US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem

‘He Will Try Anything’: Democratic AGs Preparing for Trump to Send Military to Polls, Seize Ballots

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Original article by Brad Reed republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). 

A “Vote Here” sign is posted on November 4, 2025 in the Flatbush neighborhood of the Brooklyn borough in New York City. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Trump may try to push “oddball, ludicrous, unconstitutional theories” to keep the GOP in power, one Democratic attorney general said.

Democratic state attorneys general across the US are preparing for President Donald Trump to take unprecedented actions to interfere with the 2026 midterm elections.

As reported by Politico on Monday, the Democratic AGs have been conducting war games aimed at countering “a series of increasingly extreme scenarios” where Trump tries to block Democrats from retaking the US House of Representatives later this year.

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Among the many possibilities that the AGs are preparing for are that the Trump administration orders the seizure of ballots and voting machines, defunds the post office to block the delivery of mail-in ballots, and sends federal immigration enforcement officials or even the US military to patrol polling places.

The AGs have also been carefully monitoring Trump officials’ rhetoric for hints of future election subversion plots, such as when US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said recently that the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) would “make sure we have the right people voting, electing the right leaders.”

Washington Attorney General Nick Brown told Politico that such statements are a “red-alarm fire that people need to take very seriously,” and emphasized that Democrats need to be ready for the president to commit outright crimes to keep the GOP in power.

“He will try anything,” warned Brown. “We have to just sort of think creatively about: If you were the president and you were trying to invalidate an election or undermine an election, what are the oddball, ludicrous, unconstitutional theories that you might advance?”

In addition to Noem’s comments about DHS getting involved in elections, Trump ally Steve Bannon has floated sending US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials to monitor polling places, while Trump in January said that “we shouldn’t even have an election” this year.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta told Politico that it was “sad and tragic” that his office had to take such preparations, but said it was necessary because the president “wants to continue to have his party prevail, seemingly by whatever means necessary.”

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel pointed to the recent FBI seizure of materials related to the 2020 election from Fulton County, Georgia as a sign of what’s to come during the midterm elections.

“We recognize that what happened in Fulton County could happen in Detroit,” she said. “Not because there’s any merit to claims that anything wrong happened in Detroit, but because we know that those claims will be made again.”

Politico also reported on Monday that Democracy Defenders Action has recruited Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-NJ) to deliver a “State of Our Democracy” speech on Tuesday ahead of Trump’s State of the Union address where she will outline the threats the president and his administration pose to Americans’ voting rights.

Norm Eisen, executive chairman of Democracy Defenders Action, told Politico that the speech was necessary because “the threats facing our democracy have never been greater.”

Original article by Brad Reed republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). 

Donald Fuhrump says that Amerikkka doesn't bother with crimes or charges anymore, not being 100% Amerikkkan and opposing his real estate intentions is enough.
Donald Fuhrump says that Amerikkka doesn’t bother with crimes or charges anymore, not being 100% Amerikkkan and opposing his real estate intentions is enough.
Orcas discuss Donald Trump and the killer apes' concept of democracy. Front Orca warns that Trump is crashing his country's economy and that everything he does he does for the fantastically wealthy.
Orcas discuss Donald Trump and the killer apes’ concept of democracy. Front Orca warns that Trump is crashing his country’s economy and that everything he does he does for the fantastically wealthy.
Elon Musk urges you to be a Fascist like him, says that you can ignore facts and reality then.
Elon Musk urges you to be a Fascist like him, says that you can ignore facts and reality then.

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‘Most Vile Scumbags on Earth’: Critics Appalled by Explosive Report on Kristi Noem’s Corruption

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Original article by Brad Reed republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). 

US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks during a press conference in Nogales, Arizona, on February 4, 2026. (Photo by Olivier Touron / AFP via Getty Images)

“Noem and Lewandowski are like the most toxic couple you have ever met given full rein of a government agency.”

An explosive report published by the Wall Street Journal on Thursday shed fresh light on what critics have described as “outrageous corruption” by US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

Among other things, the Journal report highlighted Noem’s relationship with top adviser Corey Lewandowski, whom sources said is romantically involved with the Trump Cabinet official despite both of them being married.

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Of particular note, the Journal wrote, is the way Lewandowski has taken over the contracting process at the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) despite being classified as a special government employee whose service is supposed to be capped at a maximum of 130 days per year.

“Given Lewandowski’s continuing business interests in the private sector, his role in awarding contracts has raised alarm bells inside the White House and DHS,” reported the Journal. “Several officials inside the department said contracts and grants are being awarded in an opaque and arbitrary manner, and some are being held up without explanation.”

The report also claimed that Noem and Lewandowski have been flying around the country together on a luxury 737 MAX jet, complete with a private cabin.

DHS has been leasing the plane, although the Journal’s sources said it is in the process of buying it for $70 million, which “would be double the cost of each of seven other commercial planes the department is also buying at the pair’s direction to carry out deportations.”

Additionally, the report outlined allegedly abusive behavior by Noem and Lewandowski toward DHS staff members, as sources said they “frequently berate senior level staff, give polygraph tests to employees they don’t trust, and have fired employees,” including one incident where “Lewandowski fired a US Coast Guard pilot after Noem’s blanket was left behind on a plane.”

The report generated fierce reaction from critics on social media.

“Noem and Lewandowski are like the most toxic couple you have ever met,” wrote New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie, “given full rein of a government agency.”

Veteran foreign policy journalist Laura Rozen described Noem and Lewandowski as “the most vile scumbags on Earth” after reading the report, highlighting the details about the pair flying on the luxury jet as particularly egregious.

Investigative journalist Sarah Posner found herself floored by the conduct outlined in the Journal’s report.

“There is so much crazy shit, outrageous corruption, and naked, ham-fisted ambition in this WSJ piece about Noem, Lewandowski, and DHS,” she wrote. “Read and take note of the of eye-popping number of sources who have knives out for Kristi and Corey.”

Former Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-Va.) argued the report showed Noem and Lewandowski “are wholly unqualified and a disaster at DHS,” and have been “been very effective in driving [President Donald] Trump’s ratings into the ditch.”

Ron Filipkowski, editor-in-chief of MeidasTouch, expressed disbelief at how much power Lewandowski had accumulated despite only being a special government employee.

“How the fuck is Corey Lewandowski in any position to fire a Coast Guard pilot?” he asked. “What is his title? What is his job? What is his official position in the US government? If you are Kristi Noem’s boyfriend you get to fire Coast Guard officers?”

Original article by Brad Reed republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). 

Orcas discuss Donald Trump and the killer apes' concept of democracy. Front Orca warns that Trump is crashing his country's economy and that everything he does he does for the fantastically wealthy.
Orcas discuss Donald Trump and the killer apes’ concept of democracy. Front Orca warns that Trump is crashing his country’s economy and that everything he does he does for the fantastically wealthy.
Elon Musk urges you to be a Fascist like him, says that you can ignore facts and reality then.
Elon Musk urges you to be a Fascist like him, says that you can ignore facts and reality then.
Donald Fuhrump says that Amerikkka doesn't bother with crimes or charges anymore, not being 100% Amerikkkan and opposing his real estate intentions is enough.
Donald Fuhrump says that Amerikkka doesn’t bother with crimes or charges anymore, not being 100% Amerikkkan and opposing his real estate intentions is enough.
Continue Reading‘Most Vile Scumbags on Earth’: Critics Appalled by Explosive Report on Kristi Noem’s Corruption

Cover-Up Fears Mount as FBI Cuts Minnesota Investigators Out of Deadly ICE Shooting Probe

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Original article by Brad Reed republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).

A portrait of Renee Nicole Good is pasted to a light pole near the site of her shooting on January 8, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

“You don’t cut out investigators unless you’re hiding something.”

The FBI on Thursday informed investigators in Minnesota that it would not be cooperating with them in probing the deadly shooting of Minneapolis resident Renee Nicole Good by a federal immigration agent.

Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA), said that the probe into Good’s death “would now be led solely by the FBI,” which would leave his agency without “access to the case materials, scene evidence, or investigative interviews necessary to complete a thorough and independent investigation.”

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“Without complete access to the evidence, witnesses, and information collected,” Evans added, “we cannot meet the investigative standards that Minnesota law and the public demands. As a result, the BCA has reluctantly withdrawn from the investigation.”

As noted in a post on Bluesky from MPR News reporter Jon Collins, the Minnesota BCA has a Force Investigations Unit that was created in the wake of the 2020 murder of George Floyd to “restore trust in investigations when law enforcement kills civilians.”

Insider sources told independent journalist Radley Balko that the FBI was “initially open to a concurrent investigation” with the Minnesota BCA, but then Trump-appointed Minnesota US Attorney Daniel Rosen “intervened” and barred the agency from cooperating with local officials on the probe.

“Practically, unless something changes, Rosen’s intervention means there will be no independent police agency investigating the shooting,” Balko added. “It will be left entirely to Kash Patel’s FBI. Any chance of state charges will be entirely reliant on the FBI investigation and what evidence it decides to share.”

When asked by a journalist about the decision to end cooperation with Minnesota investigators on Thursday, US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem insisted that “they have not been cut out,” but said that rather “they don’t have any jurisdiction in this investigation.”

Noem’s assertion drew immediate criticism from Democrats on the Homeland Security Committee in the US House of Representatives.

“You don’t cut out investigators unless you’re hiding something,” they wrote in a social media post. “Kristi Noem’s DHS is covering up the killing of a US citizen.”

Several legal experts also debunked Noem’s claim that Minnesota state law enforcement agencies have no jurisdiction to investigate the killing of a resident on the streets of their state’s largest city.

Fordham University School of Law professor John Pfaff accused Noem of “openly lying,” and pointed to a statement on the FBI’s own website stating that “state and local law enforcement agencies are not subordinate to the FBI, and the FBI does not supervise or take over their investigations.”

Attorney Ken White, a former federal prosecutor, argued that Noem’s statement should be a wakeup call to other state governments when it comes to cooperating with federal agencies during Trump’s second term.

“It is the position of the Trump administration that its agents can come into any state and city in America… and kill people,” he wrote, “and that state and city have no jurisdiction to inquire about it. Treat any Trump official accordingly.”

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, meanwhile, vowed to investigate Good’s death, regardless of the federal government’s cooperation.

“State authorities can investigate anyway,” Ellison told CNN. “We don’t need their authority. I mean, it’s at least arguable, and I believe substantially arguable, that there’s a violation of Minnesota statutes here, you know, and I can think of a number of potential charges. All of them depend on an investigation, though, and the federal government can’t stop Minnesota from doing its own.”

Original article by Brad Reed republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).

Elon Musk urges you to be a Fascist like him, says that you can ignore facts and reality then.
Elon Musk urges you to be a Fascist like him, says that you can ignore facts and reality then.
Donald Fuhrump says that Amerikkka doesn't bother with crimes or charges anymore, not being 100% Amerikkkan and opposing his real estate intentions is enough.
Donald Fuhrump says that Amerikkka doesn’t bother with crimes or charges anymore, not being 100% Amerikkkan and opposing his real estate intentions is enough.
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Orcas discuss how Trump was re-elected and him being an obviously insane, xenophobic Fascist.

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Ecuador Voters Crush Right-Wing Push to Allow Return of US Military Bases

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Original article by Jake Johnson republished form Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). 

People react following the first results of the referendum vote in Quito, Ecuador on November 16, 2025. (Photo by Rodrigo Buendia/AFP via Getty Images)

“It is, to date, the Noboa government’s biggest electoral defeat.”

Ecuador’s voters on Sunday delivered a major blow to right-wing President Daniel Noboa by decisively rejecting the proposed return of foreign military bases to the South American country’s soil—including installations run by the United States.

Around two-thirds of voters opposed the measure with most ballots tallied, a result that was widely seen as a surprise. Voters also rejected a separate effort to rewrite the country’s progressive 2008 constitution, which enshrined strong labor and environmental rights.

The stinging defeat for Noboa, an ally of US President Donald Trump, comes as the United States carries out an aggressive military buildup and deadly airstrike campaign in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific—and weighs a direct attack on Venezuela. The BBC reported that the Trump administration “had hoped the referendum would pave the way to opening a military base in Ecuador, 16 years after it was made to close a site on its Pacific coast.”

“The former US military base on Ecuador’s Pacific coast was closed after left-wing President Rafael Correa decided not to renew its lease and pushed for the constitutional ban,” the outlet noted.

Correa celebrated Sunday’s results in a social media post, expressing hope that the vote would mark “the beginning of a definitive constitutional stability for the country.”

“Our constitution is one of the best in the world; we just need to comply with it,” he wrote.

The vote followed a recent trip to Ecuador by US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, a prominent figure in the Trump administration’s lawless assault in immigrants in the United States. The Trump administration and Noboa’s government have ramped up cooperation efforts in recent months, and both governments have unleashed military forces on their own citizens, illegally repressed protests, and carried out enforced disappearances and other grave human rights violations.

During her visit to Ecuador earlier this month, Noem toured the site of what Noboa’s office described as a potential US military base in the port city of Manta.

The Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) said in a statement late Sunday that “by inviting direct US military involvement and permanent presence in military bases—framed as a partnership to combat drug trafficking and organized crime—Noboa has tied the country’s safety and sovereignty to Washington’s regional ambitions.”

“Today’s ‘no’ vote therefore underscores widespread public unease with that approach and reflects the Ecuadorian people’s skepticism toward the government’s heavy reliance on the Trump administration’s support,” CEPR continued. “More generally, this vote raises questions about the effects and popularity of the last few years of security rapprochement and cooperation between Ecuador and the United States, which include, among other agreements, a Statute of Forces Agreement signed in 2023 that enables the presence of—and grants immunity to—US forces in Ecuador.”

“It is, to date, the Noboa government’s biggest electoral defeat,” the group added.

Original article by Jake Johnson republished form Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). 

Continue ReadingEcuador Voters Crush Right-Wing Push to Allow Return of US Military Bases