I do not believe Donald Trump is a king in the United States today.

Last weekend, I went to the “No Kings” protest at the Des Moines Capitol Building.  My pictures are here and here.

If you attended a protest, what was your experience like?  What are you asking for?

I invite civil, bipartisan discussion on this post.

I won’t give an extremely detailed write-up on each point, but here are some of the reasons I chose to attend.  If you’ve been reading my posts, these probably won’t surprise you.

• I was really curious what it would be like, and I wanted to see it in person.
• This administration has attacked the judicial branch again and again.
• Donald Trump has repeatedly cancelled funding approved by Congress.
• The crackdown on freedom of speech of Donald Trump’s opponents scares me.
• I believe in following due process.
• I cannot believe Congress isn’t standing up for their own powers.

Who is behind these protests anyway?

I find it really important to look at the details of organizations and truly understand where their support comes from.  This is especially true if there is any consideration given to providing financial support.

The overarching organization is No Kings, but it is more of a grassroots system with local organizations taking the reins and coordinating the activity in each individual city.  The main group behind the protest in Des Moines was Indivisible Des Moines.  Indivisible, at the national level, has received funding from the Open Society Foundations, which was founded by George Soros, most recently receiving a grant in 2023.  It is important to note that this protest ultimately had many organizations helping organize it.

So, what was my experience at the protest like?

On my way downtown it was immediately clear there would be a pretty significant turnout with traffic backed up from the Capitol exit on the interstate.  Walking up to the Capitol, the crowd was unmistakable with an estimated 7,000 people ultimately turning out.

When I walked up to the crowd, it was difficult to figure out what, if any, plan and organization there was.  People would occasionally grab a sign and walk down the road through the capitol steps, and a number of people with megaphones would start various chants or simply start ranting about the government in general.

After about an hour and a half, I realized there was a place in the middle of the crowd where people were speaking but it was difficult to even get close enough to hear what they were saying.

In total, I appreciated the crowd, but I was disappointed with the protest overall.  A sound system allowing speakers to be heard by the entire crowd was sorely lacking, some indication of who would be speaking and when would have been nice.

Do I think this event will make a difference?

The beauty of a grassroots movement is people coming together to make their voices heard.  Standing up, without using extensive funding from wealth people or dark money, to try and make an impact in this great country by exercising their first amendment right to free speech and peaceable assembly.

However, the nature of grassroots movements can lead to an inconsistent message as everyone is standing up to speak for themselves without central organization.  Moreover, these events across the United States were designed with well-defined start and end times and did not have set goals.

This event can help, but it will not be enough.  To make a difference, people need to continue to speak up.  People need to reach out to their Congress members and demand the government follows the Constitution.  While I have many disagreements with this administration, this is what I care most about:

• Follow the Constitution
• Adhere to judicial rulings
• Follow Congressional Appropriations
• Follow the laws passed by Congress
• Don’t punish speech

Again, I do not believe Donald Trump is a king in the United States.
But I do believe he wants to be.

 

Sources:

Ignoring the Judiciary – Politically Rational

Vance and the Judiciary – Politically Rational

Freedom of Speech is a Bedrock of American Democracy – Politically Rational

The First 100 Days – Politically Rational

Due Process in America – Politically Rational

The Presidency Does Not Exist in a Vacuum – Politically Rational

No Kings

What is No Kings Day? Here are all Iowa’s Trump protests for June 14

‘No Kings Day’ protest brings thousands to Des Moines

Open Society Foundations – Awarded Grants, Scholarships, and Fellowships – Open Society Foundations

Open Society Foundations – Wikipedia

First Amendment | U.S. Constitution | US Law | LII / Legal Information Institute

 

 

 

 

“Well, we’re all going to die.”
– Joni Ernst

As the “Big, Beautiful Bill” has passed the House, it is now in the hands of the Senate.  Moreover, the public now has access to the full scope of the bill.  As it contains significant cuts to Medicaid, I want to re-examine all the health-related impacts of the current Trump administration.

I invite civil, bipartisan discussion on this post.

 

I will note that I have also been paying attention to the situation in Los Angeles, the upcoming protests, the Iran/Israel News, and the military parade set for June 14^th, and I will be addressing those as well, but I will not be focusing on those today.

 

During an address to a Joint Session of Congress in early March, President Trump made a brain cancer survivor an honorary member of the Secret Service.  After that speech was over, Democrats received a lot of backlash for not standing to applaud the commemoration.  I have to agree that Democrats should have stood in respect for the honoree, but also that it is difficult when the administration was unilaterally cutting research for cancer funding at the same time.

The New York Times recently released an article that provided extensive details regarding funding cuts imposed by the President which included cuts to Cancer research, HIV research, vaccine research, and Alzheimer’s research.  With the budget bill passing the House of Representatives, I reached out to my Senators from Iowa to ask them to oppose Medicaid cuts and other provisions in the bill.  I finally received a reply from Senator Ernst, which I have added to this post; it is probably the least informative message I have ever received from someone in Congress, and that is saying something!

I suppose her town hall remark, and follow-up sarcastic apology say more than enough about her position, despite her subsequent claims that she is compassionate.  If I receive a reply from Senator Grassley, I will post it here as well.

During the confirmation hearings for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., he reiterated support for the polio and measles vaccines and said he would do nothing to discourage people from taking them.  He also answered yes when asked if he would promise to maintain vaccine review standards.  It was a deviation from his testimony then, when he announced major changes to COVID-19 Vaccine policies without guidance from advisory committees.  Shortly after those announcements, the entire vaccine advisory committee was removed from their duties.  He has since added new picks to the committee, some with controversial past statements on vaccine efficacy.

Yesterday, there was a third confirmed case of measles in Iowa as the number of cases and outbreaks has increased significantly across the country with 1,168 confirmed cases nationwide.  Less than halfway through 2025, we are approaching the worst year since 2000 already – there were 1,274 cases in 2019.  As RFK Jr. has downplayed the efficacy of the measles vaccine and questioned their safety, the cases will continue to spread.

So far, during this entire administration, Republicans have been quick to defend the President’s actions as simply cutting waste, fraud, and abuse.  However, as the sources I’ve detailed here show, we are cutting tangible resources spent on critical research, life-saving funding for medical care for those in need, and critical expenditures simply for those who are hungry.

These funding cuts will significantly decrease quality of life and harm health outcomes for people across the world and I urge everyone to stand up and ask their Congress members to stand up for health funding.

Thank you.

 

Sources:

Trump makes 13-year-old cancer survivor a Secret Service agent during speech to Congress | Reuters

Dems slammed for sitting as cancer survivor was honored during Trump’s speech | Fox News

An Uncertain Future: New NIH Policy Endangers Childhood Cancer Research – Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/06/04/health/trump-cuts-nih-grants-research.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Ok8.aUU5.tXO4wcq3_Gvc&smid=url-share

https://www.iowapublicradio.org/ipr-news/2025-06-11/how-cuts-to-medicaid-in-big-beautiful-bill-affect-iowans

These Hidden Provisions in the Budget Bill Undermine Our Democracy | Campaign Legal Center

https://www.npr.org/2025/05/31/nx-s1-5418932/we-all-are-going-to-die-ernst-joni-town-hall-iowa-senator

https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/2025/05/31/iowa-sen-joni-ernst-posts-sarcastic-apology-after-viral-medicaid-comments-we-all-are-going-to-die/83967492007/

Sen. Joni Ernst defends her “we all are going to die” comments: “I’m very compassionate” – CBS News

RFK Jr. Confirmation Hearing Day One

RFK Jr. Confirmation Hearing Day Two

Q&A on New COVID-19 Vaccine Policies – FactCheck.org

RFK Jr. removes all members of the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee : Shots – Health News : NPR

The CDC’s new vaccine advisers – POLITICO

Measles in Iowa: Child in Johnson County becomes third case

https://www.cdc.gov/measles/data-research/index.html

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/rfk-jr-claims-measles-treated-vitamin-linked-poor/story?id=119713193

RFK Jr. Misleads About Measles Vaccine in Hannity Interview – FactCheck.org

PolitiFact | Trump said a GOP bill doesn’t change Medicaid, only targets ‘waste, fraud and abuse.’ That’s False

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins granted a waiver to the SNAP program for the state of Iowa as she is asking states to submit such requests. This request was submitted by Governor Reynolds after a similar bill was started during the Iowa legislative session, passing the House but never being voted on in the Senate, meaning the governor chose to do this on her own before it was even discussed in the house.

The idea behind this waiver is to eliminate SNAP spending on ‘junk food’, and it is done by removing foods which are taxed from eligible SNAP spending.

I understand the point that Secretary Rollins is making, there is sense in making sure the food we provide for public programs is nutritious, and Governor Reynolds pointed out the increasing level of obesity in Iowa as the reason for this waiver. This seems to imply that SNAP recipients tend to overspend on ‘junk food’ compared to the rest of the population.

House Republicans pointed to a study that shows sugary drinks and desserts are the second most often purchased category for SNAP benefits and pushing that as the reason they must be curtailed. Looking at the study in more detail, it concludes that SNAP and non-SNAP households spend almost the same amount on each category, stating:

Both groups of households spent about 40 cents of every dollar of food expenditures on basic items such as meat, fruits, vegetables, milk, eggs, and bread. Another 20 cents out of every dollar was spent on sweetened beverages, desserts, salty snacks, candy and sugar. The remaining 40 cents were spent on a variety of items such as cereal, prepared foods, dairy products, rice, and beans.

If SNAP households spend almost the exact same proportions on the same categories as non-SNAP households, any obesity or health-related issues are unrelated to SNAP funding allowed for such purchases and we would be better off looking at better nutrition education and improving accessibility to healthy foods, which is also what organizations such as the Hunger Coalition recommend.

Studies also indicate the effect of this change is likely negligible. The study I am linking here is fairly complex, so I’ll try to explain it with an illustration. Please note that the dollar amounts I am mentioning are made up.

Let’s say an individual earns take home income dedicated to groceries of $100 and receives a SNAP benefit of $100. This allows a total food budget of $200. If we have 20% of spending on ‘junk food’ as is typical according to the SNAP study linked, that means the individual would spend $40 on ‘junk food’. This leaves $160 to spend on everything else. Since their disposal income is over $40, they can simply dedicate all of their SNAP benefit on eligible foods and have no change of any kind to the food in their cart.

Long story short, the SNAP benefit will be lower than the total spending on eligible purchases anyway making this change effectively useless.

In addition to these waiver requests, the new budget bill passed by the U.S. house cuts SNAP funding by $300 billion, which will likely shift the burden from the federal government to state governments, the full impacts of that shift are not yet fully known.

I fully believe our federal and state governments should work together to improve health outcomes across the United States. These changes will only add red tape and increase stigmas for citizens in need without creating any meaningful impact.

Sources:

Iowa receives federal waiver for summer nutrition program 

https://www.fns.usda.gov/newsroom/usda-0072.25

https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/2025/03/27/house-passes-bill-limiting-items-iowans-with-snap-benefits-could-buy/82670593007/

https://www.iowapublicradio.org/ipr-news/2025-05-13/snap-waiver-iowa-usda

https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/2025/05/22/trump-administration-approves-kim-reynolds-waiver-request-to-restrict-what-iowans-can-buy-snap/83801924007/

https://who13.com/news/iowa-news/gov-reynolds-waiver-to-limit-eligible-food-under-snap-approved/

https://www.iowapublicradio.org/state-government-news/2025-03-27/iowa-house-bill-limit-snap-benefits-to-healthy-foods-and-drinks

https://www.foodpolitics.com/wp-content/uploads/SNAPFoodsTypicallyPurchased_16.pdf

https://www.kcrg.com/2025/05/24/iowa-hunger-coalition-says-restrictions-snap-wont-make-state-healthier/#:~:text=These%20SNAP%20recipients%20TV9%20spoke,SNAP%20carry%20the%20wrong%20message.

https://surf.econ.uic.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/882/2022/05/SNAP_Matters_Ch4.pdf

https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/2025/05/22/iowa-impact-of-congress-budget-cuts-to-medicaid-snap/83742388007/

A few weeks ago, James Comey posted, then deleted, a picture of shells on the beach which were arranged in the numbers ‘8647’.

On the late show with Stephen Colbert, Comey claimed he and his wife stumbled upon this “cryptic message in the sand” and they had to stop and think about what it could possibly mean.  He recounted the exact same story almost verbatim on NPR, saying they had no clue what it could mean.

This is a complete farce.  From watching cooking shows like Kitchen Nightmares, I have long known that 86ing something meant to get rid of it, and let’s be honest, so did James Comey.

What I hadn’t realized is that Newsmax (seemingly only Newsmax) has been promoting the idea that people posting ‘8647’ are referring to violence against the President.

I do not believe for one second that James Comey had no idea that ‘8647’ was a reference to the President.  I also don’t believe for one second that he and his wife just somehow happened to stumble upon this message on the beach, especially that it happened at the same time he is promoting his new book.

To put it simply, James Comey is full of crap.  He knows that 86 means ‘to get rid of’ and he knows that ’47’ is a reference to the 47th President.  I can believe that he didn’t associate ’86’ with violence against the President, but I cannot believe that he just randomly happened to stumble upon this artifact and posted it thinking it could possibly have some meaning.

 

Sources:
https://www.newsweek.com/james-comey-deletes-post-depicting-8647-after-backlash-online-2073031
https://www.foxnews.com/media/james-comey-details-what-led-him-posting-controversial-8647-instagram-post?msockid=3aad4a977f4461ab1ada41b37e5360dd
https://www.npr.org/2025/05/23/nx-s1-5307980/james-comey-is-back-with-a-new-book-and-a-new-controversy
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/86_(term)
https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/mike-lee-left-8647/2025/04/08/id/1206162/
https://penzlerpublishers.com/product/fdr-drive/

Almost every single week, it feels hard to keep up.  So, I have written a short recap of major events that have happened with some extra details.  Let me know if you find it useful.

 

Trump Administration refuses to let Harvard have international students.

Harvard will no longer be allowed to have any international students enrolled, and any students who are there currently will have to transfer to another university or they will have their visa revoked.  This fight started when Harvard refused to give in to President Trump’s many demands regarding diversity and anti-Semitism on campus.

After cutting significant grant funding to Harvard, then cutting even more grants to Harvard, this is yet another attempt by the Trump administration to force Harvard to give in to its demands.  It should be noted that what the Executive branch is considering anti-Semitism certainly sounds more like freedom of speech to me.

 

Big Beautiful Bill Passes the House

I would like to give a quick reminder that the reason these cuts were going to expire was the method of passing them in the first place would have increased the budget deficit more than allowed under the method used to approve them.

This bill will increase the budget deficit by $3.8 trillion, push an estimated 8 million people off Medicaid, and cuts food assistance by about $300 billion, shifting some of those costs to the states.

 

Biden Mental Fitness Cover-up

A new book just came out detailing the cover-up of President Biden’s mental fitness while in office.  It is disturbing that officials would hide the extent of the President’s deterioration while he served in the nation’s highest office.  That said, many incidents of him freezing in public were widely known and there was no question his acuity was in jeopardy after his dreadful debate performance.

I would like to better understand how extensive the cover-up was and who was most responsible for it, but I also think this story has shielded many more important topics of the day.

I will add that there are no indications that his cancer diagnosis has anything to do with his acuity, and I wish the former President the best as he battles the disease.

 

Trump Administration defies court order and sends people to South Sudan

A court ordered the U.S. government to retain custody of migrants it was sending to South Sudan, as the deportation cases had not finished its course through the judicial system.  The administration sent migrants to South Sudan despite that order.  The judge in the case said he will consider charges for contempt of court, but the new budget bill that passed the house also contains a provision that would make it nearly impossible for the judiciary to enforce contempt charges.

 

Trump Attacks South African President in Oval Office

To give a little context to this story, the Trump administration recently began accepting white refugees from South Africa on the underlying claim that the government is committing genocide against white people in the country.

With President Ramaphosa in the oval office, the President showed images and videos purportedly showing signs of the genocide in his country.  However, at least some of the pictures were not even from the correct country.  It is also widely disputed that any genocide is currently underway.

This is the second time a foreign president was effectively ambushed in the oval office, as President Trump and Vice President Vance went after Ukrainian President Zelenskyy several months ago as well.  If I were a foreign leader, I think I would hesitate to accept oval office meetings with this administration.

 

Netanyahu says Israel will take full control of Gaza

Trump hasn’t addressed this plan, but on the campaign trail he did say he Israel should “finish the problem”, and has backed a plan to move all Palestinians to Libya. He was quite clear that a lot of people are starving in Gaza and he wanted to reduce suffering, but it is unclear what actions he may be willing to take to make that happen.

 

Trump admits President Putin does not plan to stop the war in Ukraine

On the campaign trail, President Trump touted his ability to make a deal and repeatedly said he would end the Russia-Ukraine war in 24 hours.  However, his attempts to broker any kind of peace have fallen apart, and now he simply admits that Russia is not willing to stop fighting.  Rather than pushing harder for President Putin to stop this war, President Trump is instead looking to just walk away from the negotiating table.

 

Sources:

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/22/us/politics/trump-harvard-international-students.html?unlocked_article_code=1.JE8.8nW8.bdmngTqjnnY2&smid=url-share

https://apnews.com/article/harvard-antisemitism-demands-columbia-84d6265d2fbfcd5534006edff638160e

https://apnews.com/article/harvard-trump-administration-federal-cuts-antisemitism-0a1fb70a2c1055bda7c4c5a5c476e18d

https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/13/us/harvard-funding-cuts-government-trump

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/mike-johnson-donald-trump-get-big-beautiful-win-budget-passes-house

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tax_Cuts_and_Jobs_Act

https://www.npr.org/2025/05/19/nx-s1-5309451/biden-health-decline-original-sin

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/president-biden-appears-freeze-white-house-juneteenth-event?msockid=212810356d9162891ac005286cf063a6

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/2024-us-debate-analysis-1.7249398

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/joe-biden/former-president-joe-biden-diagnosed-prostate-cancer-rcna207571

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/judge-says-trump-administration-violated-court-order-by-deporting-migrants-to-south-sudan

https://apnews.com/article/deportation-immigration-south-sudan-department-of-homeland-security-300e8c704402e2cb3c920d251b7fa876

https://www.npr.org/2025/05/21/nx-s1-5406208/trump-administration-defends-flight-of-migrants-to-third-countries

https://www.abajournal.com/news/article/proposal-to-limit-courts-contempt-power-part-of-spending-bill-is-terrible-idea-chemerinsky-says

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-host-south-africas-president-amid-tensions-us/story?id=122002870

https://www.npr.org/2025/05/09/nx-s1-5391815/first-afrikaners-granted-refugee-status-due-to-arrive-in-u-s

https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/trumps-image-dead-white-farmers-came-reuters-footage-congo-not-south-africa-2025-05-22/

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/apr/06/white-afrikaner-donald-trump-america-us-administration

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/02/28/trump-vance-zelenskyy-oval-office-exchange-00206727

https://www.npr.org/2025/05/22/nx-s1-5406798/netanyahu-says-israeli-military-will-take-full-control-of-gaza

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-israel-gaza-finish-problem-rcna141905

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/trump-administration-working-plan-move-1-million-palestinians-libya-rcna207224

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/20/world/middleeast/israel-allies-denounce-gaza-offensive.html?unlocked_article_code=1.JE8.EjoP.l5pRjiCnwdbB&smid=url-share

https://www.wsj.com/world/europe/trump-putin-call-russia-ukraine-83a6ef59

https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/25/politics/fact-check-trump-ukraine-war/index.html

https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/20/politics/trump-putin-russia-ukraine-ceasefire-talks