Gay Valimont’s Final Push: A Campaign for the People, Powered by the People

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday March 23, 2025 · 7:30 PM PDT

2025/03/23 · 19:30

By Danika Joy Fornear

With just two weeks remaining until the critical April 1 special election, Gay Valimont is making her final push to represent Florida’s 1st Congressional District. Her campaign is built on a simple but powerful mission: fighting for the people of her district and delivering real solutions to working families across Florida. Valimont understands that this election is about more than just one seat in Congress—it’s about changing the conversation and ensuring everyday people, not just the wealthy and well-connected, have a voice in Washington. Now, she’s calling on voters to rally behind her in these final days to bring much-needed change to Florida and beyond.

A Commitment to Community and Service

Gay Valimont’s dedication to public service stems from her personal experiences of resilience and advocacy. A longtime Pensacola resident, she has faced unimaginable loss, including the passing of her husband to ALS and her son to a brain tumor. These painful experiences have shaped her deep commitment to expanding access to healthcare and championing support for military families.

With degrees in health and exercise science from Georgia Southern University and Troy State University, Valimont has spent her career working in sports medicine and public health. Her involvement with Moms Demand Action further highlights her commitment to community safety and responsible gun laws. Through her work and advocacy, she has built a reputation as a leader who fights for policies that truly improve people’s lives.

Addressing Key Issues for Florida’s 1st District

Valimont’s campaign focuses on issues that directly impact the people of her district:

• Healthcare Access: She is determined to lower healthcare costs and expand access to quality care, ensuring that no one in her district has to choose between medical treatment and financial stability.

• Support for Military Families: With Northwest Florida home to a large military community, Valimont is pushing for a full-service VA hospital in the district and increased support for military families.

• Economic Growth & Jobs: Valimont understands the importance of creating good-paying jobs, supporting small businesses, and strengthening local economies to ensure working families can thrive.

Building Momentum and Seeking Support

Despite the district’s Republican history, Valimont’s campaign has gained remarkable traction. At a recent town hall in Pensacola, she announced raising an impressive $6.7 million—a testament to the growing enthusiasm and grassroots support behind her movement. As Election Day draws closer, she is urging voters to take action by volunteering, attending campaign events, and spreading the word about her candidacy.

A Vision Beyond the District

Gay Valimont knows that the impact of this election extends beyond Florida’s 1st District. Her fight for healthcare access, veterans’ support, and economic fairness aligns with the struggles working families face across the country. By winning this race, she can help shape national policy and advocate for meaningful reforms that benefit people nationwide.

Call to Action

With April 1 fast approaching, Valimont is making one final appeal: Now is the time to step up and fight for change. Every conversation, every vote, and every act of support makes a difference. Together, the people of Florida’s 1st District can send a clear message that working families deserve a representative who will fight for them—not corporate interests or political elites.

This election is a defining moment for the district and the state. Gay Valimont is ready to lead, but she needs the community’s support to cross the finish line. The choice is clear—now it’s time to turn energy into action.

Donate here — secure.actblue.com/...

10-year-old American citizen recovering from brain tumor deported to Mexico

psychbob

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Saturday March 22, 2025 · 11:04 AM PDT

2025/03/22 · 11:04

Published photo from Texas Civil Rights Project

I hesitated before posting this story because it is about something so cartoonishly evil, so sociopathic, that I wondered if it could actually be true. Then I remembered that we’re dealing with the Trump II Administration here. And, I verified that the story was being reported through multiple mainstream news sources, as well as a Snopes.com writeup.

The short version: a young girl was undergoing treatment in Texas following surgery to remove a brain tumor. She is an American citizen (along with several siblings), born in the U.S., but her parents are undocumented immigrants. The family lives in the Rio Grande valley and was traveling to a medical appointment in Houston for a checkup on the progress of the child’s recovery, when they were detained at an immigration checkpoint. (Something I did not know — the U.S. Border Patrol operates 71 checkpoints inside the U.S., along highways near the U.S. — Mexican border). Apparently the family had previously passed through the checkpoint multiple times without incident. However, this time they were detained, and given the option of being deported along with their children or of separating from the children to leave them in the U.S. However, unless there is a power of attorney or specified guardian, the state takes custody of the children and they likely go into foster care. What are the odds of undocumented parents being able to return to the U.S., let alone regain custody of their children, under this administration?

Mainstream news reports on the incident come from NBC, CNN, and El Pais. The Snopes.com writeup on the story is here.

The family was traveling with letters from their doctors and lawyer and, as noted, had apparently passed the checkpoint multiple times previously. So why single them out now? In addition, can’t humanitarian parole be granted? Is this family “the worst of the worst”? Are there any allegations they were smuggling fentanyl or engaged in human trafficking? Of course not, and the Trump administration never meant a word of it when they said they would be prioritizing dangerous criminals for deportation. The cruelty is the point. They do it because they can. The purpose is to terrorize immigrants, not protect U.S. citizens from crime. In fact, deporting a sick child who is a U.S. citizen, to a country she has never lived in, seems the literal opposite — it endangers a minor. What a pathetic commentary on what we have become under Trump.

Repub false prophet "Christians" and Elon Trump pull food bank donations to the poor

markeymark1

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday March 19, 2025 · 4:07 PM PDT

2025/03/19 · 16:07

USDA halts millions of dollars worth of deliveries to food banks

The Agriculture Department has halted millions of dollars worth of deliveries to food banks without explanation, according to food bank leaders in six states.

USDA had previously allocated $500 million in deliveries to food banks for fiscal year 2025 through The Emergency Food Assistance Program. Now, the food bank leaders say many of those orders have been canceled.

The halting of these deliveries, first reported by POLITICO, comes after the Agriculture Department separately axed two other food programs, ending more than $1 billion in planned federal spending for schools and food banks to purchase from local farmers.

USDA did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

The collective cuts are expected to make it more difficult for food banks to meet families’ needs, with food prices now 20 percent higher than they were in 2020, food bank leaders say.

President Elon Trump’s tariff taxes are paid for by the poor as corporations pass along their fees to “consumers” causing another tax on the poor: inflation.

But that’s not enough for the rapacious Elon Trump who have now literally pulled food from the mouths of the poor to pay for the tax cuts for the rich. Republicans are evil SOBs.

We have lost another of the greats, Jesse Colin Young

Harry Joy

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday March 17, 2025 · 4:56 PM PDT

2025/03/17 · 16:56

This artist and all of his groups and collaborations have meant so much to me, since I was a child.

rockcellarmagazine.com/…

Legendary Singer/Songwriter Jesse Colin Young of the Youngbloods Dies at 83

Jesse Colin Young, the legendary singer/songwriter known for his work with the Youngbloods as well as a prolific solo career, has died at the age of 83….

As the frontman of The Youngbloods, he immortalized the ideals of the Woodstock generation with “Get Together,” an international hit that called for peace and brotherhood during the turbulent 1960s. During the decades that followed, Young expanded both his audience and his artistic range, releasing a string of solo albums that mixed socially conscious lyrics with top-tier guitar skills and gorgeous vocals.

YouTube Video

Kidney transplant specialist deported illegally

Paleo

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday March 17, 2025 · 4:00 AM PDT

2025/03/17 · 04:00

A kidney transplant specialist and professor at Brown University’s medical school has been deported from the United States, even though she had a valid visa and a court order temporarily blocking her expulsion, according to her lawyer and court papers.

Dr. Rasha Alawieh, 34, is a Lebanese citizen who had traveled to her home country last month to visit relatives. She was detained on Thursday when she returned from that trip to the United States, according to a court complaint filed by her cousin Yara Chehab.

Judge Leo T. Sorokin of the Federal District Court in Massachusetts ordered the government on Friday evening to provide the court with 48 hours’ notice before deporting Dr. Alawieh. But she was put on a flight to Paris, presumably on her way to Lebanon.

www.nytimes.com/…

Federal Judge Leo T. Sorokin has ordered the government to respond by Monday morning to the "serious allegations" that it intentionally breached a court order. www.msn.com/en-us/news/u...
— Elizabeth Potter Graham, JD (@elizabethpgraham.bsky.social) 2025-03-16T22:32:29.506Z

Caribbean Matters: Trump stigmatized Haitians—and now he's deporting them

Denise Oliver Velez

Community

Saturday March 15, 2025 · 7:26 PM PDT

2025/03/15 · 19:26

no image description available — Children hold signs in support of renewing Temporary Protected Status for immigrants from Haiti on Nov. 6, 2017, in Miami.

Caribbean Matters is a weekly series from Daily Kos. Hope you’ll join us here every Saturday. If you are unfamiliar with the region, check out Caribbean Matters: Getting to know the countries of the Caribbean.

Now that the Trump administration has officially announced that Temporary Protected Status will end in August for Haitians and in April for Venezuelans, tensions and fear have skyrocketed in impacted immigrant communities.

From the US Citizenship and Immigration website:

On Feb. 20, 2025, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem partially vacated the July 1, 2024, notice that extended and redesignated Haiti for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). The announcement amends the period of extension and redesignation of Haiti for TPS from 18 months to 12 months, with a new end date of Aug. 3, 2025, and makes a corresponding change to the initial registration period for new applicants under the redesignation, which will now remain in effect through Aug. 3, 2025

Protests are being staged around the country, including in New York City.

YouTube Video

The Department of Homeland Security confirmed this week that the Temporary Protected Status for Haitians in America will expire six months early on August 3. Spectrum News anchor Errol Louis is joined by Vania Andre, the editor-in-chief of "The Haitian Times," to talk about what is next for Haitians at risk of deportation.

There was an immediate outcry from Boston’s sizable Haitian community. City Councilor Jean Bradley Derenoncourt raised the issue of racism in this GBH News interview:

YouTube Video

The GBH News video notes:

Temporary Protected Status - or TPS - allows about a half-million Haitian-born people to live and work in the United States legally. The Trump administration announced plans to end TPS for Haitians in August. Dr. Geralde Gabeau of the Immigrant Family Services Institute in Boston, MA and Jean Bradley Derenoncourt, a city councilor from Brockton, MA joined GBH News’ Paris Alston to discuss the impact of ending TPS and Border Czar Tom Homan’s claim that he’s “bringing hell” to Boston.

CBS Miami filed this report on the community’s response last month:

YouTube Video

Immigrant advocacy groups have filed lawsuits against the decision to shorten the immigrants’ legal status, as NBC News reported in “Haitians sue to stop Trump administration from revoking temporary protection”:

Three organizations filed a lawsuit Monday seeking to block the Trump administration’s attempt to put an early end to Temporary Protected Status for people from Haiti and Venezuela living in the U.S.

Last month, President Donald Trump’s administration rescinded the TPS extension until February 2026 that was granted under President Joe Biden, requiring Haitians to return to their country by Aug. 3 and Venezuelans by April 2.

[...]

Lawyers for Civil Rights, which is representing the groups and four people who are in the country under TPS, said the suit was the first filed on behalf of Haitians in the U.S. under TPS. Two lawsuits were quickly filed to challenge the administration’s decision on behalf of Venezuelans last month.

“TPS is a critical lifeline for immigrants who have fled extreme violence, political upheaval, and natural disasters in their home countries,” LCR senior attorney Mirian Albert said in a statement.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment about the lawsuit.

Marissa A. Prianti at The National Law Review wrote “New Lawsuit Challenges Trump Administration’s Termination of TPS for Haiti and Venezuela”:

Haitian-Americans United, Inc., Venezuelan Association of Massachusetts, UndocuBlack Network, Inc., and four individual Haitian and Venezuelan migrants residing in Boston filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts on March 3, 2025, challenging the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS’s) decision to terminate Haitian and Venezuelan Temporary Protected Status (TPS). Haitian-Americans United Inc., et al. v. Trump, No. 1:25-cv-10498.

[...]

The suit alleges that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem lacked legal authority to vacate former DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ July 1, 2024, decision to grant an 18-month extension of TPS for Haiti, and his Jan. 17, 2025, decision to grant an 18-month extension of TPS for Venezuela.

The complaint cites “dehumanizing and disparaging statements” that President Donald Trump has made against Haitian and Venezuelan migrants, including the claim that Haitians in Springfield, Ohio, were eating dogs and cats.

The suit further contends that the Trump Administration is discriminating against both groups of migrants based on race, ethnicity, or national origin in violation of the Fifth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause.

Canadian author and activist Yves Engler wrote a scathing piece for Common Dreams last year addressing the racism and stigma that Haitians have long faced. It was titled “Lies About Haitians Reflect America's Racist Imperialism“:

The ‘Haitians eat pets’ tale is the latest in a long line of anti-Haitian claims that goes back to the nation's slave revolt nearly 200 years ago—a struggle against slavery, colonialism, and white supremacy.

A crass new iteration of anti-Haitianism has recently received a remarkable amount of attention. This novel form of racism with deep anti-Black roots was even referenced in this week's U.S. presidential debate.

Recently racist and ignorant social media users have circulated the idea that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, are eating pets. Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance greatly boosted the anti-Haitian claim with a post to X stating, “Months ago, I raised the issue of Haitian illegal immigrants draining social services and generally causing chaos all over Springfield, Ohio. Reports now show that people have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn't be in this country.”

Vance’s X post had over 11 million views with Donald Trump even referencing the claim in the presidential debate. This despite an absence of any evidence whatsoever. Springfield officials haven’t received any credible reports of Haitian immigrants abducting and eating pets.

The ‘Haitians eat pets’ tale is the latest in a long line of anti-Haitian claims. In the early 1980s Haitians were stigmatized as the originators of the HIV virus in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) labeled Haitians as a risk group, which gave rise to “The Four H’s” designation of Homosexuals, Hemophiliacs, Heroin addicts, and Haitians. At the time the Canadian Red Cross publicly identified Haitians as a “high-risk” group for AIDS, the only nationality singled out. In 1983 they called on homosexuals and bisexuals with multiple partners, intravenous drug users, hemophiliacs and recent immigrants from Haiti to voluntarily stop giving blood. A Canadian government pamphlet, which was distributed in shopping malls, also linked Haitians with AIDS. Again, this was despite a lack of evidence that the incidence of AIDS in Haiti was greater than in the U.S. By 1987 it was lower in Haiti than in the U.S. and other Caribbean nations.

But, as a result of the unfounded stigmatization, the country’s significant tourism basically collapsed overnight. Out of fear the virus may transmit through goods, some Haitian exports were even blocked from entering the U.S.

Having lived through the 1980s’ AIDS pandemic in New York City, I got involved in fighting against the targeting of Haitian Americans. For those of you who were not even born or too young at the time to remember, here’s a 1983 special report on the stigma’s impact on Haitians.

YouTube Video

Lest you think these bogus claims have gone away, the LGBTQ+ advocacy group GLAAD reported on how “Despite Zero Evidence, U.S. Senator JD Vance Continues Disinformation Campaign Targeting Haitian Immigrants, People Living with HIV”:

In a tweet the morning of the debate and in an interview after, Vance inaccurately blamed Haitian immigrants in Springfield for a “skyrocketing” increase in HIV and TB. Public health officials say there is no evidence that HIV cases are skyrocketing in Springfield. Vance has spent several days spreading fear and disinformation about Springfield, comments amplified by his running mate, former President Donald Trump. During the presidential debate earlier in the evening, Trump responded in an exchange about immigration,” They’re eating the dogs, the people that came in, they’re eating the cats.” There is zero evidence of this happening, according to the Springfield city manager and police department.

Sarah Kate Ellis, President and CEO of GLAAD, responded on Twitter/X and Threads to Vance’s attack on immigrants and people living with HIV.

“JD Vance’s inflammatory comments about HIV triple down on his truly revolting lies about this community and threaten public health in the most irresponsible way,” Ellis said. “Vance’s rhetoric is not grounded in science or statistical truth. It is a racist dog whistle to a bygone era that stigmatized people of color, immigrants, and people living with HIV. Facts still matter. Anyone can have and transmit HIV, but HIV is preventable with antiretroviral medication and treatable to the point of being undetectable, therefore untransmittable, the critical message of U=U. HIV is a fully manageable condition, and people living with HIV can lead long and fulfilling lives. Vance’s desperate disinformation campaign is shamefully spreading baseless, racist lies, fueling the stigma we need to break to end HIV.”

Epidemiologist Greg Gonsalves debunked Trump and Vance’s lies.

Now, there is no spike in HIV in Springfield, OH. Take a look AIDVu.org. Hotspots of HIV in the state are in larger urban centers like Cleveland, Cincinnati and Columbus. 3/ aidsvu.org?gad_source=1...

[image or embed]
— Gregg Gonsalves (@gregggonsalves.bsky.social) September 15, 2024 at 9:40 AM

So Donald Trump and JD Vance are lying about HIV and Springfield, OH. 5/
— Gregg Gonsalves (@gregggonsalves.bsky.social) September 15, 2024 at 9:40 AM

The long-term impact of stigma combined with toxic anti-Black and anti-Haitian vitriol takes a toll on the Haitian community’s mental health. Groups like The Haitian American Psychiatric Association are in place to help.

The Haitian American Psychiatric Association, Inc. is a nonprofit mental health organization dedicated to spreading awareness of mental health issues among Haitians in the United States and Haiti. We also strive to engage communities in the development of mental health services locally and abroad.

Pass the word on.

Join me in the comments section below for more, and for the weekly Caribbean News Roundup.

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Ever heard of Arlington National Cemetery? Trump's vandalizing it.

BlackSheep1

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday March 14, 2025 · 5:35 PM PDT

2025/03/14 · 17:35

This won’t take long. Y’all have heard that the drumpf maladministration is hotly against all things woke, DEI, or otherwise recognitive of people who don’t look, sound and waste money like Felon47.

Here’s the latest, and the thing that I hope will be a touchstone in the American rising up against this fraudulent abomination and his minions.

taskandpurpose.com/…

If you don’t know, Task and Purpose is written for the military and veteran audience.

This is (obligatory 3-graf limit observed) the beginning of that article:

Arlington National Cemetery is the most venerated final resting ground in the nation, overseen by silent soldiers in immaculate uniforms with ramrod-straight discipline. Across its hundreds of acres in Virginia, they watch over 400,000 graves of U.S. service members dating back to the Civil War, including two presidents, and more than 400 Medal of Honor recipients.

But in recent weeks, the cemetery’s public website has scrubbed dozens of pages on gravesites and educational materials that include histories of prominent Black, Hispanic and female service members buried in the cemetery, along with educational material on dozens of Medal of Honor recipients and maps of prominent gravesites of Marine Corps veterans and other services.

Cemetery officials confirmed to Task & Purpose that the pages were “unpublished” to meet recent orders by President Donald Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth targeting race and gender-related language and policies in the military.

Some of those Medal of Honor recipients — you don’t win that medal; it’s earned, and more than 95 percent of those who earn it die during the act of valor for which it is presented — had recently been upgraded after Biden’s DoD Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered a review of “not quite Medal of Honor level” decisions going back to WW2. taskandpurpose.com/...

Here are what I found searching for archived versions of the Notable Graves lists (you have to remove the portion of the web address prior to the 2nd https indicator or the request will time out, which suggests the vandals found out some people knew more about how to get to web pages than their algorithms account for):

www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/…

web.archive.org/…
www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/…

and if you are able to open that last one you’ll see the tombstone for US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

How much more of Trump’s stupidity and venality are we going to put up with, America?

Dozens of colleges now under attack as Trump’s racist rampage spreads

Alex Samuels

Daily Kos Staff

Friday March 14, 2025 · 3:48 PM PDT

2025/03/14 · 15:48

Photo by: Andrea Renault/STAR MAX/IPx 2024 4/29/24 The 5pm deadline set by Columbia University announced that there would be students suspended if they don't leave the quad area where the tents are. Many remained while a few folded up their tent. Faculty members are seen wearing bright orange vests. There were a few Israel supporters on the quad but they were vastly outnumbered. — Columbia University suspended several students for participating in pro-Palestinian protests on campus.

President Donald Trump’s beleaguered U.S. Department of Education has launched investigations into more than 50 universities as part of an ongoing effort to end diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.

In a press release, the agency alleged that 45 schools had possibly engaged in “race exclusionary” practices in their graduate programs. Specifically, the agency took issue with reported partnerships with The PhD Project, an organization that uplifts underrepresented minorities so they can pursue business PhDs and become professors.

But if you ask Trump’s cronies, the organization has deployed the much more sinister practice of “limit[ing] eligibility based on the race of participants.”

Additionally, the DOE’s Office for Civil Rights is probing seven other universities on similar grounds—six for “allegedly awarding impermissible race-based scholarships” and one for “allegedly administering a program that segregates students on the basis of race.”

“The Department is working to reorient civil rights enforcement to ensure all students are protected from illegal discrimination. Students must be assessed according to merit and accomplishment, not prejudged by the color of their skin. We will not yield on this commitment,” the impossibly underqualified Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement.

Linda McMahon, President Donald Trump's nominee for Secretary of Education, attends a hearing of the Health, Education, and Labor Committee on her nomination, Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) — Education Secretary Linda McMahon

Affected schools include Ivy League colleges, state universities, and smaller higher education institutions. Arizona State University, Duke University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, New York University, and Yale University are among those being investigated.

Given that Trump’s DOE now has fewer staff, it’s striking that the agency would dedicate its remaining resources to snuffing out DEI efforts. While the Trump administration should be spending its time ensuring that students can apply for federal loans, it has instead targeted beneficial programs.

Notably, McMahon didn’t clarify how exactly the schools in question were enforcing race-based segregation or awards.

News of the investigations comes one week after the DOE sent a “dear colleague” letter to colleges that receive federal funding, ordering them to terminate all DEI initiatives. The letter threatened funding cuts for schools not found in compliance.

“The Department will no longer tolerate the overt and covert racial discrimination that has become widespread in this Nation’s educational institutions. The law is clear: treating students differently on the basis of race to achieve nebulous goals such as diversity, racial balancing, social justice, or equity is illegal under controlling Supreme Court precedent,” the letter said.

Friday’s announcement is the latest escalation in Trump’s threat of pulling federal funding from colleges and universities.

And some of them are already feeling the pressure.

According to The Associated Press, Columbia University, which has been a longtime target of Trump’s, announced Thursday that it expelled and suspended some students who participated in the occupation of a campus building as part of pro-Palestinian protests last year. It also temporarily revoked degrees from some protesters.

Meanwhile, the Department of Justice is investigating 10 universities, including Columbia, that have “experienced antisemitic incidents” since October 2023.

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Playing For Change -fabulous music, dance, social good

malapert

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday March 12, 2025 · 10:51 AM PDT

2025/03/12 · 10:51

A recent Playing For Change video--haven't had time to watch it yet

A couple days ago I was working in my office, NPR burbling in the background, when something came on that had me sitting up straight with my ears trying to crank around to hear better. It was the Jimi Hendrix version of All Along the Watchtower, a song that is somewhat familiar to me; I bought the album it was on when it first came out a very long time ago.

But this version began with a Native American woman singing like an electric guitar, Native drummers behind her—that was my wait, what? moment. More singers and musicians from all over the world joined in, playing instruments you’d never expect to hear on a redo of this song. I was gobsmacked by what I was hearing. It had an energy and joy that was arresting, and absolutely contagious.

That night, late in the evening, I used our ancient Roku to try to find the video for it on TV so my wife could hear it, and I could hear the whole thing. After wading through interminable ads on YouTube, I found it. What we saw and heard blew us away. It was late, but we ended up watching a few other videos before calling it a night. Brilliant, whole-world-music treatments of songs like Everybody Wants to Rule the World, and of particular fun, La Bamba.

This wonderful music all came from one source: an organization called Playing For Change.

Maybe this is old news to you. If it is, I commend you. I don’t know how I managed to remain so unaware of the music and work from these good people, but I was, like a dolt watching for pennies on the sidewalk while there was blue sky and birds above him. So who are these folks? Per Wikipedia:

Playing For Change is a multimedia music project, featuring musicians and singers from across the globe, co-founded in 2002 by Mark Johnson and Whitney Kroenke. Playing For Change also created in 2007 a separate non-profit organization called the Playing For Change Foundation, which builds music and art schools for children around the world.(snip)

Travelling the world with a small film and recording team, producers Johnson and Enzo Buono developed a mobile recording studio (originally powered by golf cart batteries) for recording and filming musicians live outdoors, and progressively editing all the separate artists, blending all into one performance as PFC travelled from artist to artist, country to country. Starting with a studio-made demo in the right key and tempo, "we would deconstruct [the track]" as each recorded musician could listen with headphones to what had been recorded before them, and playing the same song, adding into the mix their own style. For the project Johnson has recorded and filmed music in more than 50 countries across the world.

The variety of dancers and musicians contributing to these videos is so amazing it could pass for magic. They run the gamut from big names like Bono, Yo-Yo Ma, Trombone Shorty, Brandi Carlisle, Mavis Staples, Ringo Starr, Annie Lennox, Ziggy Marley, Buddy Guy and dozens more on the famous side, and more than 150 mostly street musicians; in total they have recorded over a thousand musicians from more than 50 counties.

And as part of their mission they have created and supported music school programs across eleven developing countries. Students from some of these programs are part of some song videos. PFC has a touring band, at least one record.

I signed up for a membership for access to this trove, $60 per year. Money is tight, but this cried out for support. Check out their Wikipedia page, check out their site, and most of all look for Playing For Change videos. You will be rewarded.

Trump pretends to buy a Tesla in this dumbest timeline possible

kos

Daily Kos Staff

Tuesday March 11, 2025 · 8:57 AM PDT

2025/03/11 · 08:57

Protesters rally outside of a Tesla store in Boston, Saturday, March 1, 2025, against the company's CEO, Elon Musk, who is leading an effort to cut government jobs on behalf of President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Rodrique Ngowi) — Protesters rally outside of a Tesla store in Boston, on March 1, 2025, against the company's CEO, Elon Musk, who is leading an effort to cut government jobs on behalf of President Donald Trump

On Monday, Donald Trump did that thing he does instead of presidenting—penning almost 140 tweets on his Truth Social. Apparently, he couldn’t play “dictator” without someone putting executive orders on his desk to sign.

The last one of the day, however, was quite extra.

To Republicans, Conservatives, and all great Americans, Elon Musk is “putting it on the line” in order to help our Nation, and he is doing a FANTASTIC JOB! But the Radical Left Lunatics, as they often do, are trying to illegally and collusively boycott Tesla, one of the World’s great automakers, and Elon’s “baby,” in order to attack and do harm to Elon, and everything he stands for. They tried to do it to me at the 2024 Presidential Ballot Box, but how did that work out? In any event, I’m going to buy a brand new Tesla tomorrow morning as a show of confidence and support for Elon Musk, a truly great American. Why should he be punished for putting his tremendous skills to work in order to help MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN???

Let’s go through this in greater detail.

“But the Radical Left Lunatics, as they often do, are trying to illegally and collusively boycott Tesla ...”

What’s an “illegal boycott,” and what does “collusively” mean? Is it anything like conservatives boycotting Bud Light because they sponsored an Instagram story featuring a trans influencer? Or when they boycott pretty much anything with a DEI program?

“... one of the World’s great automakers, and Elon’s ‘baby,’ in order to attack and do harm to Elon, and everything he stands for.”

FILE- Tesla CEO Elon Musk speaks before unveiling the Model Y at Tesla's design studio, March 14, 2019, in Hawthorne, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File) — Elon Musk with his baby.

If Tesla is Elon’s baby, he’s about to abandon it at any moment now.

But yes, we do wish (economic) harm to Elon because of everything he stands for. With Tesla down 15% Monday, and 50% since its December 17, 2024 peak, the company has lost $800 billion in market value, and Musk has lost well over $120 billion in net worth.

But we can do better than that!

“They tried to do it to me at the 2024 Presidential Ballot Box, but how did that work out?”

We got stuck with co-president Elon Musk. Yeah, it sucked.

“In any event, I’m going to buy a brand new Tesla tomorrow morning …”

No, he won’t. Does Trump even know how to drive?

And Fox News host Sean Hannity is also apparently getting in on the Elon pity party and buying himself a Tesla.

Trump has a long history of attacking electric vehicles, including eliminating federal infrastructure spending for charging stations, moving to end buying incentives, and revoking Biden’s goal for 50% electric vehicles by 2030. He’s also ripping 8,000 EV chargers out of government buildings.

Back in 2023, he said “The auto industry is being assassinated” by electric cars, and the transition to electric was a “hit job” on Detroit. Trump also claimed “You can be loyal to American labor or you can be loyal to the environmental lunatics. But you can’t really be loyal to both. It’s one or the other."

On July 12, 2022, Trump even posted this anti-Musk, anti-Tesla screed on Truth Social:

When Elon Musk came to the White House asking me for help on all of his many subsidized projects, whether it’s electric cars that don’t drive long enough, driverless cars that crash, or rocketships to nowhere, without which subsidies he’d be worthless, and telling me how he was a big Trump fan and Republican, I could have said, “drop to your knees and beg,” and he would have done it.

Musk built his fortune by selling well-off progressives on a vision of environmental sustainability, yet decided with that genius brain of his to hitch his wagon to the guy screaming “drill, baby, drill” while taking direct aim at the very source of Musk’s wealth. Being a bigoted pro-Putin Nazi is a hell of a drug, apparently, overriding all sense of reason and self-interest.

Also, it’s illegal for a government official to endorse a product, but yeah, that ship sailed with Trump a long time ago.

“... as a show of confidence and support for Elon Musk, a truly great American.”

Can South Africa and Canada take him back, please?

“Why should he be punished for putting his tremendous skills to work in order to help MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN???”

Nazis should be punished, full stop. That aside, Trump’s base isn’t the kind of people who buy expensive electric vehicles. As I’ve noted several times, 2024 saw a complete reversal from traditional voting patterns—Trump and his party won voters making under $50,000, while Kamala Harris and her Democrats won those making more than $50,000. Democrats are no longer the party of the poor and working class, while Republicans are no longer the party of the rich.

So which part of Trump’s base is going to buy Musk’s Swastikars? Those working-class MAGA supporters who can’t even afford eggs anymore? The ones who love to roll coal and hate all weenie environmentalists? Or how about rural conservatives without charging infrastructure because Trump killed that program?

Hilariously, this endorsement means Tesla will sell even less cars. Way to further alienate Tesla’s core market. Musk, like an idiot, doesn’t see that and thanked Trump for the endorsement.

Flipping through his Truth Social, this one caught my eye as well:

Despite the fact that Canada is charging the USA from 250% to 390% Tariffs on many of our farm products, Ontario just announced a 25% surcharge on “electricity,” of all things, and your not even allowed to do that. Because our Tariffs are reciprocal, we’ll just get it all back on April 2. Canada is a Tariff abuser, and always has been, but the United States is not going to be subsidizing Canada any longer. We don’t need your Cars, we don’t need your Lumber, we don’t your Energy, and very soon, you will find that out. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!

“Your not even allowed to do that” is peak Trump—illiterate and ridiculous, and hilariously wrong.

Someone is fucking around, and certainly will soon find out. But it won’t be Canada.

Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that conservatives boycotted Miller Lite. They boycotted Bud Light.

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John Oliver exposes the dirty secret behind ICE detentions

Walter Einenkel

Daily Kos Staff

Monday March 10, 2025 · 7:36 PM PDT

2025/03/10 · 19:36

Sunday’s focus of “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” was the (big) business of our immigration detention systems. The terror unleashed by President Donald Trump and his Immigration and Customs Enforcement apparatus has made an already problematic immigration system even worse, as people who are dependent on our broken immigration laws find themselves dragged into detention.

Oliver breaks down the main reason why the unjust system has continued to thrive: the big business of private prisons, which houses more than 90% of ICE’s undocumented detentions. Private prison companies like GEO Group and CoreCivic have watched their stocks soar since Trump won the election.

“I've worked at CoreCivic for 32 years,” CEO Damon Hininger boasts in one clip. “And this is truly one of the most exciting periods in my career with the company.”

“Look, as a general rule, if something happens that causes a private prison company to get really excited, that thing was bad,” Oliver remarks. “If you ever come home and your spouse tells you, honey, I did something today and the Geo Group is super excited about it, you are in for a relationship-altering conversation.”

ICE’s website points out that detention is supposed to be “non-punitive,” a claim Oliver jokes is like saying, “that the ocean is not wet or that the ‘Wicked’ movie wasn't 30 minutes too long. It is a bold assertion, sharply undercut by empirical evidence.”

The GEO Group is fighting in court to avoid paying minimum wage to the detainees being forced to work under threat of solitary confinement or the withholding of food. Oliver plays audio of an exchange between a GEO Group lawyer and the judge, where the judge characterized the private prison’s argument about detainees as the same as slavery.

“When a judge is likening your client's practices to slavery, that's generally a pretty bad sign for your case,” Oliver says. “There really shouldn't even be a verdict at that point. A trapdoor should just open up beneath you while they pull the next case in.”

And who is being considered for detention is also problematic. At one of her first White House briefings, press secretary Karoline Leavitt gave a grotesquely wrong-headed statement that has subsequently been parroted by ICE Barbie herself, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem: any undocumented person is a criminal. "I know the last administration didn't see it that way, so it's a big culture shift in our nation to view someone who breaks our immigration laws as a criminal, but that's exactly what they are," Leavitt said.

“Simply being undocumented is a civil violation, not a criminal one,” Oliver points out of Leavitt. “That is an important distinction that her boss should frankly understand, given that he has committed both.”

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Thanks & Humor from Ukraine

AnnikaQED

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday March 09, 2025 · 9:39 PM PDT

2025/03/09 · 21:39

On Feb 28th, after the horrific debacle in the Oval Office, to show my solidarity with Ukraine, I was moved to make a contribution to United24, an umbrella group of charities operating within Ukraine. I received a very gracious reply, signed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy himself (so much for “not expressing gratitude”, donald!). Here is the body of the letter:

Today, the whole free world is united around Ukraine. Countries, companies, international organizations, and most importantly — people. Now you, too, are among them. Thank you!

Your donation has been sent to the official accounts of the National Bank of Ukraine and will be allocated within 24 hours to assigned ministries.

Ukraine fights not only for its freedom but for the freedom of the whole democratic world.

Only together do we have the potential to stop the war that Russia has started. To rebuild what Russia has destroyed. Together we can help freedom defeat tyranny.

We will never forget your contribution to the victory of Ukraine! To the victory of freedom!

President of Ukraine

Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Then I received an email from a Ukrainian “buddy”, a young lawyer working for the Lviv Oblast, whom I met through the volunteer project ENGin, a volunteer effort to help young Ukrainians improve their spoken English. (Volunteering with ENGin has been an incredibly rewarding experience for me. If you have an hour or so a week to contribute to this effort, I strongly urge you to sign up!)

She sent me the link to a brilliant political cartoon "Make Ukraine Guilty Again!"

Also, it seems that Zelenskyy’s approval has risen so much in Ukraine since 2/28, that Zelenskyy has been offered another term. His support has gone from 57%/ 37% to 68%/29%. So ironically it is due to donald that Zelenskyy’s term has legally been extended. (Also, according to new language standards, it is now ok to write “russia” and “moscow” without capitals.)

Slava Ukrainii!

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