A cartoon by Mike Luckovich. Related | Trump goons take another step toward creating a secret police force

Around 230 Venezuelans deported to and imprisoned in El Salvador’s brutal CECOT prison are being sent to Caracas, Venezuela, Daily Kos can confirm.  In exchange, Venezuela will release five U.S. citizens and five U.S. permanent residents into custody of the American government, according to Reuters, which was the first to report the news through government sources.  “This nightmare is finally coming to an end. Unbelievable,” Gris Vogt, a San Francisco-based education specialist for the blind who has spent the past four months assisting families of the imprisoned men, told Daily Kos.  Since March, Vogt has worked with families in Venezuela, serving as a lifeline for their access to the American Civil Liberties Union and helping them communicate across the geopolitical gaps of Venezuela, El Salvador, and the U.S.  At least one planeload of prisoners arrived in Caracas on Friday afternoon, she told Daily Kos. “I’m happy for them, I’m happy for everybody,” she said.  x x YouTube Video On March 15, President Donald Trump deported 238 Venezuelan immigrants to the notoriously abusive CECOT prison on the flimsy claims that they were members of the Tren de Aragua gang.  However, the most concrete proof that the administration has provided is that the people had tattoos that officials claimed were affiliated with the gang. Experts have cast doubt on the reliability of using tattoos to gauge gang affiliation, though. Additionally, the vast majority of the original 238 deported Venezuelan migrants have no criminal record, according to “60 Minutes.” While around 230 Venezuelans are to be sent to their home country, the U.S. has deported over 250 Venezuelans to El Salvador. It is unclear which men will be sent to Venezuela and who will stay. Some of those deported to CECOT do have criminal histories, and it's possible they will remain in that prison.  Daily Kos has reached out to government officials for comment but did not immediately hear back.  As for other Venezuelan inmates without criminal convictions, their family members have been waiting months for this day to come.

President Donald Trump is in the midst of a temper tantrum after the Wall Street Journal on Thursday night published the contents of a lewd birthday note he sent to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in 2003. The note included a doodle of a naked woman and concluded, «Happy Birthday—and may every day be another wonderful secret.” Trump has so far written four unhinged Truth Social posts trying to deny that he ever wrote the note to Epstein, who was charged with child sex trafficking in 2019 but allegedly committed suicide in prison before he faced trial. Before that, Epstein was convicted in 2008 for soliciting prostitution of a minor. Epstein counted as his friends a number of powerful men, including Trump. In 2002, Trump raved about their friends to New York magazine. “I’ve known Jeff for fifteen years. Terrific guy,” Trump said. “He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.” President Donald Trump speaks to the media after arriving at Joint Base Andrews on July 15. After the Wall Street Journal’s report went live, Trump claimed online that the birthday note is »FAKE« and threatened to sue the news outlet for publishing the note's contents. Then he claimed the note could not be real, writing in another batshit-crazy Truth Social post that the note is »not the way I talk.« »Also, I don’t draw pictures. I told Rupert Murdoch it was a Scam, that he shouldn’t print this Fake Story. But he did, and now I’m going to sue his ass off, and that of his third rate newspaper,« Trump wrote. However, Trump does draw pictures. A number of his doodles of the New York City skyline have been auctioned off for charity—including one that sold for $29,000 and another that sold for $16,000 in 2017. Trump also posted about the Epstein files, which his administration says don't exist, despite the fact that many who now serve in his administration had said they should be released. To try to appease his base, which is tearing itself apart as it reckons with the fact that Trump may be part of a cover-up of the Epstein scandal, Trump said late on Thursday that he ordered Attorney General Pam Bondi to release “all pertinent Grand Jury testimony” about Epstein. Legal experts say, however, that this would likely not include lists of the powerful people purported to be in the files. Then Trump tried a new line of defense about why the Epstein files—which he long said he would release—don't exist. »If there was a 'smoking gun' on Epstein, why didn’t the Dems, who controlled the ‘files’ for four years, and had [former Attorney General Merrick] Garland and [former FBI Director James] Comey in charge, use it? BECAUSE THEY HAD NOTHING!!!« Trump wrote. Meanwhile, GOP lawmakers are working overtime to protect and defend their Dear Leader. House Republican leadership is blocking the House from voting on a bill that would order the release of the Epstein files. Instead, Republican leaders put a toothless, nonbinding resolution on the floor that says the administration should release the files. Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky speaks to reporters at the Capitol in May 2019. »Republicans spent all day writing a glorified press release to cover for a child sex abuser. What they ended up writing is a phony, non-binding resolution that does nothing,« Democratic Rep. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts said. “I moved to make it real and release the Epstein files. Every Republican voted no. Again.” »Congress thinks you’re stupid. The rules committee passed a NON-BINDING Epstein resolution, hoping folks will accept it as real. It forces the release of NOTHING," Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky—who is trying to force a vote on a bill that would legally obligate the Trump administration to release the files—wrote in a post on X. Meanwhile, other Republicans are playing cover for Trump.  Rep. Randy Fine, Republican of Florida, is irate about the WSJ report, saying he is introducing legislation to end House subscriptions to the newspaper. And Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida posted a joke doodle of a naked woman to try to claim the WSJ story was fake news.  And House Speaker Mike Johnson went on CNBC to claim that everything is fine and that Trump’s approval rating has never been higher, even though that’s patently false and his approval rating has been tanking. “His approval ratings are skyrocketing. CNN had a story a day or two ago—he was at a 90% approval rating! There's never been a president that high,” Johnson said in a comment so absurdly false it rivals the kind of propaganda the lady in the pink dress spews about North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.

A cartoon by Pedro Molina. Related | Americans reject MAGA meanness as ‘Superman’ soars

CBS is being criticized after the network announced on Thursday night that its long-running late-night talk show, “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” hosted by the comedian and outspoken Trump critic, would be canceled and go off the air in 2026. The network’s decision comes as President Donald Trump’s administration has been engaged in a sustained attack on independent media and as corporate media like CBS has given in to his demands. “This is all just going away,” Colbert told his audience on Thursday night, and said he shared his audience’s feelings after they booed the announcement. CBS claimed in a statement that the cancellation of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” was based on finances and “not related in any way to the show's performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.” Trump praised the network’s decision. “I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social account. But as is often the case, Trump is wrong. In the most recent quarter, Colbert was the highest-rated late-night talk show host. Colbert had an average of 2.42 million viewers each night, outpacing the competition at ABC and NBC. x x YouTube Video CBS’ announcement comes just three days after Colbert mocked the network’s parent Paramount company for paying out $16 million to settle a frivolous lawsuit from Trump. Paramount is also, coincidentally, in the middle of a merger that the Trump administration will need to sign off on. “As someone who has always been a proud employee of this network, I’m offended. And I don’t know if anything will ever repair my trust in this company. But just taking a stab at it, I’d say $16 million dollars would help,” Colbert said. Several Democratic members of Congress called out CBS for the apparent censorship. “CBS canceled Colbert’s show just THREE DAYS after Colbert called out CBS parent company Paramount for its $16M settlement with Trump – a deal that looks like bribery,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts wrote. “America deserves to know if his show was canceled for political reasons.” xCBS canceled Colbert’s show just THREE DAYS after Colbert called out CBS parent company Paramount for its $16M settlement with Trump – a deal that looks like bribery. America deserves to know if his show was canceled for political reasons. Watch and share his message.— Elizabeth Warren (@warren.senate.gov) 2025-07-18T00:15:04.991Z California Sen. Adam Schiff echoed Warren’s sentiments, writing, “If Paramount and CBS ended the Late Show for political reasons, the public deserves to know. And deserves better.” Washington Rep. Pramila Jayapal noted that Paramount had previously admitted that the Trump suit was “without merit” and said the public needs to know if the Colbert cancellation is “a politically motivated attack on free speech.” Colbert has been one of the most prominent voices in the entertainment world consistently mocking Trump, the Republican Party, and conservatives. He has hosted progressives and Democratic Party leaders who have used the program to criticize and mock the right. By eliminating the show, the right gains ground by silencing a dissenting voice. Trump and his Republican allies in Congress have been systematically working to defund, attack, and purge media that doesn’t toe the party line. At the same time, corporate media has bowed to Trump at outlets like the Washington Post, ABC News, and previously at CBS. The capitulation continues.

President Donald Trump wants to reopen Alcatraz as a maximum-security prison—and it could cost up to $2 billion, according to Axios. Trump has long toyed with the idea of reopening the infamous island prison, which is currently a museum and tourist destination. But now it seems he’s taking concrete steps to make this foolish plan happen. Attorney General Pam Bondi and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum toured the island Thursday, with officials confirming that multiple site visits have been conducted and early cost estimates drafted. It’s absurd on its face. Trump has spent months heartlessly cutting federal programs and shrinking government agencies under the guise of “efficiency.” And yet his administration is now considering a multibillion-dollar prison project aimed at housing what Trump calls America’s “most ruthless and violent” criminals. Sources told Axios there are three possible versions of the plan. The first—and most costly, at over $2 billion—involves destroying all existing structures on the island and building a new “supermax” complex from nothing. A smaller version might cost around $1 billion and take up less area of the island. The third option involves outsourcing the project to private prison companies, but Axios’ sources say this isn’t likely. A bird flies above Alcatraz Island on May 4 in the San Francisco Bay, California. “He likes it because it’s tough,” one Trump adviser told Axios. Another added: “People thought it was a joke … but the president is serious. And if he’s serious, we’re gonna do it.” Of course, there are huge logistical issues with this idea. Alcatraz was closed in 1963, after about 29 years in operation. The facility was falling apart, too expensive to run, and depended on boats to supply everything—food, water, and staff. And that was over 60 years ago. It’s not about need. It’s about image. Alcatraz occupies a large place in the American imagination, thanks to decades of movies, myths, and prison lore. And Trump, always looking to make a statement, surely sees this as an opportunity. Forget that the U.S. prison population has been dropping for years and is expected to keep shrinking. And forget that the National Park Service has operated the island as a tourist spot since 1973. If Trump gets his way, power would shift from NPS to Bondi’s Justice Department, which would oversee the new facility. Axios notes that funding could come from Trump’s recently passed budget law, which increased funding for immigration enforcement. That sector remains one of the few areas still seeing growth in the incarceration system, and it’s a top priority for Trump, who has heavily promoted brutal border policies designed to scare migrants into “self-deporting.” Democrats, unsurprisingly, are criticizing the Alcatraz plan. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whose district includes Alcatraz, called it “the Trump administration’s stupidest initiative yet.” “It should concern us all that clearly the only intellectual resources the Administration has drawn upon for this foolish notion are decades-old fictional Hollywood movies,” she said in a statement. Even Trump’s staff admits that costs and time frames might stop the project.  “We need a lot more study, a lot more specificity, before the president decides,” one official said. “But $2 billion might just be too much money for him.”  The most expensive option might also be shelved because it would take too long to build, and Trump is eager to get it done while he’s still in office. Still, it wouldn’t be the first time Trump invested public funds in a flashy project with little real purpose. If it sounds expensive and legally questionable, chances are it’s close to getting approved.

Congressional Democrats are demanding answers from Fox News after the conservative network edited an interview with President Donald Trump about Jeffrey Epstein, his associate and convicted sex offender. In a 2024 interview, Fox aired an interview with Trump and Rachel Campos-Duffy in which he appeared to unequivocally say he would declassify files associated with the Epstein investigation, the 9/11 attacks, and the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. In the version broadcast on “Fox & Friends,” Trump responds, “Yeah. Yeah, I would.” But in the extended version of the comments, Trump equivocated and told the network, “You don’t want to affect people’s lives if it’s phony stuff in there.” The interview is coming under renewed scrutiny after Trump and his Department of Justice have decided to withhold information on the Epstein investigation despite years of touting the case as something he would expose. Rep. Robert Garcia of California “It is obvious to the American public that someone is lying and someone is trying to hide something,” Rep. Robert Garcia, the highest-ranking Democratic member of the House Oversight Committee, said in a statement released on Thursday. “As a network that reaches an estimated 2,663,000 total viewers, Fox News should not be in the business of censoring interviews with presidential candidates to mislead the public. The American people have a right to understand why Fox & Friends chose to alter President Trump’s stated position on the release of the Epstein files.” In a letter addressed to Lachlan Murdoch (executive chair and CEO of Fox parent Fox Corporation) and Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott, Garcia asks the network for access to any communications between Fox and Trump regarding the interview and exchanges about the Trump campaign and Epstein. Garcia noted in his letter that the Fox News edits are even “more pressing” after Trump sued CBS for airing two clips of an interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris, falsely insinuating that the edits changed the content of the exchange—while apparently benefitting from edited video from Fox at the same time. Related | CBS News disgraces itself as parent company bends to Trump CBS’ parent company Paramount has since paid off a $16 million settlement to Trump to make the frivolous lawsuit go away. The Epstein issue has been a major concern for Trump, as he has received criticism from MAGA supporters for the administration’s lack of transparency. Trump and congressional Republicans continue to stonewall efforts by Democrats attempting to force full disclosure of the government’s Epstein data, including a purported client list related to Epstein’s sex trafficking. Fox has long been in Trump’s corner, devoting hundreds of hours of airtime to propping up Trump, the Republican Party, and conservatism. Editing videos to help Republicans and/or smear Democrats has been part of Fox’s operation for its 29 years of existence. The edits under scrutiny by Garcia are right in line with the network’s past actions.

In years past, agents were largely motivated by allegiance to the Constitution. Not anymore

FX's «Alien: Earth» vision of the future embraces Ridley Scott's original movie, Xenomorphs and all

Trump called for the release of grand jury transcripts knowing they would reveal little that is new, critics charge

Her popular newsletter is now a weekly show delivering sharp, honest takes on politics and culture every Thursday

For your safety — and that of your fellow Americans — pay attention to what's happening

The Trump administration gave 79 million personal Medicaid records to ICE

Like other MAGA supporters, Fuentes isn’t taking Trump’s caginess around the Epstein case lightly

Depending on what he does, the results could be catastrophic

After a decade behind the desk, Stephen Colbert's late-night show will come to a close next May

As MAGA tears itself apart, Pelosi said lawmakers have more important issues to worry about

Support your friendly neighborhood independent comic strip: SIGN UP FOR THE INNER HIVE and you'll get each week's Tom the Dancing Bug comic at least a day before publication. Plus other exclusive content like extra comics, commentary, juicy gossip, puzzles, jokes, and Otis pics. Please do join the team that makes it possible for Tom the Dancing Bug to exist. Sign up for the free weekly Tom the Dancing Bug Review! Not nearly as good as joining the Inner Hive, but it's free! Get the new book that explains it all. «IT'S THE GREAT STORM, TOM THE DANCING BUG!» collects all Tom the Dancing Bug comics from 2020-2023 (and more!)! Now accepting orders right HERE! Get your personalized / signed / sketched / swagged copy while it's still legal to buy. «Intricate, incisive, shape-shifting»  – The New Yorker Follow @RubenBolling on Bluesky and/or Mastodon and/or Threads and/or Facebook and/or Instagram and/or Reddit. Related | Americans reject MAGA meanness as ‘Superman’ soars

In the nearly six months since the Trump administration has had control of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the bureau’s leadership has focused almost exclusively on rolling back any punishments, fines and penalties made against companies during the Biden administration. Related | Employees at the nation's consumer financial watchdog say it's become toothless under Trump In some cases, companies that were supposed to refund their customers or pay a penalty for unfair or deceptive practices are no longer bound to make their customers whole. Other companies facing charges of fraud of deceptive practices saw their lawsuits dropped in the early days of the Trump administration. A security officer works inside of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 10. Here are some of the Trump administration’s rollbacks: Navy Federal Credit Union The CFPB accused Navy Federal Credit Union, the nation’s largest credit union, of having unfair and deceptive overdraft fee practices. NFCU settled with the bureau and agreed to refund its members $80 million in overdraft fees. However, when the new administration took over, NFCU asked to have the order dismissed, which the CFPB agreed to do without giving a reason. Navy Federal has not said whether it would refund their members, which are mostly service men and women, families and veterans. Reduced overdraft fees The CFPB proposed new regulations that would have reduced overdraft fees to $5 from their industry average of $27. The regulations focused on a bureau analysis on what it actually cost banks to make short-term loans to customers to cover those purchases when a customer’s account went negative. The banking industry stood to lose billions of dollars in overdraft revenue, although banks have been weening themselves off overdraft fee revenue for years. The regulations were overturned by the Republican-controlled Congress in April. Capital One In the last days of the Biden administration, the CFPB sued banking giant Capital One for allegedly cheating its customers out of $2 billion in interest payments on their savings accounts. The case involved a product that Capital One sold known as 360 Savings, which the bank advertised as having the best savings rate in the country. Capital One failed to tell some customers that it had another product with a higher savings rate. The case was dropped within days of the Trump administration taking over the bureau. Walmart The CFPB filed a lawsuit in December against Walmart and workforce company Branch Messenger, accusing the companies of deceptively steering delivery drivers to open accounts with Branch, in order for those employees to get instant access to their wages. However, the CFPB said these Branch accounts came with high fees and deceptive marketing, and said Walmart and Branch should return $10 million to harmed drivers. Both Walmart and Branch denied the accusations. The lawsuit was dropped by the CFPB in the first weeks of the Trump administration. Zelle The parent company of Zelle, the peer-to-peer payment system, as well as some of the nation’s largest banks, were sued by the CFPB late last year over accusations they failed to protect hundreds of thousands of consumers from rampant fraud on Zelle, in violation of consumer financial laws. The CFPB’s lawsuit claimed hundreds of thousands of customers lost approximately $870 million in funds to fraud over the seven years that Zelle had been in existence. That lawsuit was dropped by the CFPB in March.

A few weeks ago, I told you that Donald Trump’s Department of Justice had launched an action against Daily Kos. I couldn’t say much then—and I still can’t. As part of the resolution, we’re required to keep the nature of the action confidential for one year.  But here’s what I can say now: The DOJ has backed off. They’ve withdrawn. We stood our ground, and we won. This victory didn’t happen by accident. We didn’t cozy up to Trump for special treatment. We didn’t flinch. And most importantly, you didn’t flinch either. It’s easy to say “fight fight fight.” It’s something else entirely when doing so costs real money—especially while running an independent publication in a brutal media and political environment. But because this community stepped up when we asked, we were able to hire a top-notch legal team and face this challenge with confidence. Without your support, this could’ve ended very differently. And let’s be honest—this win feels even better because of how overwhelming things have felt lately. Under Trump, the courts and federal agencies have been warped into tools of political revenge. The news is a daily avalanche of chaos and cruelty. Tuning out is tempting. So yes, in the grand scheme of things, this may be a small win. But for us, it’s huge. A real threat is off our back. And more importantly, it proves something powerful: Even in this darkness, we can fight back and win. Now, for the first time in weeks, I can fully focus on something exciting: our future. On Tuesday, we officially launched the capital campaign to build the next version of Daily Kos—a faster, stronger, more secure platform built to last for decades to come. It’s the most important project we’ve undertaken in years, and it’s the key to making sure we’re ready for whatever comes next. If you haven’t yet, please contribute to that exciting effort!   Frankly? It’s a lot more energizing to talk about building the future than fending off fascists. Thank you for standing with us when it mattered most. I promise, we wouldn’t have won without you. And we certainly wouldn’t be here without you. And on May 6, 2026, I’ll be able—and happy—to tell the full story.

If you ever wondered what the next career move might be after “chief of staff for an election denier,” wonder no more.  Jeff Small, former chief of staff for GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, is now an elections consultant. Of course, his “consulting” looks a lot more like harassing elections officials based on President Donald Trump’s conspiracy theories, so much so that even fellow Republicans in the state are pushing back.  It likely goes without saying that Small has no background whatsoever in elections or election security, but he does have a resume that includes work for not just Boebert, but also Big Lie luminaries like former GOP Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado and current GOP Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona, who keeps busy being extremely antisemitic when not pushing election conspiracies.  GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado Regardless of his lack of relevant experience, Small has been contacting Colorado county clerks to let them know that he’s working with the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security. What does he want? Nothing big, really. Just to let an unnamed third party or perhaps the federal government muck around in their election equipment.  Both the DOJ and the White House declined to comment about Small’s involvement.  However, after Small told Steve Schleiker, the Republican clerk for El Paso County, Colorado, that he was working with the DOJ and DHS to “team up” with county clerks, Schleiker received a call from a DHS official.  “We would like to test the voting equipment to see if there’s any gaps,” they said.  Schleiker responded by saying that the federal government does not have the authority to “try to infiltrate a state’s or a county’s election equipment.”  Other Republican county clerks also refused, saying things like, “Nobody gets access to my voting equipment, for security reasons,” and, “To me, it felt like they were wanting to intervene before 2026.” The Trump administration seems to have overestimated the desire of Republican elections officials to participate in its project of undermining voter confidence. People who run elections are fanatical about election security, following detailed rules that ensure, for example, that no one is ever alone with voting equipment. There is, by design, no federal agency that has broad authority to access state or local election systems—because elections are run by states.  Colorado is being specifically targeted because of Tina Peters, former Mesa County clerk, who was convicted in state court after letting an election denier access voting machines to prove  that there was voter fraud in 2020. Peters is a right-wing cause célèbre, viewed as being imprisoned for her beliefs, rather than illegally letting randos root around in voting equipment.  Former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters Trump has ordered the DOJ to try to find a way to free Peters, even though her conviction was in state court and the DOJ has no authority.  The DOJ is continuing to harass other states as well, though not as vociferously as Colorado. A letter to Minnesota about the state’s compliance with the Help America Vote Act was actually a demand for information about noncitizens and a complete voter list, including inactive voters.  The letter came from the acting chief of the voting section, Maureen Riordan, who made the same demand of Minnesota in her previous gig with the voter-suppression group Public Interest Legal Foundation.  Not content with harassment or civil threats, the DOJ is also exploring whether it would criminally charge elections officials who it determines haven’t properly safeguarded their election systems. You know what’s not safe? Letting conspiracy theorists—even ones who work for the government—dig around in voting machines to rewrite the 2020 election results.  And surprise, surprise—the states the DOJ is most concerned about just happen to be swing states like Wisconsin and North Carolina.  The Trump administration isn’t interested in election safety or even in the integrity of voter rolls. It’s purely interested in figuring out a way to make state and local elections officials complicit in Trump’s efforts. And what’s more effective than the threat of prosecution?

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