The Progressive Pair That Remade Washington

 In his sharp video breakdown, Jake the Lawyer challenges a piece of conventional wisdom: the 17th Amendment, which moved the election of U.S. Senators from state legislatures to direct popular vote, wasn’t just a win for democracy. It quietly dismantled a key pillar of the Founders’ federalist system and helped pave the way for today’s expansive national government.

What makes the story particularly revealing is the timing. Just months before the 17th Amendment’s ratification in 1913, the 16th Amendment took effect, giving Congress broad power to levy a federal income tax. Two “progressive reforms” in the same year — one expanding revenue, the other reshaping representation — worked together to shift power dramatically upward from the states to Washington.

Trump’s Primetime Address on Elections – July 16, 2026

 Trump’s Primetime Address on Elections – July 16, 2026

President Donald Trump delivered a roughly 25-minute primetime address to the nation from the White House East Room yesterday evening. The speech centered on election integrity, repeating long-standing concerns about voting systems while announcing the declassification and release of intelligence documents.

Supreme Court Lifts Party Spending Caps: What It Means for 2026

Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a 6-3 ruling that removes long-standing limits on how much national political parties can spend in coordination with their candidates. The decision in National Republican Senatorial Committee v. Federal Election Commission (No. 24-621) strikes down provisions of the Federal Election Campaign Act that had capped “coordinated party expenditures.”

How this classic cartoon fits the story (credit: J. Keppler, Puck Magazine — historical/public domain political illustration): The image above is a Gilded Age political cartoon showing wealthy monopolies and big business interests literally overwhelming the U.S. Senate. It perfectly captures the long-running fear that unlimited money from powerful donors can distort democracy and turn elected officials into conduits for special interests. The current U.S. Supreme Court ruling loosens coordinated spending rules between parties and candidates—critics argue this could amplify similar dynamics in 2026 by making it easier for large donors to route influence through party committees, while supporters see it as restoring parties' free speech rights against overly restrictive rules.

Supreme Court Upholds Birthright Citizenship: 6-3 Ruling & What It Means

On June 30, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court delivered a major decision in Trump v. Barbara. In a 6-3 ruling, the justices upheld broad birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment’s Citizenship Clause and struck down President Trump’s Executive Order 14160.

Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the majority opinion. The order, signed on Trump’s first day of his second term, never took effect due to lower court blocks. This ruling reaffirms long-standing precedent like United States v. Wong Kim Ark (1898) while reigniting debates on immigration, citizenship, and executive power.

Quick Breakdown of the Ruling

• Vote: 6-3 (Roberts joined by liberals and Justice Barrett; dissents from Thomas, Gorsuch, and Alito).
• Key Holding: Children born on U.S. soil to parents unlawfully present or on temporary visas are “subject to the jurisdiction” of the United States and qualify as citizens at birth.
• Notable Points: Justice Kavanaugh concurred in the judgment but left room for Congress to act legislatively. Dissents argued the majority misreads history and creates incentives for illegal immigration.
• Trump’s Response: Acknowledged the loss but called on Congress to pass legislation ending the practice.

Source: StockCake

Elections Are (Almost) Dead: Fact-Checking Tim Pool on the SCOTUS Mail Ballot Ruling

Tim Pool came in hot on the Supreme Court’s latest move, calling it a serious blow to election integrity on his Timcast IRL podcast last night.

I watched it, leaned in on his points, and did the homework (with the assistance of A.I.). Here’s the ruling, Tim’s main claims, and a clear-eyed fact check.

Watch the Timcast IRL short here: [VIDEO]

Big Night for Democratic Socialists in New York

 Last night’s Democratic primaries in New York City delivered clear momentum for the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). Three high-profile congressional races saw Mamdani- and DSA-aligned candidates prevail, building directly on Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s 2025 upset victory and signaling a more organized push from the party’s left flank into federal office.

Democratic Socialists of America Flag via Amazon

These weren’t fringe races. They took place in safely Democratic districts where the primary winner is all but guaranteed a seat in Congress come November. The results add fresh energy (and some tension) to the national conversation about where the Democratic Party is headed heading into the 2026 midterms.

The Key Wins

NY-7 (Brooklyn-Queens area): State Assemblymember Claire Valdez, a DSA member and union organizer endorsed by Mayor Mamdani, defeated Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso and other challengers. She captured roughly 56-58% of the vote in a race framed as a test of DSA organizational strength versus more institutional progressive politics.

NY-10: Former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, backed by Mamdani, ousted two-term Rep. Dan Goldman in a strong progressive showing (around 66% to 34%).

NY-13 (Upper Manhattan and the Bronx): Community organizer and DSA member Darializa Avila Chevalier defeated five-term incumbent Rep. Adriano Espaillat. Early results showed her edging out the veteran congressman in a contest that highlighted divides over issues like housing, policing, and foreign policy.

These victories are part of a broader DSA/Mamdani slate performance in New York, with multiple endorsed candidates advancing or winning across congressional, state assembly, and local races. Mamdani’s volunteer network and brand appear to have transferred real power in these low-turnout primaries.

FBI Foils Alleged Assassination Plot on Trump at White House UFC Event

The FBI has disrupted an alleged terror plot targeting the UFC Freedom 250 event held on the White House South Lawn this past Sunday — where President Trump was front and center celebrating his 80th birthday and America’s 250th anniversary.

What We Know So Far

Court records indicate the plan involved explosive-laden drones to trigger chaos and mass evacuation, steering crowds into sniper fire, with a follow-up assault on White House grounds. At least five people arrested, up to 23 allegedly involved. President Trump was listed among the high-value targets.

The suspects, driven by anti-government grievances, hoped to "jumpstart a revolution." Thankfully, authorities stopped it cold.

This marks another serious threat against President Trump since he took office in 2025, following an April 2026 incident where a gunman attempted to storm a White House press gala.

Why This Matters

Spencer Pratt vs. LA Reality

Spencer Pratt held second place behind incumbent Mayor Karen Bass for most of the week after the June 2 primary. He lost that lead on Monday as more ballots were counted, with far-left City Council-member Nithya Raman surging ahead to claim the runoff spot.

(I like Council-member over the rather clunky Alderperson we sometimes hear in Chicago — yuck!)

Let’s be clear: Raman isn’t just a Democrat. She’s a Democratic Socialist. While I believe today’s Democratic Party have lost their minds, there’s an important distinction here. We’re not talking about your average, everyday Democrat.

From what I’ve seen, Pratt ran on straightforward common sense and actually fixing LA’s problems. I only started following this race closely in the last month — right in the weeks leading up to Tuesday’s primary. Realistically, was he going to win the mayor’s office? No. But his performance sent a clear message.

In 2022, Los Angeles voters chose incumbent Mayor Karen Bass over billionaire real estate developer Rick Caruso. Caruso didn’t run again this cycle, which opened the door for Pratt. The Jersey Shore reality TV star may be best known for his bold persona, but his campaign reflected real anger over the city’s leadership — especially after the devastating wildfires, when Mayor Bass was overseas in Africa.

I have to share this raw IG video from Doug Ellin, the creator and producer of the HBO series Entourage. He posted it just a week before the election. Ellin is clearly fed up and tired of being gaslit by local media. He openly laments how LA voters chose Bass over Caruso four years ago.

School superintendent resigns after being detained by ICE

 Before sharing the recent news video from Des Moines, Iowa regarding the schools superintendent there.

I was shocked to hear he attempted to flee and was detained by ICE. It turns out he was not an American citizen, and it caused me to wonder how could this happen in of all places Iowa.

From what I've see so far it appears that soon to be former Superintendent Ian Roberts lied about his immigration status. And perhaps the folks at the Des Moines Public Schools had failed to adequately vet Mr. Roberts. This article from the Des Moines Register says the Des Moines schools had used an outside firm to vet him.

And reading that article further he seemed to have not be forthcoming about where he actually got his degrees. He misrepresented his doctoral degree at Maryland's Morgan State University although he later got his doctorate at a private for-profit university.

I just got to say this whole story was a mess. This is what happened yesterday in Des Moines. From the start we hear students had walked out in support of Mr. Roberts via this report from KCCI. Roberts had submitted his resignation. [VIDEO]

I have to say, the immigration issue is a charged issue right now. There's no middle ground here so perhaps I shouldn't be too surprised if there are people who want to support Mr. Roberts.

However, where I stop at is the fact that he misrepresented his citizenship and his academic record. That really bothers me and I wonder if the people who are supporting him actually realize how he arrived in this position.

My position is to point the finger at him as much as I would at the school district who hired him.

Tucker: This Is Why Your Cities Have Become More Dangerous

 In sharing this with you all, I wanted to remind you that an anniversary is coming up. George Floyd's death at the hands of Minneapolis Police five years ago. It touched off a very chaotic period in American cities and eventually moved around the world.

The civil unrest that took place around the country in the wake of Floyd's death happened during the pandemic as the world began to sort of open up after a time of mitigation efforts. My belief is that this wouldn't have been as problematic if people weren't largely isolated in their homes in an effort to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.

Harmeet Dhillion is currently the head of the Civil Rights Division in the Trump administration. And she discusses why American cities had become very unsafe and she often cites these federal consent decrees. You can watch below and once you see her speak with Tucker Carlson I will have more thoughts. [VIDEO]

Dhillon notes the Ferguson effect, which is probably reference to what happened there with Michael Brown. The issue she discusses is how in some of these cities police officers are forced to write reports which keeps them from policing. And she notes how many officers instead choose to leave the police force for good or they may opt to go somewhere that allows them to actually police. She even note that the edicts often come down from the federal gov't and those who oversee these decrees may have very little experience with policing. 

In most recent news, we've learned that the Minneapolis and Louisville police departments have had consent decrees lifted from the federal gov't. As you may know in Louisville, KY there was a young lady named Breonna Taylor who sadly was shot to death in a police raid.

While protests regarding her were not as widespread as Floyd, there were a lot of people I saw as passionate about her case as well.

George Kamel: Trump's Plan to Abolish the IRS (What This Means for Your Money)

 

[VIDEO] I know this has been discussed and have little issue with the idea of abolishing the IRS. However, what does doing this entail? Does this mean prices go up for the essential goods (say the staples in your kitchen for example)?

Realistically without a solid plan this may or may not happen. At the same time I can't conceive of any issues with no more filing taxes and keeping more of my income.

Glenn Beck: Why Trump Must Audit Fort Knox’s Gold Reserves Now!

 

[VIDEO] What's the real state of the United States' gold reserves at Fort Knox? And then I have more questions.

Such as why are we holding so much gold there?

Could we get $5K checks from Federal Gov't thanks to D.O.G.E.?

 When I saw this post from IG, I was all for it.

D.O.G.E. might cut the penny

From CBS News:

In Tuesday X post, Musk's DOGE wrote that the U.S. spends about 3 cents to mint each penny, which, of course, is only valued at 1 cent.

"The penny costs over 3 cents to make and cost U.S. taxpayers over $179 million in FY2023," DOGE wrote. "The Mint produced over 4.5 billion pennies in FY2023, around 40% of the 11.4 billion coins for circulation produced."

In pointing out the penny's costliness, DOGE is taking aim at an issue that has sparked debate for years, although the price of manufacturing the cent has only grown over the past several years. In 2016, for instance, the U.S. was spending about 1.5 cents to mint each penny, or less than half of its current manufacturing cost.

Still, the cent's $179 million in costs represents mere metaphorical pennies when it comes to DOGE's mandate to cut federal spending. President Donald Trump has said DOGE will provide recommendations to "slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures and restructure federal agencies." Musk has said the group will aim to trim $500 billion in annual federal spending.

Probably time to cash in the pennies I have around the house. Convert it into some real cash.

Federal officials have proposed suspending the penny in prior years, with former Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew pushing the idea in 2015. Some economists have also advocated for dropping the penny from circulation, but there could be a costly downside to ditching the cent, as transactions would be rounded to 5-cent intervals, the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond said in a 2020 blog post.

"For a single item or small-value purchase, rounding up or down could represent a significant price change," the post noted.

Other nations have ditched their equivalent of the penny, including Canada, which stopped minting its one-cent coin in 2012. One 2018 economic analysis found that Canadian consumers paid about $3.27 million in additional Canadian dollars at grocery stores each year due to prices being rounded higher after the change.

"On the other hand, there may be additional, hard-to-quantify costs to using pennies that would argue in favor of elimination. Counting pennies to make change takes time, and as the old business adage goes, time is money," the Richmond Fed noted.

I don't know. I often don't use change when I spend cash. It has become more convenient for me to use a debit card for every day purchases. Although most of the time I do prefer cash.

I suppose since there are more options than cash when you have to spend at the store (any store - especially supermarkets) is it possible that change will have to be rounded up to a nickel?

Time will tell.

h/t Newsalert 

Scamala: Kamala Harris Unmasked with Ben Shapiro - Episode 1

 

[VIDEO] Watching this documentary from Ben Shapiro and The Daily Wire causes me to really dislike Kamala Harris. It did its job, discussing her rise to prominence from the girlfriend of a California political kingmaker to an assistant prosecutor to an elected prosecutor to the office of California Attorney General to the US Senate and then the Vice-Presidency.

She seemed to have "failed up" as opposed to floundering and fading into obscurity. Was it being a woman? Was it her biracial heritage being both Jamaican Black and Southeast Indian? Was it just plain luck that got her where she is now.

And some of her efforts to insure that she could get elected. Her strategy in California probably could be described as cynical. She was willing to seem tough on crime for her own success, however,  what if she only followed the soft on crime dictates of the people who helped her get to the dance.

And then let's not forget her best soundbites against the man she serves with in Americas top offices the President & Vice-President. In a debate in 2020 she tried to use the race card, and again it's cynical because we learn that she lived in Canada and likely wasn't subjected to the racial issues of America.

Of course add to that her awkwardness and her disingenuousness. To be fair, if I've gone that high up it wouldn't be inconceivable that there would be some awkwardness on my end. As a politician however Vice-President Harris is terrible and you know what as far as past VPs go she really fits right in.

Other than recent VPs, how many do you remember from history? Other than her own historical footnotes - as the first woman & first woman of color as Vice-President - will anyone really remember VP Harris?

'Epstein didn't kill himself'

 Well I'm not very invested in this case, however, he still has family and while his brother chooses not to appear on camera with Tucker Carlson he does discuss his doubts about Jeffrey Epstein's suicide. Too many questions there.

Allow me to share with you the video from X/Twitter

Ep. 59 Most people understand that Jeffrey Epstein didn’t kill himself. But the attorney general of the United States helped cover up his murder? That’s a different thing entirely. Epstein’s brother Mark explains. pic.twitter.com/aP6EjURJmL

— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) January 4, 2024

As I said I'm not that invested in this case, however, there is some corruption here. Epstein seems to have connections with a number of powerful people which includes former presidents such as Bill Clinton and even royalty with English Prince Andrew - brother to King Charles III. I'm hearing about the late physicist Stephen Hawking even associated with him.

Donald Trump is mentioned but I'm seeing there's no allegation of wrongdoing. In fact it was on his watch that Jeffrey Epstein was killed in a federal holding cell in NYC. Allegedly the Attorney General of the United States was part of a coverup. That would probably be either Jeff Sessions or Bill Barr.

Anyway, let's be clear there are allegations of sex trafficking and paedophilia here. One prominent victim a Virginia Giuffre, I'd be concerned with how she wound up being trafficked to where she would allegedly have sexual encounters with a member of the British Royal Family (I already mentioned him).

For this to occur you would have to find someone who is in some ways vulnerable, a teenaged girl would foot that bill. Perhaps I don't know enough about her story to say how vulnerable she was aside from her age of course. However, this should be concerning that minor girls (that is those under the age of 18 at least) were being trafficked and traded.

Now that's the crime in and of itself, however, some powerful people are bound to be implicated and now the question becomes who wanted to take Jeff Epstein out? His brother wants to know also! 

#Tucker 'Let's go Brandon' wannabe dictator

 The most recent episode of Tucker Carlson on Twitter regarding President Joe Biden and the indictment of former President Donald Trump for possessing classified documents. Basically the federal gov't under President Biden effectively indicting his predecessor and possible 2024 election opponent Trump.

Ep. 4 Wannabe Dictator pic.twitter.com/MDcs5g0gxB

— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) June 15, 2023

As another aside, Tucker starts off talking about a banner on FOX News which refers to Biden as a "wannabe dictator".

Now wait Tucker seems to be speaking up for FOX News. Why would the so-called liberal elite condemn FOX News for an errant banner and especially if it's just unimaginable and untrue that Biden is a wannabe dictator. The liberals err the left err the progressives hate FOX News anyway they're the opposition.

Nevermind that FOX News a network that is often associated with conservatism also celebrates Pride month themselves. Even internally as some of their prominent personalities speak out against inappropriate material in grade school classrooms or the push to allowing minors to medically transition genders.

Trump pleads not guilty

 

If only Andy Warhol was still alive!

Yesterday was an historic day, the first time a former President has been brought up on criminal charges.

These charges brought up against Donald J. Trump regarding whatever hush money payments offered to former adult actress - well I mean she did the skin flix - Stormy Daniels when Trump ran his successful 2016 campaign for President. The controversy was the fact that Alvin Bragg - who is currently the Manhattan District Attorney who presides over a high crime rate in the NYC borough of Manhattan - brought up what is described as federal charges against Trump.

So many on the right will describe this as a politically charged prosecution. So this happened during at least 2015 and 2016. Why didn't the FEC do anything? Certainly why didn't even the NY US Attorney do anything?

Another thing to look at is coverage. My perception is that there were some networks who were playing up yesterday's events. Trump was expected to surrender for his arraignment. Other headlines state that he was arrested. I suppose my comprehension is more or less did he have to be arrested in order to appear in court to hear criminal charges?

Is there a lawyer in the house who can answer this? Wait from FOX 5 NY:

Technically, while Trump went through the booking process ahead of the arraignment, he was considered to be "under arrest" and in custody.

But he wasn't handcuffed and he didn't sit in a jail cell, in part because parts of the courthouse were cleared out for his arraignment — and because Trump is a former president with Secret Service protection.

Trump only faced "getting arrested" – like how it's portrayed in the movies – if he didn’t voluntarily turn himself into the court ahead of his arraignment, which he did.

The logistics and security of Trump’s surrender were worked on for several days, according to sources, and included collaboration from the U.S. Secret Service, New York Police Department, FBI, New York State court officers and the DA's office.

And again Bragg or anyone else who was pursuing any legal action against Pres. Trump are only causing themselves to be open to this:

Trump then flew back to his Florida home, Mar-a-Lago, and appeared in front of several hundred supporters on Tuesday night. He repeated ongoing claims that the investigation was politically motivated, attacking Bragg and the judge in the New York case, the judge's family, and other prosecutors investigating him in other cases.

"The only crime that I have committed is to fearlessly defend our nation from those who seek to destroy it," Trump said.

Since I'm an NPC Trump isn't going to listen to me. Trump isn't wrong to go after Bragg and the judge in this - although I don't know exactly what the judge did in this situation. However, stay away from family big man I'm not sure there was any good reason for it.

Here's another thing from CBS News:

"The payment records, kept and maintained by the Trump Organization, were false New York business records. In truth, there was no retainer agreement, and Lawyer A was not being paid for legal services rendered in 2017," the statement of facts said, referring to Cohen. "The Defendant caused his entities' business records to be falsified to disguise his and others' criminal conduct."

Falsifying business records is typically a misdemeanor under New York law, but can be charged as a felony if done with an "intent to defraud [that] includes an intent to commit another crime or to aid or conceal the commission thereof." Prosecutors said Trump's conduct was intended to violate election laws.

Well, now the right wingers who support Trump will begin to ask the question as far as whether or not this could be proven in a court of law? And hopefully honest and fair lawyers are looking at whether or not this case could even go to trail.

The next time the former President will be in court is later this year December 4th. And by that point its time to campaign for the Presidency as he will be. When is the New Hampshire primary and Iowa caucuses? 

O'Reilly: The pitiful AG's DISMAL performance

 

[VIDEO] The Attorney General of the U.S. made a statement with regards to the raid on Trump's Florida property earlier this week. A sealed warrant, an affidavit, and no real indication as far as why they are doing this and what exactly are they looking for. All most of us may know is that former President Trump took some documents that allegedly he wasn't supposed to.

I've also heard that his people got a heads up about this search warrant. So he knew the FBI were coming. We also know that whatever was being looked at by federal authorities that Trump was actually cooperating. It could be said there was no need for this raid, for this show of force by federal authorities.

So the comments by Merrick Garland - Joe Biden's Attorney General - were not useful as nothing was said. And O'Reilly characterized Garlan's comments as being someone who was "scared" just not in charge by any means. 

FBI raids Donald Trump's Mar-A-Lago

 

[VIDEO] Just had to share this with you all. This raid will add more fuel to the fire of the division in this nation. The former President's statement throws around the term "weaponized judiciary" as being alleged as Democrats continue to push the January 6th "Insurrection" narrative.

There isn't much to be said about this on Instapundit, yet at least.