Natalie Franco

Pragmatic gal. News/politics follower.

Moving to Bluesky. Please follow me there. I'll follow back:
@NatCo98.bsky.social

[Natalie Franco @NatCo98]

Sweden has a civil defense manual available online in 13 different languages. The title is: If War Comes. I urge everyone to check it out. It even has a page dedicated to practical tips on how to evaluate the reliability of information. Here's a screenshot:

[Ron Filipkowski @RonFilipkowski]

Turns out Trump’s market manipulation with a series of tariff announcements and pauses that tormented American businesses was done to enrich himself.

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

Pardoning a child rapist while covering up the Epstein files is Ultra MAGA right?

[Seth Abramson @SethAbramson]

MAGAs are suckers. Every single one.

[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.

[Covie @covie_93]

They want to mail handguns but not ballots?????

[Bill Kristol @BillKristol]

The Dem establishment and Dem centrists can wring their hands and complain about the results in Colorado.

Or they can learn a lesson: Their repudiation was in large part about their perceived unwillingness to stand up firmly and unhesitatingly to Trump.

So start doing so!

[Hillary Clinton @HillaryClinton]

Another day, another round of headlines about Trump's unprecedented corruption.

And this is just the stuff there's reporting about.

[Mueller, She Wrote @MuellerSheWrote]

Everyone should be extremely concerned that birthright citizenship was 5-4 and not unanimous.

[A. Angaar @a_angaar555]

@mehdirhasan Here is what Hasan meant to say.

[Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta @malcolmkenyatta]

This is Citizens United on steroids. Yet another green light for Trump and Republicans endless corruption.

[Andrew Weinstein @Weinsteinlaw]

The real headline from the birthright‑citizenship case isn’t the outcome. It’s that four Supreme Court justices signaled they believe a president can effectively rewrite the Constitution through executive order.

[Covie @covie_93]

This man is walking around with a sign saying 'Black parents are failures' while literally wearing an ankle monitor.

[Warren @swd2]

Notice when you want an abortion the fetus is a person but when we talk about immigration, actual children are called offspring.

Words matter. They are saying the Nazi shit out loud. Listen to them.

[Joyce Alene @JoyceWhiteVance]

The 6-3 decision written by Kavanaugh: "limits on political parties' coordinated expenditures violate the First Amendment." In other words, money can talk in our politics without any restraint.

[Mike Nellis @MikeNellis]

Four Supreme Court justices have argued that Donald Trump can change the Constitution with an executive action, BUT JOE BIDEN CAN’T FORGIVE YOUR STUDENT LOAN DEBT.

It’s rigged. Burn it all down.

[Graham Platner for Senate @grahamformaine]

The Supreme Court has become an institution that serves corporate power instead of the Constitution.

If Democrats can’t figure out how to hold it accountable, working people don’t stand a chance.

[Graham Platner for Senate @grahamformaine]

Her supporters said it best, Senator Collins always stands with Trump when it counts.

[Jon Favreau @jonfavs]

A vote for Susan Collins is likely a vote for at least 2 more Brett Kavanaughs

[Marc E. Elias @marceelias]

🚨BREAKING: Federal Court REJECTS Department of Justice lawsuit to gain access to the state's unredacted copy of its statewide voter registration list.

DOJ is now 0-11 in these cases. Elias Law Group is undefeated. It may be time to invoke the mercy rule. https://t.co/khhZOnRX2L

[Anonymous @YourAnonNews]

It makes the world a worse place (to them) because it makes them look bad.
She's given away $26.3B to help others and her lifestyle hasn't changed one bit. Other billionaires hate that she's lifting the veil and making them look bad.