Trump holds country hostage with new shutdown demands

Top Stories for March 23:

Trump rejects any shutdown deal with Democrats without laundry list of concessions despite TSA chaos
Donald Trump has grown increasingly perturbed over the latest shutdown hamstringing his authoritarian crusade, and he’s raising the stakes on just what he wants in exchange to fully reopen the government and restore funding for the 60,000+ TSA employees who’ve now gone 35 days without pay. According to the MAGA cult leader, this is no longer just about funding levels for the DHS. Donald is now demanding Democrats sign off on his wildly unconstitutional and unrelated election-theft scheme, aka the SAVE Act, and — why not — dragging his favorite bogeyman, transgenderism, back into the ring for another round of random battery.

Can’t get what you want from a dysfunctional Congress fully controlled by your own party? Whip up some tired, anti-trans hysteria and insist you’re doing all this to “save” children you definitely do not care about and preserve the “sanctity” of women’s sports you definitely never watch.

Take Action: Stop Trump’s fake “emergency” plot to take over our elections!

Trump regime announces wild “fix” for ongoing TSA staffing shortages
The Trump regime confirmed it is deploying thousands of ICE goons to airports across the country to perform TSA duties because the current government shutdown — specifically over ICE and its controversial role in Donald’s disturbing anti-immigrant crusade — has triggered widespread TSA staffing shortages. It’s like using a shell casing to staunch the bleeding from a gunshot wound. You cannot make this dysfunctional shit up.

Anti-corruption crusader takes on one of the most corrupt Republicans in Congress
Paige Cognetti for Congress: Paige Cognetti was elected mayor of Scranton, PA, on a platform of cleaning up the grift and the graft that sapped away so many important public resources. She did such a good job that PA voters re-elected her twice — and now she’s going to do the same in Congress. So devoted to anti-corruption that she won’t even use a government car, she is in a perfect position to take out Republican Rob Bresnahan, who got elected promising to end insider trading and then immediately became one of the most prolific insider traders in Congress. Will you chip in to help Paige Cognetti clean up Republican corruption and flip the House blue?

Trump thinks he deserves wild “reward” for losing 2020
America’s wannabe dictator shared a social media post over the weekend claiming that he deserved a definitely unconstitutional third term as president as a “REWARD” from supposedly having the 2020 election “stolen” from him. It’s 2026, we’re at war with Iran, airports are in total disarray, markets are down, gas prices are up, and the president’s administration is still orchestrating a cover-up of a global pedophile ring operated by his former best buddy, but what we’ve REALLY gotta talk about is phantom voter fraud from three general elections ago. Got it. Eyes on the prize, big guy.

Take Action: Invoke the 25th Amendment and remove Trump from office now!

New York Times reporters set to regain Pentagon access after court ruling
It looks like Sec. of War Crimes Pete Hegseth won’t solely be fielding hard-hitting questions from journalistic titans at Gateway Pundit, Turning Point USA, Human Events, Lindell TV (yes, that Lindell), and other far-right “news outlets” going forward, following a federal judge’s order restoring press credentials for The New York Times. A ruling by Judge Paul Friedman of the US District Court for the District of Columbia, found that elements of the Defense Department’s media policy were unconstitutional. Shocking, we know. The dispute originally stemmed from rules Hegseth introduced last year that allowed the Pentagon to label reporters “security risks” and revoke access based on conduct it deemed threatening to national security. The move was so unpopular, even reporters from Fox and Newsmax surrendered their credentials at the time rather than agree to the terms.

Take Action: Tell the Senate: Don’t confirm Markwayne Mullin to lead Trump’s deportation agency!

California sheriff running for governor seizes more than a half million ballots from 2025 referendum election in naked political stunt
A California sheriff running for governor as a Republican has seized more than half a million ballots cast in last November’s special election from county election officials, claiming he’s investigating a ballot count discrepancy in one of the more brazenly naked political stunts in recent memory. County elections officials have predictably disputed the baseless claims by Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco. California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat, called Bianco’s move unprecedented and says it is designed to sow distrust in elections.

Bianco held a news conference Friday saying his office had launched the investigation after receiving a complaint from a conveniently unnamed local citizens group about the ballot count from the November 2025 special election on redistricting and laughably claimed the move had “absolutely nothing to do” with his campaign for governor. And if you’re buying that, might we interest you in a bridge?

Trump warns Iran “total decimation” is coming in barrage of wild weekend messages
America’s nincompoop-in-chief warned Iran on Sunday it faced imminent “total decimation,” one day after he gave the country’s theocratic regime 48 hours to “FULLY OPEN” the Strait of Hormuz. Hours later, Donald claimed he was postponing strikes on Iranian power plants for five days due to the success of “ongoing meetings and discussions.” Trump’s whipsaw approach to conducting his ~~war~~ little excursion in the Middle East seems hellbent on keeping everyone guessing, including himself. Global markets, shockingly, have not responded kindly. Also, wouldn’t this be, like, the third time we’ve totally decimated Iran in nine months? How do they keep getting undecimated, anyway?

Take to the streets on March 28th and remind Trump that we have NO KINGS!
No Kings: It’s year #2 of Trump’s second term, and his authoritarian impulses are growing worse and worse by the day. It’s vital that we keep on the public pressure and remind him that America has NO KINGS, NO THRONES, AND NO CROWNS! Massive rallies are once again being planned for March 28th. Will you take to the streets and stand up against Trump’s tyranny? Click here to register for a No Kings event near you!

Israeli soldiers reportedly torture one-year-old child in Gaza to force confessions from his father
Israeli soldiers subjected a one-year-old child in central Gaza to torture to pressure his father into making confessions during an interrogation, Palestine TV reported, citing Palestinian journalist Osama Al-Kahlout. The outlet aired footage showing injuries to the child, identified as Karim, after he was detained by Israeli forces near the Al-Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza. While taking his child to buy supplies, Osama Abu Nassar was caught up in gunfire near his home and was forced by Israeli soldiers to leave his 18-month-old son on the ground and approach a nearby military checkpoint, where he was stripped and interrogated. IDF troops then allegedly tortured the child in front of his father, including burning one of his legs with cigarettes and inserting a nail into his leg, as confirmed by a medical report. The child was released about 10 hours later and handed over to his family through the International Committee of the Red Cross in Al-Maghazi, while the father remains in Israeli detention.