Tuesday, June 17, 2025. Donald Chump spreads hate and killings ensue --
that is the pattern and it must be the plan or he would stop spreading
hate. The tourism industry in the US continues to tank. You might be
able to ignore it right now but by end of summer the money lost will not
be something the country can ignore. Randi and other idiots who think
this is the time to attack Democrats need to leave the party
immediately, and much more.
“These
Radical Left Democrats are sick of mind, hate our Country, and actually
want to destroy our Inner Cities — And they are doing a good job of it!
There is something wrong with them,” Trump added about 48 hours after a
man who, according to his friend, is a staunch supporter of the
president, assassinated one Democrat (and her husband), wounded another,
and had a target list of many more.
Posting this is the height of irresponsibility. It is essentially an incitement to violence.
For
good measure, the president also explains to his followers what is at
stake by stating that Democrats want “open borders, transgender for
everybody, and men playing in women’s sports” – just so they understand
that it is more important to take over Democratic cities than deporting
the undocumented immigrants in the communities where Trump voters
actually live.
They’ll believe him, of course.
And
that brings us back to those GOP lawmakers who will have to answer
questions tomorrow like “Do you agree with President Trump when he says
that Democrats are sick and hate our country, and do you think that this
was the right moment to tweet something like this in light of the
events of this weekend?”
What do you say to
that? How do you defend the rantings of a nutjob who can end your career
(and possibly endanger your family) with a social media post?
Friends
and former colleagues interviewed by AP described Boelter as a devout
Christian who attended an evangelical church and went to campaign
rallies for President Donald Trump. Records show Boelter registered to
vote as a Republican while living in Oklahoma in 2004 before moving to
Minnesota where voters don’t list party affiliation.
Near
the scene at Hortman’s home, authorities say they found an SUV made to
look like those used by law enforcement. Inside they found fliers for a
local anti-Trump “No Kings” rally scheduled for Saturday and a notebook
with names of other lawmakers. The list also included the names of
abortion rights advocates and health care officials, according to two
law enforcement officials who could not discuss details of the ongoing
investigation and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.
Both Hortman and Hoffman were defenders of abortion rights at the state legislature.
Boelter
is a Christian who voted for President Donald Trump and opposes
abortion and LGBTQ rights, according to interviews with his childhood
friend and videos of his sermons posted online. A list of potential
targets — including Hoffman and Hortman — included abortion providers
and other Democratic elected officials from Minnesota and Wisconsin.
The
attack, which has shocked Minnesotans and the nation, comes amid rising
political violence since the emergence of President Donald Trump, who
has made repeated threats of violence against his political enemies and
praised his supporters who, for instance, attacked officers while
storming the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. He later pardoned all of them. He
survived two assassination attempts in 2024.
How
is that any different from what Chump posted on social media Sunday
night or from the hate he spews nonstop? It's not different at all. It
is exactly the same. And that's why so many of us have been so
bothered by Chump's violent rhetoric. And we realized when he got shot
last July that he'd brought it on himself with violent remarks. You get
what you put out and that's always been known better as "you reap what
you sow."
Until he was named the suspect in the shootings last Saturday morning,
Vance Boelter seemed like just another member of the MAGA universe. He
was a registered Republican and a Trump supporter. He was also an
evangelical minister who ran a security business.
Boelter is alleged to have shown up at the home of Minnesota state Rep.
Melissa Hortman (D) and her husband Mark Hortman early Saturday morning,
impersonating a police officer. He shot and killed both. He used the
same ruse at the home of Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman (D) and his
wife, Yvette Hoffman, critically injuring both. Boelter was arrested
yesterday.
Both Hortman and Hoffman were supporters of the LGBTQ community. As
speaker of the House in 2023, Hortman was instrumental in shepherding
through trans rights protections, including a “trans refugee” bill that
prohibits other states from interfering with gender-affirming health
care in Minnesota.
Following a shootout with police, Boelter escaped. Police found in
his car a list of 70 people that Boelter allegedly marked for
assassination. The list included politicians and abortion rights
activists.
According to a friend, Boelter was rabidly anti-abortion. But it
turns out he was equally anti-LGBTQ+. Boelter traveled abroad to preach,
and a video of a sermon he gave in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2023 is a diatribe against the community. African nations have been a target for American evangelicals looking to spread homophobia.
“There’s people, especially in America, they don’t know what sex they
are. They don’t know their sexual orientation. They’re confused,” he
said. “The enemy has gotten so far into their mind and their soul.” (Not
surprisingly, the anti-LGBTQ+ legal group Alliance Defending Freedom
was among the groups “liked” by Boelter on social media.)
This is the hate that they have sewn. Do not mistake
it for anything else. Chump gives permission to attack LGBTQ+ members,
he encourages it. There is no difference between his incitement and the
actions of the shooter.
Daniel Villarreal (LGBTQ NATION) reports:
A federal judge has ruled against President Donald Trump’s decision
to freeze $2.4 billion in National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants
allocated to research on gender identity and other fields tied to
diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. The judge said the
Trump administration must immediately restore the grants, but he didn’t
officially rule on whether Trump’s anti-DEI orders are illegal — the
case under the judge remains ongoing and could eventually result in an
important ruling against Trump’s anti-DEI crusade.
“This [freezing of NIH grants] represents racial discrimination and
discrimination against America’s LGBTQ community,” said Judge William
Young of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, an
appointee of President Ronald Reagan. “Any discrimination by our
government is so wrong that it requires the court to enjoin it and at an
appropriate time, I’m going to do it,” he added, promising a possibly
more sweeping future ruling on the grants and Trump’s orders, NBC News reported.
[. . .]
Ports read an NIH statement
which said DEI-related studies “are often used to support unlawful
discrimination.” However, in response, Young said, “I see no evidence of
that.”
“I’ve sat on this bench now for 40 years. I’ve never seen government
racial discrimination like this,” Young said during oral arguments,
referring to Trump’s anti-DEI orders. “Is it true of our society as a
whole? Have we fallen so low? Have we no shame?”
The shooter didn't have any shame.
Chump doesn't have any shame.
This
hate speech is not just words. It puts people at risk. There's no
defense of it. People need to stop pretending and acting like this is
just opinion. People are getting killed from this 'opinion.' It is
hate speech and there is no place for it in the United States, certainly
not in the White House.
New
guidelines implemented under an executive order by President Donald
Trump now allow VA hospital staff to refuse healthcare to veterans based
on political affiliation and marital status, prompting concerns that
Democratic and unmarried veterans may be denied treatment.
On
January 30, Trump signed an executive order titled "Defending Women
from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the
Federal Government." While its primary aim was to curtail federal
protections for transgender individuals, the order also triggered
sweeping changes within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA),
according to the Guardian.
The
VA, which serves over 9 million veterans across more than 170 hospitals
and 1,000 clinics, revised its internal bylaws to strip longstanding
protections against discrimination based on political party, marital
status, sexual orientation and national origin.
The
updated policies allow doctors, psychologists, dentists and other
healthcare workers at VA hospitals to refuse treatment to veterans based
on characteristics not explicitly protected by federal law. While
veterans are still legally entitled to care, there is now no rule
preventing staff from declining service to individuals based on their
political beliefs or whether they are unmarried.
Internal
documents reviewed by the outlet confirm that the changes are already
in effect at some VA centers. The VA's press secretary confirmed the
revisions were made to align with Trump's executive order but did not
clarify what federal law required such shifts.
He's
attacking veterans care. I hope we grasp that. He attempted to use
the military on Saturday. He even saluted a group of veterans of the
Vietnam War -- this despite his getting five deferments that Daddy
bought so Chump wouldn't have to serve in that war. He has no respect
for veterans and he makes that clear with his latest attack o them.
Anna Carlson (THE MIRROR) adds:
Meanwhile,
VA press secretary Peter Kasperowicz maintained that the updated
guidelines are aligned with an executive order issued by Trump, yet he
fell short of clarifying which federal statutes necessitated such
revisions.
"All eligible veterans
will always be welcome at VA and will always receive the benefits and
services they've earned under the law," he claimed, emphasizing that the
shift is merely procedural.
In
interviews, veterans said the impact of the new policy would probably
fall hardest on female veterans, LGBTQ+ veterans and those who live in
rural areas where there are fewer doctors overall. “I’m lucky. I have my
choice of three clinics,” said Tia Christopher, a navy veteran who
reported being raped in service in 2000.
Based
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Christopher advocates on behalf of
military sexual trauma survivors throughout the country. Under the new
policy, some may have to register at a hospital in another region and
travel more than a hundred miles to see a doctor. It “could have a huge
ripple effect”, she said.
As
concerned as they were about the new policies themselves, medical
experts were equally worried about the way they came about. Sources at
multiple VA hospitals, speaking on condition of anonymity because of
fear of retaliation, told the Guardian that the rule changes were
imposed without consultation with the system’s doctors – a
characterization the VA’s Kasperowicz did not dispute.
Such
a move would run counter to standards established by the Joint
Commission, a non-profit organization that accredits hospitals.
Kasperowicz said the agency worked with the Joint Commission “to ensure
these changes would have no impact on VA’s accreditation”.
At
its annual convention in Chicago this week, the American Medical
Association’s 733-member policymaking body passed a resolution
reaffirming “its commitment to medical staff self-governance … and urges
all healthcare institutions, including the US Department of Veterans
Affairs, to ensure that any amendments to medical staff bylaws are
subject to approval by medical staff in accordance with Joint Commission
standards”.
If you watch THE 11TH HOUR WITH STEPHANIE RUHLE on MSNBC regularly you know that Leigh Ann Caldwell is now with
PUCK.
Leigh Ann is often a panelist on Stephanie's show. So for KPFA
listeners, Aaron's now with THE GUARDIAN and Leigh Ann is now with
PUCK.
Senator Patty Murray's office issued the following on Chump's latest attack on veterans:
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray
(D-WA), a senior member and former chair of the Senate Veterans Affairs
Committee, released the following statement on new U.S. Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital guidelines from the Trump administration explicitly eliminating
language requiring healthcare professionals to care for veterans
regardless of their politics and marital status, and allowing doctors
and other medical staff to be barred from working at VA hospitals based
on their marital status, political party affiliation or union activity:
“Health care isn’t just a special privilege Trump gets to
dole out to veterans who agree with the President—it’s a moral
obligation our country owes to every single man and woman who serves in
uniform. Anyone who doesn’t understand that has no business leading our
armed forces in any way.
“It’s outrageous that President Trump and Secretary Collins
are effectively green-lighting discrimination against wide swaths of our
veteran population and the doctors who serve them. Under Trump’s new
rules, veterans can be blocked from getting care, and doctors can be
barred from working at VA hospitals for the sole reason that they may be
unmarried, belong to a union, are registered
Democrats, or identify as gay or trans—it’s appalling and un-American.
Servicemembers defend our country in uniform whether they’re Democrat or
Republican, married or unmarried, they have already proven they are
worthy of VA care. They shouldn’t have to fight again when they’re home
to get benefits they have earned.
“President Trump is going out of his way to
discriminate against veterans and ripping up the sacred contract we make
with our veterans that we will take care of them when they come home,
and that they are entitled to the best health care our nation has to
offer. This is bigotry, plain and simple, and it cannot be allowed to
stand—and I sincerely hope my Republican colleagues would agree.
“It’s disgusting that this policy was ever allowed to go into
effect, and I will not let it fly under the radar. This policy must be
rescinded immediately—this administration is not immune to public
pressure and now is the time for everyone to speak out.”
Senator Murray was the first woman to join the Senate Veterans’
Affairs Committee and the first woman to chair the Committee—as the
daughter of a World War II veteran, supporting veterans and their
families has always been an important priority for her. Senator Murray
has been a leading voice in the Senate speaking out forcefully against President Trump and Elon Musk’s mass firing of VA employees and VA researchers across the country and Elon Musk and DOGE’s infiltration of the VA, including accessing veterans’ sensitive personal information.
Last week at a hearing on veterans’ mental health, Senator Murray
pressed administration officials on the importance of transparency and
communication with Congress and how the Trump administration’s mass
firings might undermine care for veterans who have dealt with sexual
trauma. In February, Murray grilled Trump’s then-nominee for VA Deputy Secretary, Dr. Paul Lawrence, on the mass firings of VA employees and VA researchers. After pressing Doug Collins on
EHR and protecting women’s access to VA health care, including
lifesaving abortion care, at his nomination hearing, Senator Murray
voted against Doug Collins’s nomination to be VA Secretary in early
February, sounding the alarm over
Elon Musk and DOGE’s activities at the VA and making clear that the
Trump administration’s lawlessness is putting our national security and
our veterans at risk.
Recently, Senator Murray released a report on
how Trump’s mass firings at VA are already hurting veterans’ services
and health care in Washington state and across the country. Senator
Murray and her colleagues have demanded that VA swiftly reverse moves to cut VA researchers, and have sent multiple letters pressing
Secretary Collins to sever Elon Musk and DOGE’s access to any VA or
other government system with information about veterans, and protect
veterans, their families, and VA staff from unprecedented access to
sensitive information.
Last month, Senator Murray grilled Secretary Collins
on how the Trump administration’s mass firing of VA employes is hurting
veterans’ ability to get the health care they need—from jeopardizing VA
research, to creating new risks around the deployment of the Electronic
Health Record (EHR) system to additional VA Medical Centers, which the
Trump administration is insisting on moving ahead with despite
persistent and unresolved issues at the sites where it is currently
deployed. Murray also pressed Secretary Collins on new policies the
Trump administration recently rolled out that severely limit
Congressional engagement with veterans and VA for no legitimate reason.
###
You’ve
probably heard whispers that tourism is “down a bit” in America this
year, but the reality is far more dramatic than most are willing to
admit. While industry leaders cautiously mention “temporary adjustments”
and “market corrections,” the numbers tell a harsher truth: the United
States is losing international visitors at an unprecedented rate.
According
to the World Travel & Tourism Council, America is the only major
destination among 184 global economies projected to see a decline in
international tourism revenue in 2025, with a $12.5 billion shortfall
already expected.
As the world turns away from
the U.S., it’s not just vacations being canceled. The very idea of
America as a welcoming destination is slipping, and the consequences are
adding up fast.
Canada’s quiet boycott of American
travel has turned into a full-blown economic rupture. Between February
and March 2025, Canadian visits to the U.S. fell 23% by land and 4% by
air. Flights? Down by as much as 76%. The reasons go beyond politics or
tariffs.
A growing number of Canadians now
view the U.S. not as a friendly backyard escape, but as unwelcoming
territory. Travel agencies report U.S. bookings are down 40%, with that
$20.5 billion in spending heading to Europe, Mexico, or closer to home. A
once-effortless relationship between two nations has chilled, and the
emotional distance may prove harder to fix than any policy dispute.
European
travelers are backing away too, and fast. March 2025 saw visits from
Western Europe drop 17%, with Germany, Spain, and Ireland leading the
retreat. These are Visa Waiver Program countries, but the real issue
isn’t bureaucracy, it’s perception. Stories of tourists being detained,
professors canceling trips, and travelers denied entry over political
views have flooded European media.
Official
travel warnings from countries like Germany and the UK have only added
weight. For many Europeans, America now feels risky, unpredictable, and
unwelcome. When lifelong dream vacations are being scrapped over
conscience, the U.S. isn’t just losing tourism. It’s losing hearts and
minds.
Khaby Lame’s detention at a Las Vegas
airport was more than a celebrity mishap, it was a global turning point.
With 160 million TikTok followers, his forced removal lit up social
media and stoked fears worldwide. The alleged tip from a pro-Trump
influencer made it even more volatile.
Platforms
turned one moment into a viral storm, and soon every visa denial, every
airport horror story was gaining traction. Algorithms fed the fear, and
perception became reality. If a mega-celebrity isn’t safe in America,
what about everyday travelers? Social media didn’t just echo the
problem,it magnified it into a worldwide warning.
People
don't want to grasp how important tourism is to the US economy. Take
Florida. In 2024, it was responsible for over 2 million jobs and, in
2023, brought in $127,700,000,000 to the Florida economy -- that's 127
billion dollars. But Chump has destroyed the tourist industry. People
don't want to come to a country where they might be arrested and sent
off to El Salvador or Guantanamo. People don't want to come to a
country run by a hate monger.
Like maple syrup and lakeside lounging, an annual influx of
Canadians tourists has long been a part of life for the border-hugging
New York region known as “North Country.”
“I don’t ever remember a summer where I wasn’t at the beach,
hearing the French language and seeing Quebec license plates,” said
Kristy Kennedy, who grew up in the area.
But Kennedy, now vice president of marketing and business
development for the North Country Chamber of Commerce, has seen (and
heard) far fewer Canadian visitors in recent months, as travel has
dipped amid international tensions.
Reservations are down at hotels and campgrounds, she said;
local marinas, which depend on Canadian boaters, have watched bookings
slow.
“There’s definitely a decline,” she said. For the rural
area, such losses could mean economic pain. “Our leisure travel market
is about 70% Canadians — it’s a very large part of what we do.”
Business is down 30% this spring, said Paul Dame, owner of Bluff Point Golf Resort in Plattsburg, New York, in a recent interview with CBC, and pinned the “disheartening” decline on the political situation.
That's just New York.
FIFA’s projections that World Cup 2026 will drive $30.5 billion in
economic output in the U.S., according to an analysis from FIFA and
OpenEconomics (OE), is predicated on the assumption the U.S. will see an
“influx of visitors” from foreign countries to fill stadiums and
hotels. Philadelphia projects the six matches it hosts next summer will
draw 500,000 visitors who will fill more than 100,000 hotel rooms and
drive $305 million in direct tourism spending and $770 million in total
economic impact, Meg Kane, chief executive of Philadelphia’s World Cup
organizing committee, told Forbes. Kansas City is also hosting six
matches—four group stage matches, a round of 32, and then a quarter
final, “which is really important from both a tourism standpoint and a
global visibility standpoint,” Pam Kramer, chief executive officer of
KC2026, the nonprofit organization leading the city’s World Cup
planning, told Forbes. Kramer said Kansas City is expecting to draw
650,000 visitors over the course of the tournament and an estimated $653
million in direct event impact. The other nine U.S.-based World Cup
host cities are: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami,
New York/New Jersey, San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle.
Jade Wilson (SKIFT) observes, "The tourism industry argues that international visitors are crucial to
the U.S. economy, typically spending more per trip than domestic
travelers. Before the pandemic, international visitors contributed
roughly $240 billion a year to the U.S. economy."
Donald Chump is destroying the US economy.
The
number of Republicans who "strongly" approve of President Donald Trump
has declined in recent months, according to a new poll.
Republicans
were 5 percentage points less likely to say that they strongly approve
of the president compared to April, according to the latest poll from
NBC News Decision Desk and SurveyMonkey.
There's
a lot of talk about polling and mainly from people who honestly
shouldn't be writing about polling. If you haven't taken a
research & methodology course, for example, you shouldn't write
about polling -- especially not political polling. Rahman, for
example, misses the point. As a general rule, when you lose a section
of your supporters, you have lost them. They are not coming back. You
can lose more -- and usually will -- but you do not gain. Chump is a
known quantity. If he's losing support that is how the polling should
trend over the next months and years.
Some
presidents could do a temporary reversal. How? Declaring a war. But
that really won't work for Chump because he's billed himself as the
anti-war candidate. He's already having spit fights with Mother Tucker
Carlson over that issue and he will lose even more if he actually sends
the US to war.
There is a
YOU GOV-CBS NEWS poll that's been reduced in headlines to say that the majority of Americans approve of Chump's deportations:
Views
of the Trump administration's deportation program headed into this
weekend with positive net approval from Americans, including continued
strong backing from the Republican base — but also heavily shaped by
contrasting views about which people, and how many, are being targeted
for deportation.
A slight majority feel the
administration's deportation efforts are prioritizing people they
believe are dangerous criminals. Those who say this are very supportive
of the program, and feel the program is making people in the U.S.
safer.
But if people don't think it is dangerous criminals who are the focus of the deportation effort, support drops dramatically.
The survey was completed just prior to Saturday's protests and events in Los Angeles.
In terms of how many people the administration is trying to deport, more is not necessarily better in the public mind.
I'd
argue that's not what it says and would do so as someone who (a) holds
degrees in poli sci and (b) grasps polls and what they actually mean. I
would further point out that in our 21 year history here, when we're
talking about polling on issues, I've called it ahead of the so-called
experts starting with when the country turned on the Iraq War.
The margin of error renders the two sides very close in the YOU GOV-CBS NEWS poll.
Most important with regards to this issue there is the messaging.
Barack Obama Tweeted the following yesterday:
Thirteen years ago, my administration acted to protect young people who were American in every single way but one: on paper.
DACA
was an example of how we can be a nation of immigrants and a nation of
laws. And it’s an example worth remembering today, when families with
similar backgrounds who just want to live, work, and support their
communities, are being demonized and treated as enemies.
We
can fix our broken immigration system while still recognizing our
common humanity and treating each other with dignity and respect. In
fact, it’s the only way we ever will.
Joe
Biden has health issues to deal with. The Democratic Party has a large
number of useless people in office. There is no Barack in office
championing immigrants. Barack may start leading on this and it would
be great if he did. But, in 2025, Democrats have been cowardly as a
collective group on the issue of immigration. Yes, there is Senator
Alex Padilla and Senator Patty Murray to name two. There is US House
Rep Dan Goldman. But as a group they don't want to touch immigration
because some have labeled it a "losing issue." It is not a losing
issue. Not if you fight on it. And, by the way, that's what the poll
actually finds.
With no
real national leadership on this issue, it's not polling poorly. But if
this was a real national dialogue, it would be polling much better.
And the thing there is? It's becoming a national issue because of the
people. We The People are seeing the reality of what's going on and we
are speaking out and we'll continue to do so. This is not a static
issue and anyone with a poli sci background would grasp that.
At US NEWS & WORLD REPORTS, Oliver Knox writes:
It’s
one thing to send someone who murdered an American to El Salvador,
which the U.S. is paying to lock up hundreds of immigrants in a prison
notorious for alleged human rights abuses.
Or
to go after elementary schoolchildren. (The Department of Homeland
Security says its agents were conducting a wellness check. The local
school superintendent says the agents lied about having been given
permission to speak to the kids by the parents.)
Or detain a man in the final stages of obtaining his permanent legal resident status.
Members
of Congress, like news outlets, are stuck responding to so much and
still can't do everything. No one can. But if Barack or someone else
would come out as the designated heavy hitter on this issue, it would
help tremendously. And we shouldn't forget the DNC.
We've
had to endure weeks of whiny Hogglette. Now that he's finally shut up
we've got whiner Randi Weingarten taking up oxygen. FOX "NEWS"
couldn't shut up about her yesterday and how she'd just left the DNC and how Ken Martin, DNC chair, is out of step and --
Shut up, Randi, just shut up.
Ken
Martin is from Minnesota and he was the chair of that state's
Democratic Party before, at the start of this year, becoming head of the
DNC.
I'm not
understanding how Randi thinks she's helping anyone. Ken's not
only dealing with the DNC issues, he's also got a personal stake in the
tragic shootings on Saturday. He knew the people who got shot. I
really don't know how a selfish fat ass like Randi thinks she's helping
as she grumbles (and is then quoted as "unnamed sources" in media
reports)? I also don't know who she thought she was helping before this
past week because I didn't hear her out there defending immigrants or
any targeted population.
I don't like Randi and never have. But I did defend her in December when MTG was carrying out her homophobic attacks on Randi.
And
I'm sure she appreciated being defended by so many people but it's
equally true that she herself defends no one. (That includes the
Palestinian people.) So let's stop acting like she had anything of
value to give and let's just tell her to shut her fat lip because we
don't need to hear her.
And that's honestly my attitude to anyone who's working to divide the party.
You
want to criticize the party? Do so. I just did. I called them out on
their collective silence when it comes to immigrants. And someone will
step forward. I believe that. But right now, nope and I called them
out.
I am not, however,
trashing them and offering some ridiculous statement such as, "And this
is why we must vote Green!" To save our country, we must vote Democrat
in the mid-terms. That's reality and if you can't grasp that, your name
just might be Rashida Tlaib. But the rest of us do grasp reality.
And realize how important this moment is.
I
also realize, again, that the violence on Saturday has hit Ken Martin
hard and I question anyone who knows him that choose this moment in time
to stab him in the back.
Let's wind down with this from Senator Elizabeth Warren's office:
Warren calls on Republicans to join Democrats in demanding investigation into the incident
“If this is how federal
agents treat a United States senator who peacefully asks questions of
this administration, then we all have to ask: how far will they go? How
violent will they get?”
Video of Floor Speech (YouTube)
Washington, D.C. — Following the violent assault on
U.S. Senator Alex Padilla, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) spoke
out on the Senate Floor.
“This is a horrifying moment in our nation’s history,” said Senator Warren.
During Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s press conference,
Senator Padilla identified himself, saying, “I am Senator Padilla. I
have questions for the Secretary.” In response, he was shoved to the
ground and eventually pinned down and handcuffed.
Senator Warren called out ICE’s recent excessive use of force and
aggressive detention tactics, saying “what happened to Senator Padilla,
today, is happening every day all across this country, every day. DHS
agents are throwing people to the ground and violently handcuffing them
while they are not resisting, detaining them for exercising their First
Amendment rights of free speech.”
“Every day Donald Trump is making this nation look more and more like a fascist state,” Senator Warren continued.
Senator Warren called for Republicans to join Democrats in demanding a bipartisan investigation into the incident.
Transcript: Floor Speech on Assault on Senator Alex Padilla
U.S. Senate Floor
June 12, 2025
As Delivered
Senator Elizabeth Warren: This a horrifying moment
in our nation's history. Today, United States Senator Alex Padilla was
violently removed from a public briefing for asking questions on behalf
of the people he represents. People in California who deserve answers
about the brutal crackdown on protesters.
I've watched the video, as many of you have as well. Let me just describe what it shows.
Officers pushed Senator Padilla backwards out of the room as he said
the words, “I am Senator Padilla. I have questions for the Secretary.”
He was then shoved to the ground. When the Senator complied with the
officers and went on his knees, he was forcibly pinned onto his stomach.
He was ordered to put his hands behind his back. He can be heard on the
video saying he is trying to comply with their orders. Officers then
put handcuffs on the senator while he was lying on the ground. His staff
was then told to stop recording the handcuffing.
He was put in handcuffs for asking a simple question.
He was put in handcuffs for doing his job as a United States Senator.
He was put in handcuffs for standing up for the Constitution of the United States.
He was put in handcuffs for representing the people of California.
Now, if you're not yet convinced that President Trump and his
administration are trying to suppress free speech, then just watch the
video. Watch the video.
If you are not yet convinced that President Trump and his
administration are trying to undermine the foundations of our democracy.
Watch the video.
If you are not yet convinced that President Trump and his
administration are hell bent on punishing people with differing opinions
than those of the President, then watch the video.
And here is the really chilling part.
Make no mistake, what happened to Senator Padilla, today, is happening every day all across this country, every day.
DHS agents are throwing people to the ground and violently
handcuffing them while they are not resisting, detaining them for
exercising their First Amendment rights of free speech.
Every day Donald Trump is making this nation look more and more like a fascist state.
If this is how federal agents treat a United States senator who
peacefully asks questions of this administration, then we all have to
ask: How far will they go? How violent will they get?
I know my Republican colleagues can see what happened today was
wrong. But will any Republican senator speak up for our democracy?
They know Senator Padilla's character.
They know that Senator Padilla is a kind man. A man who is concerned
for his children. A man who is concerned for his home. A man who has
dedicated his life to public service. A man who is a patriot.
Where are our Republican colleagues?
Where is the Republican Senate?
Where are you? Stand up and speak out.
This is a continuation of what we've been seeing, intimidate every other check on presidential power in this country.
Fire the civil service.
Get rid of those people.
Threaten to imprison judges.
Criminally charge House members who try to visit an ICE facility.
Arrest senators who ask questions.
This is not a drill. This is an assault on our democracy.
I am calling on my Republican colleagues to join us in demanding a bipartisan investigation into this incident.
What happened at this press conference was disgraceful. It was
un-American. And every member of the United States Senate should condemn
it and condemn it now.
Mr. President, I yield the floor.
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