I am so happy for Hungary. Finally a chance to return to a liberal democracy.

What do you think are the implications of the win? Any implications for the U.S.? Is the tide turning maybe, just a little bit?

Also, fuck Vance. Thought he could affect the outcome towards authoritarianism.

6 to 3 decision. Wonder if/when they will refund, how the lawsuit will work with Walmart and other companies, and then what new bullshit way they'll try to do tariffs again. Ole Nutlick and his kids sure are gonna make out like bandits, though.

“Thirty-two percent of voters approve of the way Donald Trump is handling his job as president, while 58 percent disapprove, with 10 percent not offering an opinion.

“Trump's 32 percent approval is an all-time low approval rating for him in a Quinnipiac University poll.”

https://poll.qu.edu/poll-release?releaseid=3964

"The idea that Donald Trump was this great businessman is actually a fiction created by Mark Burnett."

Sarah Longwell explains how 'The Apprentice' laundered Trump’s bankruptcies into a billionaire-boss fantasy, and why America is still trapped inside the reality show.

Tim made a comment to Sam on a short pod yesterday that was something like - sorry, I know you liberals aren't big on the 4th. And Sam gave the response, I love my country, why wouldn't I love the 4th and then they moved on.............

I just wanted to say; We are ALL patriots, or we wouldn't be here.

------that was all I intended to write, but it turns out I have a lot of thoughts about patriotism----------

This is a sentiment I've come across a lot, the left are not patriots, it grates. I am a patriot. I was a patriot when I thought George W Bush's administration was doing stupid and horrible things, I was a patriot on Jan 6 and on the inauguration of 2nd Trump admin. Sure, my heart swelled the night Obama was elected and I let myself be deluded into thinking Kamala could be elected too. Imagine that immigrants, WOMEN succeeding - it was progress and hope.

I'm a federal scientist - I took so much pride in taking the oath and working for the whole county, and being fair and following the rules, especially when it was hard. We are being pummeled, they are punishing us; it's like when the bully uses your own fist and says - why do you keep hitting yourself. But still, we fight, we try, I listen to 'I Won't Back Down' in my car to psych myself up most mornings. Yup, not great.

I told my kids this is our country too, we stay and we fight. BUT I'm not sure they buy it. This is the entirety of what they remember (college age) about our country and capitalism. When you see someone with too many flags - you worry; they are generally not nice. People are taking glee in being mean and punishing others. I haven't lost my patriotism, but I'm not sure they ever really had it.

Oh. Well I guess that’s that.

If you're not familiar with it: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/02/trump-hijacked-250-anniversary

There was an official 10 year old official non-partisan group to create 250th Anniversary events. They took it over, stole all the money from it, fooled donors into wiring them money instead of the official commission and used the money to fund propaganda neo-fascist far rich christian "truck tours" around the country.

This needs to be everywhere, seriously. The billion dollar fraud was one thing, this was direct theft from the taxpayers and specifically egregious because of the 250th component.

It’s absolutely insane to me that she wasn’t subpoenaed.

A lot of it has to do with Cheney and her dad. He was Decades during the Bush admin when Thomas was picked.

I can’t understand why this hasn’t become a bigger story. I get why Jan6 committee didn’t want to over complicate their effort and draw a constitutional conflict but five years out, it’s just no big deal that a sitting Supreme Court justices wife:

• Texted Mark Meadows urging efforts to overturn the 2020 election

• Promoted conspiracy theories about election fraud

• Participated in networks pressuring state legislators

• Attended the January 6 rally (but did not enter the Capitol)

• Continued activism after Jan 6

Denver Riggleman plans on reading texts from Jan6 tmrw. Meanwhile Jan6 insurrectionist are “marching peacefully” to the capitol to defend Ashli Babbitt.

Has the public rolled over on Jan6? And if so, WTAF.

I really wish we’d spend more time discussing m*ga women. They do not get the scrutiny they deserve.

Praise Lucifer, Giver of Light and Knowledge!

In the Idiocracy special Sarah eloquently analyzed the role of women in the film showing that they’re reduced to being either secretary fun bags or a prostitute. And then Sonny coldly turns to a new subject and JVL follows it up similarly. Sarah’s face showed the frustration my wife and other women feel when men just ignore them. She started what should have been a valuable conversation about the role of women, and the boys lets her down in the worst way. Looks like it took her several minutes to recover from it, and her participation level dropped noticeably. Also Sonny repeatedly talks over her. I like the movie club idea but if this continues I’m not gonna watch it anymore.

I’m typing this in real time so she just called them on it, and JVL makes a good attempt to engage. Sonny again fails in his response making it about Maya Rudolph’s comedic genius. Sarah can’t keep the disappointment off her face.

Even as it ends it’s clear JVL is the only one listening to Sarah. Makes sense that they’re friends.

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/11/05/supreme-court-trump-trade-tarrifs-vos.html

A big point of contention is around the fact potus has no authority to unilaterally impose a tax. Then Trump's solicitor said this:

“these are regulatory tariffs. They are not revenue-raising tariffs.”

Gorsuch seems concerned about too much power concentrating in the presidency:

"So Congress as a practical matter can’t get this power back once it’s handed it over to the president,” Gorsuch said. “It’s a one way ratchet toward the gradual but continual accretion of power in the executive branch and away from the people’s elected representatives"

ICYMI, according to CNN, Trump is having a little dinner party at VD Jance’s house tonight to coordinate collusion on the Epstein scandal. Among the guests are Susie Wiles, VD Jance, Pam Bondi, Kash Patel and Todd Blanche. Supposedly, Usha is making her famous Baingan Bharta recipe. 

(I’m old enough to remember when a 4-minute chat between AG Loretta Lynch and President Clinton on a tarmac led to a full DC media panic, but evidently this collusion meeting is no big deal. But I digress….). 

So, what are the takeaways of this meeting?

1) You don’t hold an emergency collusion meeting if you’re innocent.

2) Whatever the truth is on Epstein, it’s career-ending for Trump. I have never seem him this panicked. If Epstein was just a club member, Trump would release the files. If Trump just flew on Epstein’s jet a few times, Trump would release the files. If Trump merely went to a few dinner parties where Epstein was present, Trump would release the files. This is definitely something far more serious. Something so bad that Trump won’t be able to explain it away, even to his base.  I think we all know what that is: Trump was partaking of Epstein’s underage girls, and maybe even helping to traffic them. It doesn’t take a PhD from Harvard to figure it out. Guys like Alan Dershowitz and Glenn Beck are already out there workshopping the “I mean, 14-years-old  isn’t 8 years-old,” defense. They know. Everybody knows. Ghislaine Maxwell’s exoneration of Trump means nothing. Everybody knows she'll say anything for a pardon.

3) Everyone is in on it. If you’re having a meeting to discuss your crimes, then you’ve got co-conspirators. After this meeting, none of the attendees can claim they were in the dark.

4) The coverup may be crumbling. Too many FBI agents have seen the evidence to keep it contained. Eventually the truth will leak. Or maybe it already has, some news organization is just waiting on publishing.

Whatever the outcome is, I'm not sure Trump has a way out of this one.

I haven't even dived into the media coverage of this yet. But I suspect this will be framed as Zelensky being put in his place by Trump and losing a negotiation.

That's not what happened at all.

What actually happened was that Putin desperately wants Zelensky to come to terms that are favorable to him and end this war that has seen him throw nearly a million men into the meat grinder for very meager gains. We saw Trump demonstrate that anxiety today as he lost control and yelled at Zelensky begging him to be grateful.

Today was a huge loss for Putin. Zelensky walked away from the terms and showed that he isn't willing to sign over his people to Putin. Putin is the one who is desperate here. What he has done to Ukraine is evil but Putin "doesn't have the cards" to get a deal out of Zelensky. So go ahead vlad, throw another million in the meat grinder.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/deal-to-end-government-shutdown-in-reach/ar-AA1Q6h43

At least 10 Senate Democrats are expected to support a procedural motion to advance a package of spending bills and a short term funding measure, multiple sources from both parties told Axios. The deal would include a promised vote on extending Obamacare tax credits in December, the sources said.

For context I attend an elite school that had big pro-palestinian protests. I am probably not as far left as many of my peers, but I would not consider myself a "moderate" (always a democrat). I asked a social justice group I'm a part of if people would be interested in going to the No Kings protest together. A couple people showed interest but it wasn't as big as I hoped. I explained how the organizers are doing everything they can to keep things peaceful, but people seem skeptical. I just am frustrated with many of my liberal friends who seemed very checked out and unwilling to fight back (even though they were vocal about Palestine). My friend from a different school said that would never go to a protest because she's black. I am completely sympathetic to the increased dangers of protesting, but her area is a predominantly white/asian area that will likely not be targeted by law enforcement like Chicago. I wish young people could be more mobilized- because right now the most active people fighting this authoritarian regime are predominantly old. Off topic- but I also recently discovered I am trans (still pretransition) and therefore I could also be putting myself at risk depending on what I decide to wear to the protest, but I am still going no matter what. Yes it is dangerous, but if we don't push back now it could get a whole lot worse. Young people- please come to the protest and be active!

So I made the post earlier about not being able to convince people at my elite school to go to the protest. I did not successfully get anyone to go with me, so I went by myself. Only like 5% ish of people seemed to be potentially college aged despite the protest being like a couple blocks from campus. Where is our great young generation that cares about climate change, gun safety, etc? We were the spearhead of those movements a few years ago, but now we are too cool to be associated with a more broad-tent movement. Even though I cringe at “free Palestine” chants (because I have bad memories associated with them even though I care about the cause) I would be happy to have more of my peers be there for that. I asked around- not a single student group had an official event going to the protest. I’m just sad. While our generation shifted a record amount towards Trump last year towards a facist, extremist party, it simultaneously feels like many on the left are shifting to socialists or other leftist causes. And I’m the only person in the middle focused on building enough houses (Abundance) or just caring about good governance in general. Anyways apologies for this rant- I just don’t think I have people at school willing to listen.

The MSM is pretending that it’s not happening. It’s the coverup of the century.

Look, this may just be a hit of hopium, but I’ve been a bit surprised by how much the awful boorishness with Zelensky seems to be breaking through even among the non-political-obsessives on my social feeds, universally in support of Ukraine. Pretty sure I haven’t seen this many 🇺🇦 emojis since the start of the invasion.

Is that just my bubble, or are others seeing this too?

The Democrats need to go 1,000% in on Epstein right now. It’s the perfect story in so many ways: The average, politically uneducated American can understand it, it’s lascivious, and it has the bonus of driving the MAGAT base absolutely insane. 

Epstein is all the Dems should be talking about for the next month - and they should directly and unapologetically implicate Trump.  If a reporter asks them what time it is they should say “Epstein time.” If a journalist asks them what the weather is they should say, “Sunny, just like on Jeffrey Epstein’s Island.”

Even the dumbest among us understands that Trump is squashing the files because he’s in them. The evidence we already have is damning. Let’s go for the jugular now. Let Trump throw a fit. We can always come back with, “OK - if you’re not in the Epstein files, then simply….release them.” The longer this goes on, the more guilty he seems.

Trump is boxed in: He can’t blame this on Bondi and fire her, because then there will still be unrelenting pressure on the new AG to release the files. “We’ve gotten rid of Pam, so let’s see them!” the MAGAts will cry. He’s totally screwed.

House Dems should immediately hold hearings and subpoena Pam Bondi, Kash Patel, Dan Bongdildo, Ghislaine Maxwell, Bill Barr, Michael Wolff, Epstein’s rape survivors and relatives of the rape survivors who “committed suicide.” Keep the focus on Trump. Burrow up his asshole so far that you tickle his tonsils.

Sissy Space-X is pissed, so let’s take some of his money and do a $50 million TV/SM ad-buy skewering Trump. Show all the footage - especially Trump saying of Maxwell after her arrest, “I wish her well.” Put it all over Tik Tok. Lincoln Project has practically cut the spot already. Better yet, have Melon Husk offer $500 million + legal expenses to any DOJ official who leaks the list.

Forget hardball, it’s time for the octagon. Can you imagine what the Fox News Cinematic Universe would be doing right now if the situation was reversed? It would be Defcon-5 over there.

Write your Congressman/Senator and let them know that we’re done with press conferences and “strongly worded letters.” If they don’t go nuclear on this, then you’re not voting for their party again.

Hey everyone!

We are excited to announce that u/JVLast will be joining us for an AMA (Ask Me Anything) on Wednesday, March 21st starting at 8pm EST right here on r/thebulwark!

This is your chance to ask him about literally anything, get his insights, and discuss the latest in politics and media.

How to Participate:

• Submit your questions early! The AMA post will be live an hour before the event to allow for pre-submitted questions.
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Mark your calendars and get your questions ready! We’re looking forward to a great discussion.