: Smith warned that the rule of law is under an unprecedented attack, declaring it is "different in kind and scope to anything I've seen in my lifetime." He explained that democratic systems do not run on autopilot and rely entirely on the good-faith commitment of people inside public institutions to uphold them.

ㆍ Consistency Over Politics: He reiterated that a healthy democracy requires investigating cases by focusing strictly on the facts and the law, applying the exact same standards regardless of political affiliation.

ㆍ Defending Career Public Servants: Smith spoke passionately about the career prosecutors, FBI agents, and support staff who are being "demonized for doing their jobs" by political figures. He expressed that he feels "terrible" about how they are being treated.

ㆍ The Call to Support Them: He emphasized the moral necessity for regular citizens to stand up for these civil servants, stating, "It's really important that we stand up for them and let them know that there are a lot of people out there who back them and who are with them."

ㆍ The Danger of Lost Trust: Smith noted that the loss of institutional trust has a dangerous "cascading effect" on the legal system, warning that when judges and the public lose faith in prosecutors, the Justice Department loses its ability to perform basic functions.

Warnings About Upcoming Elections

ㆍ Deeply Concerned for the Future: When asked directly if the country is witnessing a real-time assault on the upcoming election cycle, Smith explicitly stated, "I'm very concerned of what's going to happen in the next election, absolutely."

ㆍ Bad Actors Have Adapted: He warned that individuals who attempted to subvert the 2020 election have likely learned from past failures, adapting their strategies to be more effective next time.

ㆍ State Attorneys General Must Step Up: Smith emphasized that the federal apparatus cannot be the sole line of defense, noting that state attorneys general now have a massive responsibility to enforce the rule of law within their own state borders to protect voting integrity.

Anticipating Personal Retaliation & Indictment

ㆍ Expecting Retaliation: Wallace asked Smith point-blank if he expects to be criminally indicted by the current Trump administration.

ㆍ A Distinct Possibility: Smith acknowledged that an indictment "could happen," given the administration's vocal hostility toward him and the likely use of the Justice Department to target him directly.

ㆍ Refusing to Back Down: Despite the threat of prosecution, he declared, "I am not going to be intimidated. We did our work, pursuant to department policy... I'm not going to pretend that didn't happen because they are threatening me."

How Legal Experts & Media Analysts Reacted

ㆍ An Extraordinary and Historic Moment: Commentators and legal analysts noted that a public media tour by a former Special Counsel defending the DOJ's integrity against a sitting president is entirely unprecedented in modern political history.

ㆍ Nostalgia for Institutional Norms: Media figures reacted strongly to the broadcast, expressing a sense of nostalgia for a time when the Department of Justice operated under strict, non-partisan legal norms. Smith was praised as a rare, authoritative voice willing to publicly champion rank-and-file civil servants.

ㆍ Composure Under Extreme Pressure: Legal observers highlighted Smith’s calm, professional, and articulate demeanor during the broadcast. Analysts noted that his refusal to get defensive or angry stands as a model for how public officials should handle intense political weaponization.

[Brian Krassenstein @krassenstein]

Absolutely chilling words from Jack Smith:

“I think we are facing an attack on the rule of law that is different in kind and scope to anything I've seen in my lifetime".

Remember, this man saw firsthand how corrupt and crooked Trump was.

[The Bishop @BillBishopKHOU]

The 1877 Tall Ship Elissa has successfully completed her voyage to New York arriving ahead of America250 and Sail4th 250 celebrations. The Elissa set sail for New York Harbor - first time in nearly 40 years - on June 10th from Galveston.
Credit: Galveston Historical Foundation

[Molly Ploofkins @Mollyploofkins]

Trump thinks he's real

[Valerie B 🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻 @Valtex7B]

@Mollyploofkins Could they hook him up with George Washington so George can set him straight about cutting down cherry trees?

[Jim Stewartson, Decelerationist 🇨🇦🇺🇦🇺🇸 @jimstewartson]

Uh. The White House is officially elevating the Confederacy to be part of American “unity.”

This is Robert E. Lee SURRENDERING.

The treason of this government is endless and must be put down like the last rebellion.

[Valerie B 🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻 @Valtex7B]

GAG-O-MATIC

[Republicans against Trump @RpsAgainstTrump]

Trump: I see my two beautiful sons sitting there. I think I'm going to give one medal of honor to myself, one to them, and we'll have a threesome. I'll pick out one of the two.

I'll give them the congressional medal of honor for something. For their genius in hunting and I’ll get one for taking on Russia, Russia, Russia.