It seems someone is using pizza deliveries in an attempt to intimidate judges who rule against the Trump Administration.  That sounds ridiculous – but when anonymous deliveries are being made to the families of justices in the name of a judge’s murdered son, this is not a simple innocuous joke.

I invite civil, bipartisan discussion on this post.

This can be added to the list of other attacks on the judiciary I have discussed before:

• J.D. Vance questioning the authority of the judiciary
• President Trump said we need to look at the courts
• Elon Musk has called for judicial impeachments
• Two judges have been arrested and one has now been indicted by a federal grand jury with Pam Bondi suggesting there would be more to come.

Absolutely no one should be above the law.  It shouldn’t matter if it is a judge, politician, or a civilian – if someone is refusing to allow federal agents to carry out their lawful duties, they should face appropriate consequences.  I have my doubts that is what happened here, as my understanding is they did not have a judicial warrant; moreover, the comments surrounding this arrest suggest this is an attempt to send a message more than punishing the actions of this judge.

On top of the questions with this judge in particular, it does our nation a disservice to allow ICE agents to target courtrooms.  We are going to discourage people who are in the midst of the legal immigration process, and if someone does happen to know details of a crime, they are not going to come forward.

I urge Congress to stand up and demand a full investigation into the ongoing attack on the judiciary.

* For anyone who doesn’t remember the details, Pizzagate is a strange conspiracy theory that Hillary Clinton was involved in trafficking children at a pizza place.

 

Sources:

Feds Urged To Investigate Pizzas Sent To Judges Using Name Of Judge’s Murdered Son | HuffPost Latest News

1 year after son’s death, Judge Esther Salas says ‘we need to send a message’ – ABC News

Ignoring the Judiciary – Politically Rational

Vance questions authority of US judges to challenge Trump

Trump and allies ramp up attacks on judges, courts as agenda hits legal roadblocks – ABC News

Elon Musk Calls for Impeachment of Judge in DOGE Case: Can Congress Do It? – Newsweek

Federal authorities arrest two judges, in escalation of Trump immigration crackdown

Milwaukee Judge Hannah Dugan indicted by grand jury on federal charges – ABC News

Trump’s Attorney General Warns Arrested Judge Is Just the Beginning | The New Republic

ICE Arrests at Immigration Appointments Stir Fear and Debate

PolitiFact | How Pizzagate went from fake news to a real problem for a D.C. business

One of the biggest reasons I’ve heard people support the Republican party is they are fiscally conservative and are concerned about the budget deficit.  Although I don’t consider it my top priority today, I agree with being fiscally conservative and working to reduce the national debt, or at least reducing the deficit, especially in times of prosperity.

I welcome civil, bipartisan discussion on this post.

Yesterday, details of the Republican Budget Plan, ridiculously called the Big Beautiful Bill, (BBB), were released.  Despite weeks of claiming they had no intention of cutting Medicaid, the plan ultimately cuts $880 billion in spending, mostly to Medicaid.

While many Republicans are claiming that these cuts will only target “waste, fraud and abuse”, a line that is overused more by the day, the Congressional Budget Office estimates this will result in 8.6 million people losing health care coverage over the next ten years.

Some Republicans are publicly stating their opposition to such extreme cuts, including Josh Hawley who considers this move to be political suicide, Don Bacon has put a “red line” at $500 billion in cuts, and David Valadao is vowing to protect Medicaid.

My U.S. Representative, Zach Nunn, has been saying over and over again that he introduced a bill that would not allow Congress to reduce Medicaid (or SNAP benefits) through the process of Budget Reconciliation, but he seems to keep insinuating there is significant waste, fraud and abuse within the program.

I think there probably is some waste, fraud and abuse in just about every major program in Federal government, and I think we should work to remove it.  However, there were already Inspectors General who looked for this kind of activity prior to being fired by Donald Trump and I believe the fraud we see is generally overstated.

I completely agreed with the idea from President Trump that we should raise taxes on people making over $2.5 million, but passing this bill would be a travesty.  This bill would increase the debt limit significantly by providing large tax cuts to top earners in the United States and does not even come close to covering the cost of those tax cuts in spending decreases.

This bill is the exact opposite of fiscally responsible.

Sources:

House Republicans unveil details of Trump tax plans | CNN Politics

House Republicans have unveiled proposed Medicaid cuts. Democrats say millions will lose coverage | PBS News

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/12/opinion/josh-hawley-dont-cut-medicaid.html?unlocked_article_code=1.G08.Ahbe.gxN7qfG_Jjwq&smid=url-share

Don Bacon sets $500B red line on Medicaid – POLITICO

Rep. David Valadao vows to protect Medicaid amid protests and political pressure

Nunn introduces resolution preserving Medicaid, SNAP benefits for Iowa’s ‘most vulnerable’ | News | kmaland.com

R48444.3.pdf

D.C. Dispatch: Iowa delegation discuss measures on maternal health, Medicaid • Iowa Capital Dispatch

Trump fires more than a dozen independent inspectors general | AP News

Trump and Taxes – Politically Rational

Trump revives millionaire tax talks as Democrats blast GOP on Medicaid

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5296015-gop-tax-bill-salt-trump-priorities/

 

“So far, we have been fortunate not to have any cases of Measles in the great state of Iowa.  However, in 2025 we have seen measles cases increase significantly in the United States, including cases in three of our neighbor states.  While I believe vaccination is a personal choice between you and your doctor, I strongly encourage each and every one of you to get the measles vaccine if you have not done so already.”

– Governor Kim Reynolds

This quote is fake.  I made it up.

I came up a statement I would like to see from Governor Reynolds regarding the status of measles in the United States; I hope she issues some statement to that effect.  I would have skipped the part of it being a choice between you and your doctor, not because I don’t believe it’s true, but because I think it weakens the call to action, but I think it more closely aligns with a message she would be comfortable giving.

I encourage civil, bipartisan discussion on this post.

Please look at the two pictures provided on yearly measles cases – one shows measles cases from 1985 to 2025, and one shows from 2000-2025.  The reduction in cases from 1990-1993 was so significant the chart is difficult to even understand when you start with the earlier timeline.  Both of these charts were taken from the CDC webpage on Measles – the same one I link below.

What changed in the early 1990s that made cases fall so much?  The CDC recommended a second dose of the measles vaccine in children in 1989.  This is science in action – creating a safe vaccine, studying the results, and recommending modifications as data shows the results.

There were nearly 10,000 cases in 1991, just over 2,000 cases in 1992, and the most since then was in 2019 with just over 1,200.  We have already surpassed 1,000 cases in 2025 in early May.  There have cases in Missouri, in Illinois, and in Minnesota.  Granted, that only accounts for a total of 10 cases, it seems that it is only a matter of time until we see cases in Iowa.

Thankfully, measles vaccination rates remain high.  Iowa ranks 31^st in the U.S. for measles vaccination rate, but that still is a large majority of 91.5% vaccinated, but falls short of target and the rates have decrease over the last few years.  Various local officials have called for increased vaccinations, but not a single Iowa politician has put out a call for the public to get vaccinated.

In addition to measles, the United States is cutting funding for surveillance of tuberculosis, pulled back on health tracking data, and we are seeing polio cases increase across the world though it has not yet spread like other viral disease.

 

Sources:

History of Measles Vaccine – National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC)

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

Measles hits 1,000 cases — for the second time in 30 years – POLITICO

Missouri health department announces first measles case of 2025 • Missouri Independent

City of Chicago :: Measles: Get The Facts

https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/minnesota-measles-case-april-2025/

MMR Vaccination Rates in US States – WorldAtlas

Iowa’s measles vaccination rates below target – Axios Des Moines

Measles Press Release 2025.pdf

USAid cuts could create untreatable TB bug ‘resistant to everything we have’ | Tuberculosis | The Guardian

Cuts have eliminated more than a dozen US government health-tracking programs | AP News

https://www.who.int/news/item/10-04-2025-statement-of-the-forty-first-meeting-of-the-polio-ihr-emergency-committee#:~:text=In%202025%2C%2080%20WPV1%2Dpositive,both%20endemic%20countries%20throughout%202024.

In the last few days, the Trump Administration (specifically, the Department of Homeland Security) has stated plainly that arresting Democrats for protests is “definitely on the table”.

Interestingly enough, I actually agree with the underlying premise behind this concept.  If someone is breaking the law in a manner consistent with an arrest being the appropriate outcome, they should be arrested.  It should not matter who they are.  However, please note from the article above, that members of congress have the legal right to unannounced oversight of ICE facilities.

I want to highlight the difference in media around this incident.  Look at the headlines, the order various statements appear, and how they are discussed.

Axios:

Trump DHS eyes arrests for House Democrats over New Jersey ICE incident

Fox News:

DHS says ‘arrests are still on the table’ after New Jersey House Dems storm ICE facility | Fox News

Newsweek:

Trump Admin Says ‘Definitely on the Table’ to Arrest Democrats Over Protest – Newsweek

What did you notice?

 

I would also like to call attention to how this was discussed in the context of the January 6^th rioter who was killed, Ashli Babbitt.

Here is an article that talks about Donald Trump’s comments about her in 2003: Trump splits with McCarthy on Babbitt’s death: ‘I totally disagree’.

She was attempting to climb over barriers to reach the chambers of Congress. There is video evidence of her death.  I do not recommend watching.

If the Trump Department of Justice thinks the people in New Jersey were storming an ICE facility, why did they agree to a settlement with Ashli Babbitt’s family?

I do want to add that I truly feel sorry for her and her family.  I sincerely doubt she was led down this path by people with good intentions.

 

DHS Spokesperson: More Dem arrests are ‘on the table’ after ICE facility scrum – POLITICO

https://www.axios.com/2025/05/10/trump-ice-arrest-house-democrats-new-jersey

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/dhs-says-arrests-on-table-after-new-jersey-house-dems-caught-camera-storming-ice-facility

https://www.newsweek.com/trump-administration-threatens-democratic-lawmakers-ice-protests-2070578

Trump splits with McCarthy on Babbitt’s death: ‘I totally disagree’

Videos show shooting of Ashli Babbitt during Capitol siege

US reaches settlement in Ashli Babbitt wrongful death lawsuit | AP News

Why are we focusing on support for South African Refugees?

Over the last few days, there have been increasing reports that the Trump administration will start granting refugee status to South Africans of Afrikaans decent.

I invite civil, bipartisan discussion on this post.

As my last African Politics Class at Iowa State was in about 2007, my knowledge is slightly dated – the last two stories I remember about South Africa specifically are questions about which of Jacob Zuma’s wives would be first lady when he won in 2009, and when the African National Committee (ANC) lost power for the first time in decades in 2024.

According to one article in The Guardian, Afrikaners are still faring better than the general population in South Africa.  I have also seen articles claiming a lot of the population is eager to come to the United States but I do question if 70,000 people looking to claim asylum are truly doing so due to fear of persecution or other reasons with a total Afrikaans population of around  4.6 million in the country.

I believe it is important to welcome refugees, and I am thankful that Robert Ray was a driver for such programs in Iowa, bringing in the Tai Dam from Southeast Asia as a result of conflicts in the 1970s.  If widespread conflict and violence is causing undue harm to people in South Africa, I absolutely believe we should bring them in.

At the same exact time the Trump Administration is looking to welcome South African refugees, they were blocked from revoking legal status from people from Haiti, Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela and then asked the Supreme Court to weigh in.  They were even looking to revoke legal status of Ukrainian refugees.

I fully support asylum claims and helping resettle refugees in the United States.  But why is the Trump Administration choosing to support South African Refugees while turning their backs on those from other countries?

While his administration looks to overturn legal status for migrants of many countries, they are also considering suspending habeas corpus, and continuing brutal roundups of migrants in Massachusetts with ICE agents refusing to show a warrant, saying “we don’t have to show you anything.”

 

Sources:

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

https://www.npr.org/2024/06/01/nx-s1-4987616/south-africa-election-results

https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/which-wife-will-become-south-africas-first-lady/

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

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjevg2vlwk4o

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Africa#Demographics

https://www.iowapbs.org/iowapathways/mypath/2687/robert-d-ray-iowa-governor-humanitarian-leader

U.S. appeals court rejects Trump bid to revoke 400,000 migrants’ legal status

Trump asks Supreme Court to revoke legal status of 500,000 immigrants

Trump weighs revoking legal status of Ukrainians as US steps up deportations | Reuters

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/09/us/trump-habeas-corpus.html?unlocked_article_code=1.GE8.6Mb9.RkVaomJCKryi&smid=url-share

Video: Worcester police hold teen girl down during ICE operation – NBC New York

Chaotic ICE arrest in Worcester leads to second arrest by local police – masslive.com