6 years ago, Trump was impeached—for the first time

On Dec. 18, 2019, for what was then the third time in U.S. history, the House of Representatives voted to impeach President Donald Trump. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi delivered a powerful speech invoking the late Elijah Cummings, a civil rights hero and former congressman.

Pelosi: As our beloved chairman Elijah Cummings, an oversight committee chair, our North Star, said when announcing his support for this action, “When the history books are written about this tumultuous era, I want them to show that I was among those in the House of Representatives who stood up to lawlessness and tyranny.” He also said, almost prophetically, “When we are dancing with the angels, the question will be what did we do to make sure we kept our democracy intact?”

Elijah, as you know, has since passed on. Now he is dancing with the angels, and I know that he and all of us here are very proud of the moral courage of members who want to honor the vision of our founders for a republic, the sacrifice of our men and women in uniform to defend it, and the aspirations of our children to live freely within it. Today we are here to defend democracy for the people. May God bless America.

A few weeks later, the Republican-controlled Senate held Trump’s impeachment trial, where then-Rep. Adam Schiff, Democrat of California, delivered a similarly emotional message in his closing arguments.

Schiff: But here, right is supposed to matter. It's what's made us the greatest nation on Earth. No constitution can protect us if right doesn't matter anymore. And you know you can't trust this president to do what's right for this country. You can trust he will do what's right for Donald Trump. He'll do it now. He's done it before. He'll do it for the next several months. He'll do it in the election if he's allowed to. This is why if you find him guilty, you must find that he should be removed. Because right matters. Because right matters. And the truth matters. Otherwise, we are lost.

Republican senators—many of whom voted to impeach then-President Bill Clinton—ultimately shirked their constitutional duties and acquitted Trump.

11 times Karoline Leavitt earned her ‘propaganda princess’ nickname

Since stepping into the role of White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt has revealed herself to be shameless enough to earn the moniker of “propaganda princess.” No matter the Trump administration’s erratic, absurd, and authoritarian moves, Leavitt is there, ready to lie and yell at reporters for daring to seek the truth.

And so much of it has been caught on video.

1. Trump press secretary implodes over basic question about Putin call

In August, always ready to get rude, Leavitt couldn’t handle a straightforward question about President Donald Trump’s talk with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. 

2. Watch Trump's press secretary casually threaten Social Security

In February, Leavitt tried to reassure Fox News’ elderly viewers that Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency havoc would not harm their Social Security benefits. She failed. 

3. Press secretary spins Trump protests in typically terrible fashion

In June, Leavitt was forced to clarify Trump’s unhinged threats of “heavy force” against protesters who showed up at his birthday parade.

4. Trump’s propaganda princess spreads unhinged hatred about Americans

In October, Leavitt dismissed concerns about the working-class appeal of Democrat Zohran Mamdani, who is now the mayor-elect of New York City. How’d she do that? By characterizing Democratic voters as terrorists, of course.

5. Whoops: Trump's propaganda princess just put her foot in her mouth

In August, as the Trump administration tried to sort out its lies about crime in D.C., Leavitt accidentally let the truth slip out.

6. Watch Karoline Leavitt fail to explain the Epstein ‘hoax’

In September, Leavitt couldn’t convincingly explain the supposed Democratic "hoax" surrounding the Epstein files.

7. Press secretary goes full mobster over GOP shutdown

In an October appearance on Fox News, Leavitt used some mob-style extortion tactics as the Trump administration sought to secure Democratic votes to fund the government.

8. Propaganda princess praises Trump's latest lawless pardon

Also in October, Leavitt barely made an effort to spin the Trump administration’s crypto corruption. 

9. Family of reporter who exposed leak is now in White House's crosshairs

In March, the Trump administration faced its first major scandal when some of its top officials accidentally leaked war plans to a journalist. But rather than admit those officials made a mistake, Leavitt honed in on the real person at fault: the reporter to whom the officials leaked those war plans. 

10. Press secretary falls on her face defending Trump’s abuse of power

In September, Leavitt tied herself up into knots as she tried to spin another weekend that Trump spent pushing the nation further into authoritarianism.

11. Trump's propaganda princess announces invasion of Portland

Speaking of authoritarianism, in October, Leavitt was more than happy to announce that the military was invading Portland, Oregon.

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Clips of the week: Trump makes a terrible eulogist, diplomat, and doctor

President Donald Trump showed up at the United Nations this week and told world leaders that their countries were “going to hell”—and somehow, that was the least asinine thing he said. After briefly signaling support for our NATO allies, he quickly backtracked. Meanwhile, with a government shutdown looming, Trump and the GOP seem to have abandoned even the pretense of negotiation.

And it’s all on video.

'You are envy, you are hatred': Kirk memorial turns into unhinged rally

President Donald Trump used his time at the memorial service for conservative activist Charlie Kirk on Sunday to further obscure Kirk’s long record of hateful and bigoted views. He was not alone, as the procession of speakers turned what was billed as a solemn service into a fiery political rally.

Angry old man yells at the UN for an hour

Trump visited the UN this week, delivering a speech that can only be described as embarrassing.

Fox News slobbers over Trump's unhinged UN speech

Trump’s rambling, lie-filled speech to the United Nations forced Fox News into desperate spin mode, praising the moment as “raw truth” despite the cringe-worthy display.

Press secretary falls on her face defending Trump’s abuse of power

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt tied herself up into knots trying to spin the president’s descent into authoritarianism

Trump waters down major NATO promise

Trump met with world leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, following his torturous speech to the United Nations. In a span of about two-and-a-half minutes, Trump supported NATO’s need to confront Russian military aggression and then backtracked on his support if NATO were to take such an action.

Hakeem Jeffries issues biting warning to businesses bending to Trump

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on CNN and warned companies that cut pay-to-play deals with the Trump administration that the Justice Department won't always be under Trump’s corrupt control.

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Press secretary falls on her face defending Trump’s abuse of power

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt tied herself up into knots yet again, this time in an attempt to spin President Donald Trump’s weekend descent into authoritarianism

When asked by a reporter Monday whether Trump was going back on his inaugural promise to not allow the state to be weaponized to persecute political opponents, Leavitt was blindingly obstinate.

"No. In fact, the president is fulfilling his promise to restore a Department of Justice that demands accountability. And it is not weaponizing the Department of Justice to demand accountability for those who weaponized the Department of Justice,” she said.

Leavitt continued to engage in what can only be described as “1984”-level doublespeak.

“We are not going to tolerate gaslighting from anyone in the media or from anyone on the other side who is trying to say that it's the president who is weaponizing the DOJ,” she added.

Meanwhile, Trump continues targeting political opponents, like New York Attorney General Letitia James—who successfully proved Trump’s involvement in real estate fraud—and comedians Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel—for nothing more than mocking him.

The Trump administration is covering up very serious allegations of corruption among its own rank and file, including reports that his “border czar” Tom Homan isn’t simply a sadistic racist but also suspected of taking a bribe—an inquiry that was allegedly shut down by Trump.

Leavitt’s demand for “accountability” is just another attempt to distract from the Trump administration’s own weaponization of power.

Top Trump aide: Who really cares about slavery?

A senior White House official thinks the Smithsonian museums are way too caught up on that whole slavery thing.

During a Wednesday appearance on Fox News, White House senior associate Lindsey Halligan discussed President Donald Trump’s push to make the renowned museums parrot his racist, revisionist history of the United States. After conceding slavery was “awful,” she quickly pivoted to underplaying it and chastising the museum.

“What I saw when I was going through the museums personally was an overemphasis on slavery. And I think there should be more of an overemphasis on how far we've come since slavery,” Halligan said. “Our country is a country of progress, and it's the greatest country in the world. And we should be able to take our kids, our students, through the Smithsonian and feel proud when we leave. There's a lot of history to our country, both positive and negative. But we need to keep moving forward. We can't just keep focusing on the negative.”

Halligan's "Don't Worry Be Happy"-style monologue echoes her boss’ insane remarks on social media, criticizing the Smithsonian for being “WOKE” and overly focused on “how bad Slavery was.” In July, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History briefly scrubbed mentions of Trump’s first two impeachments from an exhibit on presidential impeachments and resignations, though it later added them back in a strongly modified form. 

The White House also plans to rewrite history across the Smithsonian ahead of America’s 250th anniversary, which will be celebrated next year.

Similarly, under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the Department of Defense has purged Black American military heroes from its websites.

The ongoing white supremacist project to rewrite history and underplay the significance of slavery—which dominated U.S. history and prehistory—is one of the administration’s most ignoble pursuits. It dishonors the hundreds of thousands of Union soldiers who gave their lives fighting for a more perfect democracy.

Democrat tears into GOP over BS Biden probes and campaign lies

Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz of Florida used his time at Thursday’s House Oversight Committee to slam Republicans for resurrecting their failed impeachment investigation of former President Joe Biden as a distraction from years of unfulfilled promises.

"So I want to do the ‘don't listen to what they say, watch what they do.’” Moskowitz said. “They said they would lower food costs. They said they would take us into the Golden Age. They said they would end the war in Ukraine and Gaza. They said they wouldn't touch Medicaid. They said they would lower interest rates. They said they would lower our debt. They said they would release the Epstein files. … The biggest one, my favorite, they said they would make [the] government more efficient,” he added. "Name one department, one government service—anything that the government does that they made more efficient? Certainly not the Newark airport. Definitely not FEMA."

Moskowitz’s righteous rebuke came just hours after President Donald Trump issued an executive order directing his administration to investigate Biden, using the fallacious conspiracy theory that Biden wasn’t mentally fit during his presidency. Biden himself has noted that Trump’s obsession with him conveniently aligns with the GOP’s deepening divisions over their “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act,” which would throw millions off health insurance and add trillions to the deficit. 

Moskowitz’s skillful breakdown of the GOP’s unkept promises highlights the conservative movement’s ongoing failures. Trump’s ill-conceived tariffs have only driven up costs, the exact opposite of his campaign promises to lower grocery prices. Trump’s need to ingratiate himself with Russian Dictator Vladimir Putin has not only embarrassed the U.S. but also jeopardized its relationship with foreign allies, while failing to end a single conflict.

The Republican-led assault on government agencies has left our aviation safety in chaos with delays caused by understaffing and technical issues. At the same time, it has greatly diminished the federal government’s ability to predict and respond to extreme weather events that affect millions of people.

As for the promises of releasing billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein’s case files? It turned out to be just a publicity stunt. In fact, as of the writing of this story, former co-president Elon Musk has thoughts about the Epstein case files and Trump’s lack of transparency on the matter.

Republicans’ hope to use their committee as a distraction from their party’s catastrophic failures to govern has been dashed, as Democratic lawmakers make it clear that they will no longer play their games.

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This House Republican just can’t quit investigating Joe Biden

The GOP’s obsession with former President Joe Biden shows no signs of letting up. After Rep. James Comer’s 15-month impeachment investigation during Biden’s presidency failed spectacularly, the chair of the House Oversight Committee has now latched on to a conspiracy theory pushed by fellow Biden stalker Donald Trump back in March.

“Some of these bureaucrats, these unnamed bureaucrats in the White House were using the autopen to sign Joe Biden's name on very important things like pardons and like executive orders,” Comer babbled to Fox News on Thursday.

Comer’s evidence includes “whistleblowers in the administration” and Jake Tapper’s new book, which claims the now-82-year-old Biden was significantly impaired during his final months in office.

“It raises a lot of questions as to, what was the decision process and who was forging,” Comer said. “Because if Joe Biden wasn't authorizing, someone was forging his name on some very important documents.” 

The foundation of this latest “investigation” is the same conspiracy theory Trump himself promoted when he claimed Biden was incapacitated while president because he used an autopen—a device presidents have used for decades to sign documents remotely. Less than 24 hours after pushing this theory, Trump himself admitted to using an autopen while in office. 

This is just the latest example of Trump and the GOP’s unending beef with Biden. Following the former president’s announcement of his Stage 4 prostate cancer diagnosis, House Republicans launched an investigation into the former president’s health while in office in a further attempt to beat that dead horse.

Republican lawmakers’ fixation on all things Joe mirrors their cult leader’s preoccupation with the man he lost to in 2020. Just last month, Trump even used the passing of former President Jimmy Carter as an opportunity to insult Biden.

Comer’s repeated failures to prove the existence of a shadowy Biden family crime syndicate only highlighted how the Kentucky congressman did the exact things he accused Biden of doing. Even after Biden dropped out of the race and Trump won the presidential election in November, Comer kept pushing his evidence-free investigation, telling Newsmax he wanted to continue it.

When it comes to being the target of a petty vendetta, it seems Biden’s greatest mistake was being the last president since Barack Obama to win more than 50% of the popular vote.

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Watch Sen. Chuck Grassley host the town hall from hell

Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa faced angry constituents during a rare GOP-led town hall on Tuesday. 

Confronted by demands for Kilmar Abrego Garcia to be returned to the United States after being wrongfully deported to El Salvador, Grassley parroted President Donald Trump’s indefensible position. 

“The president of that country is not subject to our Supreme Court,” Grassley told the Fort Madison crowd, eliciting jeers and groans from the audience.

“We would like to know what you, as the people of the Congress, who are supposed to rein in this dictator, what are you going to do about these people who have been sentenced to life imprisonment in a foreign country with no due process? Why won't you do your jobs, Senator?” one attendee asked.

Grassley, whose deflections were repeatedly shut down by the angry crowd, found himself on the receiving end of a civics lesson—and a sharp reminder of his oath of office. 

”You took an oath—‘I do solemnly swear or affirm’—do you remember that, sir?” one attendee asked. He then proceeded to recite the entire oath of office Grassley took as a senator.

“Sir, will you act upon your oath?” he asked.

Grassley continued to act powerless, pointing to the fact that the “only tool” for Congress to discipline the president is impeachment.

“And you missed that opportunity in his first administration. You had two opportunities for that. That was probably one of the only reasons we're having this situation now,” the attendee responded.

Grassley tried to earn some praise from the raucous crowd, boasting about the Trade Review Act of 2025, a bipartisan bill that he co-sponsored with Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington. The bill would require congressional approval before Trump’s tariffs could take effect. 

And always true to form, Grassley then tried to take the heat off of himself, calling out “mistakes that Democratic Congress has made in 1963.”

Yes, 1963.

“I’m so sick of that,” one audience member responded.

Grassley is now an outlier in his own party. While Democrats are out in the field engaging with constituents, virtually all Republicans continue to hide from voters

If the GOP is hoping that voters’ outrage will blow over, they are sorely mistaken—they are only getting angrier.

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Republicans line up to punish Democrat who disrupted Trump speech

A Washington congressman has introduced a resolution to censure Democratic Rep. Al Green of Texas for standing up and protesting during Donald Trump’s long-winded speech to Congress on Tuesday night.

Dan Newhouse, one of only two remaining House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump in 2021, beat the far-right Freedom Caucus and Troy Nehls of Texas to the punch after they announced plans to push for Green’s censure. Newhouse introduced his resolution as "privileged," which requires the House to vote on the resolution within two days.

“Whereas, the conduct of the Representative from Texas disrupted the proceedings of the joint address and was a breach of proper conduct;” the resolution reads. “[A]nd whereas, after numerous disruptions the representative from Texas had to be removed from the chamber by the Sergeant-at-arms; Now, therefore, be it resolved that Representative Al Green be censured.”

Rep. Al Green disrupted Donald Trump’s addresses a joint session of Congress on March 4, 2025. 

Green stood up and shouted, “You don’t have a mandate to cut Medicaid” after Trump boasted about his nonexistent electoral mandate. Strangely enough, Newhouse and his fellow Republicans had nothing to say about the crass theatrics during former President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address in 2022, when GOP Reps. Lauren Boebert of Colorado and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia stood up and heckled with glee. 

You might even remember the “proper conduct” of Republican Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina, who shouted “You lie!” during President Barack Obama’s speech to a joint session of Congress in 2009. 

Speaking of “proper,” it bears mentioning that Congress revised its 181-year-old hat ban in 2018 to allow religious headwear and head coverings worn for medical reasons. That didn’t stop notorious troll Marjorie Taylor Greene from sporting a MAGA-inspired red cap during Tuesday night’s snoozefest. So unless Greene claims she needs to wear the hat because her conspiracy-filled brain is a medical condition—she violated the rules of the chamber, too.

“The president said he had a mandate, and I was making it clear to the president that he has no mandate to cut Medicaid,” Green told reporters in the hallway after his protest. “I have people who are very fearful. These are poor people, and they have only Medicaid in their lives when it comes to their health care.”

“I've said, I'll accept the punishment,” he added. “But it's worth it to let people know that there are some of us who are going to stand up against this president's desire to cut Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security.” 

Just two minutes after Green was removed from the chamber for speaking out, Trump made an ironic claim.

“I’ve brought back free speech,” he crowed.

Green’s protest and subsequent removal were impactful in comparison to other Democrats’ choices to hold up signs and wear pink suits. He garnered the most headlines and once again exposed Republicans’ utter hypocrisy. 

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Your camping plans may be kaput as Trump targets national parks

The future of the National Park System is in doubt as Donald Trump’s federal hiring freeze has put popular sites like Yosemite National Park in limbo and opened the door to privatizing federal monuments and lands. 

Trump’s heavy-handed freeze not only stopped the hiring of workers, it rescinded employment for many who had already received job offers. The staffing situation was characterized as “catastrophic” by former Yosemite Superintendent Don Neubacher.

Summer camping reservations are on hold, impacting park sites from June 15 to July 14. This news comes on the heels of Yosemite officials’ announcement that a new reservation system has been delayed indefinitely. The system was supposed to be fully implemented this year and promised to eliminate the long lines and waits park visitors have faced in recent years.

“We understand the impact this has on visitors who are planning camping trips to the park,” read a statement on Yosemite’s official Instagram page. “We are grateful for your patience. Our goal is to release these campground nights as soon as possible and we will provide at least a seven-day advance notice before reservations go on sale.”

Trump’s federal hiring freeze has affected staffing at all national parks, as at least 5% of parks employees have been fired. Lesser-known parks with smaller staffs, like the Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park, face uncertain futures.

During Trump’s first administration, big business pressured Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to jettison environmental science policy when leasing lands to private interests. Trump then allowed Utah’s Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments to be drilled by a Canadian mining company. America first, and all that.

Trump spent a good deal of time during his first administration signaling his willingness to hand our national parks over to private interests—specifically ones that threw money at him. He even diverted much-needed National Park resources in order to fund a parade for himself.

Now, Trump has teamed up with billionaires and the authors of Project 2025 to craft a much more robust plan to dismantle our country’s administrative state, which includes carving up as much federal land as possible. Their interests are far more naked and ambitious than those of Trump’s first administration.

The cabal is targeting a repeal of the 1906 Antiquities Act, which protected national sites such as the Grand Canyon from becoming mines. Doing so would roll back fundamental protections on national monuments.

Trump ssidekick Elon Musk and his goon squad at the so-called Department of Government Efficiency continue to illegally hamstring congressionally funded programs. The endgame is to force taxpayers to pay billionaires (like Musk) and their private businesses to do the things that our government already does—and could do—for its citizens.

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