Democrats Say They Won't Rubberstamp Iran War - The Friday AM Quickie 6/20/25
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THE BIG NEWS
Trumpocalypse: Saying Talks Could Resume, Trump Gives Himself Two Weeks to Decide Whether to Attack Iran
- 'We Will Not Rubberstamp' War, Senate Democratic Leaders Say "There are many people who claim a US attack against Iran's nuclear program would be quick and easy, but a lot of this is Israeli propaganda, as they would love to see America stay in the region," says Sina Toosi of the Center for International Policy. "This would become a forever war." via Politico, Drop Site News, the Washington Post, and the New York Times.
- Trump Judges Leading 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Leave White House in Charge of California National Guard "One thing Thursday’s ruling did not touch is whether the administration violated the Posse Comitatus Act by deputizing the military to act as civilian law enforcement — an allegation California leveled in its original complaint, but which [US District Judge Charles] Breyer effectively tabled last week." via the Los Angeles Times and the Associated Press.
- LA Dodgers Block Masked Deportation Agents from Entering Stadium Parking Lot Meanwhile in Pasadena, protesters forced Homeland Security agents out of the hotels they were staying in while carrying out raids in the city. via NBC News and the Los Angeles Times.
- Federal Judge Blocks Regime Plan to Deny Federal Transportation Funds to States with Sanctuary Policies The Department of Homeland Security, meanwhile, enacted new rules intended to prevent Democratic members of Congress from carrying out constitutional oversight of ICE prisons and field offices. via Reuters and the Washington Post.
- Pressure Campaign Could Force Senate GOP to Abandon Public Lands Fire Sale in Big Bogus Bill "Public backlash really began to grow this week, after The Wilderness Society, a conservation organization, published a map it said showed the areas that could potentially be up for grabs." via HuffPost and Cowboy State Daily.
- 'He's a Snake': Despite Publicly Patching Things Up with Trump, Elon Musk Eggs on White House Infighting The Nazi-saluting oligarch's latest target is Sergio Gor, director of presidential personnel, who according to the New York Post has not submitted forms required to obtain a security clearance, and is unwilling to divulge his birthplace. via Politico and the New York Times.
- Trump Underscores Absurdity of House GOP Hearing on Biden's Mental Acuity By Rambling Incoherently "All these people, all the scum that was around the Oval, you know, the Oval Office, or around the beautiful Resolute desk, telling this guy here, 'Do this,' 'Do that,' and not even tell him. They just go over to the autopen and sign whatever the hell they wanted to sign," Trump said yesterday. "He wasn't for open borders, he wasn't for transgender for everybody. He wasn't for men playing in women's sports. But he has no idea what the hell – he has no idea." via ABC News and the Newark Star-Ledger.
- Researcher Says No Kings Rallies Last Week Were the Largest One-Day Protest in US History "We see a cascade effect: if one person stands after the curtain drops, then more follow," Omar Wasow, a UC Berkeley political scientist, says. "If 1.8 percent of the US adult population showed up to protest on Saturday, those are the people who stood up to clap first. It sends a signal to all these other people that you can stand up, too." via the Guardian and Strength in Numbers.
MORE STORIES TO WATCH
Threats to Elected Democrats Rising, from NYC to Memphis
As the democratic socialist New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani has risen in the polls, some of his opponents, chiefly the billionaire-backed former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, have lobbed Islamophobic attacks his way. The predictable result was an increase in threats to Mamdani's safety, forcing his campaign to spend thousands of dollars on additional security. Now, the New York Times reports, the NYPD's Hate Crimes Task Force has gotten involved, due to "violent and specific" threats by a repeat caller to Assemblyman Mamdani's district office. "I get threats on my life, on the people that I love," Mamdani told reporters yesterday. "I try not to talk about it because the function of racism, as Toni Morrison says, is distraction."
Meanwhile in Memphis, Tennessee, police arrested a 25-year-old man who scaled a wall to confront Mayor Paul Young at his home while armed with a Taser. The suspect, Trenton Abston, also had duct tape and rope in his vehicle. Young did not answer the door, and Abston fled. "In today's climate, especially after the tragic events in Minnesota and the threats my wife and I often receive online, none of us can be too careful," Young said in a statement. "The angry rhetoric, the hateful speech, and the heated threats create a culture where violence feels like a next step instead of a red line. We cannot allow that line to be crossed."
Snubbing Juneteenth, Trump Says Americans Should Get Even Fewer Days Off
Yesterday millions of people celebrated Juneteenth, a celebration of the emancipation of the last American slaves in 1865. But not in the White House. Instead of taking credit for popularizing the celebration as he did before President Joe Biden and Congress made it a federal holiday in 2021, Donald Trump complained that Americans don't spend enough time at work. "Too many non-working holidays in America," he wrote on Truth Social. "It is costing our Country $BILLIONS OF DOLLARS to keep all of these businesses closed." Fortunately, according to the Los Angeles Times, Trump, who is doing his best to roll back civil rights victories, can't cancel Juneteenth without an act of Congress. For the record, the US has significantly fewer public holidays than most countries.
QUICKEST QUICKIES
- UN Verifies 41,370 Grave Violations Against Children Last Year, with Gaza's Kids Suffering the Worst "The violations include killing, maiming, recruiting and abducting children, sexual violence against them, attacking schools and hospitals and denying youngsters access to humanitarian aid." via the Associated Press.
- Mexico Suffers Flooding and Landslides After Hurricane Erick Hits Meanwhile, "researchers found climate denialism has evolved into campaigns focused on discrediting solutions, such as the false claims that renewable energy caused the recent massive blackout in Spain." via the New York Times and the Guardian.
- Thai Prime Minister Risks Losing Power After Leaked Call Shows Her at Odds with Military Leaders In the leaked call with former Cambodian ruler Hun Sen, whom she called "uncle," Paetongtarn Shinawatra said "that a Thai military commander handling the most recent flare-up of border tensions 'just wanted to look cool and said things that are not useful.'" via BBC News and Reuters.
- Indigenous Leaders from Ecuador Lobby California to Stop Importing Crude Oil from the Amazon "For Nadino Calapucha, a spokesperson for the Kichwa Pakkiru people, the visit to California's Bay Area was deeply moving. Spotting seals in the water and a bird's nest nearby felt 'like a gesture of solidarity from nature itself,' he [said while paddling] a kayak. 'It was as if the animals were welcoming us.'" via the AP.
SOME NUMBER
62 percent
That's how many self-identified Democrats in a new Reuters poll agree with the statement that "the leadership of the Democratic Party should be replaced with new people." Only 24 percent disagreed. Meanwhile, the knives are out for Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin only four months into his tenure; anonymous colleagues describe him to Politico as "weak and whiny," "invisible," and "disappointing."
ON THE SHOW TODAY
6/13: Happy Friday! David Dayen from The American Prospect will join MR in the studio.
DON'T MISS MR CLIPS
Dem Party's Identity Crisis on Full Display as Teachers Union Resigns from DNC
Here's an article from CBS News with more details
PBD Creep Goes Full Psycho on Ana Kasparian
What a pig.
PARTING WORDS
"The Democratic Party has an AIPAC problem. Too many of its leaders seem more afraid of crossing a powerful lobbying group than they are of dragging the US into another costly regime change war."
-- Our Revolution executive director Joseph Geevarghese, speaking to Common Dreams yesterday about the lack of a unified opposition to Donald Trump's march to war with Iran. Drop Site News and The American Prospect report that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee has been telling House Democrats to "stand with Israel" and Trump against Iran. Vermont independent democratic socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders, meanwhile, has reminded his Senate colleagues that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu echoed lies about Iraq's nuclear weapons program in 2002 ahead of the US invasion, saying "we must not get involved in Netanyahu's war against Iran."
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