The GOP voters can send a loud message to Trump + officials if they are willing to vote for non-Trump supported candidates. The question is... do GOP voters have the will to fight for their veterans and against foreign wars and the burden of war taxes?

Also... Given that the classified briefings prevent the Armed Services Committee from speaking openly and honestly with constituents... citizens and veterans may need to put pressure particularly on GOP Congressional officials to increase transparency and influence on Trump's war efforts.

So... the US is spending billions on Trump's war with Iran. I'm curious how much of that money is going to Trump Jr's affiliated military companies and eventually flowing into the Trump family coffers.

While we're expecting a blue wave, we're also seeing the influence of extreme money on politics... in this case the GOP.

Per Cillizza's analysis, based on Axios reporting, a billionaire has basically selected the representative for a TX district, through a massive spend.

Trump Administration Abandons Efforts to Impose Orders on Law Firms

"The Trump administration on Monday abandoned its attempts to impose potentially crippling executive orders against law firms that refused to capitulate to the president, walking away from its appeal of victories the firms had won against the White House."

Nevermind they're heading toward conflict with each other and will eventually be discarded...

They are not that aware of how precarious their positions are.

The only ones who are truly *in* will probably be the ones Trump can keep using. In some cases, it will be those who give Trump their votes. In others, it will be those who give money and keep him afloat, etc.

Yes. I suspect a lot of the oligarchs, Christian Nationalists, white supremacists, ultra conservatives, etc... I suspect a lot of these Trump supporters think they're the ones who are truly *in* with Trump and will rise to the top, while others are expendable.

I'm also wondering if the attack on Anthropic is a cover for sending business to Musk's AI companies. Some analysts have indicated that TSLA hasn't been having the best of quarters. Then Musk can keep funneling money into campaign donations for the midterms.

At the same time, the persecution of Anthropic reminds me of the Trump Admin's targeting of law firms: a way to intimidate other tech companies and demand compliance.

People who start their own businesses and build them through the years... I don't think they're doing it in the hopes that the government will take them over...

Perhaps this will send a message to Trump's oligarchs that they are going to be the ones ruled by Trump.

Congress should prohibit any Cabinet secretary from single handed blacklisting a company based on that secretary's ideology or desire to run around the Constitution.

I'm hoping all the Congress people who spoke out against following illegal orders... I hope they open hearings into having an AI that operates without the guardrail of human beings prohibiting the enactment of illegal orders.

(And yes, I'm writing my Congress reps as well.)

I'll be curious if the ICC or whatever body that legislates laws on international war crimes... if they will amend their laws to handle AI enacted war crimes to hold the highest people directly accountable for such crimes.

Will AI hallucinations be an adequate defense: here or internationally?

Once fully autonomous AI is armed and deployed, can unarmed civilians counter that force with civilian grade weapons?

Where is Congress on this? I would think this would merit hearings *and* legislation

All signs point to a Blue Wave in November. Will there be an AI "wave" against citizens later?

I keep thinking about the military oath to not obey illegal orders. Is Hegseth's push for reduction on AI restrictions an attempt to get around it?

If a fully autonomous AI commits war crimes, who is liable? The person who forced a reduction in the restrictions on AI?

Loneliness raises mortality risk ~26%. Call someone today

The first step to dealing with Trumpism is to ignore everything they say and only watch what they do.

Maybe the GOP and the strongman ethos favors people who are decisive, even if they're emphatically wrong.

There's a Cheryl Wheeler song title that comes to mind "Frequently Wrong But Never In Doubt". Maybe that is JD Vance's targeted audience, those who would rather be wrong than in doubt.

For the GOP, maybe this is a major issue. Trump, Vance, and a number of GOP senators have no problem spouting misinformation (Markwayne Mullin comes to mind).

And yes, right-wing media will replay the moment over and over to make people *feel* as if it happened frequently, when it didn't; however, I'm sure this is not a defining moment for AOC. She's shown she is willing to learn and is clearly sharp.

I'll take any AOC pause over the misinformation spewed by Trump, Vance, and GOP senators such as Markwayne Mullin.

Do MAGA voters care more about a pause, than they do about the Epstein Files? Or paying for Trump's tariffs? Or high healthcare premiums?

All of which to say... it's not hard to think of a lot of people who could do a better job in government... but successful candidates will need campaign and messaging skills and infrastructure.

(And yeah, I'd want someone more substantial than Stephen A)

But that said, if voters did a serous evaluation of candidates, how did we end up with such a (loser) government?

One area where Trump (and even, Musk) do excel in is (sales/marketing). They keep their followers focused on future promises or mischaracterizations while they run ahead of missteps

Krysti Noem seems openly corrupt, clearly lying and mismanaging DHS, so is it hard for any person with some measure of success to think they could do better? Same with RFK Jr.?

Trump spews a lot of garbage in his social media posts. I think there are a lot of people who think they could do better

Sometimes I wonder if... when people look at the Trump Admin, with whatever experience they have... is it really surprising that inexperienced people think they could do better?

It reminds me of a news story, several years ago, where a woman got involved with white supremacists because she was lonely and they provided a community.

I'm guessing that Trump's audience has a lot of really lonely people who only know how to connect through grievance.

So Maxwell will stay silent as long as Trump dangles clemency... That doesn't give him much incentive for him to ever free her.

Excerpt:
Maxwell, 64, is serving [20 years] for sex trafficking related to her and Epstein’s sex abuse of minors. She invoked her Fifth Amendment right not to testify [...], although her lawyer noted that she is “prepared to speak fully and honestly if granted clemency by President Trump.”

I guess that means no K-pop halftime show next year?

Yes, a lot of the objectors want English lyrics, regardless if it promotes chasing underage girls (Kid Rock).

I admit...I do wonder how they would respond to a halftime show of jazz with scat singing. Jazz is definitely an American art form.