Inside the effort to turn ‘violence by ICE’ into ‘violence by Democrats’
ALSO INSIDE: Trump forces coal plant to stay open in order to honor the bribe he solicited from the fossil fuel industry.
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Since day one of Trump’s political career, people have desperately attempted to normalize his absurd abuses of power and blatant corruption – and 10 years later, much of corporate media remains a victim of their own attempts to return to a sense of normalcy.
It’s time to stop sane-washing the insanity.
What Happened
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has tried for weeks to shift blame for the violence ICE agents bring to communities away from the Trump administration and onto its political opponents. She’s consistently repeated false accusations that Democratic lawmakers and journalists are inciting violence and riots, backed up by data manipulated by the administration to give the illusion that ICE agents are constantly under assault.
On Monday, Leavitt’s efforts began to pay off.
On the agenda for the White House press briefing that morning was the Trump administration’s response to flash floods in Texas and Israel’s ongoing wars with Palestine and Iran, but Leavitt called on media personalities from Newsmax and Daily Wire who pivoted the conversation to violence against law enforcement.
“An armed shooter today was shot in McAllen, Texas, after opening fire on border patrol agents, and comes just days after Democratic congresswoman Pramila Jayapal said, ‘I get inspired when activists obstruct ICE,’” said Newmax correspondent Mike Carter. “Does the White House expect Democrats to tone down their rhetoric, in light of what we saw today?”
Carter’s question was followed up by one from Daily Wire reporter Mary Margaret Olohan, who upped the ante by misquoting an Axios article and asking if the White House was worried that Democrats want to “shed blood.”
“It's hard to believe that anyone with morals in this country or decency would say such a thing. Obviously, the White House condemns that rhetoric, and we condemn violence of any kind,” Leavitt responded. “We are going to enforce our nation's laws, and the men and women who are doing that are doing so in a respectful way.”
The article published by Axios outlines concerns from nine Democratic lawmakers that their voters want them to do something tangible to oppose the Trump administration, and are frustrated by performative acts that accomplish nothing. Nowhere do any of the nine lawmakers quoted support violence — and, in fact, go so far as to call such demands “dangerous,” and “crazy shit.”
But the narrative has already begun to shift, as the questions from the administration’s handpicked journalists — backed by loose sourcing from reputable outlets to give them the illusion of legitimacy — have opened the doors for traditional outlets to portray Democratic lawmakers and voters as a serious threat to law enforcement.
Attempts to Sanewash
Far-Right Spin
Democrats Demand ‘Blood,’ Storming Of White House To Resist Trump
Democrats Admit Own Voters Out For Blood As Immigration Officers Become Target For Violence
Shooter Attacked Border Agents Hours After Dems Said Their Voters Want ‘Blood’
Ongoing protests at two Florida detention centers
Florida’s immigration detention centers have been unsuitable for human life since long before one was set up in the Everglades. Seven people have died while in custody at the Broward Transitional Center this year, and Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick is using every tool at her disposal to apply pressure and hold those responsible accountable.
Despite fierce opposition, Cherfilus-McCormick succeeded in conducting an oversight inspection of the facility in April, leading her to demand a federal investigation into the death of Marie Blaise, a Haitian woman who died in custody for as-of-yet unknown reasons.
“I failed to see any evidence that there were proper procedures in place and that adequate health care was provided,” Cherfilus-McCormick said. “One single doctor to care for hundreds of detainees — with some being forced to sleep on the floor — is inhumane. Marie Blaise’s tragic death will not be a one-off if these cruel conditions persist.”
So far, DHS has ignored Cherfilus-McCormick’s demand, leading the congresswoman to put pressure on the facility itself. Just last week, a two-day protest was held outside Broward, where hundreds of people lined Pompano Beach to demand that Cherfilus-McCormick’s request for an investigation be honored.
As the dust settles on the undoing of a decade’s worth of diplomatic efforts to prevent war against Iran and Israel, it’s worth looking at who was in the room. This week, let’s take a look at the sort of strategic military minds that have been tapped for Trump’s War Cabinet.
Tulsi Gabbard, Director of National Intelligence
Since being appointed in February 2025, Gabbard has:
A reported net worth ranging from $55 million to $127 million
Discussed military strikes on unsecured group chats
Had her personal email, phone number, and passwords leaked online
Shifted national intelligence to aid ICE and focus on domestic security
Instituted a loyalty test to ensure intelligence employees are Trump supporters
Role in ‘Operation Midnight Hammer’
Gabbard was deployed to Iraq with the Hawaii National Guard in 2004 and has historically been anti-interventionist, but those convictions only lasted for a few months once she joined the Trump administration.
Before the strike, Gabbard — who, long story short, is very pro-Russia, which is Iran’s ally — committed a cardinal sin among cabinet members: she contradicted Trump.
A few months before the strike, Gabbard very definitively stated that Iran was not building nuclear weapons. Trump said she was wrong and kicked her out of his inner circle.
“Iran is not building a nuclear weapon,” Gabbard declared under oath during a House committee meeting. “And Supreme Leader Khomeini has not authorized the nuclear weapons program that he suspended in 2003.”
As the person in charge of all US intelligence, defense, and security agencies, she couldn’t not be in the Situation Room. But aside from a physical presence, Gabbard’s influence leading up to the attack was absent. She has also been absent from intelligence briefings after the attack, a sign that her attempts to get back in Trump’s good graces have been unsuccessful.
Had Gabbard stood up to Trump and continued to publicly reiterate that there is no evidence Iran was on the cusp of developing nuclear weapons, the pressure could have been enough to stop the attack altogether.
WATCH: Trump forces Michigan coal mine to stay open
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A Michigan utility company planned to close an old coal plant in May as part of its clean energy transition. Those plans changed when, five days before the plant was to close, the Trump administration ordered Consumers Energy to keep it open for three more months.
Those months will prove to be expensive ones for consumers, as they’ll be expected to foot the bill, as the company delays its use of less expensive energy production in order to comply with the federal mandate.
However, the stunt does have a purpose: it helps Trump create the illusion of fulfilling a campaign promise to solve a problem he made up in order to honor the bribe he solicited from the fossil fuel industry. Kyle Kaminski, political correspondent for COURIER’s The ‘Gander, broke down what this will do to Michiganders on TikTok.
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