Sex and Politics and Screeds and Attitude

2/04/2026

chump the grifter

that's Isaiah's THE WORLD TODAY JUST NUTS "Cosplay Expert" and it went up a little while ago. donald chump is a crook, a sleaze ball, a con artist and a grifter. thomas kika reports:

Since returning to the White House, President Donald Trump has accelerated his use of the presidency to enrich himself in unprecedented new ways compared to his first term. A new analysis from The Nation argues it all comes down to his discovery that "nobody cared."

In a piece from Monday, The Nation's Jeet Heer compared the scale of Trump's kickbacks and corruption during his two terms in office and found stark differences. This is not because the president is greedier, as Heer argued that the escalation has been driven by Trump now having the "imagination and connections" to extract wealth from the White House "on a grand scale."

"It’s now clear that, in the grand scheme of things, Trump’s first-term corruption was penny-ante, involving tens of millions of dollars rather than billions," Heer explained. "It’s not that Trump was less greedy; he simply lacked the imagination and connections to realize how the presidency could really be milked on a grand scale."

He continued: "But his four years out of office allowed him to remake his business empire, moving into realms like social media (with Truth Social) and cryptocurrency (with World Liberty Financial, founded in September 2024 with the Trump family owning 75 percent). During these years, the Trump family also deepened its ties to the wealthy elites of Middle Eastern petro-states such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). These shifts allowed Trump to move from being a relatively small-scale con man to his current position as perhaps the most corrupt elected official in human history."

Heer also highlighted a quote from an interview Trump did last month with the New York Times, in which he, usually "not given to regret," said that he ought to have gotten more for himself business-wise during his first term, and revealed why he now thinks that way.

"I found out that nobody cared. I’m allowed to," Trump told the Times. "You know, George Washington, when he was president… had two desks. He had a business desk and he had a president desk, and he did both. It’s OK to do that."

Heer noted that this alleged anecdote about the first president is one that Trump has been fond of repeating over the years, and that "it won’t shock anyone to find out that it is nonsense." According to a CNN fact-check, while Washington did continue to own and manage land while in office, numerous historians said that the claim about two desks is "baseless."

he's a liar and he only cares about himself.

'general hospital'? willow wants alexis to represent her in her custody battle. alexis doesn't want to. willow brought up scout and made clear that scout could be pulled from alexis so alexis has to represent willow.

lucas wants to move off the island and get an apartment in port charles. marco wants to stay. marco explained that he gets to see his father this way, living at the mansion. what's bothering lucas? lucas explains that he was looking for some wine recently and out of nowhere the butler popped up. it was as though the butler had been in the catacombs. (which he had. i have no idea how lucas misses the reality that sidwell - marco's father - is the mafia.) marco said they can plan to move in may and lucas went along with it.

britt and jason had a plan. to get out of ross and sidwell's control, they would take a vial of the medicine britt needs in order to stay alive and figure out what was in the medicine so they could manufacture it themselves. but when britt got back to her place, she discovered they'd grabbed the extra vials she had.

tracy got most of the stuff back from drew's mansion - the quartermaine stuff that they have argued over.

that's pretty much it for monday. haven't watched tuesday's yet.

let's close with c.i.'s 'The Snapshot:'

Tuesday, February 3, 2026. Donald Chump's name is all over the pages released last Friday in the latest Epstein document dump, at least three million pages remain unreleased, Donald wants the Republican Party to oversee voting in the US, Hegseth continues his embarrassing attack on Senator Mark Kelly, and much more.

Donald Chump is lying again, claiming he's not even mentioned in the latest dump of 3 million pages of The Epstein Files when, in fact, he's mentioned over 1,000 times.

Another lies that they tell is that these are all the documents and they're not. And no one believes them. Barney Henderson (NEWSWEEK) reports:

The DOJ has itself identified over 6 million pages of Epstein documents, Democratic members of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee pointed out over the weekend, but “released only about half of them—including over 200,000 pages that DOJ redacted or withheld.”

So what’s missing from the documents and is the worst yet to come for Trump, as the ghost of Epstein continues to haunt his old friends?

[. . .]

Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, accused Attorney General Pam Bondi and the DoJ of breaking the law.

In a statement he said: “Donald Trump and his Department of Justice have now made it clear that they intend to withhold roughly 50% of the Epstein files, while claiming to have fully complied with the law. This is outrageous and incredibly concerning.

“The Oversight Committee subpoena directs Pam Bondi to release all the files to the committee, while protecting survivors. They are in violation of the law.

“We are demanding the names of Epstein’s co-conspirators and the men and pedophiles who abused women and girls.”

Today, Stephen Fowler and Jaclyn Diaz (NPR's MORNING EDITION) offer this overview of the latest document dump:

NPR's review of the documents has found numerous examples of the Justice Department failing to redact names of publicly identified victims of sexual abuse as well as names of individuals who have not previously been publicized.

The Epstein Files Transparency Act, signed by President Trump last year, called for the Justice Department to minimize its redactions while turning over information about the life and death of Epstein and the criminal charges he and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell faced. Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence in federal prison for sexual exploitation and trafficking of children, crimes she committed with Epstein.

Those redactions, too, are inconsistent with what the law directs.

"In addition to the documentary redactions, which includes personal identifying information, victim information and other privileges, there is extensive redaction to images and videos to protect victims," Blanche said Friday, announcing the final batch of files. "We redacted every woman depicted in any image or video, with the exception of Ms. Maxwell. We did not redact images of any men unless it was impossible to redact the woman without also redacting the man."

But multiple examples can be found in the Epstein files repository that show the faces of women and hide the faces of men, including one text message conversation between former Trump adviser Steve Bannon and Epstein where Trump's face in a news article was obscured with a black box.

The files aren't shared in chronological order or grouped in any identifiable way. Countless duplicate copies of email threads, investigative files and correspondence are spread throughout the database, sometimes with different levels of redactions applied.

The same PowerPoint presentation prepared last fall by the Justice Department detailing the timeline and cases against Epstein and Maxwell, alleged victims and powerful figures in his orbit who faced allegations of misconduct appears six times with different information blocked out in each version.

Annie Farmer, one of the women who testified in court against Epstein and Maxwell, told NPR's All Things Considered on Monday that the redaction issues felt intentional.

"There's just no explanation for how it could've been done so poorly," she said. "They've had victims' names for a very long time. I don't think this is just about rushing to get this information out."

MEIDASTOUCH NEWS notes that the dump appears to exist to protect Chump "from political fallout."

"Roughly half of the material remains withheld or heavily redacted," MTN notes. Six million pages and only three million released. Anna Betts (GUARDIAN) notes:

One document in the newly released tranche is a summary that FBI officials appear to have compiled last summer, of more than a dozen tips received by the agency involving Trump and Epstein.

It is unclear why the investigators put together the summary, and it does not say when the tips, which include unsubstantiated claims of sexual abuse, were received. The document also does not include any corroborating evidence or indication that the tips were verified.

Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein. In response to a request for comment from the New York Times, the White House referred to a statement from the justice department on Friday, which stated that the new tranche of documents “may include fake or falsely submitted images, documents or videos”.

“Some of the documents contain untrue and sensationalist claims against President Trump that were submitted to the FBI right before the 2020 election,” the DoJ statement added. “To be clear, the claims are unfounded and false, and if they have a shred of credibility, they certainly would have been weaponized against President Trump already.”

Survivors of Epstein have been further attacked by the US government with the release of the papers which has not redacted all of their names, which has included non-redacted photos of the survivors.

As Lawrence O'Donnell noted last night, this has led some survivors to call for pages released to be deleted.

Last night on THE NEWSHOUR (PBS), the release was addressed.

Geoff Bennett:

And for a closer look at the legal issues surrounding this latest release of Epstein files, we turn to Barbara McQuade. She's a former federal prosecutor and a professor at the University of Michigan Law School.

It's great to have you back on the program.

Barbara McQuade, Former U.S. Attorney:

Thanks, Geoff. Glad to be here with you.

Geoff Bennett:

So the Justice Department says Friday's release brings it into compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, but millions of files, as you well know, remain unreleased, withheld for reasons like attorney-client privilege, privacy concerns, and the like.

Democrats are now demanding access to the full record. From a legal standpoint, did the DOJ actually comply with the law?

Barbara McQuade:

Well, no.

First of all, the deadline was December 19, and here we are many weeks after that deadline. But also, in light of all of these redactions, Geoff, I think there is some room to argue here that they're not in compliance in it.

Within 15 days, which should have been 15 days from December 19, the Justice Department is also required to produce a log explaining what was redacted and why. One of the things they have said they have redacted is internal memoranda and things that disclose their deliberative privileges.

But that was specifically spelled out in the statute that required production. That could be something that the Justice Department and Congress might have to litigate if the Justice Department continues to refuse to produce those things.

But I think that the enormous amount of redactions seems to go beyond the scope of what would be obvious, things like names of survivors and other things. And so I think we're going to have to see that log first before Congress can really ascertain exactly what was withheld.

Geoff Bennett:

Why have no perpetrators beyond Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell been charged, despite years of investigation and the volume of information that's now public?

Barbara McQuade:

Well, of course, we still don't know what's behind those redaction bars.

But I think what the public is seeing here is, there is a difference between things that are wrong, morally reprehensible, shady, even awful. But to prove a crime, you would have to show that someone engaged in actual sex trafficking. That means transporting someone across state lines who is underage for the purpose of engaging in sex acts or, if they are not a minor, doing so through threats or coercion.

That requires a level of intent, knowledge, and the actions of doing these things. And I don't know that we have seen any evidence that that was done. Certainly, just associated with Jeffrey Epstein or even making comments about women is not enough to bring a case.

And so, as I said, we don't know what's behind those redaction bars, but it would not surprise me if the Justice Department simply did not have sufficient evidence to prove some of these cases.

Geoff Bennett:

And that might address a question I have seen a lot online since Friday's release, which is, why did the Justice Department, under multiple presidential administrations, to include the Biden administration under Merrick Garland, why did they not pursue broader prosecutions tied to Epstein's network?

Barbara McQuade:

Yes, I think it's the same.

So, certainly, Jeffrey Epstein was charged before he committed suicide, and Ghislaine Maxwell was charged and convicted. I think her trial occurred in 2021. But just because -- we had a term we used when I was working as a prosecutor, which is awful, but lawful.

Sometimes, people engage in really hideous conduct. You investigate, but you are just not able to prove the elements of an offense beyond a reasonable doubt. And so certainly there is some shady information here going on, but it is actually one of the reasons that the Justice Department typically does not disclose records unless there is an indictment.

And that is to protect people's reputations when there really is just sort of this sort of slimy, kind of awful conduct that doesn't amount to a crime. So we're seeing all these disclosures about these wealthy and powerful men and their affiliations with Jeffrey Epstein.

Certainly, perhaps they showed poor judgment. They may even have attended parties and gone to his island and other kinds of things. But if they have not engaged in the crime of sex trafficking, it's really sort of inappropriate. Typically, the Justice Department protects people like that from disclosure to protect reputations when they cannot prove a criminal case.

Geoff Bennett:

We have also seen some survivors say that their identifying information was released accidentally. I would imagine, in these documents that they weren't properly redacted.

What obligation does the DOJ have to survivors in releases like this? And what corrective steps, if any, could be taken at this point to correct the wrong?

Barbara McQuade:

Well, the statute itself said that they should not produce, they should withhold and protect from production the names and other identifying information about survivors, which is par for the course.

It is typical, when the prosecution produces even discovery to a defendant, to redact those names and provide only that which is necessary to share with them for a fair trial. And so, in some instances, it strikes me as sloppy.

Now, I know they had millions of documents they had to review in a very short period of time, but that's the law. You need to make those your priorities. Maybe there's some things you can't do that month. Maybe there's some immigrants, Geoff, that can't be arrested that month because you need prosecutors to be reviewing the documents, in compliance with the law.

What can be done about it? I suppose there could be civil lawsuits to the extent that survivors want to file a lawsuit to suggest that they have been defamed in some way by the production of their names, in violation of this federal statute. I think they could have some civil remedies available.

Geoff Bennett:

I also want to get you to weigh in on another important matter. And that's President Trump today suggesting that Republicans should, in his words, nationalize the voting process.

And he argued it's necessary to prevent what he calls crooked Democrat-led states from allowing illegal voting. Here's what he told Dan Bongino.

President Donald Trump:

These people were brought to our country to vote, and they vote illegally. And the -- amazing that the Republicans aren't tougher on it. The Republicans should say, we want to take over. We should take over the voting in at least many, 15 places. The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting.

Geoff Bennett:

When the president says "these people," he's talking about undocumented immigrants.

The Brennan Center for Justice has said time and time again that this is a lie. It's a conspiracy theory. There is no widespread voting by noncitizens. But from a constitutional standpoint, what would it even mean to nationalize elections? And does the federal government have the authority to do that when elections are the authority of state governments?

Barbara McQuade:

No, the Constitution says that it is the states that set the time, place and manner for elections. And that has consistently been held to mean that we have not one national election. We have 50 elections throughout our country on Election Day.

And there's good reason for that. One is state sovereignty, but another is, that kind of decentralized system is what protects us against some sort of widespread fraud that attacks our nation or the collection of one database of all voting records.

But in terms of administering the elections, that is all done at the state level by the Constitution. So the only way to nationalize elections would be through a constitutional amendment.

On that last topic, Reid J. Epstein and Nick Corasaniti (NEW YORK TIMES) report:

President Trump called in a new interview for the Republican Party to “nationalize” voting in the United States, an aggressive rhetorical step that was likely to raise new worries about his administration’s efforts to involve itself in election matters.

During an extended monologue about immigration on a podcast released on Monday by Dan Bongino, his former deputy F.B.I. director, Mr. Trump called for Republican officials to “take over” voting procedures in 15 states, though he did not name them.

“The Republicans should say, ‘We want to take over,’” he said. “We should take over the voting, the voting in at least many — 15 places. The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting.”

Under the Constitution, American elections are governed primarily by state law, leading to a decentralized process in which voting is administered by county and municipal officials in thousands of precincts across the country. Mr. Trump, however, has long been fixated on the false claims that U.S. elections are rife with fraud and that Democrats are perpetrating a vast conspiracy to have undocumented immigrants vote and lift the party’s turnout.

Ruth covered Chump's latest nonsense in "Convicted Felon Chump does not like free and fair elections."

Lets move over to Chump's personal gestapo, Svante Myrick (THE HILL) notes:

President Donald Trump’s domestic militia troops are still wearing masks as they terrorize American communities. But the mask is off the Trump regime’s fascist brutality, especially since the execution-style killing of VA nurse Alex Pretti by federal immigration officers and the brazenly dishonest smear campaign waged against the murdered man by top administration officials.

Millions of Americans saw the truth virtually in real time thanks to video taken at the scene. Pretti was using his phone to peacefully document federal officials’ actions in Minneapolis. He came to the aid of a woman who had been shoved to the ground. Then he was attacked by multiple masked officers and without justification shot multiple times in the back while he lay on the ground.

The regime’s well-practiced propaganda machine swung into action immediately, trying to frame media coverage with outlandish lies.

The Department of Homeland Security and its leader Kristi Noem lied that Pretti “wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement” and “violently resisted.” White House deportation czar Stephen Miller called Pretti a “would-be assassin” who “tried to murder law enforcement.” Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth responded to the Pretti killing by telling ICE officials “we have your back 100 percent” and posting “ICE > MN.” Right-wing pundits parroted the official line, suggesting that Pretti was to blame for his own killing.

This has been the administration’s go-to strategy in previous incidents of violence at the hands of federal law enforcement. And the administration’s MAGA lapdogs once again played their part, spreading the lies and smears.

But it isn’t working this time. The video evidence is just too clear. And that made the response by administration officials too obviously dishonest and dishonorable.

Stevan Bunnell, Gus Coldebella, Ivan Fong, Kara Lynum, Jonathan Meyer and John Mitnick "all served as general counsels or acting general counsels for the Department of Homeland Security." At THE NEW YORK TIMES, they write:

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has reportedly issued a memorandum that authorizes its agents to enter private residences forcibly without a judicial warrant. James Percival, the general counsel for the Department of Homeland Security, recently defended the department’s policy and wrote that “deep-state actors in the federal government have for decades told ICE officers that they may not enter a fugitive alien’s home even with a final order of removal and administrative warrant.”

We disagree.

We previously sat in the seat he now occupies, serving in both Republican and Democratic administrations; this is not a partisan issue. We disagree not only with Mr. Percival’s position but also with his characterization of lawyers at the Department of Homeland Security and elsewhere who seek to uphold the rule of law.

It is not the so-called deep state that has restrained ICE from entering homes using only administrative warrants. It is the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution — and the lawyers who took an oath to support and defend it. We worked with thousands of homeland security lawyers. They sought to ensure that the department’s actions are lawful and protect the constitutional rights of the people its agents encounter in day-to-day operations. Attempting to tarnish department attorneys as “deep state” operatives for giving legal advice that is faithful to the Constitution is not only offensive but also dangerous. It sends a message: If you give your best professional advice and urge the department to respect the law, you will be attacked for doing your job.

Joe Patrice (ABOVE THE LAW) covers

Judge Fred Biery of the Western District of Texas issued an order releasing five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father Adrian Conejo Arias from the Dilley Immigration Processing Center. Liam became a symbol of the human cost of the Trump administration’s occupying surge in Minnesota when a camera caught him standing in the cold with a blue bunny hat and backpack while government agents arrested the child. Judge Biery’s short, poignant order delivers a comprehensive civics lesson laced with contempt for what the judge calls “the perfidious lust for unbridled power.”

[. . .]

Judge Biery may have fired off a bare bones opinion, but it only takes a handful of sentences to lay out the legal issue:

Civics lesson to the government: Administrative warrants issued by the executive branch to itself do not pass probable cause muster. That is called the fox guarding the henhouse. The Constitution requires an independent judicial officer.

This is, of course, exactly right. ICE has been conducting enforcement actions based on administrative warrants — essentially permission slips the executive branch writes for itself — rather than judicial warrants supported by probable cause. The Fourth Amendment requires the latter. This has always been the case, and the administration keeps lying about it.

We noted that verdict yesterday but it's worth noting again especially when Joe's the one weighing in on it.

Secretary of Play War Pete Hegseth continues his attack on US Senator Mark Kelly. The TV personality learned at FOX "NEWS" that you can repeat any lie and people may believe you. As usual, Pete's gotten a number of the brain dead to think he can legally demote Kelly for comments he made. As usual, Panties Pete is learning that the bulk of Americans are not stupid. Julie Roland (FULCROM) explains:

Pete Hegseth's attacks on Senator Mark Kelly represent such an astonishing threat to the foundation of our democracy that over forty-one retired high-ranking military leaders have come together to sound off in protest.

While the Trump Administration was conducting Caribbean boat strikes of questionable legality, Kelly posted a video wherein he and other lawmakers reminded servicemembers that they should feel empowered to refuse to follow an unlawful order. He didn't mention the strikes; he was correct on the law, yet Secretary Hegseth wrote in a letter of censure that Kelly's speech "bring[s] discredit upon the armed forces," "prejudices good order and discipline," and amounts to "conduct unbecoming an officer," threatening him with a demotion and cuts to his benefits. These antics are so un-American that King George would be tickled.

As outlined in the amicus brief submitted by the Vet Voice Foundation along with dozens of Admirals and Generals, no retired servicemember can lawfully be sanctioned for making factual statements. But while Hegseth's arguments have no basis, a bogus claim could still set a dangerous precedent if Kelly loses, which would, as the venerable veterans articulated in their brief, make it "unclear what constitutional protection would remain for veterans wishing to express public disagreement with a present Administration…" In other words, if a veteran can get punished for this, what just happened to freedom of speech?

As a prior Lieutenant Commander in the Navy, I took an oath to support and defend the Constitution. I felt proud to defend the doc that holds our Bill of Rights. Similarly, as I learned to fire hellfire missiles and rockets, I was comforted by the constant reminder of my obligation to disobey unlawful orders. When Admirals lectured us on judgment and ethics, I could detect the checks and balances in the subtext of their speeches and felt reassured. This is not the message the Secretary of War is sending today. Hegseth's subtext says something more like: shut up and don't you dare challenge us.

Let's wind down with this from Senator Elizabeth Warren's office:

“The cuts to federal student lending in President Trump’s OBBBA will make it more difficult for Americans to finance their educations—opening the door for private lenders to swoop in on vulnerable borrowers and their families”

“[These findings] underscore an urgent need for oversight of the private lending market as these companies prepare to cash in on the Administration’s agenda”

Report: “Costly Consequences: How the Trump Administration Unleashed Private Student Loan Lenders” (PDF)

Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, along with Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and U.S. Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee; Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.); Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii); Ron Wyden (D-Ore.); Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.); Ed Markey (D-Mass.); and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), released a new report revealing the findings of their investigation into how private student loan lenders will reap the benefits from cuts to federal student loan access enacted in Republicans’ Big, Beautiful Bill (OBBBA). The report is the first Congressional analysis of the impacts of the OBBBA’s student loan restrictions on the private lending market.

“Our report confirms what I’ve long sounded the alarm about: the Big Beautiful Bill is a massive giveaway to private student loan lenders,” said Senator Warren in a separate statement. Instead of helping sketchy private lenders profit from our college affordability crisis, the Trump administration should be lowering costs for students and borrowers.”

“The anticipated expansion of the role of private lending is deeply concerning, since private student loan lenders have a long record of predatory practices that raise costs for borrowers and deprive them of basic consumer protections,” wrote the senators.

OBBBA set new caps on federal student loan borrowing for graduate students and others, paving the way for a significant expansion of the private student loan market. The private student loan market currently accounts for approximately 8 percent of student loan debt, but represents more than 40 percent of student loan-related complaints submitted to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The senators pressed six significant private student loan lenders, Citizens, College Ave, Navient, Nelnet, Sallie Mae, and SoFi—which, combined, lent over $14.7 billion via private student loans in 2024—to provide details on their policies, lending activity, and future plans related to OBBBA. The investigation found that:

There is a history of persistent predatory behavior in the private student loan market - and major lenders have been expanding their student loan activity each year;
Private student loan lenders expect more students to turn to private loans due to OBBBA’s loan limits, and at least one lender is already making plans to expand its loan offerings in response to this policy change;
Most of the private lenders surveyed offer minimal protections for borrowers who are defrauded by their schools or who face a sudden school closure;
Half of the private lenders surveyed either have sold student loans to private equity firms or plan to do so in the future; and
Private lenders do not yet have concrete plans in place to expand customer service capacity if they increased their student loan activity.

“Private student loan lenders have a record of utilizing abusive practices, including lying to borrowers about the availability of debt cancellation, autopay discounts, and unemployment protections for borrowers,” the senators warned.

“The Trump administration continues to capitulate to big corporations and special interest – all while increasing the pain and costs for American families. Higher education is a ticket for the middle class, and Republicans are trying to destroy this opportunity,” said Leader Schumer. “Our findings were horrific – but unfortunately not shocking. The so-called ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ forces students to turn to the predatory private student loan market to finance their education. And, as our report finds, this will expose students to predatory lending practices and a lack of consumer protections. Senate Democrats will continue to fight to protect students and borrowers so that anyone, regardless of income or family background, can have a chance at higher education.”

“This report makes it even more clear that by placing an arbitrary cap on federal student loans, President Trump and his Republican allies are making it more expensive for everyday students to pursue higher education. Why? To support huge tax breaks for themselves and their billionaire buddies,” said Senator Hirono. “Students should be able to pursue higher education without taking on a lifetime of debt. I will continue to do everything in my power to ensure that we put an end to abusive practices that exploit borrowers, to institute further consumer protections, and to prevent companies from cashing in on this regime’s political agenda.”

“Instead of addressing the rising cost of higher education, the Trump Administration and Republicans have slashed access to federal student loans – limiting opportunities for American students to pursue degrees, especially in fields where we face workforce shortages. Private lenders are eager to profit off these harmful restrictions, and more students will be at risk of falling victim to deceptive, predatory practices,” said Senator Van Hollen.

“Trump and MAGA Republicans’ Big Ugly Bill has made borrowing for college and graduate school riskier and more expensive, pushing the dream of higher education further out of reach for working and middle-class Americans,” said Senator Markey. “I’ll continue to fight to defend borrowers from predatory lenders and restore loan protections for students.”

“The Republican vision of ‘Families Lose, Billionaires Win’ is leading to less affordable student loan repayment options and a higher risk of folks falling victim to predatory lending, which overwhelmingly harms working families,” said Senator Merkley. “As private lenders prepare to cash in on this disastrous agenda, our report makes clear that urgent oversight is needed to protect borrowers and ensure they can access affordable higher education for generations to come.”

In response to the findings, the senators called for careful oversight of any new private loan offerings targeting students and families affected by the federal loan caps and for experts to examine potential impacts of private lenders selling student loans to private equity firms.

“One year into the Trump Administration, President Trump and Secretary McMahon have made countless efforts to strip federal support from student loan borrowers as part of their crusade to dismantle the Department of Education…[These findings] underscore an urgent need for oversight of the private lending market as these companies prepare to cash in on the Administration’s agenda,” the senators concluded.

###

The following sites updated:

1/31/2026

chump goes after don lemon

that video is covering what we covered last time in 'the widow with her own kind of 'grief'' and you can hear the audio and also get loren's take on it.

chump's arresting journalists. because? he's filth and garbage. cnn's kara scannell and hannah rabinowitz report:

Journalist Don Lemon was taken into custody on Thursday night, according to his attorney.

Lemon was with dozens of anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement protesters as they rushed into Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, earlier this month, interrupting a church service and leading to tense confrontations.

“Don Lemon was taken into custody by federal agents last night in Los Angeles, where he was covering the Grammy awards,” his attorney Abbe Lowell said in a statement early Friday. “Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different than what he has always done. The First Amendment exists to protect journalists whose role it is to shine light on the truth and hold those in power accountable.”

“Instead of investigating the federal agents who killed two peaceful Minnesota protesters, the Trump Justice Department is devoting its time, attention and resources to this arrest, and that is the real indictment of wrongdoing in this case,” Lowell added. “This unprecedented attack on the First Amendment and transparent attempt to distract attention from the many crises facing this administration will not stand. Don will fight these charges vigorously and thoroughly in court.”

chump is disgusting. if he had his way 'the bill of rights' would be optional. he has no respect for this country, for our history, for our rights, for our struggles. every thing is always chump. it's always about him. it's always a boast from a bragger. he's attacking the press because he's a bully and he thinks he can get away with it.

some comments on the article:

Michael Groves

2 hours ago

Lemon's arrest is a direct attack by an out-of-control administration on the First Amendment to the Constitution. Any real, actual, patriotic American would be horrified by this action. It doesn't matter whether one agrees with the obvious liberal bias of the reporter or not. There are lots of reporters with an obvious conservative bias. That isn't a reason justifying their arrest. This is a blatant attempt by the government to silence the press and quash all dissent by the People. Time for this nonsense to end.

Johnathan Foreman

2 hours ago

This is a distraction from the fact that they aren't conducting any sort of investigation into the cowards that murdered two US citizens in Minnesota. What they don't realize, is this is making Don's platform that much bigger, and it won't work the way they think it will.

Neely Raines

2 hours ago

So, it's a lawful act to storm the capital building but you can't protest in a church to denounce a pastor who is in favor of and participates in inhumane treatment of citizens, documented and undocumented immigrants? Copy that.

let's close with c.i.'s 'The Snapshot:'

Friday, January 30, 2026. US House Rep Jasmine Crockett reports on a visit with a five-year-old boy held in an ICE gulag, Chump's words of violence (and pattern of violence) 'inspire' one of his followers to run a car into a school girl, Ghislaine Maxwell is in the news, a shutdown looms and much more.

Donald Chump's words and actions degrade this country and egg on violence. We saw that with the attack on Ilhan Omar this week and we saw it yesterday in Nebraska. Matthew Chapman (RAW STORY) reports:

Chaos struck at an anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement student protest at a school in Fremont, Nebraska, when an SUV with a Trump flag attached to it struck a girl participating in the demonstration.

According to News Channel Nebraska, "Dozens of students were part of the protest and were holding signs and chanting. A boy, who appeared to be high-school aged, parked his SUV with the flag in front of the school, got out of the vehicle and exchanged words with the protesters. He then got back into the SUV, revved the engine and drove forward. A girl, who appears to be a student, was standing several feet in front of the vehicle, facing it and holding a sign toward the car. The driver accelerated and hit the protester, casting her to the side."

The boy driving the SUV "stopped briefly as a school administrator approached, then drove away from the scene," the report continued.

Jackie Ourada (NEBRASKA PUBLIC MEDIA) notes:

Video captured by News Channel Nebraska shows the driver getting into a red SUV that’s carrying a flag supporting President Trump’s 2024 campaign. Protesters are standing on the sidewalk when one student steps in front of the parked vehicle. The driver appears to go forward, slows and then speeds up, hitting the person, who appeared to land on the hood of the SUV and then roll off to the side. The driver initially slowed down after hitting the student and then left the scene.

Chump's words of violence and his violent actions breed violence.

Senator Chuck Schumer's incompetency encourages incompetence and it is past time he stepped down as the Democratic Party's leader in the Senate. Gavin J. Quinton and Ana Ceballos (LOS ANGELES TIMES) reported yesterday:

Senate Democrats reached a deal with the White House late Thursday to prevent a partial government shutdown by moving to temporarily fund the Department of Homeland Security for two weeks, providing more time to negotiate new restrictions for federal immigration agents carrying out President Trump's deportation campaign.

The deal follows widespread outrage over the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens — Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti — by federal agents in Minneapolis amid an aggressive immigration crackdown led by the Trump administration.

Under the agreement, funding for the Department of Homeland Security will be extended for two weeks, while the Pentagon, the State Department, as well as the health, education, labor and transportation departments, will be funded through Sept. 30, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's office confirmed to The Times.

While the Senate could approve the deal as early as Thursday night, it is unclear when the House will vote for the package. To avert a government shutdown, both chambers need to approve the deal by midnight EST Friday.

Chuck was so strong talking about extracting justice and yet? He's giving them two more weeks. Two more weeks. If another American citizen dies, that's going to be blood on Chuck's hands as well as on Chump's. Chump is at an all time low and this doesn't lead to bravery from Chuck. Instead, Chuck caves yet again. Sophie Brams (THE HILL) notes:

President Trump’s approval rating is slipping, with more than two-thirds of Americans saying they disapprove of how the president is handling his job, according to a new Pew Research Center poll.

The poll, released Thursday, found that Trump’s approval rating fell 3 percentage points from last fall and now stands at 37 percent. Trump’s support among Republicans remains high at 73 percent approval, though that figure is down slightly from a poll conducted last September.

Over two-thirds of Americans disapprove of Chump and yet that's not enough for Chuck to stand up. If it reaches 100% disapproval? Chuck might make another attempt at standing up. He won't really stand up but he will attempt to.

Chuck's inability to stand up for the American people may go unnoticed since the deal he signed off on has collapsed as Republicans in the Senate feuded among themselves. Mia McCarthy, Calen Razor and Benjamin Guggenheim (POLITICO) report Senator Lindsey Graham had a snit fit over a provision put into the bill by the House which "would repeal a law allowing senators to receive cash payouts if they had phone records seized by former special counsel Jack Smith."

Lindsey is very worried about toll slips showing who he spoke to. It's almost as though Lindsey has something to hide. What could Lindsey be hiding? Well we know it's nothing to do with sex, right? Lindsey is a confirmed and lifelong bachelor. He claims he once fell in love with a flight attendant but it must have been one-sided because she didn't want to give up her career and marry a US senator. According to Lindsey, that would have been a step down for her. That makes sense, right?

So at present, the deal that Chuck made is no longer a firm deal and the government may go into a shutdown by midnight as a result of Lindsey's concerns over anyone knowing who he spoke to on the phone.

Here's MEIDASTOUCH NEWS covering the news that we may go into a shutdown today.

During Chuck's cowering, ICE is only more emboldened. Jenna Sundel (NEWSWEEK) notes, "A video that appears to show an ICE agent telling an individual, 'You raise your voice, I erase your voice,' has sparked backlash, with a free speech organization calling the statement 'about as un-American as it gets'." Sundel notes US House Rep Ted Lieu's reaction to the news:

Representative Ted Lieu, a California Democrat, on X: “Dear @DHSgov : You need to implement an immediate stand down of ICE and Border Patrol interior operations so your agents can learn the Bill of Rights to the Constitution of the United States.”

ICE doesn't get it. Even their one-time leader Greg Bovino doesn't get it. Jeremiah Hassel (THE MIRROR) notes:

Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino broke his silence after his abrupt axing from his Minnesota post amid intense backlash following the deaths of two protesters this month.

Speaking to a reporter at Mt. Rushmore, he addressed the men who were put on leave after the shooting death of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse who was thrown to the ground, beaten and shot after attempting to defend another protester who was being pepper-sprayed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents.

"I want you to know: I've got your back, now and always — I love you, I support you, and I salute you," he told freelance conservative journalist Nick Sortor. It comes after Bovino was accused of 'Nazi cosplay' with a bizarre yet chilling uniform choice.

Anyone hoping shame and guilt might silence Bovino has been proven wrong. How many more statements will he make that only serve to damage Chump? I'm sure they can find someone else who will fall for lies on FACEBOOK. Adam Downer (DAILY BEAST) explains:

A top immigration official was tricked by a fake news story posted by a QAnon social media account shortly before getting demoted.

The 55-year-old Border Patrol “commander-at-large” Greg Bovino was duped on Jan. 25 by a social media post that said MAGA-favored rockstar Ted Nugent had pledged $100,000 to feed ICE agents in Minnesota.

He engaged with the post on X during his last full day leading Minnesota’s federal immigration enforcement operations before he was replaced by Trump’s border czar.

The story originated from the Facebook page “America’s Last Line of Defense,” which posts conservative-leaning satire. All of their posts are watermarked with a logo reading “Nothing on this page is real.”

The phony tale includes a Nugent quote from a Fox News interview that never occurred, in which the 77-year-old singer pledged to fly in a “metric ton of barbecue” to Minnesota.

That's beyond stupid and goes to how unqualified he is. He needs to go and to go quickly. And the administration really needs to get off social media. Demian Bio (LATIN TIMES) explains:

The Department of Homeland Security deleted a post after its top spokesperson was confronted by a journalist over content that had links with white supremacy.

The New York Times detailed an exchange with DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin in which the journalist noted that a post seeking to recruit agents for ICE that had the phrase "we'll have our home again," also used in a white supremacist song.

McLaughlin denied that was the case, saying that if the post were actually about the song, that would be "a problem" and "morally repugnant."

"There are plenty of references to those words in books and poems," the official added, noting that she was "in charge of everything" posted on the department's social media.

However, the article added, the actual song played in the background when the post was opened on Instagram's mobile app. McLaughlin denied that being the case, saying "it's not there."

However, less than an hour after the interview, the post was removed from Instagram. Those on X and Facebook, which didn't feature the song, remain online.

These are the crooks that put a five-year-old boy into ICE 'detention.' He's in a gulag and US House Rep Jasmine Crockett reports that he is not doing well.

For any who missed the story last week, let's drop back to last Friday's snapshot.:

Moving on to another topic, ICE gestapo now uses tactics that even the Italian mafia would repudiate. Grasp just how low standards, ethics and morals have dropped in the second term of Chump El Gordo Fat Ass. Laura Romero (ABC NEWS) reports:

A 5-year-old boy was taken into custody with his father by ICE agents in Minnesota on Tuesday in what some local officials say is the latest instance of heightened federal immigration enforcement in the state.

The family of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos, who was detained on Tuesday as part of the federal government's ongoing immigration crackdown, has a pending asylum case but no order of deportation directing that they be removed from the United States, officials at Conejo Ramos' school said in a statement.

The 5-year-old was apprehended by immigration officials shortly after arriving home from preschool while his father was in their driveway, officials said.

"Another adult living in the home was outside and begged the agents to let them take care of the small child, but was refused," officials from Conejo Ramos' school said. "Instead, the agent took the child out of the still-running vehicle, led him to the door, and directed him to knock -- asking to be let in to see if anyone else was home -- essentially using a 5-year-old as bait."

The father and child are both government custody, school officials said.

Please read Mike's "Jack Smith, HONEY DON'T and Miss Sassy JD Vance" to discover how JD Vance is lying to try to pretend what happened didn't happen by ignoring the fact that the child's relative asked ICE to hand the child over but ICE refused.

If you're not disgusted with ICE, you're not paying attention.

We noted Jasmine talking to CNN about the child and here she is speaking to MS NOW.

A five year old boy. Put in a gulag.

They are liars and they are idiots and they are Nazis. Max Bearak and Ali Watkins (NEW YORK TIMES) note:

Ecuador’s foreign ministry said it lodged a formal diplomatic protest with the United States after a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent attempted to enter the country’s consulate in Minneapolis without permission on Tuesday morning.

Employees of the consulate stopped the agent from entering, the Ecuadorean foreign ministry said in a statement Tuesday night. Under the Vienna Conventions, to which the United States is a party, foreign consular buildings are off-limits to law enforcement from the host country without authorization from consular officials.

It's a shame that Chump's gestapo doesn't understand the laws or that you're expected to follow the law.

And then there's the continued attack on Canada that Chump's initiated. Julia Ornedo (THE DAILY BEAST) reports:

Canadians hit President Donald Trump with failing marks as details of his administration’s secret meetings with Alberta separatists emerged.

A survey by the Canadian nonprofit Angus Reid Institute, conducted from Jan. 23 to 27, found that two-thirds of Canadians gave the 79-year-old American leader a failing mark for his first year back in office.

Sixty-six percent of Canadians gave Trump’s first year an ‘F,’ while 15 percent gave him an ‘A’ or a ‘B’ and 16 percent gave him a ‘C’ or a ‘D.’

[. . .]

The poll came out on Wednesday, just as the Financial Times reported that “very, very senior” officials in the State Department covertly met with the Alberta Prosperity Project, a fringe group of far-right separatists who want the oil-rich province to become independent.

Jeff Rath, the group’s legal counsel who attended the meetings in Washington, told the outlet that “the U.S. is extremely enthusiastic about a free and independent Alberta.”

Melania Chump's film opens today. Jeff Bezos spent millions on it. He even paid $28 million to Melanie (see Ann's "The 'documentary' about the First Slut" and "Con artist Melania" and Elaine's "The First Slut, Evil Zuckerberg, Sly Dunbar has passed"). Yet while he gives her $28 million, he lays off workers. Shane Croucher (NEWSWEEK) reports:

Jeff Bezos’s e-commerce giant Amazon said it will cut 16,000 roles across the organization in its latest round of layoffs.

The news was confirmed in a blog post on Wednesday by Beth Galetti, senior vice president of people experience and technology at Amazon. Corporate roles are those affected by the new cuts. Back in October, Amazon had cut 14,000 corporate roles. The layoffs are Amazon’s biggest since 2023, when the company cut 27,000 jobs.

Bezos is also preparing to fire numerous journalists. at THE WASHINGTON POST -- the paper he's ruined. Charlotte Klein (INTELLIGENCER) reports:

The ostensible reason for the layoffs is that the Post, like many other newspapers, is losing money. But unlike other newspapers, the Post is also in the midst of a demoralizing destruction of its brand that has alienated hundreds of thousands of subscribers and left even its staff unsure of what the paper is trying to do, both journalistically and business-wise. “I’m increasingly finding it hard to justify the cuts from a journalistic perspective,” said one staffer. “Of course, financially, the Post is in a deep hole and I understand that. But some of that hole, if not a lot of it, is because of Jeff Bezos.”

The Post was once known for its independent accountability journalism, dating back to the Pentagon Papers and Watergate and running all the way through to January 6. It was also once known for being the foremost authority on goings-on in the nation’s capital. Now it no longer has a clear identity, a crucial component for any paper’s success, whether it’s the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal. The Post finds itself in this no man’s land largely because of a series of editorial and business decisions made outside the newsroom, at the highest level of the company — most notably, Bezos’s 11th-hour decision to pull the editorial board’s endorsement of Kamala Harris in 2024, which led to 250,000 digital readers cancelling their subscriptions in protest of Bezos’s apparent kowtowing to Trump.

The administration continues to break the law regarding The Epstein Transparency Act. They have still released only 1% of the files. They are over a month late now in complying with the law Congress passed and Chump signed. Donald wants to protect his friends, as he told former US House Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene. Daniel Hampton (RAW STORY) notes a new development

Ghislaine Maxwell, the accomplice of Jeffrey Epstein, may be serving time in a cushy Texas federal prison, but the convicted child sex trafficker just detonated a political time bomb from behind bars, according to a new Daily Beast report Tuesday.

In a recent habeas petition, Maxwell dropped a bombshell claim that four potential "co-conspirators" and "25 men" scored "secret settlements" tied to Epstein's abuse — without facing any indictment.

The report said Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Justice Department are doing everything possible to avoid one glaring question: "Who are these men, and why are they still being protected?"

Congress passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which President Donald Trump signed into law in November, forcing the Justice Department to release unclassified records. Yet the DOJ has toiled along, redacting, delaying, and otherwise slow-walking compliance "like it’s trying to outlast public attention."

Rovelyn Barba (ENSTARZ) adds, "The new information has put more pressure on the Justice Department to explain why some Epstein-related records haven't been made public. The source brought up the broader implications of the filing and asked the main question that federal authorities are facing: 'Who are these men, and why are they still being protected?'"

On MS NOW, Ari brought up Jeffrey Epstein yesterday to show how what's been done there could be used to out Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

Let's wind down with this from Senator Elizabeth Warren's office.

“Donald Trump wants us to write him another blank check and let ICE keep rolling in the dough…I’m a hell no…We cannot give one more penny to Trump’s ICE while its masked, poorly-trained agents terrorize people all across this country.”

Video of Floor Speech (YouTube)

Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) spoke on the floor of the Senate calling for a complete overhaul of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency and said she would be voting against any additional funding for the agency until serious constraints are included to stop ICE’s violence.

Senator Warren condemned the brutal killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good by ICE agents. She highlighted the arrests of five year old Liam in Minneapolis and Marcelo Gomes da Silva in Massachusetts.

“The people ICE grabbed up, the people they shot, are not threats to you and me…The risk is not from them. The risk increasingly comes from out-of-control ICE agents who can’t follow the basic training…This invasion by ICE is not making any of us safer,” said Senator Warren.

“I want to be clear: If it were up to me, Congress would completely overhaul ICE, strip the agency down to its studs, repeal billions in Trump’s bloated spending, and end these abuses entirely,” Senator Warren continued.

She called on her colleagues in the Senate to stand up to these abuses of power and reject the DHS funding bill in front of the Senate this week, along with clawing back Congress’ previous funding for ICE.

“Congress has the power to claw back those funds. Congress needs to use that power and take back that money so that Congress has meaningful oversight over an out-of-control ICE,” she said.

“Democrats are ready to rein in this rogue agency, but we need Republicans in Congress to stop this violence as well…Being ‘disturbed’ doesn’t change anything—and the ICE agents who are waving around loaded guns know that. Republicans in the Senate have the power to do something and start righting these wrongs,” she continued.

Senator Warren ended with reading into the record a statement from Alex Pretti’s final medical student, saying the statement gave her a “sliver[] of hope.”

“[I]f we don’t speak up, we are complicit in this violence…If we don’t speak up, we are giving up on our democracy and our country…It is time to make meaningful change. And that change starts right here in the United States Senate,” said Senator Warren.

Transcript: Speech on ICE’s Actions Across America
Floor of the U.S. Senate
January 28, 2026

Senator Elizabeth Warren: “Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man.”

Those are the words of Michael and Susan Pretti, the parents of Alex Pretti, who over the weekend was killed by masked federal agents in Minneapolis.

I am here to be part of getting the truth out.

Masked federal agents shot and killed Alex Pretti, an American citizen, in broad daylight.

Alex was an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital. A nurse for veterans.

He was a son. A brother. A friend. A caretaker.

And he was killed while he was trying to help a woman who had been pushed to the ground by a federal agent.

The last words that Alex spoke on this earth were, “Are you all right?” Those are the words of a good man trying to help someone who had been knocked down by an out-of-control ICE agent.

Do not let anyone tell you otherwise.

And Mr. Pretti was not the first.

17 days earlier, ICE agents shot and killed Renee Good, a 37-year-old American citizen and mom dropping off her kid at school. She had stuffed animals in her glove compartment. While ICE agents cursed at her, her last words on this earth were: “I’m not mad at you.”

There have been more incidents. ICE agents detained Liam, a five-year-old boy, who was literally ripped off the streets by the strap of his Spiderman backpack. A preschooler.

In Massachusetts, Marcelo Gomes da Silva, a high schooler, was arrested by ICE on his way to volleyball practice. And Rumeysa Ozturk, a student at Tufts University was cornered by six masked agents, shoved into an unmarked van, and taken to a detention facility in Louisiana.

And it goes on and on and on, story after story after story.

The people ICE grabbed up, the people they shot, are not threats to you and me. They are not violent criminals that Trump promised to go after. They are not, as Trump said, “the worst of the worst.” No. These are our neighbors, they are our friends, they are our colleagues, they are people who treat us when we are sick.

The risk is not from them. The risk increasingly comes from out-of-control ICE agents who can’t follow the basic training manual that our local police, our state police and our National Guard are all trained to follow. This invasion by ICE is not making any of us safer.

And if we don’t put a stop to it, these masked agents are going to kill more people.

We are at a turning point in our country.

And what we do next is a question now in front of the United States Senate — in front of my colleagues here today.

This week, we are tasked with funding the government, and one part stands out. Last summer, Trump and the Republicans lavished ICE with $75 billion. That’s more than their annual budget for seven years. And maybe that is why ICE is handing out $50,000 recruiting bonuses.

Now, in this budget, Trump and the Republicans want to reward ICE with $10 billion an additional in funding.

That’s right: Donald Trump wants us to write another check, hand it over to ICE, and let them keep rolling in the dough.

But here’s my view: I am a NO. I am a hell no.

We cannot give one more penny to Trump’s ICE while its masked, poorly-trained agents terrorize people all across this country.

It is time for the Senate to step up and stop ICE’s violence.

We must stand united and we must fight back and we must do it now.

I want to be clear: If it were up to me, Congress would completely overhaul ICE, strip the agency down to its studs, repeal billions in Trump’s bloated spending, and end these abuses entirely. And I’m going to keep fighting for that.

There are also some immediate, common sense steps we can take right now.

Here’s some of what I’m fighting for.

One: End ICE’s violence. No more roving patrols and profiling people on the street. No more treating people like they’re guilty just because of their skin color or because they speak with an accent. No more threatening people with guns just because they are recording what is going on.

Two: Follow the law. ICE must follow the same rules as everyone else in law enforcement: get a warrant from an independent judge before barging into people’s homes and snatching people from their families. And make no mistake: there should be real consequences for anyone who knocks down someone’s door without a real warrant. This is the United States of America, and last I checked, the Constitution still matters. We must enforce it.

Three: Accountability. It’s about time Border Patrol and ICE wear a damn badge. No more masked secret police. Let me say it again: no more masked secret police.

And real accountability means accountability for Renee Good, it means accountability for Alex Pretti, it means accountability for every other victim of these federal agents. DHS must cooperate with state and local officials for real, independent investigations of these shootings. End these cover-ups. We need transparency and accountability for victims of ICE’s violence.

Part of the reason that ICE officers can act like they have no oversight is that Donald Trump and the Republicans in Congress pre-funded ICE for years in their “Big Beautiful Bill.” As things stand right now, ICE can skate by for years without getting a budget—and without any oversight—from Congress. And you know those health care cuts that are closing hospitals and causing people’s health insurance premiums to spike? That is the money that is now being used by ICE to terrorize our communities. That is wrong. Congress has the power to claw back those funds. Congress needs to use that power and take back that money so that Congress has meaningful oversight over an out-of-control ICE.

And that should just be the start.

I am urging every single Senator – Democrat and Republican – to vote no on this budget bill and stop bankrolling ICE’s abuses.

And I want to put a finer point on this: Republicans control the White House. Republicans control the Senate. Republicans control the House of Representatives.

Democrats are ready to rein in this rogue agency, but we need Republicans in Congress to stop this violence as well. I know that there are Republicans right now who are seeing what we’re seeing in Minnesota, and they know it is wrong. It is time to speak out. Silence is complicity.

Grow a spine. Show some backbone. Being "disturbed" doesn’t change anything—and the ICE agents who are waving around loaded guns know that. Republicans in the Senate have the power to do something and start righting these wrongs. Help the Democrats put meaningful constraints on ICE. Help our people be safe.

To everyone who is angry, I’m angry too. I’m furious, and I’m here in the Senate to fight back for you. But it’s in moments like this that we must resist the urge for that anger and fear to take over. It is time to turn our anger into action.

So I want to end with this.

I saw a post by Alex Pretti’s student that I want to read excerpts from into the record. This is all a direct quote.

“I was Alex Pretti’s final nursing student. For the past four months, I stood shoulder to shoulder with him during my capstone preceptorship at the Minneapolis VA Hospital. There he trained me to care for the sickest of the sick as an ICU nurse. He taught me how to care for arterial and central lines, the intricacies of managing multiple IVs filled with lifesaving solutions, and how to watch over every heartbeat, every breath, and every flicker of life, ready to act the moment they wavered.

“Alex carried patience, compassion and calm as a steady light within him. Even at the very end, that light was there. I recognized his familiar stillness and signature calm composure shining through during those unbearable final moments captured on camera.

“It does not surprise me that his final words were, ‘Are you okay?’ Caring for people was at the core of who he was. He was incapable of causing harm.

“He spoke out for justice and peace whenever he could, not only out of obligation, but out of a belief that we are more connected than divided, and that communication would bring us together.

“Please honor my friend by standing up for peace, preferably with a cup of black coffee in hand and a couple of pieces of candy in your pocket, just as he would. Step outside with your dog, breathe in the world, hike or bike as he loved to do, and let yourself find peace in the quiet moments within nature. Stand up for justice and speak with those whose views differ from your own. Hold your beliefs with strength, but always extend love outward, even in the face of adversity.

“Take one step, no matter how small, to help heal our world. Through these acts, carry his light forward in his name. Let his legacy continue to heal.”

Like many of you, I see the video of his death, and I am gutted. I see him lying on the ground as two ICE agents pump a total of ten bullets into him. I see his lifeless body on that cold Minneapolis street and I feel sadness and anger and horror down to my bones.

But here's what's given me slivers of hope: It's every single person who’s speaking out and refusing to stay silent in the face of these injustices. It is the post from his last student. It’s the hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans who haven’t been baited into violence, but who instead continue to show up and peacefully protest.

They are a reminder that now is the time to dig deep, stand up, and say clearly: What ICE is doing is wrong and we can stop it. We must stop it. It’s time to get ICE out.

Because if we don’t speak up, we are complicit in this violence. If we don’t speak up, we are giving our OK to a federal agency that is openly and aggressively violating the Constitution. If we don’t speak up, we are giving up on our democracy and our country.

It is time to speak up. It is time to make meaningful change. And that change starts right here in the United States Senate.

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The following sites updated: