Trumpism
PART VIII
September 25, 2025
Trump Signs EO to Eliminate
Radical Left Political Terrorism
Sep 25, 2025
Trump Calls for Arrests After U.N. Escalatorgate
Donald Trump said he was the victim of âsabotageâ after an escalator at the United Nations stopped working the moment that he and his wife Melania stepped on, forcing the President to walk up one flight of steps.
âNot one, not two, but three very sinister eventsâ occurred at the U.N. General Assembly meeting in New York on Tuesday, Trump posted on Truth Social on Wednesday, also referencing an apparent issue with his teleprompter and the sound system when he spoke before the body. Footage of the escalator incident, which quickly circulated online, showed Trump looking around in confusion after the moving stairway jolted to a stop, before Melania in front of him walked up the escalator.
StĂŠphane Dujarric, a spokesperson for the U.N. Secretary-General, said that a White House videographer running backwards up the escalator ahead of Trump appeared to have âinadvertently triggeredâ the built-in stop safety mechanism at the top of the escalator. âThe safety mechanism is designed to prevent people or objects accidentally being caught and stuck in or pulled into the gearing,â Dujarric said in a note to correspondents.
But the global bodyâs assurances have not been enough to quell conspiracy theories that sprung up on social mediaâand that have been perpetuated by the White Houseâthat the malfunction was a deliberate attack by U.N. staffers on Trump.
Sept. 26, 2025
ICE Agents CAUGHT Attacking Legal, Peaceful U.S. Residents
An Iowa City resident was tackled and handcuffed by plainclothes officers identifying themselves as âfederal agents.â This is Trump’s America…
Christopher Hitchens Resurrected
September 27, 2027
Trump’s UN Speech Went Full DEMENTIA
What would Christopher Hitchens say about Donald Trumpâs disastrous performance at the United Nations General Assembly? In this satirical reimagining, Hitchens unleashes a scathing critique of a speech so absurd it left world leaders in stunned silence.
September 27, 2025
“Separation of Church and Hate” by John Fugelsang
Comedian, actor and biblical scholar John Fugelsang has published a remarkable book that will make you learn and laugh all at the same time. John’s book, Separation of Church and Hate: A Sane Person’s Guide to Taking Back the Bible from Fundamentalists, Fascists, and Flock-Fleecing Frauds, has spent multiple weeks on the New York Times best sellers list.
John Fugelsang has been murdered on CSI and picketed by the Westborough Baptist Church. He’s a Drama League-nominated actor, comedian, and broadcaster who hosted many TV shows and podcasts, including the acclaimed, “Tell Me Everything” series on SiriusXM Progress. He’s gotten George Harrison to give his final performance on VH1, debated Jerry Falwell Sr. and David Duke, and made many appearances across all cable news networks.
His epic PBS Road trip film on the American Dream, “Dream On”, directed by Roger Weisberg, was named Best Documentary at the New York City Independent Film Festival. John lives in New York City with his family.
September 27, 2025
âArrest the War Criminalâ: Thousands Protest
Netanyahu in NYC as He Addresses U.N.
Thousands of protesters took to the streets of New York on Friday in solidarity with Palestinians and to denounce Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he addressed the United Nations General Assembly.
Crowds marched from Times Square toward the U.N., chanting slogans demanding Netanyahuâs arrest for war crimes and an end to U.S. support for Israelâs genocide in Gaza.
Meanwhile, inside the U.N., the Israeli leader addressed a largely empty room as many countriesâ delegations walked out in protest.
Sept. 29, 2025
Ben Meiselas reports on Donald Trumpâs invasion
of cities across the United States which was
all caught on tape.
DEADLINE | WHITEHOUSE
September 29, 2025
âActing like jack booted thugsâ: Gov. JB Pritzker
slams Trumpâs Chicago military deployment
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker speaks live on MSNBC to discuss the latest developments in the city of Chicago as the Trump Administration continues to inflict chaos and fear with the deployment of armed border patrol agents and other federal law enforcement agents on the streets of Chicago.
American Gulag â Photo by Victor J. Blue
Sept. 29, 2025
Trump Sued By US State Over
âMilitary Takeoverâ | Deportation War Explodes
The state of Oregon has filed a lawsuit against Donald Trump, accusing him of abusing federal power and violating constitutional rights. The legal challenge follows tensions over federal agentsâ actions and Trumpâs broader approach to statesâ authority.
Sept. 29, 2025
Trump Is About To Shut It All Down
Here’s where we’re at: Donald Trump is so determined to raise your health insurance costs, heâs willing to shut down the government to do it.
âRemote Controlâ by Barry Blitt
The LAST WORD
September 29, 2025
Lawrence on deranged, vile Trump posts as govt.
shutdown looms: How do you negotiate with that man?
MSNBCâs Lawrence OâDonnell analyzes the unhinged, conspiracy theory-laden, cannabis-endorsing social media posts from the president of the United States as Democratic leaders in Congress push Republicans and the White House to reach a deal – that will preserve health care savings for millions of Americans – ahead of a looming government shutdown.
September 30, 2025
Sen. Whitehouse Questions Trump’s Mental Acuity
and the “Equal Parts Gangster and Gong Show” DOJ
September 29 | Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) joins MSNBC’s The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell to discuss President Trump’s push for a government shutdown and the weaponization of the Department of Justice.
Sheldon Whitehouse represents Rhode Island in the U.S. Senate, where he champions policies to uphold American leadership in the world, protect our planet in a changing climate, and hold the powerful accountable.
October 2, 2025
Inside the religious MAGA sect that
believes Trump was anointed by God
âThey would do a civil war if they could.â
Times Radio’s Jo Crawford traveled to Nebraska to investigate a fringe evangelical sect that believes the US is in the midst of a spiritual war and Donald Trump was anointed by God.
Times Radio has contacted FlashPoint and Lord of Hosts church for comment and is awaiting their response.
The Briefing
October 2, 2025
‘Unhinged and unwell’: Apparent degradation of
Trump’s mental state raises alarms
As public displays of Donald Trump’s erratic behavior seem to be increasing in frequency and intensity, and the stakes for the fate of the country seem increasingly dire, more public figures are speaking out about whether Trump is not well enough to serve.
Rep. Madeleine Dean, who was caught on camera confronting House Speaker Mike Johnson about Trump’s condition, talks with Jen Psaki about her concerns.
October 4, 2025
Norman Finkelstein: Trump plan has no
connection to reality in Gaza | UpFront
President Trump has released a Gaza âpeaceâ plan that would put Gaza under a Trump-chaired âBoard of Peaceâ. While some in the international community have welcomed the move, some question the fact that it bypasses Palestinians and offers no path to statehood. So, with Netanyahu pledging not to fully withdraw from Gaza, will this deal bring genuine peace or cement the status quo?
This week on an UpFront special, Marc Lamont Hill speaks with one of the worldâs foremost experts on the Israel-Palestine conflict, Norman Finkelstein.
October 4, 2025
Ex-National Guard Major General Warns ‘We Are One Trigger Pull Away’ From Another Kent State Tragedy
During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday, former congressman and National Guard Major General, William Enyart criticized President Trump’s deployment of National Guard soldiers to major cities.
October 6, 2025
Mad King Donald reveals what’s driving
his Portland obsession â and it’s just insane
By Robert Reich – Commentary
When over the weekend federal Judge Karin Immergut (a Trump appointee) blocked Trump from deploying Oregonâs National Guard to Portland, Trump said she âshould be ashamed of herselfâ because âPortland is burning to the ground.â
Trump promptly ordered the California National Guard to Portland.
Apart from the obvious question of how Trump can so blatantly defy a federal judge, thereâs a deeper puzzle here. Where did he get the idea Portland is burning to the ground?
Nine days ago, when Trump first threatened to send troops to Portland, Oregonâs governor, Tina Kotek, told him there was no reason.
âHe thinks there are elements here creating an insurrection,â Kotek said after her call with Trump. âI told him there is no insurrection here and that we have this under control.â
Trump responded to Kotek this way:
âI said, âWell wait a minute, am I watching things on television that are different from whatâs happening? ⌠They are literally attacking and there are fires all over the place ⌠it looks like terrible.â
Why the factual discrepancy between what Governor Kotek told Trump about Portland and what he believed was happening there?
In the suit seeking an injunction to stop Trump from sending troops to Portland, which Judge Immergut granted, the state of Oregon alleged that Trump relied on videoclips from Portland protests over the murder of George Floyd that took place in 2020.
October 7, 2025
Epstein’s Elite Friends Are Way Sicker
Than We Thought [Full Overview]
When you zoom out on the Jeffrey Epstein story, itâs not just about him. Itâs about the people around him â presidents, princes, billionaires, spies, girlfriends, enablers, and family members.
The scandals werenât confined to a creepy townhouse or a private island. They stretched from Buckingham Palace to the White House, from Wall Street boardrooms to MI6 briefing rooms.
So today, weâre connecting the dots. From Trump to Clinton, Prince Andrew to Ghislaine, Wexner to mysterious girlfriends who vanished â this is the full cast of characters who made Epsteinâs world possible, and in some cases, who paid the price.
October 9, 2025
Why the Founding Fathers’ Warnings Are Coming True
Today, with Atlantic EIC Jeffrey Goldberg
Our nationâs founders built a system to guard against human ego and corruption. In 2025, that system is under siege. I talked with Atlantic editor-in-chief (and SignalGate-veteran) Jeffrey Goldberg about the magazineâs monumental new issue, The Unfinished Revolution, which asks whether the American experiment can survive its latest stress test: Donald Trump.
Itâs a conversation about history repeating itself, the precious fragility of democracy, and why the people who established this nation might be horrified by where itâs headed.
October 9, 2025
Who Owns America? Bernie Sanders Says
the Quiet Part Out Loud
Senator Bernie Sanders joins Trevor to discuss what the heck is going on in America right now (hint: itâs oligarchy).
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Pete Seeger: Which Side Are You On? (Live in Sweden 1968)
ALL IN with Chris Hayes
October 10, 2025
Dangerous new MAGA lie: Republicans
SMEAR peaceful protesters as âterroristsâ
âTrump and the MAGA cronies know there are likely to be millions of people in the streets on October 18th for the No Kings protests. And so their strategy is to preemptively paint patriotic, dissenting Americans as literal terrorists,â says Chris Hayes.
October 10, 2025
Kristi Noem and Trump Compare Non-Violent ‘Antifa’ to ISIS and Hamas in New Crackdown on Opponents.
The Trump regime is intensifying its campaign against left-wing activism that opposes its own rhetoric. At a White House roundtable, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem compared antifa to ISIS, Hamas, and Hezbollahâcalling them âjust as dangerous.â
Days earlier, President Trump signed an executive order declaring antifa a âdomestic terrorist organization,â despite experts saying the non-violent movement has no central leadership or structure.
DEADLINE | WHITEHOUSE
October 10, 2025
Religious leaders speak out about being attacked
while protesting ICE in their communities
Reverend David Black, Minister of the First Presbyterian Church of Chicago who was shot in the head with pepper balls while praying in front of an ICE facility and Reverend Quincy Worthington, Pastor of Highland Park Presbyterian Church who has also been at the protests and endured pepper bullets and tear gas while there, join Nicolle Wallace on Deadline White House to discuss their experiences while protesting against ICE presences in their communities.
October 11, 2025
Nobel Peace Prize winner supports Israel’s genocide
and Trump’s war on Venezuela
The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Maria Corina Machado, a far-right Venezuelan coup-plotter who has long been funded by the US government. She strongly supports Israel as it commits genocide against the Palestinian people, and she is at the center of Donald Trump’s war on Venezuela, pushing for regime change against President NicolĂĄs Maduro.
Ben Norton exposes the ugly truth.
October 11, 2025
If a President Goes Rogue, What Does the Military Do?
As President Trump orders the Texas National Guard into Chicago, America stands poised on the brink of a constitutional crisis. With troops already stationed in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., critics charge that the president is wielding the military as a political weapon.
At the same time, Trump is reshaping the upper ranks of the armed forces, sidelining those who have challenged his authority. Authoritarianism and democracy look more finely balanced than at any time in living memory.
So, how far does presidential power truly extend when it comes to deploying soldiers on home soil? And to whom do Americaâs generals ultimately answer?
Hosts: Tom Newton Dunn & General Sir Patrick Sanders
Times News is home to the latest UK and world news videos from The Times and The Sunday Times.
The General & The Journalist I PODCAST
October 11, 2025
âThis Is How Democracies Dieâ: Sen Chris Murphy
Exposes Trumpâs Authoritarian Plan for Dictatorship.
U.S. Senator Chris Murphy spoke on the floor of the U.S. Senate to lay out President Trumpâs plan to convert the United States from a representative democracy into an authoritarian state.
October 12, 2025
Documentary argues George Orwell’s greatest fears are materializing
George Orwell’s writings warning of the dangers of totalitarian and authoritarian states gave the English language the term “Orwellian.” A new documentary called “Orwell: 2+2=5â argues that Orwell’s greatest fears are coming true.
William Brangham talked with director Raoul Peck about his new film, which is in theaters nationwide.
October 12, 2025
Ex-spymaster on how China hacks the U.S.
Retired Gen. Tim Haugh, the former head of the NSA, warns that China is targeting the U.S. military, industry and also Americaâs critical infrastructure. He believes he knows why it’s happening.
October 13, 2025
Investigating how crypto is making the Trumps
hundreds of millions | Four Corners Documentary
US President Donald Trump has long boasted of his wealth. Is he now using his office to enrich himself and his family?
The vast network of foreign deals, hotels and cryptocurrency that is business as usual for the Trumps is unlike anything the US has ever seen from a president.
The White House says Trump is abiding by the rules and stepped back from his business ventures while in office. But critics argue the way the President mixes business and politics threatens the very foundations of American democracy.
This week on Four Corners, the ABCâs Americas Editor John Lyons and a team of journalists interrogate just how this plethora of business activities have opened Trump up to accusations of profiting from the presidency, and conflicts of interest.
Lyonsâ questions to Trump about his business deals were met with a rebuke that made headlines around the world. “Your leader is coming over to see me very soon. Iâm going to tell him about you,â Trump warned Lyons.
October 15, 2015
The Last Days of the Pentagon Press Corps
I’ve been evicted from a building I’ve covered for 18 years. I’ll keep doing my job anyway.
THE FIRST PERSON I saw when I walked into the Pentagon for the final time was Jimmy. I donât even know his last name, but I know his story. Before he started work at the labyrinthine headquarters of Americaâs armed forces, he was a medic with the Marines. For the past 21 years, he has been a building police officer and an unofficial, affable greeter. Jimmy only told me about his military career in 2021, the morning after 13 troops were killed in a suicide bombing at the entrance of the Kabul airport amid the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Everyone talked about the 11 Marines killed that day, but Jimmy remembered the one Navy corpsman among them, a medic who, like him, had been assigned to travel with the unit, just in case.
For nearly two decades, Jimmy stood guard beside two large mosaics showing the faces of the nearly 3,000 people killed in the September 11, 2001, attacks. The displays came down during the pandemic, a symbol of a nation that had moved on from the War on Terror and was beginning to focus on new threats. Last month, President Donald Trump told troops that the countryâs adversary was âthe enemy within.â
Nearly all of the Pentagon press corps is leaving the building this week, barred from working there under restrictions imposed by the Trump administration. My fellow journalists and I will continue to do our jobs, reporting on the U.S. military in every way we know how. But something is lost when the leadership of the Department of Defense chooses to close itself off to scrutiny in the way it has. On the most basic level, the public loses access to information it has a right to know, along with the right to ask questions of those entrusted with spending nearly $1 trillion from taxes and managing 3 million employees. But something intangible is lost too, including the privilege of meeting people like Jimmy, whose names may never appear in print but who are essential to how we understand the U.S. military. Before I had even crossed the vestibule to enter the building this morning, I was thinking about the stories I would no longer hear, the people I would never meet.
WASHINGTON WEEK with The Atlantic
Full episode, October 17, 2025
Buoyed by the belief that he brought peace to the Middle East, President Trump is trying to end Russiaâs war on Ukraine. But at home, heâs waging war on domestic critics, engaging in a prosecution campaign without precedent.
Join moderator Jeffrey Goldberg, Nancy Youssef and Anne Applebaum of The Atlantic, Stephen Hayes of The Dispatch and Tyler Pager of The New York Times.
October 17, 2025
Russell Vought: The Shadow President
Russell Vought is one of the most powerful people in the Trump administration. For almost three decades, he worked in Congress and held prominent roles at conservative think tanks.
But he was little known outside of political circles. Heâs now the director of the White House Office of Management and Budget and the chief architect of President Donald Trumpâs campaign to radically reduce the size of the federal bureaucracy.
In this video, ProPublica reporter Andy Kroll tells the story of Voughtâs rise from a young staffer for Texas Sen. Phil Gramm to his role as the driving force behind Trumpâs plan to dismantle the so-called âadministrative state.â
Vought declined to be interviewed. Krollâs account is drawn from dozens of interviews, thousands of pages of documents and hours of videos and recordings of Voughtâs briefings to supporters, including one where Vought says he wanted to put federal workers âin trauma.â
Read Krollâs profile of Vought, co-published with The New Yorker: propublica.org/article/russ-vought-trump-shadow-president
October 17, 2025
Brooks and Capehart on Trump commuting
George Santos’ prison sentence
New York Times columnist David Brooks and Jonathan Capehart of MSNBC join Amna Nawaz to discuss the week in politics, including President Trump commuting the sentence of former GOP Rep. George Santos, the government shutdown enters its third week as Trump shows no signs of wanting to negotiate, the Young Republicansâ hateful group chat, and reporters refusing the Pentagon’s new press rules.
October 17, 2025
“Cold-Blooded Murder”: David Cole on Trump’s
Boat Attacks & CIA Covert Action in Venezuela
There are growing questions over the legality of U.S. strikes on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean. âThese are sitting ducks, and we are simply engaged in cold-blooded murder of individuals who may or may not be drug smugglers,â says David Cole, professor at the Georgetown University Law Center.
Cole says that President Trump is âcommitting homicideâ by killing people without trial. âThese individuals who have now been sent to the bottom of the sea by this president, if they were tried, at most, would face a sentence of some period of years,â says Cole. âThere would be no death penalty authorized under the Constitution for these individuals, even assuming theyâre guilty.â
This comes as Trump has authorized the CIA to carry out covert operations inside Venezuela aimed at regime change, raising fears of a military confrontation between the two countries.
October 18, 2025
Are the “No King” protests putting
Donald Trump under real pressure?
Large crowds across the US are joining rallies against the Trump administration. More than 2,500 protests under the banner of the ‘No Kings’ movement are taking place. The protesters say they are standing up against Donald Trump’s authoritarian policies, accusing him of believing his rule is absolute. Top Republicans have condemned the gatherings, calling them ‘Hate America’ rallies.
The Resistance
Sep 20, 2025
Folk Protest Song Against Trump, MAGA, and Fascism
Oct 9, 2025
A Patriotic Protest Anthem for Freedom, Justice, and Love
Oct 11, 2025
A Modern Protest Anthem for No Kings Day
Stand Up for Democracy and Freedom
Oct 19, 2025
“The Big, Scary Radical Left Agenda”
Hilarious Anti-Trump Parody Song About MAGA Fearmongering
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John D. Cundle
Oct 11, 2025
“No Kings”
A Satirical Protest Anthem
for Freedom and Democracy
Oct 16, 2025
“The People vs. The Pretender (United We Stood)”
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scaredketchup
Oct 18, 2025
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Shirley Serban
June 17, 2025
Oct 19, 2025
“Conman”
Truthdig
October 18, 2025
Donald Trump and Fox News were humiliated on live TV by the massive, peaceful No Kings protests nationwide.
October 18, 2025
Millions TURN OUT for No Kings
Oct. 18, 2025
âWe Are The Majorityâ: Watch Mehdiâs
Rousing Speech at the No Kings Protest in DC
Millions across the United States gathered together on Saturday, October 18 to oppose the Trump administrationâs authoritarian agenda in a second-round of âNo Kingsâ protests.
There are over 2,500 demonstrations across all 50 states, including Washington, DC where our editor-in-chief Mehdi Hasan spoke slamming Donald Trump on his military takeover of Democrat-led cities across the U.S., while also calling out his Gaza âpeace-plan.â
October 18, 2025
MAGA Rages As “No Kings Protest”
Erupts Across The Nation
Really American host Tony Hinderman breaks down the “No Kings” Protests erupting across the country causing MAGA to freak out and for the Trump administration to look for any distraction possible!
October 18, 2025
Bernie Sanders Leads âNo Kingsâ Rally,
Warns Trump Against Authoritarian Rule in America
At a massive âNo Kingsâ rally, Bernie Sanders slammed Trumpâs autocratic tendencies and tech billionaires like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. Supported by AOC, Hillary Clinton, and senior Democrats, the protests saw thousands nationwide demanding that âthe people, not kings, ruleâ in America, highlighting the fight against authoritarianism.
October 19, 2025
Fired Justice Department lawyer blows the whistle
on what he describes as abuses of power at the DOJ
Former Justice Department lawyer Erez Reuveni speaks out about the disregard of due process and for the rule of law that he says he witnessed in his final weeks at the Department of Justice.
REPORTS
October 19, 2025
âTrump completely unleashedâ: Armed Services
Dem Rep. torches GOP over seventh
Caribbean boat strike
There are no signs of a bipartisan deal on Capitol Hill to end the government shutdown ahead of a Senate vote on the latest suggested spending bill.
Also, President Trump announced on social media another strike on a boat in the Caribbean, offering no proof it was intended for smuggling drugs.
Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), ranking member of the Armed Services Committee, joins Alex Witt to discuss the shutdown and military strikes.
October 19, 2025
Trumpâs Shouting Match With Zelensky In Oval:
Donbas Ultimatum, Putin Shadow Revealed
According to a Financial Times report, a recent White House meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky turned tense and confrontational. Trump reportedly urged Zelensky to accept Russiaâs terms for ending the conflict, insisting on the surrender of the Donbas region.
The meeting included heated exchanges and moments when Trump discarded battlefield maps, expressing frustration, as per FT report. Zelensky rejected any suggestion of ceding territory, reaffirming his commitment to defending Ukraineâs sovereignty.
October 19, 2025
Who Was Charlie Kirk? | BBC Documentary
Conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot dead in Utah. But what shaped his views and how did he rise to become one of the most important right-wing influencers in the United States?
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
October 20, 2025
7M Attend Peaceful “No Kings” Rallies
Trump Dumps On Times Square
George Santos Is A Free Man
The GOP’s warnings about violence at Saturday’s “No Kings” rallies proved unwarranted, President Trump posted an AI video that depicts him doing vile things to protestors in New York City, and former Congressman George Santos was released from prison after the president commuted his sentence for wire fraud and identity theft.
October 21, 2025
Rick Strom: Are these Donald Trump’s
dumbest supporters out there?
October 21, 2025
Trump-Zelensky Lunch Turns Heated | Shouting
Match Erupts During Diplomatic Meeting
A routine diplomatic lunch between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reportedly turned into a shouting match, according to multiple sources. The tense encounter highlights rising friction between the two leaders amid ongoing geopolitical discussions.
Details of the incident suggest that disagreements over policy and strategy quickly escalated into a verbal confrontation during what was supposed to be a cordial meeting. This unprecedented clash between the heads of state has sparked questions about U.S.-Ukraine relations and the impact on ongoing negotiations and support mechanisms.
October 21, 2025
How the Rich Legalized Corruption
in America (w/ David Sirota)
David Sirota, founder and editor-in-chief of The Lever, joins Current Affairs Editor-in-Chief Nathan J. Robinson to discuss his new book Master Plan: The Hidden Plot to Legalize Corruption in America. They trace how corporate America seized control of U.S. politics, from the Powell Memo and Watergate to the rise of the Heritage Foundation, Roger Ailes, and the corporate capture of the courts.
October 21, 2025
The Rise of RFK Jr. (full documentary)
How Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the scion of a storied dynasty, endured tragedy and scandal, broke with the Democratic Party and his family, stoked conspiracy theories, and is reshaping government and public health.
October 21, 2025
âWe Are Under Attackâ: Rep. Delia Ramirez on
Immigration Crackdown in Chicago,
Govât Shutdown & More
“We are under attack by our own federal government,” says Democratic Congressmember for Illinois Delia Ramirez about Trump’s immigration crackdown in Chicago.
“What we’re seeing is an agency that has gone rogue, that has been emboldened and that thinks they’re above the law.” She urges Americans to report and record ICE activity to strengthen future legal battles, “because what ICE is stating and what we’re seeing in the community in the streets is inconsistent.”
Congressmember Ramirez also comments on the ongoing federal government shutdown, which she calls “a clear embodiment of Donald Trump’s leadership: starve and let people die while the billionaires and his cronies enrich themselves,” the Republican leadership’s continued refusal to swear in new Democratic Congressmember-elect Adelita Grijalva, and the Trump-backed Gaza ceasefire.
October 22, 2025
Psychologist: Trump’s Cognitive Collapse is Clear
Dr. John Gartner joins Joanna Coles to assess the unraveling of Donald Trumpâs mind.
The clinical psychologist and former Johns Hopkins professor, who warned early about Trumpâs âmalignant narcissism,â now says the president shows clear signs of cognitive decline, comparing his confusion and grandiosity to dictators in their final stages.
Coles presses Gartner on whether Trumpâs dementia makes him more dangerous or simply more delusional, and what that means for the remainder of Trump’s second term and beyond. Is America being led by a man losing touch with reality, or is Trump still cunning enough to conceal his growing symptoms?
October 23, 2025
INTERVIEW: Hakeem Jeffries on Trump
making crime against Democrats âlegalâ
October 25, 2025
Was LAST WEEK Trump’s Point of No Return?
After a week away, I return to reflect on what may be remembered as the most revealing week of Donald Trumpâs second term â a week where he pardoned allies, mocked peaceful protesters with AI war porn, escalated military violence without congressional approval, and demolished the East Wing of the White House to build a gilded ballroom.
In this episode, I argue that Trump has fully embraced his most dangerous instincts â no longer pretending to serve the nation, but ruling with the boldness of a king gone mad. From authoritarian theater to reality distortion, weâre witnessing the unraveling in real time.
The Briefing
October 29, 2025
Assembly of Trump’s ‘clown car Cabinet’ was
even more ridiculous than you thought: book
Jen Psaki relays reporting from Retribution: Donald Trump and The Campaign That Changed America, the new book from Jonathan Karl, ABC News chief White House correspondent, which offers a look behind the scenes at how Donald Trump put together a Cabinet full of wildly unqualified sycophants.
October 29, 2025
Inside Americaâs Immigration Crackdown
Terry Moran reports from Chicago, where ICE raids, legal battles, and community resistance have turned the city into the frontline of a national crisis.
From parents afraid to take their kids to school to priests turned away from detention centers, The Battle for Chicago captures the human, political, and moral stakes of Americaâs immigration crackdown â and what it reveals about power, fear, and freedom in our country.
October 30, 2025
Ben Folds on taking a stand for artistic freedom
after Trump’s Kennedy Center takeover
Ben Foldsâ piano-powered pop music earned him a large following and made him one of the most respected songwriters of his generation. He also held an influential role in classical music as artistic advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra.
Folds resigned after President Trumpâs takeover of the Kennedy Center. Amna Nawaz spoke with him for our series, Art in Action, as part of our CANVAS coverage.
October 30, 2025
Trump is using HUNGRY FAMILIES as Sick Political Leverage
Nov. 2, 2025
President Trump | Guinness Book of Records
First, President Donald Trump: The 2025 60 Minutes Interview.
Then, a look at the strict system behind certifying record attempts at Guinness World Records.
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Trump’s extended 60 Minutes interview
November 3, 2025
Trump Throws “Great Gatsby” Party at Mar-a-Lago
as Food Stamps End for Millions
President Trump held a lavish Great Gatsby-themed Halloween party at Mar-a-Lago Friday, just hours before an estimated 42 million people lost SNAP benefits across the country.
Kirk Curnutt, the executive director of the international F. Scott Fitzgerald Society, says that while “Gatsby is famous for its lavish party scenes, [what] people often miss is that the entire thrust of the book is to critique that conspicuous consumption and the wastage that goes on in these sorts of events.”
November 3, 2025
American Woman ASSAULTED By ICE
U.S. citizen Dayanne Figueroa was ripped out of her car by ICE and violently detained in Chicago. Cenk Uygur and Sharon Reed discuss on The Young Turks.
November 4, 2025
Sen. Durbin Exposes DHS âDream Teamâ â
Innocent Woman Kidnapped in Broad Daylight
Senator Dick Durbin delivers a powerful and emotional speech condemning the Department of Homeland Security after ICE agents detained an innocent Chicago woman, Dianne Figueroa, without cause or due process. Caught on video, the shocking incident reveals a disturbing abuse of power under the guise of law enforcement.
Durbin calls it what it is â a âmockery of the Constitution.â This Liberal Lens breakdown explores what this means for civil liberties, immigration justice, and the rule of law in America.
Nov. 4, 2025
ICE increase weapons spending 700%.
What they bought is âterrifying.â
November 5, 2025
Trump’s Top 10 Lies on 60 Minutes, in 10 Minutes
November 6, 2025
“My Community Is Under Invasion”:
Evanston Mayor Decries ICE Raids in Illinois
Amid federal immigration raids in the Chicagoland area, the mayor of one Chicago suburb is on the frontlines of the anti-ICE protest movement.
Mayor Daniel Biss says what he has seen of federal immigration raids in Evanston, Illinois, amounts to an “invasion from our own federal government.” His office is now launching investigations into reports of federal agents brutalizing and threatening community members. “They appear to have just started beating people up for no reason,” Biss says. “If that was anybody except for a federal agent, they would be under arrest.”
November 6, 2025
Sen. Durbin Again Calls For Secretary Noem To
Testify In Front Of The Senate Judiciary Committee
November 7, 2025
Hillsboro teenâs emotional testimony on
immigration enforcementâs toll goes viral
A Hillsboro teenagerâs emotional account of how immigration enforcement is affecting his own family and community has gone viral after he spoke at the Hillsboro City Council meeting earlier this week.
November 7, 2025
Karoline Leavitt Is Sicker Than We Thought
This is the story of how inexperience, ambition, and blind loyalty turned one young press secretary into the perfect mouthpiece for a post-truth presidency.
November 7, 2025
How Dick Cheney Worked to Expand Executive Power
Cheney’s Law (full documentary)
Following former Vice President Dick Cheneyâs death at age 84, watch this 2007 documentary tracing the behind-closed-doors battle Cheney waged within the George W. Bush administration over the power of the presidency and the rule of law.
For three decades, Dick Cheney had been an advocate of granting the president virtually unlimited wartime power. In the aftermath of the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, with Cheney as George W. Bushâs vice president, the Justice Department and the White House made a number of controversial legal decisions. Orchestrated by Cheney and his lawyer David Addington, the department interpreted executive power in an expansive and extraordinary way, granting Bush the power to detain, interrogate, torture, wiretap and spy â without congressional approval or judicial review.
In âCheneyâs Law,â a documentary by Michael Kirk and his team, FRONTLINE examined the battle over the power of the presidency and Cheneyâs way of looking at the Constitution. As the White House and Congress faced off over executive privilege, the terrorist surveillance program, and the firing of U.S. attorneys, FRONTLINE told the story of what formed Cheneyâs perspectives and what some at the time viewed as the most ambitious project to reshape the power of the president in American history.
November 7, 2025
ELON MUSK Admits To The Biggest Lie
Told About Social Security
Every few months, the same false stories come back â from â16 million 120-year-olds on Social Securityâ to â$1 billion in Medicaid for undocumented immigrants.â These claims sound shocking, but theyâre simply not true.
In this video, Dr. Ed Weir â former Social Security Administration manager and MyGovExpert founder â breaks down where these myths come from, why they spread, and how theyâre used to justify cuts that hurt Americaâs most vulnerable: seniors, the disabled, and low-income families.
November 7, 2025
How Bribery Was LEGALIZED in America
Q: âMoney and politics is the root of all evil in American politics today, right?â
A: âYour housing prices are unacceptably high. Your rent is unacceptably high. Your health care costs are unacceptably high because of corruption. Corruption is why the Congress and the government has not only not dealt with those problems, but is actually in many cases on the side of those who are creating those problems. It’s the money flowing into the system.â
David Sirota, editor-in-chief of The Lever, joins Mehdi Hasan to discuss his new book Master Plan: The Hidden Plot to Legalize Corruption in America. In Sirotaâs book, he uncovers a hidden plan created by wealthy conservatives to make bribery a constitutionally-protected form of speech. The two also dive into the NYC mayoral debate, SCOTUS reform, and AIPAC.
November 8, 2025
DOJ’s Fatal Delay: Why Garland Waited Too Long on Trump
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists Carol Leonnig and Aaron Davis reveal the shocking inside story of what really happened at the Justice Department after January 6th.
You’ll discover the critical decision Merrick Garland made that changed everythingâand why the people who worked for him saw it as a devastating mistake. What they uncovered about Trump, the FBI, and the future of American justice will leave you stunned.
The Weekend
Nov. 9, 2025
George Conway: Trump is “only going to get worse” after
election day thrashing
Tuesday’s electoral wins for Democrats suggest that voters are souring on Donald Trump. A recent poll shows Trump’s approval at its lowest point so far in his second term while Democrats are showing renewed enthusiasm.
Conservative attorney George Conway joins The Weekend: Primetime to discuss.
Nov. 10, 2025
Trump pardons Rudy Giuliani and others who
backed efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss
WASHINGTON (AP) â President Donald Trump has pardoned his former personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, his onetime chief of staff Mark Meadows and others accused of backing the Republicanâs efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
The âfull, complete, and unconditionalâ pardon for dozens of Trump allies are largely symbolic. It applies only to federal crimes, and none of the people named in the proclamation were ever charged federally over the bid to subvert the election won by Democrat Joe Biden. It doesnât affect state charges, though state prosecutions stemming from the 2020 election have hit a dead end or are just limping along.
The move, however, underscores Trumpâs continued efforts to promote the idea that the 2020 election was stolen from him even though courts around the country and Trumpâs own attorney general at the time found no evidence of fraud that could have affected the outcome. Reviews, recounts and audits of the election in the battleground states where Trump contested his loss also affirmed Bidenâs victory.
Trumpâs recent action follows the sweeping pardons of the hundreds of Trump supporters charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, including those convicted of attacking law enforcement.
Ed Martin, the Department of Justiceâs point-man on pardons and a former lawyer for Jan. 6 defendants, linked his announcement of the pardons to a post on X that read âNo MAGA left behind.â
Nov. 10, 2025
Remove, Impeach, Convict! | The Battle Cry Against
MAGA & Trump | 2025 Protest Song
Feel the power of the resistance with “Remove, Impeach, Convict,” the definitive battle cry anthem written for the November 2025 “Remove The Regime Protests” in Washington, D.C.
This fiery track speaks directly to those who dislike Trump and are actively resisting the authoritarian tactics of the current administration, the MAGA movement, and complicit Republicans in Congress.
With lyrics focusing on justice, truth, and reclaiming American governanceâusing phrases like “The wheel of justice turns!” and “We are the weavers of this land”âthis song galvanizes listeners to stand strong. If you are part of the anti-Trump movement and are searching for a powerful, unifying musical expression of your political commitment to restoring democracy, this track is your soundtrack for change.
November 11, 2025
Even the FBI Didn’t Have Clearance to Stolen
Documents Trump Took to Mar-a-Lago
Donald Trump didn’t just take any classified information with him to Mar-a-Lago, he took national security secrets at such a high level of classification that even the top FBI agents were not allowed to know they existed.
If it was anyone but Trump, they would be arrested for this.
November 12, 2025
New Emails Link Trump to Epstein Crimes
#Breaking #News: Newly released emails from the House Oversight Committee show Jeffrey Epstein claimed Trump âknew about the girlsâ and spent hours with one victim. The White House calls it a smear, while Rep. Garcia promises that more evidence is coming.
The 11th Hour
Nov. 12, 2025
‘Chilling’: Trump’s pressure campaign to
prevent Epstein files vote fails
Newly-released emails that show Jeffrey Epstein talking about Trump have put the Epstein files back into the spotlight, as Speaker Johnson says the House will take a vote on releasing the full files next week.
Vaughn Hillyard, Philip Bump, Max Rose, and Mark McKinnon join Stephanie Ruhle for The 11th Hour Nightcap.
The Briefing
Nov. 13, 2025
‘A SLAP IN THE FACE’: Family members rage at
Trump defenders hijacking Epstein victim’s remarks
Donald Trump and his defenders have responded to the newly released tranche of Jeffrey Epstein documents by seeking to discredit any references to Trump that they contain, including by exposing the redacted name of Epstein victim Virginia Roberts Giuffre and treating her cherry-picked remarks as if they exonerate Trump of any wrongdoing.
Sky and Amanda Roberts, Giuffre’s brother and sister-in-law, talk with Jen Psaki about their outrage at Trump defenders trying to hijack her story for their political purposes while ignoring the crimes and the survivors seeking justice.
November 13, 2025
Epstein Survivor’s Trump Story
A brave Epstein survivor comes forward with chilling details that directly tie Donald Trump into the orbit heâs spent years denying â and the moment her story hits daylight, the Trump White House, DOJ insiders, and MAGA loyalists scramble into full-blown panic mode as Democrats move to force the remaining Epstein files into the open. Jayar Jackson breaks it down.
November 13, 2025
Trump Fumes As New Mar-a-Lago Scandal Exposed His HYPOCRISY
November 13, 2025
Inside Epstein’s Vault: Private Plans & Political Secrets
Twenty-thousand pages of newly released Jeffrey Epstein documents are shaking Washington â revealing private emails, political connections, and shocking references to some of the worldâs most powerful figures.
The House Oversight Committeeâs latest âEpstein doc dumpâ includes never-before-seen communications between Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, and high-profile names â including President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton, Steve Bannon, and even global leaders.
Law&Crimeâs Jesse Weber breaks down the biggest revelations from the 20,000-page dump.
Nov. 14, 2025
The Shocking Reason Epstein Thought Trump Was Crazy
What could a man possibly have done for someone as notorious as Jeffrey Epstein to call him âdirtyâ and âinsaneâ? Well, Donald Trump might have some insight on that.
Nov. 15, 2025
Chris Murphy: This May Be The Biggest Scandal in
Presidential History
Sam Stein is joined by Sen. Chris Murphy live in Austin, TX to talk the Epstein files fight, Trumpâs threats to democracy and abuse of pardons, shutdown politics, and how Democrats should respond. Plus, an audience Q&A on AI, gun violence, and rebuilding a broad pro-democracy coalition.
November 16, 2025
Shocking Video of Trump’s Teen Victim
Resurfaces at Worst Moment
Nov. 16, 2025
Trump Haunted by Jack Smith as Mar-a-Lago
Investigation Resurfaces
In Part 2 of 2, Court of History’s Sidney Blumenthal & Sean Wilentz are joined by Aaron Davis and Carol Leonnig to discuss their groundbreaking new book Injustice: How Politics and Fear Vanquished America’s Justice Department.
They break down Jack Smithâs work and the deeper truths emerging from the Mar-a-Lago investigation. A sharp, revealing conversation that connects reporting, history, and the stakes of this moment.
Nov. 17, 2025
We’re Already Living Under Authoritarianism
(featuring George Packer)
Sam Harris speaks with George Packer about American democracy and authoritarianism. They discuss Packer’s article “America’s Zombie Democracy,” the erosion of democratic institutions, the Justice Department’s independence, Congressional dysfunction, the weaponization of the military, Trump’s unprecedented corruption, the public’s failure to recognize democratic collapse, shamelessness as political superpower, the role of hypocrisy, potential threats to the 2026 midterm elections, hyperpartisanship and the loss of shared reality, the mainstreaming of white nationalism on the right, the damage done by wokeness and identity politics on the left, the Epstein files as a potential breaking point for MAGA, the post-Trump Republican landscape, wealth inequality and economic pain as catalysts for change, the role of status in American politics, social media’s toxic effects on discourse, and other topics.
George Packer is an award-winning author and staff writer at The Atlantic. His books include The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America (winner of the National Book Award), The Assassinsâ Gate: America in Iraq, and Our Man: Richard Holbrooke and the End of the American Century (winner of the Hitchens Prize and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for biography). He is also the author of two novels and a play, and the editor of a two-volume edition of the essays of George Orwell.
Website: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374614720/theemergency
Making Sense Podcast: Episodes
Nov. 17, 2025
Trump’s insane speech at the McDonald’s Impact Summit
Nov. 18, 2025
Trump Lashes Out at Epstein Questions, Congress Votes
to Unleash the Files & Saudi Prince Visits WH
November 18, 2025
Brutal Ad Utterly Humiliates Trump
During Trump’s Meeting with Saudi Prince
Really American host Chip Franklin breaks down Trump cozying up to Mohammed bin Salman in the White House, in a stunning display of friendship with a tyrannical dictator!
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
November 18, 2025
Epstein Files Vote Is A Huge Loss For Trump | “Quiet, Piggy” | Dictator Besties | A Flying McDonaldâs
November 19, 2025
Newsom Attacks Trump Over Hateful ‘Piggy’ Comment &
Texas Judge Rules Against Redrawn Congressional Maps
Really American host Iago Lashua breaks down Gavin Newsom roasting Trump after he lashes out at a female reporter and reminded the world how misogynistic he truly is!
November 19, 2025
Trump Loses Battle to Conceal Epstein Files;
Greene Hits Back Over âTraitor” Nickname
Seth takes a closer look at Donald Trump losing his months-long battle to stop the release of the Epstein files after Congress passed a bill forcing the Justice Department to make them public.
Nov. 19, 2025
Epstein Victim’s Lawyer: Trump Shows ‘Guilty Conscience’
Over Files; as Epstein bill at White House
The 11th Hour
Nov. 19, 2025
‘An incredibly big shift.’ Trump says he signed
bill to release Epstein files
President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he signed the Epstein transparency bill, giving the Justice Department the green-light to make the Epstein files public.
Evan McMorris-Santoro, David Litt, and Paul Reickhoff react on The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle.
Nov. 19, 2025
Warns of DOJ Obstruction as Trump Signs
Epstein Files Bill
THE DAILY
JEFFREY, WHO? A
PLANE RIDE WITH
DONALD TRUMP
At work on a Profile of the then struggling real-estate mogul Donald Trump, Mark Singer took a plane ride with him and Ghislaine Maxwell, who called up a friend named Jeffrey. For decades, the scene stuck in Singerâs mind.
Ghislaine Maxwell and Donald Trump, in October of 1997
Photograph by Richard Corkery / NY Daily News Archive
Occasionally, I felt the need to protect a subject from himself. In the mid-eighties, I wrote about an art dealer who by his early thirties had become internationally well-known as a relentlessly competitive trader in antique atlases and maps, rare books, engraved prints, and eventually much more. He once invited me to accompany him to a meeting with a highly valued client provided that I pose as his employee. âWell, then, donât come,â he said when I declined. âI understand. Itâs a shame, though. Youâd get to see me when Iâm really excited.â The day the Profile was published, he called and said, âUnfortunately, youâre a really good writer. As I was reading, I thought, Gee, am I truly this much of an asshole, and realized, yeah, I probably am.â
Only once did I undertake a piece knowing full well that the result was unlikely to flatter. It never wouldâve occurred to me to write about Donald Trumpâwho, for starters, interested me not at allâbut when the assignment landed on my desk, in the fall of 1996, I lacked the leverage to refuse. Iâd spent much of the previous four yearsâtwo more than Iâd anticipatedâwriting a book about someone who, Iâd come to recognize, was a pathological liar and worse. One benefit of being lied to point-blank, at least, is that it can be a wonderful motivator, and across the years some of my most gratifying moments as a reporter have been spent with incorrigible dissemblers.
With Trump, I understood that my intelligence per se wasnât being insulted by the self-aggrandizing fictions that burbled from his lips; that was just the way the man spoke. I asked questions, listened carefully, and knew that my generally affable demeanor made no difference to Trump, who no doubt regarded me as a tool and otherwise a nonentity. This was the pre-âApprenticeâ Trump, his Atlantic City casinos struggling, his real-estate assets diminished, and his creditworthiness shredded by his cavalier overreaching and the shameless stiffing of his lenders. Naturally, he denied responsibility for his adversity and, in any event, insisted that he was making a comeback. I needed to understand how he conducted his business, how he managed to stay afloat in the wake of his serial bankruptcies. One possibility that never occurred to me in those days, to my everlasting regret, was that this prevaricating megalomaniac might someday blow up the Constitution.
November 20, 2025
Frederick Trump – The Immigrant Grandfather of Donald Trump – Documentary
Frederick Trump was a poor German barberâs son who crossed the Atlantic as a teenager and died a wealthy American businessman. In between, he chased the Gold Rush, ran hotels and brothels on the frontier, and laid the financial foundations for one of the most controversial political dynasties in modern history. This is the story of the immigrant who started the Trump dynasty.
In this full-length biographical documentary, we follow Frederick Trumpâs journey from Kallstadt in the Kingdom of Bavaria to the raw, lawless world of the American West and the Klondike Gold Rush. Long before Donald Trump entered politics or became a global celebrity, his grandfather was building the family fortune in an America of opportunity, corruption and rapid change.
If you are interested in the Trump family, watch our related biographies:
1. Fred Trump – Father of Donald Trump
2. The Trumps – The Family Behind the Name
Nov. 20, 2025
Raskin Shakes Congress With History Of Trump Pardons
Rep. Jamie Raskin delivers a blistering speech in Congress, calling out Donald Trumpâs mass pardons, the firing of DOJ prosecutors, January 6th violence, and renewed threats posed by pardoned offenders.
Nov. 20, 2025
Rep. Al Green (D-TX) and other House Representatives
give a news conference calling for Donald Trump’s impeachment.
Nov. 21, 2025
White House pushes back on claims
Trump threatened to execute lawmakers
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt denied that President Donald Trump was calling for lawmakers to be executed, after Democrats urged service members and intelligence officials to reject illegal orders. She also argued that lawmakers with national security backgrounds shouldnât be telling anyone to defy the administration.
Transcript: Trump’s Tirade Calling for
“Death” to Dems Backfires Badly
As Trumpâs call for the execution of âseditiousâ Dems works against him, Representative Chrissy Houlahan, one of his targets, explains why she and other Dems are warning service members against carrying out illegal orders.
November 21, 2025
Major Air Force Commander Just DEFIED Trump
Nov. 21, 2025
Navy Commander Gives URGENT WARNING Against
WAR CRIMES
Bobby Jones âŞ@ValorMediaNetwork⏠breaks down a warning every American needs to hear: the U.S. military is being pushed into dangerous political territory â and senior leaders are now seeking independent legal reviews just to determine whether the orders theyâre receiving are lawful.
Drawing on the new Count Every Hero report, âThe Perils of Politicizing the U.S. Military,â Bobby explains how long-standing norms that protect Americaâs apolitical military are being eroded in real time â from questionable domestic deployments to the removal of senior officers and legal advisors.
Donald and the sexist, offensive, blatantly illegal,
brazenly unpresidential week
The week that was â and the work of Bloomberg News’s Catherine Lucey, ABC News’s Mary Bruce, Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin, and many more.
Over this past week, though, it seemed to have reached new depths. Repeatedly.
Maybe itâs age, maybe heâs sick, maybe heâs just not sleeping well. Or, it just as likely could be the result of constantly being constantly surrounded by sycophants. Or, it could be the lack of pushback from the leaders of the other branches of American government to virtually anything he does.
But, perhaps, it was the fact that pushback finally happened on one front â in spite of the efforts of so many people to spare him any accountability. Are the Epstein files â and the refusal of the story to go away â breaking Trump?
Nov. 22, 2025
MAGA Revolts As Trump Turns on Them…
The rift between Donald Trump and some of his biggest supporters is widening, setting the stage for a full-blown GOP power struggle as ambitious MAGA heirs start jockeying for control of the movement. Richard Ojeda breaks it down on Rebel HQ.
The Weekend
Nov. 23, 2025
Former Trump lawyer: âThe Constitution is not
adequate to deal with a president as evil as Trumpâ
Trump faced mounting losses this week in court on numerous fronts, both personal and presidential.
An appeals court rejected Trumpâs efforts to revive his defamation suit against CNN, a federal judge ruled against his deployment of National Guard troops to Washington, DC, and another judge ruled he likely violated the law when trying to cut millions in funding to local governments unless they followed conditions related to immigration enforcement.
Former White House lawyer during Trumpâs first term, Ty Cobb, joins âThe Weekendâ to discuss.
Nov. 24, 2025
Trump is Desperate & More Dangerous Than Ever
Never-Trumper and former Republican George Conway joins Marc Elias to unpack why Donald Trump is both an âaddled old manâ and a dangerous threat to democracy. They also break down Democratic momentum in key elections â and Conway reveals whether heâs considering running for Congress.
Nov. 25, 2025
Senator Mark Kelly on Trump Suggesting He Be
Executed & Hegseth Opening an Investigation into Him
‘Miserable’ House Republicans tell ex-colleague
of ‘toxic’ work conditions under Trump
By Nicole Charky-Chami /
July 31, 2019
Updated May 21, 2024
Pathocracy
When people with personality disorders gain power.
The Polish psychologist Andrew Lobaczewski spent his early life suffering under the Nazi occupation of Poland, closely followed by the brutality of Soviet occupation after the war. His experience of these horrors led Lobaczewski to develop the concept of âpathocracy.â This is when individuals with personality disorders (particularly psychopathy) occupy positions of power. (1)
Lobaczewski devoted his life to studying human evil, a field which he called âponerology.â He wanted to understand why âevilâ people seem to prosper, while so many good and moral people struggle to succeed. He wanted to understand why people with psychological disorders so easily rise to positions of power and take over the governments of countries. Since he was living under a âpathocraticâ regime himself, he took great risks studying this topic. He was arrested and tortured by the Polish authorities, and was unable to publish his lifeâs work, the book Political Ponerology, until he escaped to the United States during the 1980s.
Pathocracy is arguably one of the biggest problems in the history of the human race. History has been a saga of constant conflict and brutality, with groups of people fighting against one another over territory and power and possessions, and conquering and killing one another. Surveying the course of human history from ancient times to the 20th century, the historian Arnold Toynbee spoke about the âhorrifying sense of sin manifest in human affairs.â
But there is an argument that this is not because all human beings are inherently brutal and cruel, but because a small number of peopleâthat is, those with personality disordersâare brutal and cruel, intensely self-centered, and lacking in empathy. This small minority has always held power and managed to order or influence the majority to commit atrocities on their behalf.
Power and Pathology
A small minority of humans suffer from personality disorders such as narcissism and psychopathy. People with these disorders feel an insatiable lust for power. People with narcissistic personality disorder desire constant attention and affirmation. They feel that they are superior to others and have the right to dominate them. They also lack empathy, which means that they are able to ruthlessly exploit and abuse others in their lust for power. Psychopaths feel a similar sense of superiority and lack of empathy, but the main difference between them and narcissists is that they donât feel the same impulse for attention and adoration. To an extent, the impulse to be adored acts as a check on the behavior of narcissists. They are reluctant to do anything that might make them too unpopular. But psychopaths have no such qualms.
At the other end of the scale, people with a high level of empathy and compassion usually arenât interested in power. They prefer to be âon the ground,â interacting and connecting with others. They may even refuse the offer of a high-status position because theyâre aware that higher status will disconnect them (although for a non-empathic person, that is part of its appeal). So this leaves positions of power open for people with psychological disorders (or at least with a high level of ambition and ruthlessness, even if not a fully fledged psychological disorder).
Throughout history, these pathological individuals have always risen to the top. In some ways, pre-industrial feudal societies restricted them, since power was often bequeathed by birth rather than attained by individual efforts. The demise of the feudal system was certainly a positive step towards greater equality and democracy, but a negative side effect was that it gave psychopaths and narcissists greater opportunity to attain positions of power.
As Ian Hughes points out in his important book Disordered Minds, the whole point of democracy is to try to protect the mass of people from this pathological minority. This was the central idea of the American Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Democratic principles and institutions were established to limit the power of pathological individuals.
This is why, as Hughes also points out, pathological leaders hate democracy. (2) Once they attain power, they do their utmost to dismantle or discredit democratic institutions, including the freedom and legitimacy of the press. (This is the first thing which Hitler did when he became German chancellor, and it is what autocrats like Vladimir Putin, Viktor Orban of Hungary and President ErdoÄan of Turkey have done. It is also what President Trump has been attempting to do.)
Moreover, pathological leaders are completely unable to comprehend the principles of democracy, since they regard themselves as superior, and see life as a competitive struggle in which the most ruthless deserve to dominate others.
Collective Pathocracy
But pathocracy isnât just about individuals. As Lobaczewski pointed out, pathological leaders always attract other people with personality disorders, who seize the opportunity to gain influence. At the same time, individuals who are moral, empathic and fair-minded gradually fall away. They are either ostracized or step aside voluntarily, appalled by the growing pathology around them. As a result, over time pathocracies tend to become entrenched and extreme.
This isnât to say that everyone who becomes part of a pathocratic government suffers from a personality disorder. Some people may simply have a high level of ambition and a lack of empathy without actually having a diagnosable condition, while others may simply ride the coattails of a pathological leader whose goals happen to coincide with theirs.
A significant part of the problem is the attraction that many people feel to charismatic demagogues. You can see this in the appeal of President Trump, despite the obvious flaws â his extreme narcissism, lack of empathy and his distorted, delusory view of reality â of his personality disorder. Psychologically, this is very similar to the attraction of spiritual gurus, who often attract the blind devotion of disciples, despite unethical and exploitative behavior. The attraction of gurus and demagogues is a deep-rooted impulse to return to the childhood state of worshipping parents who seem omnipotent and infallible and could take complete responsibility for our lives, and magically solve our problems. At the same time, the paranoia of pathological leaders leads them to demonize other groups and creates an intoxicating sense of group identity with a common purpose.
Protection Against Pathocracy
Is the United States in danger of being taken over by a pathocracy? Unfortunately, I believe it has already happened. Despite a convention that psychologists shouldnât unofficially diagnose public figures, many American psychologists and psychiatrists have publicly stated that Donald Trump displays all the â¨signs of narcissistic personality disorder. This would certainly explain his grandiosity, his lack of empathy and moral principles, his excessive need for admiration and his sensitivity to criticism (all of which are traits of narcissistic personality disorder). Similar cases have been made by psychologists for other âstrongmanâ politicians around the world, such as Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines. Trump has certainly attracted politicians and advisors with a similar lack of empathy and conscience to his inner circle, while principled and responsible individuals have either been ejected or have removed themselves, so that the pathocracy has become more entrenched.
But we should remember that pathocracy only flourishes because we donât take sufficient measures to protect ourselves from pathological leaders. We need to preserve and strengthen our democratic institutions and processes to ensure that the great mass of people is protected from the minority of psychopaths and narcissists with an insatiable lust for power. We need to make sure that our democracy does not transmute into a pathocracy.
In the long term, as I have argued in a previous post, we need stringent measures to restrict the attainment of power. Put simply, the kind of people who desire power the mostâthe most ruthless and non-empathicâshould not be allowed to attain positions of authority. All potential leaders (or members of a government) should be rigorously assessed by psychologists to determine their levels of empathy, narcissism or psychopathyâand hence determine their suitability for power.
References
Ĺobaczewski, A. (2006). Political Ponerology: A Science on the Nature of Evil Adjusted for Political Purposes. Grande Prairie: Red Pill Press.
Hughes, I. (2018). Disordered Minds: How Dangerous Personalities Are Destroying Democracy. Winchester, UK: Zero Books.
Steve Taylor, Ph.D., is senior lecturer in psychology at Leeds Beckett University, UK and a member of the British Psychological Society. He is the author of many best-selling books, including The Leap and Spiritual Science.
A Science on the Nature of Evil
Adjusted for Political Purposes
PART I II III IV V VI VII VIII
